Fluffy Violet Peonies In Full Bloom Over Layers Of Foliage On Deep Yellow Silk.
It’s the end of March now, and the US Midwest has been drinking again what with the weather alternating between definitely still winter, mud season, and actually kind of hot. Go home, Chicagoland, you’re drunk. But since it’s been a minute since I’ve done a showcase of any kind, and I’m kind of reorganizing my space in order to accommodate the tansu I’m restoring when they’re finished, now seems like a great time to show off some more of my haori. After all, I have a metric fuck ton lot of them, so why not?
I picked this little cutie-patootie up very recently, and it was for sale here in the US. I don’t usually buy things that are yellow, because my pale-ass western European mutt breeding makes me appear to have jaundice should I stand next to anything that even slightly borders on “pastel.” Being a teen edge lord was just a phase, but freshly drained corpse complexion is forever. But something a lot of people wouldn’t know about me unless they ask–and I’m about to shock the shit out of at least my mom–is that my favorite color palette to design with is Outrun as fuck.
So how could I say no to this thing? I’m even going to wear it, and just get my liver tested anyway I guess.
…what…
Anyway! As I’ve mentioned like several billion times now, buying in the US is always something of a gamble if you’re not buying from an established kimono-specific shop. Some of you have heard me refer to the US kimono market as chaos and anarchy, with varying usage of all caps and screeching. You know, normal conversation. And the reason I harp on that so damn much is because condition is a roll of the dice. I am always entirely at the mercy of whatever pictures the seller decided to take, and whether or not they could identify a condition issue successfully. I’ve seen shit with holes in it be called “immaculate.” I had a big dead spider fall out of a sleeve once. You could say that my definition of a thorough inspection differs greatly from some others’.
This was a pretty good shot, though. I would actually wager that this haori (kimono jacket) has never been worn, or if it was then it wasn’t very frequently. I think I’m most impressed by the couching stitches being completely intact. If I’m going to get something with couching on it from the US, it’s usually like a fucking bomb went off. Like, just an absolute goddamn mess.
It had one very small stain next to the collar on the back that I removed simply using the vinegar method. I didn’t bother to document it because it wasn’t interesting. I know some of you are always super interested in that process, but trust me, if I kept a going log of every stain I remove, it would be all I ever fucking talk about. And most of them would be just me repeating myself.
You know, as it turns out, a good 90% of restoration work feels like just fucking off and waiting for things to dry. It’s not hard, but it does test your patience. Just ask these fish on an obi I’m cleaning:
It’s proving to be true with that tansu, too. -Screams in the distance- DRY, YOU FUCK.
I took pictures first, but I’m actually in the middle of resizing it, because jaundice-appearance be damned, I wanna wear it. She’s a delightful antique–certainly pre-WWII, but I have no provenance–and she’s adorned with beautiful botan (peony). Tell me you don’t want to just jam one of those in your mouth.
I actually don’t have much else to say about this one, I just like it and wanted to show it off. Join me next time when I’ll have some more progress on the tansu, and I’m working on small compilation of weird shit that I’m working on, too.
BYE.
Silk & Bones 