Heian Era
(794 - 1185 AD)

The Heian Era in Japan lasted from 794 to 1185 AD. This is the aesthetic peak in the dressings of the aristocrats in the imperial courts.

Court women were considered beautiful if they have full glossy hair. They shaved off their original eyebrows and painted it high on their foreheads. These are known as moth eyebrows.

The Heian costumes for the women are known as Juni Hitoe (twelve layers). This is definitely a weighty dress to be in!

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Kamakura Era
(1186 - 1333 AD)

The Kamakura Era is marked by military warfare. Thus, the court costumes of the Kamakura ladies began to shed some of its exquisite layers.

Informally, Kamakura ladies wore hakama (split trousers) over the white kosode.

This costume is largely inspired by the Kamakura Era

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Meiji Era
(1868 - 1912 AD)

The present kimono models itself after the kimono of the Meiji Era. By now, the costumes has shed most of the layers, leaving the kosode. Thus, what was undergarment to the earlier eras became the main piece in the kimono.

The kosode is held together by the obi. The kimono of the early Meiji era consists of mostly stripes, plaids and lattices

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Schoolgirl's outfit
during Meiji Era

A Meiji schoolgirl from a good family will often wear this outfit, which consists of a kosode, a narrow obi and a hakama skirt tied on the upper waist. This outfit is supposed to give more mobility to the girls.

At that time, wearing a kosode with arrow stripes and a hakama skirt is considered a cliche wear for graduation. Girls often put on boots underneath the hakamas, as western clothing pieces were viewed as being fashionable.

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Contemporary Kimono:
Furisode

A furisode, with long swinging sleeves, is worn only by single ladies in Japan. A girl wears a furisode for the first time when she turns 13. This is when she becomes a young miss. Furisodes are also worn when a lady celebrates her adulthood ceremony (seijin shiki) at 20 years old.

Furisodes are made with fabrics of the brightest colours. The collar is pulled back slightly off the nape, to reflect the youthfulness of the wearer. Napes are considered to be sexy in the Japanese culture.


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Contemporary Kimono:
Crested Kimono

The mon (crest) signifies the formality of a kimono. A five-crested kimono is the most formal of all kimonos. It is worn during occasions such as weddings, birth and mourning.

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Contemporary Kimono:
Chu Furisode

Sometimes a single lady may wear a kimono with shorter sleeves. This leads to the effect of a less fomal outfit.


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Contemporary Kimono:
Yukata

Yukatas are worn during summer. It is the most informal of all kimonos, and some people may not consider them to be kimonos at all. It is usually made of a single layer of cotton. Yukatas are worn with geta (informal clogs)

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