{"id":196,"date":"2010-01-31T12:04:49","date_gmt":"2010-01-31T17:04:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/moonblossom.net\/blog\/?p=196"},"modified":"2010-10-29T11:45:52","modified_gmt":"2010-10-29T15:45:52","slug":"indigo-girl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moonblossom.net\/blog\/2010\/01\/indigo-girl\/","title":{"rendered":"Indigo Girl"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’d been waffling about buying a Taisho-era indigo piece for a while when this came up on Ichiroya<\/a>, and while it was a bit more than I usually pay for kimono, the colour, size, and condition of it were all worth the investment in my mind. This is a houmongi with era-typical long sleeves and a beautiful, multiseasonal floral design. It’s got branches of ume (plum blossom), iris, botan (peony), and bamboo around the hem, and a bold, graphic stem of tachibana, which is probably my favourite floral motif. I love how squishy and fun they look!<\/p>\n

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It also has some gorgeous, lush embroidery on some of the geometric designs
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However, I think one of my favourite things about this kimono is probably one of the most subtle. Woven directly into the fabric, before the dyeing process was started, is a gorgeous red and gold windowpane plaid. You’d never see detailing like this on a modern houmongi, as nowadays that sort of design is considered strictly informal. Naomi<\/a> wrote a great piece on the qualities of indigo dye, and the transitional phenomenon of putting stripes (which are very casual by modern standards) on more formal kimono. It’s a trend I think is beautiful and needs to come back into vogue.<\/p>\n

I’ve worn this kimono once, but only inside the yard, as I’m a little worried about wearing such an old piece out and about. Maybe one day when the right time and place come up, I will do so. I chose to pair it with a late-Showa era obi, which may seem odd but the clouds, grasses, and colours just seemed perfect with it. The obiage and obijime were a gift from a friend, and bring out the soft blue and olive tones in the kimono perfectly. For a vintage feel, I chose some burnt paulownia geta instead of zori.
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