The traditional Japanese kimono top, originally worn as an undergarment, has been adapted into blouses for men and women. The wide sleeves and wraparound shape have influenced Western fashion since the mid-19th century, and the style continues to evolve in the 21st century.
The fashion influence of traditional Japanese styles of clothing, from pants to dresses to blouses, has become widespread. The classic Japanese kimono top, a T-shaped garment with a wraparound shape and wide sleeves, was traditionally worn with a matching underskirt as an undergarment under the more formal kimono. Beginning in the mid-19th century, when Japan opened contact with the West for cultural exchange, Western designers began to adapt the kimono style into blouses meant to be seen.
The kimono blouse began as a garment known as a han-juban and was designed to be worn as undergarment. Like the outer kimono, it features a wraparound closure and wide sleeves, but is only half the length of the kimono. The han-juban collar is meant to be visible from under the kimono, adding depth and dimension to the ensemble, as well as preventing the kimono collar from getting dirty. It is worn with the susoyoke, a matching wrap skirt. It can be white or patterned, and can even be reconstructed from the remnants of discarded kimonos.
The kimono blouse designed for men, known only as a juban, is similar to the han-juban in that it is designed to be worn under a kimono. The men’s juban differs in that they are usually made of silk in a darker, more conservative color, without the patterns one might find on a han-juban, although men’s patchwork juban can sometimes be found. Kimono tops for men and women can be hand-painted, dyed, or made from rinzu silk. Western women often wear men’s or women’s kimono tops as evening or lounge wear.
Hadagi is another type of shirt that can also be worn under a kimono. It can have sleeves or be sleeveless. The cloth is usually silk, cotton, or linen, and is about 2 inches to 4 inches (5 cm to 10 cm) long and thickly lined for use in cold weather. In Japan, it was originally worn by men of the Samurai class, but it can also serve the same purpose as a kimono blouse.
As Japanese culture increasingly influenced Western culture, designers began incorporating kimono elements into blouses and other clothing. The wide sleeves and columnar shape of the kimono bodice appealed to Victorian women who were accustomed to cultivating a curvaceous hourglass shape. The style of the kimono blouse also influenced the graceful form of the Edwardian-era screen robe. At this time, the kimono blouse was bold and dramatic with lace, braid, and buttons embellishing it.
The delicate, wide sleeve of the kimono blouse emerged again in the 1940s, when fashion called for more demure feminine silhouettes. In the early 21st century, the term “kimono blouse” generally refers to a wrap top. It can be made from natural or synthetic fabrics and in a range of designs based on traditional Japanese fabric patterns or modern high fashion.
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