Sand-y kimono

Today I couldn't resist dress-up. I finally reached the obi for sorting, hopefully one day and I will have my home back ^_^
I dressed up in my sand coloured kimono with pine, sakura, ume and wheel and.... many patterns. Nothing appropriately seasonal about this kimono only the obi, they are both hitoe and according to this web site The Beauty of Kimono 10 May till 14 May is awase kimono with hitoe obi. I like that, it's funny only four days for this combination. The first obi is one I like a lot but never wear, it has dragons!
The second one is abstract red, I thought both colours where nice, but everything looked very fall like to me. It's a shame, a set that never can be worn then (when following the rules) because in autumn the hitoe kimono will be paired with an awase obi for approximately 10 days.
It’s a bit too warm to wear kimono so forgive my flushed look and untidy kitsuke. ^_^

Orange kimono

Orange is not really my colour, but in kimono it's quite nice. And in my kimono pile was this orange woven tsumugi kimono. It's huge! So I decided to wear it. It's different to do kitsuke with an (almost) good size kimono. It's necessary to tie everything tighter so it will not look lumpy or big.
It was hard to find an obi, but I choose a black obi with painted figures in a boat eventually. I was a little scared it would look too "German" but in the end I think its ok.
I added green accessories because otherwise I felt it would be too autumn-y. Not the perfect green for this set... you see... you never have too much accessories! *hihi*
White tabi felt a little strange, and then I remembered I had dark men’s tabi. They are my size, only they are wider then ladies, it felt funny.

Wisteria

Still organizing my kimono and obi, it's a lot of work!

Yesterday I walked home from grocery shopping and saw the little play ground, there are trellishes with wisteria! They almost bloomed. So I thought I have to be quick and wear my wisteria kimono.

She's gorgous meisen silk, purple with silver wisteria, the lower lining is a purpleish wine red and the upper red cotton. I paired her with a nagayuban with a dark red han eri, a painted red and creme nagoya obi, purple and wine red accessories. The socks are cool white with pink sakura, Kyuukaryuko gave them to me, they are lovely! Thank you again! I know not very seasonal, but well, I had to wear these cute pink things...

And now in my kimono and full kitsuke, back to sorting.

kimono room

As promissed...

Here's a picture of most off my kimono scattered around my room.

Not including my best and most treasured, they are still in the tansu, since I have no time to take care of them till next week, this is taking more time then I expected, but it is fun. Fun to see everything I have and trying to organize it... It was fun too to say: "I am missing that one blue wool kimono" hihi.

I did find it though.

Cabinets!

Some time ago, I asked my father to build me some cabinets for my kimono...

Last week when he moved my sister he took the cabinets he build with him, the only thing I had to do was paint them, add the roll-system of the doors and... voila!

I love them! They are so "Japanese" hihi real Dutch design, but still, my dad always manages to give the things he makes a "Japanese feel".

Now I have to fill them... my "daily" kimono will go in them, so I have more room in my real Japanese tansu for the exquisite ones...

Embarrassing note, I started sorting through my kimono and kind of fear everything will not fit *blush* I forgot to take a picture with all kimono sorted on the floor... I will show the chaos soon!

Black and blue komon kimono

Here's my new black and blue kimono. It's a woven komon, black and blue checks with white geometric pattern. There's a red lining and she's long. I like this kimono a lot. Of course I went looking for a light (or bright) painted obi, but then I came across this black satiny obi with white shibory pattern, like birds and thought, why not? Let's look like a proper Japanese housewife. I tied the obi in a loose old fashoned style. I wanted the obi lower but didn't realy succeed... next try.

Next time I will choose a more subdued nagajuban too, I do not really like the bright red/white with this kimono.
And look at some ukiyoe prints, I just bought a new book. Three actually, one large ukiyo-e book, Lesley Downer's Madam Sadayakko and Kiharu Nakamura's Memoiren einer Geisha... Now I have to read German! I didn't do that since high school, let's see how it goes ^_^

Trying some sets

As I need to practice with my lights and wanted to see how some sets work in real dressed life I dressed my doll, first in a warm red iro muji with a white obi with ume pattern. I would love to wear this set friday, but she's really too short on me. I saw, even for the doll she's too short, so I will try another one.




Here's my blue with white ajisai (hydrangea) I think she's lovely. First paired with the same white with ume pattern obi. And seccond with a more formal silver-ish fukuro obi and blue obi jime and white with pink obi age, I like this set best, I think...


Or... should I go for this obi jime and obi age set? spring 2006



like I did two years ago? I also like that white obi (the colour at least)
But I won't wear that one because it's a "fake" obi. ^_^

White ume kimono

Again susohiki with ume. I love this susohiki. I didn't feel like make up but I think pink skin is quite fun too for a change.

I did try with a fabric background, just for ideas, I kind of like it too.
Again paired with my black gold obi, still looking for a better one, untill now I have not been able to find the perfect obi for this kimono.


Well, one day I will...
I was kind of thinking about a soft green one with pine motive, because the second layer is of the softest green. But maybe a red one would be good too, or soft grey...?

Bunraku

Yesterday I saw a Bunraku play, well, four short playes. It was wonderfull! Thanks to Kyuukaryuko who showed me a link of the Bunraku group playing in our country, thanks!

here is a site where you can watch video´s, and more info it´s real nice.

Blue Ume geisha kimono

Finally I tried my blue ume susohiki.

I think it's one of the most gorgeous (non antique) kimono I own. Soft blue shading to deep blue, with wonderful grey ume tree branches and white, pink with some yellow ume.

Combined with one of my favourite obi, silver white with folded fans, a silver woven stream and on the fans very small, sakura, maple and ... more flowers/grasses. Seems all season to me. I have a shocking pink obi too, which might have been nice, but the pattern is wine leaves and grapes, which shouts a bit too much, autumn to me.

The accessories are as traditional as I could do. White and red obi age and a blue braided obi jime to match the lower side of the kimono.

Even though the make-up failed miserably, I think some pictures are good, so all in all this will not be a day wasted, there might be a view pictures I can use.

文楽 Bunraku

Look who turned up at the store where I work: Musume chan.

I saw her in the ware-house when I had to take pictures for an auction and loved her instantly. The price of over €3000,- stopped from even dreaming of owning her. But I did hope she would turn up in the shop, so I could look at her every day I worked. And she did. So two days a week I look at her. And play a little with her lovely hands.
Isn't she gorgeous?
Bunraku

Chaos

I picked up the last things that where still in my old house. Most of it was junk, but there where some nice things. The house lookes as if a bomb exploded, but all will be fine.

Yuki

Here are the first Yuki's...
With Japanese katsura and western hair ornaments for brides

More white

After the all white, I changed the obi for an obi which has a nice black an white back-side. It´s fun how nice the back of obi sometimes are. This obi is a nice grey-ish blue with a band of flowers, and the back side is 100% striped black and white. Good!
I kind of thought it would make a nice contrast.
Sadly, as you can see by the sloppy musubi, I was pretty tired by this time...
Still, I kind of like these loose obi styles that occurs when tying more loosely.

Seeing the pictures I thought I'd change wigs too, and took out my geisha wig for more contrast, hoping it would look a bit like a sample DVD I have with Tamasaburo.
I just found the video on You-Tube and watched it again, the obi is 100% black, and I have a 100% black obi... I think... well, next time.

Bando Tamasaburo, there are more on YouTube.

In this video (as you can see of course) he is dressed in complete white, with black and white accents, so cool!

I'll try this again when I am less tired and maybe with a red nagajuban...
That might be nice...



And one more picture with the white page.

White kimono

In my ever growing kimono collection are three white kakeshita. Actually, one champagne, one crème and one white.
This is the pure white one, it's also synthetic, so I never worry about this one and I feel free to play around in it.

About two years ago I made a series of photo’s I called Yuki wanting to do a princes, bride... but then with the sad story of Yuki, the snow bride in Japanese folk tales.
Not completely finished with the subject I tried some new "sketches"

The obi isn't really white, which I think is a bit of a shame, but well, it's ok I guess until I find a white-white obi... The obi jime is one of those thick brides’ types; it's really fun with cranes embroidered on it. The obi bow is a variation of the yukata butterfly, it's just nearly impossible to do a descent furisode bow on your-self.

I found my fun white page style wig and used a quick oshiroi nr. 2 which isn't super white, but does make you look extremely pale. For the first time I did my hands too, as do kabuki actors and brides, it does make a great difference! I was always annoyed with my pink almost tanned hands ^_^