Fashionista International Edition: Yukata

Instead of writing all about western version, I'd like to introduce an eastern fashion of my dearest home, Japan. Although western fashion has very much established in Japan, beauty of Japanese traditions are still present.

Many of you might be familiar with Kimono which is a Japanese traditional clothing. But how many of you know about Yukata?

Yukata is a casual version of Kimono mostly worn among women. The word Yukata means bathing clothing. Like its root of word, Yukata used to be for outerwear after bath.

It is a popular traditional garment, especially among youth.Children dress in it looking adorable. And don't get me wrong, its worn, of course, by men as well. We wear it during the summer for big events like fire-works displays, dancing festivals, and other festivities.

Made of cotton, Yukata doesn't feel heavy compared with Kimono. I like Yukata better than Kimono, because it's comfortable to get around. On the other hand, Kimono comes with several garments making it a little harder to walk around, at least for me. ( It feels like I have another person weighing on me.)

While Kimono usually takes two to three people to put on, you can put Yukata on by yourself. Yukata is popular traditional clothes because of its pattern too.

The common patterns are summer flowers like day-lily, hydrangea and morning glory. Other patterns are roses, anemone and even butterflies.

As I searched (googled) the image of Yukata online, I found the Hello Kitty pattern which made me giggled. Yes, we Hello Kitty on anything from a toilet lid to a motorcycle, so why not on Yukata right?

Yukata varies in colors as well. Bright colors like blue, white, pink and yellow gives an impression of a breezy summer. The color of purple and red give an elegant look while bright colors have charming look.

Accessories are necessary for Yukata dressing. Types of accessories are as follows:

Obi -  A sash tied up around the waist to stabilize Yukata
Geta - Wooden shoes (more like sandals) with a thong that's crossing between a first toe and the rest of toes
Kanzashi - Hair pin with a flower clip attached
Uchiwa - Paper fan to cool off from a typical humid summer in Japan (Also used to keep mosquitoes away)

Similar in western fashion, Yukata has evolved over the course of time. It's gotten knee-high instead of ankle-high. Some wear just simple beach sandals instead of Geta.

Thanks to the vertual shopping-mall (market), you don't need to go all the way to Japan, if you're interested in trying Yukata.You can purchase at Amazon or eBay at a price ranging from 40 dollars to 80 dollars. And they come in different sizes, patterns and colors.

Amazingly, Mini Yukata are also available on LioNella com. Models are wearing heels for foot wear; a great collaboration of eastern style and western style.

Don't worry, to learn steps of dressing in Yukata, tutorial is available on Wikihow and Youtube ( what a convenient world we now live in!)

Regardless of your interests, it would be my pleasure if you'll get an opportunity to experience in dressing Yukata that reflects values of Japanese culture.