Why are kimonos for women so long?
- by MaedaYumiko
- 2 min reading time
I often hear from customers who pick up a long kimono:
"I'm small – he's definitely not right for me."
Japanese women are by no means tall compared to European women.
Especially the women who actually used to wear vintage and antique kimonos,
They were on average even smaller than we are today.
So why are kimonos for women made so long?
The answer is quite simple:
to form an Ohashori .
Kimonos follow a completely different principle than Western clothing.
While Western clothing is tailored to fit the body,
A kimono is worn by folding and adjusting it to the body.
The additional length allows for the creation of an Ohashori .
which allows the kimono to be adjusted to different body sizes.
Ohashori only became common during the Meiji period (1868–1912) .
Before that, in the Edo period (1603–1868) , women wore their kimonos – just like men –
in full length ( taidake ), without shortening it.
This change is related to legal and social developments of that time,
Which I don't want to discuss in more detail here.
Back to basics.
This type of construction makes it possible to
that a kimono can be worn by people with very different body shapes.
Furthermore, a single garment can be passed down through generations.
A kimono is designed in such a way that,
that it accompanies growth, change and different phases of life.
In early years, during pregnancy
or when the body changes over time –
Instead of replacing it, you can continue to wear it and live with it.
That's precisely one of the reasons why I work with vintage and antique kimonos.
Many of these pieces have survived to this day in remarkably good condition.
and tell of the time and care with which they were worn.
The length of a kimono therefore does not imply impracticality,
but for the possibility of adaptation, of passing it on
and the acceptance of change.
A full-length kimono –
Made for adjusting, not for shortening.
Today, long kimonos are sometimes considered difficult to wear.
Step by step, we are looking for new ways to keep them alive.