So, no one knows why this is, but colors that one hates usually are somehow often the best kimono colors. For example, I hate yellow. I never wear yellow or orange. And yet, at the flea market when *this* kimono presented itself (admittedly extremely cheaply)--
--I totally bought it. And even weirder, everyone loves it and says it looks great. Similarly, my colleague Paivi doesn't really like greens but everyone keeps telling her how well it suits her, and she's been buying kimono in that color.
(there she is on the left--in green, duh.) She says it's even starting to grow on her.
We also buy komono (the little bits and bobs necessary to keep a kimono on) in all kinds of bizarre colors and it's always the neutral white tones and primary colors that never go with anything. The wilder colors (like mustard, very close the the French's color I'm wearing above) seem to go with all our combinations while cream never works.
Also, Japanese tastes in matching colors and patterns tends to be very different than Euro-American ones (pink and orange! Blue and black!), so we're also thinking through those combinations and retraining our eyes. Although I'll admit, I've been retraining my eyes to like bizarre combinations for a long time.
They say that an obi can make even identical kimono look totally different. ...They also say the fluoro lighting of the dining hall can make everything look horrifying.
And then there is the Finnish national uniform of blonde hair, grey kimono and gold obi.
Very tasteful ladies at Iwashimizu.
And more twinsies in kimono-magazine pose.
Gakuen students at the Hagi Matsuri chakai...
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