Kimono: Fashioning Culture - Hardcover

Dalby, Liza Crihfield

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0300056397 ISBN 13: 9780300056396

Publisher: Yale Univ Pr, 1993

Synopsis

The colorful and stylized kimono - the national garment of Japan - expresses not only Japanese esthetic sensibilities but the soul of Japan as well. Largely discarded by men a century ago in the name of modernity and efficiency, kimono is still worn by many women on formal occasions and by some women, such as geisha, in their daily work. Elegantly anachronistic, kimono still retains a powerful hold on the Japanese heart and mind.
In this beautifully written and lavishly illustrated book, Liza Dalby, author of the highly acclaimed Geisha, traces the history of kimono - its uses, aesthetics, and social meanings - to explore Japanese culture. Drawing on a variety of period texts (such as seventeenth-century kimono pattern books), Dalby creates vivid pictures of kimono and those who wore them through the centuries. She discusses the development of the kimono robe from its Chinese origins two thousand years ago to its assimilation as the national dress of Japan. Of particular note are the elaborate twelfth-century robes that reveal a uniquely Japanese sensibility mirrored in the literature and painting of the Heian period; the consumerist mentality and profusion of design occurring at the beginning of the Tokugawa era; the redefinition of kimono in the nineteenth century as Japanese had to deal seriously with the dress of the outlandish West; the interpretations and uses of kimono today; and the precise rules of kimono dressing and what they signify in terms of gender, age, class, and occasion. Dalby concludes with personal reflections on the subject of geisha and kimono.
An engaging mix of fashion history and social anthropology, this lively book demonstrates in a new way how clothing fashions can illuminate our understanding of culture.

About this title

About the Author:

Paul van Riel wrote the text and was the photographer.

From Library Journal:

Dalby, author of Geisha (Univ. of California Pr., 1983), has written a lively, informative study of the kimono, tracing its evolution throughout Japanese history to its current status as the national dress of Japan. Her book's coverage includes all types of "native" dress, past and present; her unique position as a Western "insider" allows her to demystify the complex social mores connected with wearing the kimono. The work is also notable for reprinting and translating sections from 17th-century pattern books and for its discussion of the Heian (794-1185) color palette. Jill Liddell's The Story of the Kimono (Dutton, 1989) and Alan Kennedy's Japanese Costume: History and Tradition (A. Biro, 1990) cover different aspects of kimono history and textile design. The three books nicely complement one another, providing almost complete coverage of the subject. At once scholarly and enjoyable reading, Kimono is recommended for academic and public libraries with collections on Asian culture.
- Katharine L. Kan, Aiea P.L., Hawaii
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Yale Univ Pr
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0300056397
• ISBN 13: 9780300056396
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352