There was a time when no self-respecting twentysomething Japanese woman with a modicum of style would have been seen out and about in a kimono.
The garment was seen as over-priced and uncomfortable, and brought to mind an outdated image of Japanese femininity, of demure women struggling to retain composure as they shuffle along in a garment that must have taken an age to put on.
But kimonos are making a comeback in trendy parts of Tokyo, and the women wearing them are young, fashion-conscious and as comfortable in their traditional wear as they are in their jeans.
There was a time when no self-respecting twentysomething Japanese woman with a modicum of style would have been seen out and about in a kimono.
The garment was seen as over-priced and uncomfortable, and brought to mind an outdated image of Japanese femininity, of demure women struggling to retain composure as they shuffle along in a garment that must have taken an age to put on.
But kimonos are making a comeback in trendy parts of Tokyo, and the women wearing them are young, fashion-conscious and as comfortable in their traditional wear as they are in their jeans.
"They no longer think that kimonos are the preserve of older women with money to spend," said an assistant at Gallery Kawano, a second-hand kimono shop in Tokyo's chic Omotesando district. "They wear them when they go out on a date or want something a bit different for a formal occasion."
A brand-new kimono, and the long list of accessories that goes with it, is still prohibitively expensive, costing thousands, even tens of thousands, of pounds. But a thriving market in antique cast-offs, available for as little as a few pounds, is now serving students and younger working women. Buyers mix and match their kimonos with obi belts, shoes and split-toe socks.
Emiko Miura, a pharmacist who owns about 40 kimonos, is a longtime convert but still in her 30s. "I don't think twice about getting dressed up to go shopping or to go out for dinner with friends."
With Tokyo's energy-sapping humidity already in the air, it will soon be time to don yukata, lighter, cooler, and much cheaper summer kimonos. Magazine shelves are heaving with advice for yukata wearers on the right mix of handbag, jewellery, boots and sunglasses.
"I think some women are getting tired of following western culture, and want to get back to something that's not only Japanese, but wearable," said Leeyong Soo, international fashion coordinator for the Japanese edition of Vogue. "They're also rediscovering how nice old things can be, which is encouraging as Japan is normally such a throwaway culture."
