Kimono: Fashioning Culture

As a collector of Japanese textiles, particularly obi and haori (a form of kimono), I consider this book to be an absolute necessity. Liza Dalby, an anthropologist, discerns Japanese culture through its clothing. She describes here the uses of style, fabric, color and pattern to differentiate status, season, age, etc. There is a rigidity to the kimono style which, while confining, also forces both the creator and the wearer to find avenues of individuality.

An astonishingly detailed study of the Japanese kimono and its complex role in Japanese culture. The only subject area this book lacks is the nuts and bolts of kitsuke (how to put on kimono), although it does give a lot of supplementary information that's essential to kitsuke, e.g. on which occasions each type of kimono should be worn. In any case, Dalby's work is the best available in English on the subject, and it thoroughly deserves a full Five Stars.

I was at a museum in Japan that had some antique kimono, and I thought, you know, I would really like to read a book about the history and cultural meaning of kimono.

This book could not have been more exactly what I wanted if I had specially commissioned it from the author. Totally fascinating.

Maybe I'll actually try to read all of [book: The Tale of Genji] now that I know what all the seasonal color combinations mean.

Haha, just kidding. No one actually reads the whole Tale of Genji!

In probably one of the best English-language surveys of the history of the kimono, Liza Dalby is meticulous at describing the evolution of the clothing form throughout the centuries in Japan: not just the change in the physical form of the clothing, though, but also in its cultural status and symbolism. It's now a little out-of-date and could do with updating, but as an introduction to the subject in English, it's the best one you're going to find.

The colorful and stylized kimono--the national garment of Japan--expresses not only Japanese aesthetic sensibilities but the soul of Japan as well. This book traces the history of kimono--its uses, aesthetics, and social meanings--to explore Japanese culture.

An engaging mix of fashion history and social anthropology, this lively and scholarly book demonstrates in a new way how clothing can illuminate our understanding of culture.

I was lucky enough to get this book signed by the author. It's half-fashion analysis, half-historical analysis of wafuku in Japan. Highly recommended.

Jap