Reflections on Kimono − 着物について

I think that kimono wearers and aficionados would be a modern-day tribe. Or at least that's what it felt like when I visited the Ikeda Shigeko Collection: The Elegance of Kimono exhibit at Matsuya Department store. Matsuya, which started as a kimono store in 1869 was the perfect location for the display of more than 60 kimono and kimono accessories from the collection of designer Shigeko Ikeda. Ikeda started her own kimono label, Yume-koubou, in the 1980s, which she later followed with The Shigeko Ikeda Collection. Both lines were a huge success that brought her many fans and helped popularize the traditional garment among younger generations. Passionate about kimono and its aesthetic as a whole, Ikeda collected about 8,000 kimono and their related items over a period of 30 years. The "Ikeda Shigeko Collection" exhibition series first ran in the early 1990s. It has since traveled Japan and overseas.

私は銀座松屋デパートで「池田重子コレクション、日本のおしゃれ展」というエキジビションに行った。それはまるで着物ファンクラブの集まりみたいだった。松屋は1869年に呉服屋として始まったので、池田重子のコレクションを見るにぴったりの場所である。彼女は1980年代から約8000着の着物のコレクションをしており、現代の若い女性を中心としたレトロきものブームのきっかけとなったとよく言われている。コレクションは、主に明治から大正、昭和初期までの、きもの文化が黄金時代を迎えた時期に作られたきものや帯、帯留など、一万点以上にも及ぶ和装品の一大コレクションなのだ。

But its not just Shigeko herself who is passionate about kimono, the show drew hundreds on the day I attended. Seminars were given by a 74-year old sensei, who not only had some tricks up her sleeve, but has also crafted a set of ties and clips to make getting into kimono, and creating clean lines, easier. In the demonstration I watched, Sato-san was explaining to the women in the audience that if they had to go somewhere - like a reunion, and wanted to look younger that a particular obi knot (which she was deftly showcasing while she was talking) would be the talk of the reunion for how young it would make the wearer appear.

私が松屋に行った日には74歳の先生が着物の着付けのセミナーをしていた。「同窓会でもっと若く見える帯の縛り方」など、いろいろな着付けのレッスンを教えていた。

I've run home with a September issue of a fashion magazine (long before the movie) and poured over page after page with girlfriends, I've attended Fashion Weeks and fashion trade shows and yet this was the first time I saw such a large group of women dedicated to a particular style. Kimono doesn't offer a lot of variations; one-style for single women, another for married, shoes come in: summer, winter or dressy. And the main distinctions lie in kimono or obi colour choices and flair.

特別のファッションに興味を持っている女性がこんなに数多く集まるのを初めて見た。結婚用だけの着物や夏用の下駄などいろいろな着物商品の種類はあるが、着物を洋服の種類比べれば、かなり限られている。着物は種類より色とキャラクターで異なるのだ。

One of the highlights of the Shigeko'collection was a display of 250 obidome. This is the added accessory (like jewellery) for the obi that can be themed on nature, seasonal motifs or traditional events. They can be made with metal, jewels, coral, beads, lacquer etc. The piece of flair that would stand out (they range in price from tens to thousands of dollars - the only thing I can think that compares would be jewellery; necklaces, earrings etc.)

'Fashion is not about looking gorgeous or grand, but about trying to be stylish' Shigeko Ikeda stated in a recent article in the Yomiuri. So are kimono wearers that different, then?

重子さんのコレクションには250種類の帯留がそろっていた。これは季節や伝統的なイベントなどによって付けるアクセサリーなのだ。メタル、宝石、コラル、ビーズなど、いろいろな物から作られている。重子さんは最近読売新聞にファッションというものは素敵な姿にするためだけではなく、スタイリッシュになるためのものなのだと言ったらしい。着物を着る女性もそういうことなのかな？