Kimono with overall woven pattern of assorted flowers

Description

Woven kimono, such as the pink one displayed here, are worn with a Nagoya obi, a modified version of the heavy and long traditional obi. In Nagoya obi, the fabric that wraps around the body is sewn into a narrower strip and about a third of the fabric is left unsewn for tying. Thus, while the Nagoya obi’s dimensions and appearance when worn are quite similar to those of formal fukuro obi, which must be folded multiple times before being tied, they are lighter and easier to handle. The Nagoya obi is a relatively modern invention, created by a seamstress in the city of Nagoya in the late 1920s for use as casual wear. It originally became popular in the geisha quarters of Tokyo for use with informal kimono. From there it was adopted as casual wear for style-conscious urbanites. For modern women, the more comfortable Nagoya obi has become the preferred type because of its ease of use. Mother and business woman Iwata Shizuka owned many Nagoya obi, which, with woven kimono and haori, were essential parts of her office attire.
(Wrapped in Silk & Gold Exhibition, Summer 2010)