COVER STORY: The Way of Cool

Caption: Kimono-de Sozoro Aruki is held on the first Saturday of each month and costs 2,000 yen to participate, which includes the kimono rental and dressing fee. Participants are dressed by popular stylist Emiko Ozawa, who has outfitted magazine and TV models. “People straighten their back when they are dressed in kimono, and their movements become graceful. Their facial expressions also become cheerful as they draw the attention of others,” she says.
Credit: TADASHI AIZAWA

Kimono Promenade

The kimono is a traditional garment in Japan, which is still worn on special occasions today. One of its varieties, the meisen kimono, was worn by ordinary women as daily attire around the 1920s and 1930s.

Relatively low-quality silk was used for meisen, with the same patterned designs mass-produced; which is the main reason they were sold at reasonable prices. The attention they garner today is based on their wide range of designs. The meisen was at the height of its popularity during a robust economy and flourishing popular culture, when many women were moving up in society. Meisen featured vivid color combinations and patterns using flowers from the West, and a series of innovative designs that had never been seen in Japan. Using woven lace obi sashes and other such Western fashion elements, meisen were at the forefront of contemporary fashion. The designs give off a unique impression that fuses both Japan’s traditional beauty and the beauty of the West; differing from both traditional kimonos and modern clothing. Meisen is making a comeback today as people feel a sense of nostalgia for beautiful things past.

The city of Kiryu in Gunma Prefecture was a famous silk-producing area, so a large number of meisen were produced there. Since 2007, the local nonprofit organization Kiryu Sanchi-no-Mise (Kiryu Production Area Store) has organized an event in which women can dress-up in antique kimonos and wander around the area’s famous sights, such as the Kiryu Tenman-gu shrine. This monthly event, called “Kimono-de Sozoro Aruki” (strolling in kimono), seeks to revitalize regional communities. It has been well received and always attracts the maximum twenty participants, with a total of around 700 taking part thus far.

“At Sozoro Aruki, participants can choose from some 2,000 antique kimonos. Some girls spend hours choosing theirs,” says Chairman Hiromitsu Kobayashi of Kiryu Sanchi-no-Mise. A woman from outside Gunma who took part said, “Antique kimonos are really stylish. It’s also fun finding ways to pair them with accessories used in modern clothing.”