Japanese Kimono, 1915-1940: From Tradition to Ready-To-Wear November 12, 2011

Clothing's ability to express and convey information such as age, class, marital status, or social condition is not limited to a single culture or locale but is truly universal. Japanese kimonos are no exception with features such as sleeve length or decoration offering the viewer information about the wearer. This exhibition explores the role that traditional motifs, techniques, and modernization played in the development of pattern design in women's kimono and haori, a short kimono-like jacket, during the Taisho period (1912-1926) and the early Showa period (1926-1989).