The revolution from Kimono to street wears
By Chrystal Leung
In the early 21st century Japan turned into what is known today as ‘street fashion’. At present there are many types of clothing styles in Japan. These styles are created from a combination of both local and foreign labels. Some of these styles are similar to the haute couture what refers to a creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing what is often seen on European catwalks. For an example is the Lolita Fashion street wear, which is based on Victorian and Rococo periods clothing. The purpose of the Lolita Fashion is not the sexy look, but to look cute and/or elegant.
In case you are planning a trip to Japan or for some of you who are just curious about Japanese culture and customs, here is a glimpse of this country where traditional and modern culture comes together. We all know Japan as a country that is known of their technology and of course of their fashion. This country seems to be modernized since the last years of the 19th century and early 20th centuries. This makes Japan so unique; the mix of tradition and modernity, which appeals most to tourists and people from different countries.
Japanese Culture
In general Japanese people used to be accurate and they will always stick to their commitments. The Japanese society operates according to strict rules of norms and values. A society is the result of the combination of the history of a nation and its national character, which the nation character again had an impact on the history. The strict rules and values in Japan are related to the functioning of the ‘group’ and the (Asian) national character, the shame culture. In this shame culture it is forbidden for someone to suffer a loss of face.
Traditional Japanese clothing – kimono
These strict rules were also reflected in their dress costume. The kimono, which literally means “things to wear”, has been a standard dress for all Japanese since the thirteenth century. Kimono styles have changed notable from one period of the history of Japan to another and nowadays there are many different types of kimono worn by men, women and children. The differences in kimonos have much to do with gender, age, social class as well as marital status of the wearer and some events require a different kind of kimono. This can lead to different cuts, color, fabric and decorations of a kimono. There are even several rules in attracting those kimonos. Generally a kimono should be worn left front over the right this applies for both gender and only a corpse wears the kimono fronts right over left.
Kimono belongs to the history
The kimono has changed since the advent of Western clothing during the Meiji era in 1968, which took a huge change on how the Japanese dresses. This also influences the whole culture and education, which was thrown into chaos. The Japanese starts to mix and match western clothing with the standard dresses from Japan. For an example men and women wore the kimonos differently to show their attempts to modernize. Some men wore bowler hats with kimonos and some women wore donned high-button boots with updated Japanese garments, such as loose-fitting hakama, which should be worn over kimonos. This modernization of dresses removes the kimono slowly.
Nowadays kimono is worn for special occasions
Today, kimonos are worn less often and are only worn on special and very formal occasions, such as weddings, funerals, coming-of-age functions and graduation. However, kimonos are the most worn by women. Most often, the older people prefer to wear kimonos and the younger generation opt for more Western dresses.
Japan introduces ‘street fashion’
In the early 21st century Japan turned into what is known today as ‘street fashion’. At present there are many types of clothing styles in Japan. These styles are created from a combination of both local and foreign labels. Some of these styles are similar to the haute couture what refers to a creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing what is often seen on European catwalks. For an example is the Lolita Fashion street wear, which is based on Victorian and Rococo periods clothing. The purpose of the Lolita Fashion is not the sexy look, but to look cute and/or elegant. 512 words
Word bank
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