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Tutorial: Real or Fake Kimono?
Published: 2011-06-27 03:09:09 +0000 UTC; Views: 103951; Favourites: 2768; Downloads: 973
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Description
(If you are interested in kimono, geisha, or traditional Japan, please also check out my blog, "The Kimono Lady", where I babble on about those sorts of things.
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After the unexpected amount of positive response to my first tutorial "Draw Better Kimono" (thank you!
) I'm back with another one, somewhat less messy. >_>This is the visual quick version of something I always teach as part of my educational Japanese kimono panels: how to spot a fake. There are a ton out there and it's easy to get fooled if you're not familiar with kimono, but I hope this will help cosplayers or anyone looking to buy one to not get screwed.
(It shares #1 with the other tutorial, but I thought it was worth repeating as most low-end fakes use contrasting parts.)
This can also be used as a "things to avoid when making a kimono" if you'd like to sew your own and go for a more accurate look.
Feel free to ask if you have any questions, and thanks for reading!
"Draw Better Kimono" can be found here:
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Onihide's beautiful Flickr account is here:
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(He preferred the Kyoto dialect term "geiko" for geisha, if you look in his descriptions.)
All images copyright Wikimedia Commons, me, or photographer Onihide and used with permission.
EDIT: I can't believe it: I got a Daily Deviation! Thank you so much to those of you who suggested it, and for everyone's comments and faves! This is my first DD ever. XD (I apologize if I don't respond to all the favorites, but I am very thankful for them!)
*****PLEASE NOTE BEFORE YOU COMMENT ABOUT THE LACK OF PHOTOS FOR FAKES: There are no photos of fakes here because 1. I don't want to embarrass some random cosplayer or home sewer by making them the "bad example", and 2. dA doesn't allow photos to be used without permission. I don't think the people from 1. or a company that sells fakes is going to give me permission to use their photos.
Thank you for reading! *****
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Comments: 413
Wow, I just happened to click on this for a read, and I must say that even though I don't go shopping for kimonos or design them, this was very informative for me and it helps to know this ^^
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Thank you! Glad you found it helpful.
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Congratulations for the DD! And thanks for the tutorial! This works perfectly with the "Draw Better Kimono" tutorial to make so many things clearer.
Thank you so much for differentiating between Japanese and Chinese designs! Chinese designs were always much more familiar to me. So, I stayed away from kimonos, knowing I'd slip in something Chinese without knowing. This helps me to know what to look out for
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You're welcome, and thank you very much!
Yeah, for people who don't know both well it can be easy to mix them up. I also find a lot of non-Asian Westerners have the idea that "China=Japan", so I wanted to make sure I mentioned at least one of the differences.
On a related note, the Japanese kimono evolved from Chinese clothing, which the Japanese copied, so if you go far enough back (over a thousand years) you see very "Chinese" looking garments worn by the Japanese.
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Yes, I've encountered that Chinese-Japanese mixup many times, especially in language. (Besides that, people have asked me if I spoke Vietnamese or Korean too) Anyway, it's good to see someone taking the time to point out the differences to prevent further mixup.
Hm, the kimono originating from Chinese clothing makes sense, considering the way things spread. Thanks for the info!
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You're welcome, and thank you!
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You're welcome, and thanks!
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This is extremely useful, and you even mentioned some things that I didn't even know! Thank you so much for making this
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You're welcome, and thank you!
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Wow, this opened my eyes to tons of little things I was completely ignorant to. Thank you SO much <3
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You're welcome! Glad it was of help.
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3/5. It was very detailed but I don't think everyone knows half the Japanese terms used in your tutorial. Also, you have provided what is supposed to be in an authentic kimono with pictures and text whereas you have no visuals of what not to buy (or make).
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Thank you for your critique. I tried to explain all of the terms I felt your average person would be unfamiliar with within the tutorial itself (I didn't explain "kimono" and "obi" as most people I've run into know what those are). Which ones specifically did you feel were not explained, or were not apparent through context?
I didn't include pictures of things that are wrong, because of two things: 1. I don't want to embarrass some random cosplayer or home sewer by using them as the "wrong" example, and 2. dA won't let me use photos that I don't have permission to use. I don't think the random cosplayer from 1. or a company that sells fakes is going to give me permission to use their photos.
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I've been studying kimono dressing for quite some time now and I must say the information here is very spot on. Thank you for taking the time to break it down in a tutorial. I think the only thing that could have made this better is if you explained hakama and men's kimono, but I suppose that can be saved for another time. Thanks for pointing out the types of fabric used...I once drew a kimono that looked cotton in texture and almost everyone told me "kimono aren't made of cotton" I could only assume they were misguided.
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Thank you very much!
I thought about hakama and men's clothing, but this tutorial was already getting pretty long. I've had a men's kimono tutorial requested, and may do that one next.
Regarding the cotton it gets pretty esoteric, but most of the time if cotton's used it's a yukata, and yukata are not considered proper kimono for formal events. There are summer kimono, and some made of cotton, but they're a step up in formality. I'm summing this debate up quite a bit, as it's sort of like "how many angels can dance on the head of a pin" question.
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I look forward to seeing that tutorial and yeah I can see how they're mainly used in yukata versions. The more formal versions I see are made of chirimen or at least something of better quality. You may be able to answer this for me too. I know that jinbei are usually more of leisurely attire but due to modernization is it more or equally as common to see worn in the summer as say a yukata?
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Thank you!
Jinbei, from what I saw over in Japan and have read, are the norm for men at summer festivals and events when it comes to traditional clothing. To put a loose estimate on it, I'd say:
9 out of 10 girls will wear a yukata (the 1 is in Western clothing).
5 out of 10 men will wear Western clothing, 3-4 jinbei, and 1-2 yukata.
It's tragic how few men wear yukata! I used to ask my male friends why they didn't wear them, and they were all worried about wearing them wrong.
In recent years they've started making jinbei for women, but from comments I overheard women's jinbei were considered a bit tacky from the point of view of traditionalists and only for low-class (yakuza/ageha/troublemaker) girls. This was five years ago, so the perception has probably changed since then, I'm guessing.
Jinbei are like yukata in that most of the population, male or female, only wears them to firework shows and festivals. You can find a few people running around in them during the summer who are not going to festivals, but I'd say it's not the norm.
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ah okay thank you very much for clearing that up. I didn't expect women wore jinbei much. I'm actually surprised to find out how few men wear yukata. I don't see the problem with putting it on...maybe its the obi they're worried about *shrug* anyway thank you very much for the answers and sorry for spamming your page with useless junk lol!
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Men in Japan overall tend to be very stylish and fashion-conscious, so I think there's more pressure to do things "right".
No problem! Glad to be of help.
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Wow, this was really informative! I'll have to remember this stuff if I ever design a character in a kimono.
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Very informative! I'm not involved in any costuming or dress endeavors, but I do enjoy learning more about other cultures (especially through clothing and fashion) so this was a fun read. Thanks for sharing!
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You're welcome, and thank you!
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So informative. Definitely a big help for me! Thank you so much for sharing your insight on kimonos. This will help wonders for me if I ever buy a kimono (which I hopefully will!) 
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You're welcome, and thank you!
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Will do and thank you so much
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awesome tutorial! thank you for pointing out that chinese and japanese traditional robes (generalizing term) are different!
people are always asking me about kimonos and i keep telling them im chinese, not japanese xD haha.
but yeah this tutorial is very interesting and the general structure of a kimono is very beautiful
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Thank you very much, and you're welcome!
I'd eventually like to do a tutorial on the different types of traditional Chinese clothing (hanfu vs. cheongsam, etc.), but I don't feel I know enough to confidently put down any details for others to read.
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haha i dont even know the difference OTL so i think you're fine. as long as you can get your point across then you're doing great. i'm adopted so i dont know that much about the homeland... but if you get it up, i'll keep my eyes open for it!
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Thank you!
I didn't know the difference myself until about a year ago!
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