[Note. A slightly edited version of this was published in the
FANIMECON convention newsletter]
This panel dealt with the proper way of wearing a kimono. Women have
to deal with a more elaborate and time consuming procedure with
wearing a kimono. One of the panelists said it took her 20 minutes to
get into her kimono.
Well, the amount of time for woman to get into a kimono depends on the
type of kimono. If it is a lightweight kimono or yukata, it does not
take too long, especially if one has help. The yukata is worn over
other clothes since it a light almost transparent cloth. There was a
demonstration on how a woman is to put on a kimono. The left side of
the kimono is worn over the right. Then the panelist put the obi on
the woman wearing the kimono. Then part of the obi is made into a
bow. This bow is first tied at the front. The obi is then rotate to
the right so the bow is moved to the back. As a final touch a fan is
put in the back of the obi. I think the bow serves as a holder for the
fan.
The aesthetic of wearing a kimono is different than Western
standards. Instead of emphasizing an hour glass shape for a woman,
the emphasis is more of straight form, (a cylinder or pillar?). Also
the back of the neck is supposed to be the attractive part of the
woman. And that is the part of the kimono that is given emphasis or
exposure.
I had asked about the panelist about them keeping the wearing of the
kimono alive. One of the panelists replied that there has been a
resurgence in the interest in kimono wearing. Someone in the audience
mentioned that when they went to Japan there was an entire floor or
two dedicated to kimonos. So kimono wearing has not died out.
New kimonos are very expensive and could run into the thousands of
dollars. The panelists suggested going on line to buy second hand
kimonos. They also said to buy from reputable companies, so one does
not get ripped off. While one panelist did not totally endorse E-
Bay, she did mention using that route.
That panel provided some interesting information. I learned to my
surprise that the strict rules to wearing a kimono came about as
kimono wearing became less frequent and more formal. The panelists
thought there should be some individuality to wearing a kimono There
is a division of opinion on how the kimono should be worn. Some are
more strict about the rules than others. While the panelists would
allow for some individuality, that does mean they are indifferent to
the rules of wearing a kimono. It's just that they are not into
crossing every t and dotting every i. They did talk about basic
etiquette. For example wear the left side of the kimono over the
right. One of the panelists made the mistake of wearing right over
left. That is how the corpse (or guest of honor as the panelists put
it) at a funeral is dressed. One of the panelists said she went to a
summer festival as "dead girl." So one must show sensitivity to the
culture or one may get some strange looks.
If there is another panel on the kimono and yukata, one of the
panelists said they would also spend more time on the historical
aspects of the kimono. The panelists did a good job in explaining the
wearing and etiquette of the kimono. I hope they will be able to do a
panel next year.
# posted by GuyTak @ 7:22 PM
