A Chidori Shibori Yukata: Unlined Casual Cotton Kimono

mid twentieth century
shoulder to hem x sleeve tip to sleeve tip: 48" x 48", 122 cm x 122 cm

This is a yukata or an unlined, cotton, casual kimono that is hand sewn of nui shibori, or shibori that has been shape resist dyed using horizontal rows of stitching.  

This kind of horizontally oriented striped, stitched shibori is sometimes referred to as chidori shibori, possibly because the variegated lines appear to suggest the tracks left on wet sand by the plover, or chidori.

The garment is still as wearable as it was the day it was made and it is in very good, used condition. The cotton is machine loomed and, given the vintage of this yukata, the indigo is more than likely not botanical.

Shown here is a historical photo of a man wearing a yukata of chidori shibori: the image was taken from Ozu's classic 1953 film, Tokyo Story so we know that during this era this kind of shibori was being worn. It has been said that this kind of shibori was developed around this time so the proof of this shown in the photo is very interesting!

This is a wonderful garment that, as said above, is very wearable, still.

Recommended.