Customer Reviews

Kimono: Fashioning Culture

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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A comprehensive history of kimono past and present, this book is so full of information that it's hard to summarize. The author covers not only "familiar" - i.e., formal - kimono, but also work clothes, folk clothing, and the modest beauty of stripes and ikat. Illustrations throughout the book are well annotated and informative.

My two favorite chapters are those on kimono in the Heian (9th-11th centuries) and Genroku (1688-1704) periods, with their wealth of history and beauty. The chapter on the Heian era covers, among other things, seasonal color combinations, with color depictions of how the layers would look. The Genroku chapter covers kosode, with commented (black and white) illustrations from pattern books of the time.

For those interested in wearing modern kimono, the chapter "The Structure of Kimono" includes information on several different aspects of what a kimono, obi and their accessories can mean according to how they're worn. For instance, how the V-shape formed by the collar differs according to age, or what an obijime placed slightly lower than usual can signify. It also includes charts on kimono formality (a wonderful resource) and descriptions - as always, accompanied by illustrations - of the different kimono and obi types.

The kimono is the national dress of Japan and is instantly recognisable as Japanese wherever you see it. However, the kimono that we see today is essentially the end of a long evolution of dress over a thousand years and what is worn now is essentially a fossilised costume.

This book gives you an illuminating look at the history of the kimono in Japan - how even the word "kimono" didn't exist before last century, when the Japanese became aware that there were "other" forms of dress. We are also given insights into the dress of the lower class and rural people of Japan. They are often forgotten in kimono discussion, yet they developed a dress style that was both practical and indigenous, though it is dying in the modern age. There is even an extensive section devoted to the aristocratic 10th century kimono styles and colour combinations.

Lastly this book gives you insight into how the modern kimono is worn. There is a wealth of meaning in dress design and how it is worn that mostly passes non-Japanese by and for a kimono to be worn with style requires a lot of social knowledge that not many other books will spell out for you like this.

This book is highly recommended if you have an interest in Japanese costume, history or fabrics. It gives a fascinating account of how dress mirrors history and social changes. However, if you are looking for lots of colour photos of kimono and their designs this book will probably disappoint you as all the illustrations are in black and white.

This is a very good guide to the history of the kimono and its importance in Japanese society. Perhaps its only fault is that it doesn't have a huge amount of pictures and those pictures that it does have are largely in black and white.

This is an essential book, I think, for clothing designers, people who like Japanese style, and fabric makers -- as well as others.
Dalby's knowledge of Japan and women's kimono fashion is based on personal knowledge in the culture, including a stint as an "American geisha" in Japan and all the kimono wearing that involved. She also did terrific book research.
One of the intriguing parts of the book is the revelation of the fashion art of woodblock print (ukiyo-e) artists. The book becomes a double pleasure of fashion AND art.
Her prose explains kimono to you with ease, and it reads like tips from a favorite friend. Even for a man who never expects to wear a yukata again, I enjoyed it tremendously.

This book is a classic. It doesn't have many color pictures, but that doesn't seem to matter. The author discusses kimono in terms of how kimono are worn and what tiny differences in the details of wearing mean in social context. That's what I find fascinating. Of course she also covers the history of kimono. She includes many small black-and-white line illustrations that demonstrate her points very well.

An outstanding book,excellent for reference and research.A very well detailed research on colors and seasons in the Heian Period,
Designs, colors and symbols all had a particular reason for being used.You just did not use any color for any day of the year.Ms.Dalby did an exquisite job.

If you are planning to make an Heian era woman's costume (modern term is junihitoe) and already have the patterns for the robes and Heian era hakama (pants, essentially) this book is excellent for giving you all the popular color combinations for the robe layers.

This book arrived as promised, the condition wasn't as good as I had hoped but it is acceptable.