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Women’s kimono with thistle and check design and accessories

Women’s kimono with thistle and check design and accessories
 c. 1930

Medium
silk, cotton, rush grass, straw, wood, vinyl, plastic, and metal (meisen textile)
Measurements
(a) 154.0 cm (centre back) 126.0 cm (cuff to cuff) (kimono)
(b) 344.0 × 28.5 cm (sash)
(c) 6.5 × 22.0 × 9.0 cm (each) (sandals)
(e) 17.0 × 25.0 cm (diameter) (hat)
(f) 3.5 × 6.5 cm (brooch) 1115.0 × 0.9 cm (cord)
Place/s of Execution
Japan
Accession Number
2016.112
Department
Asian Art
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased with funds donated by Allan Myers AC and Maria Myers AC, 2016
Gallery location
Special Exhibitions Gallery
Ground Level, NGV International
About this work

This outfit shows the influences of international trends that became popular fashion accessories amongst moga (modern girls) during the 1920s. The rush grass summer cloche hat follows the design often attributed to Parisian milliner Caroline Reboux. Beaded handbags, sometimes referred to as ‘flapper bags’, were originally designed to complement the beaded, tasselled flapper dresses of the 1920s. The exquisite hand-woven example here displays a waterlily, a recognised symbol of Asia. The fine craftsmanship and presentation in relief would have made it a treasured item in any moga’s wardrobe.