NOTA |
()(Foreigners have admired the elegant traditional dress of Japan ever since the opening of the country after the 1868 Meiji Restoration, but in those days the Japanese were infatuated with novelties from the West. For the convenience of foreigners the great variety of garments was summarised in the newly coined word LkimonoL or Lthing to wearL. Only when the fever of Westernisation had subsided did Japan regain its own identity, and the kimono became one of its symbols. The beginning of the twentieth century saw an unprecedented revival of the kimono. Increasing prosperity enabled larger segments of the population to spend on luxurious silks. Nearly all women and a significant proportion of men still dressed traditionally. Flamboyant designs with typically Japanese motifs were popular in womenLs dress, but also modern Art Deco was reflected in kimono fashion. And men chose motifs that matched their personal interests, sentiments or convictions, be it kabuki theatre, baseball or war. LTaisho KimonoLfocuses on the period 1910-1940. Much of the information on textile techniques, the meaning of motifs and the history of the kimono is provided on the basis of the 120 illustrated garments themselves.) |