Kimono with wisteria
1910-1920

• JAPANESE

During the late nineteenth century, silk and embroidered silk garments became major Japanese export commodities. The broader awareness of these kimono-style garments coincided with shifting notions of femininity, form and comfort in European women’s fashion. Responding to the concurrent Japan-influenced Japonisme movement in European art and design, Japanese textile workshops began to subtly adapt garments to suit the tastes of the Western market. These silk and embroided Japanese export garments are broadly based on traditional kimono. They are designed to be loosely worn and secured with an easy-to-tie tasselled waist sash in place of an obi sash.