Yagasuri Kimono Restoration: The Reveal

Project 12, part 3 – Taisho Roman (Part 1, part 2 here)

Welcome back to Mukashi no Sewing! It was CRAZY hot here for a few days, and I was beginning to worry that I wouldn’t be able to take pictures of this kimono until next week, but the weather cooled just in time! Even though this kimono is unlined, and I bought a new linen juban (undergarment), it’s still pretty warm in full dress. 🥵 So I was grateful that we were down in the 60s today and I could show off my work!

Look, let’s address the elephant in the room (not the greyhound!) right here – my juban sleeve is absolutely peeking out of my right kimono sleeve in almost every picture. I’m so sorry, Sparrow-Sensei! 😭 It is 100% not their fault – this kimono is quite small on me, in length, width, and sleeve length, and my juban (which is more correctly sized for me) kept wanting to be free. I should have taped it, but I was losing daylight and also the services of my photographer (thank you for your patience, Mukashi no Husband!), so I had to just roll with what I had. I’m sure I’ll improve on my ability to wear small vintage kimono as I keep practicing, but for now please forgive the wardrobe malfunction! 😀

My undergarments aside, I just couldn’t be happier with this ensemble! The green obi matches the green of the embroidered wisteria stems, and the obijime (the cord in the middle of the obi) I bought from Mamechiyo Modern is perfect.

I couldn’t resist trying out a Taisho Roman coordination with these purple wool hakama as well! Girls started wearing hakama to school over their kimono in the Meiji era, allowing them to do all sorts of modern things like ride bicycles and play sports!

I’m a complete novice at wearing women’s hakama – we wear divided, men’s hakama in the dojo, whereas these are more like a skirt. So, again, my kimono teacher is not to blame for my errors! ❤

One thing I do like about the hakama is they are perfect for hiding any issues with a too-short kimono – so I definitely plan on playing around with these more!

I am SO happy I took the time to restore this kimono – its lightweight and breathable fabric will make it a joy to wear even in warmer weather, and the fact that it’s wool means I don’t have to worry even on days like today when it started sprinkling during my photoshoot. I have gained a lot of confidence from this whole process in my ability to deal with stains, and I hope you’ve found it inspiring and interesting as well! I’m still working away at a whole mess of projects new and old, so I look forward to seeing you back here next week on Mukashi no Sewing! ❤