Props - Kimono

The kimono is the traditional dress of Japan and it is worn on formal occassions.

Kimono for woman

Married women wear the normal (i.e. not long, baggy) sleeved tomesode. Note: Long sleeves mean room for luck and therefore will attract men to unmarried women.

The left side of clothing over right
While foreign clothing has its right side over the left, the Japanese lady has the left side of her Japanese clothing folded over the right. The right side over the left is the way in which the clothing of a dead person is folded, for in Japan the dead are shrouded in a special kind of clothing for their trip for the land of the dead. Consequently Japanese clothing is never folded in the foreign way.

• Kimono's Length: 142 cm/ 56 inch.


• Color: White with pattern.


• Material: Cotton 100%. Washable.


• Includes a belt of the same material (attached inside a sleeve).

For the purpose of the film, Valentine's kimono is mostly white, with a repetitive, no-intrusive pattern (may differ from above sample).

Kimono for man

Men's kimono's are mainly black, so is Mr Kamio's kimono.

• Kimono's Length: 147 cm/ 58 inch.


• Color: Black with red lining (lining made of polyester).


• Material: Cotton 100%. Washable.


• Embroidered golden kanji in circle (called Mon), the wearer's family crests.


• Includes a belt of the same material (attached inside a sleeve).

TIP: Recommended to tie kimono's belt below waistline.

INSTRUCTIONS:
[source: http://www.sofieloafy.net/geishamain.htm]

A Kimono is a very difficult thing to put on. A Geiko kimono (hikizuri) is even harder. That is why the Geiko prefer to have a dresser come and do it for them. Their trade is passed down through generations and takes a lot of practice and hard work. It is very much like a puzzle that only an expert can put together. Piece by piece, they pull, tuck, tie, and fasten until every bit of the Geiko is covered in beautiful fabric and tied in an elegant obi.