Explaining his fascination on textiles and ikat weaving, his growing understanding of the fabric construction, structure, cut and stiches, and collecting, the text by Karun Thakar sums up the types of kimonos, motifs and designs. Having a collection of 250 meisen kimonos and jackets he wants to share his fascination with us, until it gets clear in future where the collection will find a new home to be enjoyed by a larger audience.
Anna Jackson describes the rich history of textiles in Japan, the silk production and industrialization of spinning, weaving and dyeing, applying patterns with paste through stencils on the warps. The way of dressing is pointed out as after the great earthquake of 1923 and the American bombing in the closing year of the Second World War Japan is building up a new and more modern society with beauty parlors and salons, magazines on fashion and make-up changing the outlook of the kimonos, influenced by Western art movements such as Art Deco and Modernism. ”Yet, dressed in bold patterned and brightly coloured garments” the Japanese women were not reactionary but glamorous and fashionable, happily embracing the past while looking to the future. And the surviving of the meisen remaining fashionable unto the 1950s.
This well-made book with wonderful photos of the different patterns and kimono shapes is a wealth of value, perfectly for beginners who are curious about the techniques or the interested readers who want to know more.
Angela van der Burght