Tags
Fashion, Geisha, Hiki, Hikizuri, Japanese, Kimono, KimonoHime, Kitsuke, Obi, Susohiki, Vintage, Wig
It rained all day today, so please forgive the indoor shots. I wanted to wear my green hikizuri again, and I wasn’t going to let a little bit of weather stop me! 
This is only the second time I’ve ever worn hikizuri (trailing kimono)….and I’m not convinced that I’m doing it right lol. I tried to make the hem fall nicely and make the hikizuri nice and tight around my thighs so it would sweep out on the bottom like it’s supposed to, but it’s much harder than it looks!
Also, I wore an easy collar with no juban (under kimono) because even though it was raining, it was also very muggy and hot. For that same reason, I wore a wig instead of trying to get my wild hair tamed today lol.
I tried tying otaiko and bunko musubi with this obi, but it didn’t want to cooperate! So I ended up tying yanagi musubi, which is worn by Tokyo geisha. I didn’t tie it the correct way though, because I was frustrated at the time and forgot how to tie it correctly lol! (Shhh!) >_<
Here I am getting the hem ready to be carried, so it doesn’t get dirty when I walk around:
And now holding it up off the ground (Historically, geisha hold the hem with the left hand, while holding the hem in the right hand was used by prostitutes. So it’s important to make sure which hand you hold it in lol!):
For some reason though, this is my favorite photo:
That hiki is stunning on you! Especially with that obi. The stripes were unexpected, but it turned out to be a great match!
I think it might be too short, and that’s part of what’s throwing it off. An extra foot might have allowed the leverage that a ‘criss-cross’ style (as opposed to the normal ‘straight’-body style) of tying the upper body demands, without sacrificing the hem line. As it is, I think you’ve done pretty well for the length of the kimono. I think I’ve seen a similar ‘folding’ effect in the front hem on wedding kimono, so if you have a guide on tying shiromuku, that might help.
Thank you very much!
I wore this once before with the hakata side of the obi for Halloween, but it was hidden under the sheer hagoromo I wore on top. I decided to go for the striped side this time for fun.
Yes, I think it is just a little bit too short. I’m 163cm tall, and it is 190cm. I did bring up quite a bit in the ohashori though, so I think that I can get more length if I try to wear it with as little ohashori as possible, and use the tips that I received on the IG forums. I was told to fold the hemline outwards on both sides of the hiki when wrapping, and to secure them with a koshihimo. Hopefully that will work!
I agree! If you look at photos (full body) of geisha in hikizuri, you’ll see that below the eri, the hems are folded out so that they show the inner lining a little, which becomes greater as the skirt trails down. You might even be able to get away with “lengthening” it by acquiring a bolt of similar fabric in white or another matching colour and making a second layer, slightly longer than the top one, also padded. It’ll only give you an inch or so, but at least it’ll keep the kosode itself relatively clean. A shigoki obi can help you hide the lack of ohashori further, if you get the collars right otherwise. That’s where those nice korin belts come in, although I try to pad mine with scraps of fabric so the teeth don’t damage finer silks.
Either way, great job for a first attempt! I can’t say I’d do any better.
Although I’m sooo tempted to get a kurotomesode and cut it to lengthen for cosplay…
That hiki is gorgeous! And I love your wig ^_~
And again, I love how spacious (did I write that okay?) you and your family live.
Thank you very much! I’m actually trying to grow my hair out so it looks like the wig, because I like the style very much.
Yup you wrote it just fine! We have a large family, so my dad’s house is rather big lol. I love where we live though too…in the open fields of former farmland by the mountains. Very spacious!
Hi! I love the combination of flower pattern kimono and stripe obi. I tried that, too. You look very elegant!
The room in the last picture may be spacious enough for Nihon Buyo (Japanese traditional dance in kimono). Are you interested? One of my kimono friends, who learned Nihon Buyo, moves gracefully in kimono and her posing for pictures makes her and her kimono look better. So, I want to learn it when my sprained ankle gets better.
I was in LA a couple days ago. I saw on TV that a program introduing Kimono would be on air on the ABC Network early June. It may be a local program or might have been over. I wish I had remembered more details.
Ah, you are too kind! I am interested in Nihon Buyo! Unfortunately, the closest school to me is three and a half hours away from where I live. Maybe when I move out on my own, I will be closer to a school so that I can take lessons. Please post about your experiences when you go to lessons! I am very interested in seeing what it is like.
Looking online, I don’t see anything about that show. I wish I knew what it was called! It sounds so interesting. I will try to keep an eye out for it!
wow, you look fantatsic, i can’t wait to see you dolled up in the finished outfit ^^
i can give you a hint on hikizuri, the osahori dosn’t mater even on geiko i don’t think i’ve seen it, if there is one it’s covered be the sarashi wrap. so wrangle as much length out of it as you can, the hem should tapper a little at the bottom, so try pulling the crossover section just under where the obi sit’s up a tad and that should give you the right look, it should fold open by itself then too. ^^ Hope that’s helpful ^^
Thanks so much for the tips! Geiko do have an ohashori, but it’s so tiny that it’s hidden by the red momi. I think I’ll definitely try it out the next time I dress in hikizuri!
Good luck then ^^