Organizing my closet, I came across this kid’s kimono ensemble that my mom had sent me a while back. I wore this for my 七五三, Shichi-Go-San (literarily 7-5-3) , which a traditional Japanese rite of passage, in this case 3 years old celebration. What should I do with these beautiful vintage fabrics?!?! Maybe make some grocery bags?! Oh, and, Yes, that hideous grumpy kid is 3-yr-old me!!!
Kimono love!!!
This kimono called “Susohiki” has a special treatment done to the hem (it contains some kind of stuffing along the hem to add some extra weight) is used for Nihon Buyo (Japanese dance) practice and it’s much longer than regular kimono, like it has a train. My mom told me that she had worn this since she was around 7 years old, and it was originally white, then she had it dyed pink, then purple, and at last black (the dying technique is “Urushi”, lacquer.) So, mini history behind it! Now it’s handed down to me, who doesn’t know anything about the traditional Japanese dance. so I decided to use it for my next performance…
This is how “Susohiki” looks on a person (my mom in this case, when she was about 19 years old.)