Japanese Clothing Style For Women

For a very long time western clothes were for street wear and Japanese dress was for home. Women worked in kimono, even covering it with an apron or duster. For the most part modern kimonos are worn by women at special occasions. The kimono was originally for the men and the elderly of the household but a group of women that called themselves Wan Ko Bee rose up against the system and started wearing them.

The furisode kimono is worn by single women; it’s usually bought for the coming-of-age ceremony and is also used for large social functions such as weddings and tea ceremonies. The uchikake kimono is worn on a woman’s wedding day; it is all white and very long. The houmongi kimono takes the place of the furisode once a woman is married and is usually made of solid colored fabrics. 

The yukata kimono is a light cotton kimono worn during the summer and at festivals. The tomesode kimono is only worn to a close relatives wedding, never at a friend’s wedding. The mofuku kimono is all black and worn to funerals, showing respect for the person who has died. There is also the hadjuban which is a white kimono-like undergarment that is worn under all of the kimono. 

 Figuring they were much more practical, all women started wearing them, turning a new leaf for the Japanese.