Haori vs. Nagagi: The Basics of Men's Kimono and What You'll Need
Looking at a man in kimono, it's easy to wonder what's actually going on with the layers — a shorter garment on the outside, and a longer one underneath. The outer layer is the haori, and the main garment worn with an obi is the nagagi (literally "long wear"). They look similar at a glance, […]
Kimono Patterns Explained: Classical, Shosoin, Yusoku, Meibutsugire, and Auspicious Motifs
Spend any time looking closely at kimono and obi, and you'll run into terms like "classical motif," "Shosoin motif," "yusoku motif," "meibutsugire motif," and "auspicious motif." All of them describe patterns with a long history, but they're not different names for the same kind of classification — they're organized around different ideas entirely. Classical motifs […]
What Is a Nagoya Obi? Kyuusun vs. Hassun, Tailoring Styles, and What to Pair It With
The Nagoya obi is shorter than a fukuro obi and easy to tie in a single-fold taiko knot. It runs the range from everyday komon and tsumugi kimono up to somewhat dressier iromuji or tsukesage, depending on the obi's material and pattern. It's not accurate to say "any Nagoya obi works with anything," though. When […]
What Is a Kamon? Family Crests on Kimono, and What Five, Three, and One Crest Mean
The first time I noticed a small emblem stitched onto the back of a customer's kimono, I assumed it was decorative. It isn't. That little mark is a kamon (家紋), a family crest, and the number of times it appears on a kimono is one of the clearest signals of how formal the garment is. […]