How to Wear A Kimono

The kimono is the national costume of the Japanese, worn by both men and women. If you’re of Japanese origin, or whether you’d just like to wear this beautiful and elegant garment, you must know how to put it on properly. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to do it.

What You’ll Need:

• Kimono
• Juban (cotton undergarment) or eri-sugata (collar)
• Koshihimo (first belt)
• Date-jime (second belt)
• Zori (traditional Japanese straw slippers) or geta (wooden sandals)
• Tabi (white divided-toe socks)
• Full-length mirror

Procedure:

1. Lay out your kimono and all the accessories you’ll need, including the belt, the socks and slippers. Moving around while you’re dressing up can be difficult and might mess the kimono. Also, stand in front of a full-length mirror while putting on the garment. It’s easier if you can see what you’re doing and your progress.



2. Put on the white tabi socks the same way you’d put on regular socks. Bending down to put on them on after you’ve worn the kimono can be difficult.
3. Slip on the juban, the undergarment or slip worn under the kimono. Its collar is suppose to shoe underneath your kimono’s collar. Wearing a juban is good for cold weather, but if it’s too hot, you can just wear a collar, called the eri-sugata. It will look the same.
4. Slip on the kimono, as if you’re wearing a bathrobe. Make sure the seam is centered on your back
5. Put on the kimono, making sure the back seam is centered. One reminder: your kimono’s sleeves reflect your age, so if you’re older, the sleeves must be shorter. Women who have been married must wear kimonos with short sleeves.
6. Take the right side of the kimono, and wrap it over your front, tucking at your left . Afterwards, get the left side and overlap it over the right. This is very important, because if you do it the opposite way, Japanese people will think you’re a walking dead. The right side overlaps with the left when worn by a corpse as a funeral dress.
7. Get the excess fabric from the waist, puling it up so the kimono becomes even with your ankles. Take the koshihimo, and tie it below the excess fabric, holding it up, so its the correct length.
8. Fold down the excess fabric over the koshihimo, then straighten it evenly. If there’s still some excess fabric, pull it to the side, so the fabric becomes smooth at the front and back. Make sure the line is even and neat where it folds down on the belt. Glance at your ankle, every now and then, to make sure the kimono’s length is still okay.
9. Get the date-jime, and wrap it over your middle area, so you can tie it at the back. It must be over the second belt, just at the outside of the fabric. Make sure the folded fabric can still be seen at least two inches below the date-jime.
10. Tie the date-jime once at the back, then bring the ends around the front. Tuck its ends under the belt securely, so it holds in place.
11. Slip on the zori or geta. You now look like an authentic Japanese!

A Few Tips:

• To complete the look, tie an obi around your kimono.
• For women, wear hair ornaments called kanzashi, to look more stylish. Kanzashi can come as wooden combs, silk flowers or jade hairpins.
• Move gracefully and carefully while wearing a kimono.

A kimono is beautiful, but putting it on can be complicated. Don’t worry, though, because as long as you follow these tips, slipping into this elegant costume won’t be difficult.