kimono haute!

something i have been seeing every where ( free people, lamade) from dresses to zip up hoodies, and well, buying every where, are looks directly inspired by the japanese kimono. let’s take a look at this beautiful, iconic piece of fashion history to know what we’re working with:

oh my gosh, why would i not want to look like that? i often long for traditional outfits from various cultures, or clothing from a certain period history to make a huge sweeping comeback (like when are the late 1700’s going to be hip again?). but for the typical american girl, dressing like this isn’t going to be possible. so let’s see what designers have done with it and then look at what people are doing with it off the runway:super amazing dress from moschino cheap and chic  fall 2009 collection. ack! i love this dress! this is something that should be worn to a premiere or something (there i go with my ‘what would i wear to a premiere?’ fantasy).  a good thing about this dress in particular is that it’s short so that your eye is really drawn to the sash, you are focused on that. but i feel like this can easily go wrong keep. here is an example of this look going horribly awry, see below:this is jessica biel in a mess of a kimono inspired dress at the academy awards earlier this year. now in jessica’s defense i will say that she is from colorado and girls in colorado mostly just wear clothes that are good for camping or snowboarding, so she probably didn’t know any better but sheesh. this isn’t to rag on JB but rather to say that when going for a modern take on a traditional look, keep it simple. like this dress really needed to decide what it was going to take from the kimono look instead of just slapping together a bunch of different elements. continuing…from issa fall 2009. so simple, focus on the sleeves and pattern. would be so delicious to wear, love the cut, especially the neck.

BCBG maxazria falll 2009 offers us this beautiful black vest with kimono sleeves. i bought something that looks a little like this but um, in sweatshirt material? anyway, it’s really flattering. this is from fall 2007 but i stumbled across it recently and was floored. it’s eva green in dior 2007, ach, dior always ahead of the curve. not to mention eva green can do no wrong with me no matter how out of left field her outfit, i love how bold she is with fashion, but that’s a whole other blog post.  so now let’s take a look at off the runway, real life and see what people have done with what’s come out of haute couture land.okay, hooray. look at this beautiful obi belt from another line, you can totally dress it up or down. you could wear it with anything and it’s $38 at nordstrom!kimono sleeve crop cardigan from rag and bone, just perfect for every day life. i like that it does not just look like a trend and can follow you through a few different seasons of weather. can also be located at nordstrom for  $295in a similar vein here is design history’s ink turtleneck cashmere kimono cardigan (what a mouthful!). those sleeves are killer, love the high neck and again, it follows a certain trend without being so enslaved to it that when you bust it out next fall your fellow fashionistas will be laughing in their cups at you (to borrow a phrase from mideval nerdiness). this is on sale at bluefly for $178 which i think is super reasonable for a piece this stylish and versatile. in a different but similar vein, these hettie rose shoes are totally puke-a-little wonderful (that’s going to be my new phrase). they are actually MADE FROM recycled kimono fabric. the only shops i can find that carry them are in the UK so i have to estimate that shoes from ms. hettie are going to be upwards of $500 for us yanks, but wow. this is something so beautiful, i feel like you would probably give them to your grandkids. i want them so hard, but i’d be afraid to wear them. i am notoriously klutzy in heels. i would have to display them in my home like art.  seriously go check out her giant collection of shoes, you will freak: http://www.hettyrose.co.uk/out of everything this kitchen orange dress retailing at about $140 is probably what i’d throw down on. well, first of all, it’s gray (don’t be like that, you know my tastes by now)! and i love how modern it is with the kimono sleeve and the draping. plus i super heart kitchen orange, i rarely see things of theirs i don’t think are very well constructed and lust after. and as much as i love those hattie roses, what would i do for footwear with this dress? i’ll give you one guess…

oh, that’s right. boots! they have nothing to do with kimonos, but man i saw these today and fell in love and wanted to share my love with you. they are ann demeulemeester black wedge 2 piece boots that can be worn tall or as a bootie. WTF! that is so amazing. let me explain that ann demeulemeester is like the brad pitt of boots, everyone wants them, few will actually climb to such heights. she is the A list movie star of boots.  her shoes are so expensive it’s not worth mentioning but as non kimono related as they are, i think they’d look hot with pretty much everything on this list.

Konbanwa!