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Exotic Western Buildings Silk Haori Kimono Jacket on wafuku.co.uk - 1
  • A wonderful, antique silk, Japanese haori, with two western world style building woven in urushi coated silk thread. At the taime this haori was made, western world architecture was thought very exotic in Japan, the wearer of a garment displaying such buildings would have been showing how fashionable and modern they were. For a very, very long time  Japan was closed to the rest of the world, so was uninfluenced by it, but when reluctantly forced to open and trade with the rest of the world, in the mid 1800s, influences from the west and a fascination for occidental items, architecture and designs took hold. It became very fashionable to show touches of the West in the way one dressed, be it carrying an umbrella instead of a parasol, a man wearing a bowler hat with his kimono ensemble or a woman wearing a garment such as this, displaying architecture of a style previously unfamiliar to the Japanese. At the same time, Japanese influence, particularly in art, spread to the West and Japonisme was born. This haori is  from the very early 1900s, when such decoration was still the mode.
  • Note that the design is a bit more muted than in some of the indoor photo close ups, the lighting has lit up the metallic thread a little.
  • Like most haori of its time, the silk is of a beautifully soft and supple weave and the haori is a good bit longer than those from later in the 20th century. All haori are quite long but this is extra long. It could perhaps even be worn as a wrap dress. It feels very lovely It is, of course, fully lined, the upper lining has lucky items on it and beautiful cords in the design. The upper lining is a little yellowed but strong and beautiful. Like almost all pure silk, high quality haori, it is entirely hand tailored. The entire haori is in lovely condition, a real gem of a piece.
  • It has 3 mon (crest)  at the back, one at the centre of the sholders and one on each sleeve, this makes it a formal garment. The mon are crossed hawk feathers.
  • Made in and bought from Japan
  • In Japan, haori are not normally worn with a sash or belt, they are worn loosely, on top of a kimono and obi, but they also look great with a belt and with western world clothing; see examples shown below this garment's photos
  • May have shitsuke, which is large, white stitching put in by the Japanese to keep garment seams neat during long periods of storage, it just gets pulled out prior to wearing
  • These Japanese garments should be hung out to air 4 times per year, if not worn frequently, just as the Japanese do. Hang your garment to air when you receive it too, as it will have been stored for a while.


Condition: 
Excellent

Measurements:
Sleeve end to sleeve end: 126cm
Sleeve seam to sleeve seam: 63cm

Sleeve depth 51cm
Length: 91cm

 

 

 

 

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220614

Exotic Western Buildings Silk Haori

SKU: wh862
£110.00 Regular Price
£88.00Sale Price
  • Japanese haori; a long kimono jacket, with swinging kimono sleeves. Traditionally worn loose over kimono and obi, fastened with a front tie (haori himo) on centre front edge, but also lovely worn with contemporary clothing, such as jeans, skirts and dresses, either worn loose or cinched in with a belt or sash. So beautifully made, with hidden raw edges, that they can even be worn inside out, with the often beautifully decorative upper lining on show.

    Haori are loose, long, boxy jackets, and flexible in size. They also tend to vary very little in size from one to another. Many older ones are especially long and could even be worn as wrap dresses.

    Much more haori infornation can be found in the Kimono Information section of the website (page 13, "Haori Kimono Jackets - Japan's Secret Treasure"). Worth a read prior to purchase.

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