Eye Candy from the Tokyo Kimono Show 2024

If you think that “kimono fashion” is something that went out when samurai stopped roaming the streets, think again! Not only is modern kimono dressing alive and well, the annual Tokyo Kimono Show is where designers showcase their latest innovations.

This year’s special exhibit was a rare chance to see Heian period robes (from when kimono fashion first blossomed in the 11th century) side by side with the latest designs from 2024. The outfits on the models representing this year’s show demonstrated just how similar—and how different!—they are.

The poster child ju-ni-hitoe (twelve-layered Heian court dress) above is styled with an unusual combination of colors and modern accessories, compared to the traditional outfit from the special exhibition below.

This special exhibit features not only the finished outfit as it would have been worn and accessorized, but breaks it down into its many layers, a rare chance to see the exquisite combination of colors that become the gradated slivers of underrobes that can only be glimpsed at the neck and sleeves.

Even rarer is a chance to see the menswear of that time—it’s seldom the subject of an exhibit because it’s fairly drab in comparison to the glorious womenswear, but the construction and shape of the garments and the way they’re worn is truly worth examining. If you’ve ever wondered what inspires Japanese designers to send angular confections fashioned of impossible-looking pleats and tucks strutting down the runway, look no further.

But on to the modern day delights…

This year’s ensembles generally felt more buttoned up and less exuberant than last year’s show, gazing more toward what comes next than drawing inspiration from vintage sources.

These yukata obi treatments, for example, incorporate lace and knotwork accessories with a crisp, summery image in the front…

…and a froth of fun frou-frou in the back.

This year’s color palette seems to be an extension of the trend I’ve noticed in the past few years in long-sleeved furisode designs—seasonally untraditional synthetic colors combined in new ways, with untraditional design motifs (like…mushrooms?) The new bright hues play off against neutrals like brown and gray that haven’t traditionally featured in young womens’ kimonos.

There was a small selection of menswear as well, including these unusual designs that fold Western fasteners, textiles and design elements into traditional Japanese kimono shapes.

There is always at least one design for children, and this year it’s delightfully matched to a kimono-wearing dad rather than a kimono-wearing mom. Check out these fun denim and patch designs!

But enough blatting from me—here’s the eye candy I promised, arranged in no particular order except to make you walk away saying “wow!”

If you’re in Tokyo and you’d like to see these for yourself, the show runs through Sunday, March 31, 2024. And if you miss it, there’s always next year! It’s usually scheduled for the end of March, so do a search several months before for “Tokyo Kimono Show” plus the year, and you ought to find info for the next one. Note: Google Translate is your friend—all the Tokyo Kimono Show materials are relentlessly in Japanese.

Where: The show is spread over a number of venues in Ningyōcho (there’s a map on the website and in the exhibition booklet) but I recommend starting at the one with the main exhibition hall (the one featured in this post).
It’s on the second floor of the Sunrize Building,
11-12 Nihonbashitomizawacho, Chuo City, Tokyo 103-0006

MAP

(If you have trouble finding it, just follow all the women dressed in kimonos making a beeline for one of the buildings!)

Admission: ¥1500 (good for all venues, all weekend)
You can pay at the entrance to any of the venues. The “ticket” is a collectible Tokyo Kimono Show memento, and you can get into any of the venues by showing it at the door.

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