During exhibition installation periods, there is a lot of hustle and bustle around the Museum. The magic happens one day at a time over the five short days between the closing of one exhibition and the opening of another. It requires busy hands, brains, and feet from the curatorial, education, and facilities departments and the rest of us helping where we can.
Kimono: Garment, Canvas, and Artistic Muse opens this Saturday, March 1 and without a doubt, it will be breathtaking. To fully embrace the spirit of the exhibition, we are selling vintage (circa 1950-1980) haori kimono jackets at the Visitor Services desk. Traditionally the Japanese haori style is meant to be worn over a kimono to add warmth and elegance. However, the haori can be versatile as a garment worn every day over casual clothing or even to dress up for a special occasion.
The haoris that we have available for sale were designed and produced in Japan using traditional textile techniques. All are handmade and were likely made specifically with their original owners in mind. Woven silk was most commonly used to create these kimonos; however synthetic blends were possible and sometimes accompanied bolder colors especially as the 1980s progressed. There is one with tiny little illustrations with eggplants, several with the original wearers family crest at the nape of the neck, and some incorporate delicate embroidery such as sashiko – check out the upcoming Sashiko Workshop at the Glass Box Studio!
Examples of the adornment on these kimonos with the tiny egplants decorating the fabric to the left and a family crest on the haori on the right.
Each has its own story to tell and can be tried on to see which will add a little bit of flair to your wardrobe. Stop by the Museum for a visit during Kimono: Garment, Canvas, and Artistic Muse on view through June 1 and discover what haori jacket speaks to you.
