kimono housekeeping purchases

hiya friends! :3

I LOVE having money. I love buying stuff. I've reawakened my inner consumerist and my life has never been better /hyp. I'm giving myself permission to buy things so I can learn how to enjoy my money, and allow it to contribute positively to my life in a thoughtful manner, lest I deprive myself of pleasure and then splurge to compensate.

today I finally got around to buying an obi-ita, which I've wanted since forever. it's basically a stiff board placed over the kimono before you put the obi on, and it ensures that you won't crush the obi when you tie the obijime, which was a pretty major problem I was having in my kitsuke. for the uninitiated, the issue with this is that it makes the entire coord look sloppy no matter how tidy it may otherwise be, and it's such a big one that it really discouraged me from practicing.

speaking of, despite owning a supposedly cooler hitoe (unlined) kimono, I still haven't practiced since november due to the sheer humidity of summer. this tracks, since you'd either wear natsumono (which are hard to find) or yukata in the summer heat; the latter of which I constantly have to talk myself out of shopping for... anywho, I have some techniques I'd like to try out and refine, so when my obi-ita arrives I'll be sure to post a kitsuke update! :3

I understand that the kimono terminology may be difficult to follow if you're not familiar with it, so attached below is an image of the obi-ita to give you an idea of what I'm talking about :-)

(sidenote, the silk kimono in this photo is gorgeous!! it's making me want to buy a nice silk hitoe kimono, even though I technically don't need one. I thought wool was a good idea at the time but I honestly find it to be really hot, and it lacks the classy elegant look of silk that I've really fallen in love with. both of my wearing kimono are of the same formality as the one above (i.e. casual), but doesn't this one look so much nicer? OH!! maybe I'll buy myself a nice silk kimono for my birthday :3)

I've also been keeping an eye out for an obi for my grey kimono for a while, seeing as its colour scheme is far too different from my pink one for my cream nagoya obi to be suitable. I thought I'd look for a hanhaba obi to give myself a bit of variety in terms of dressing options, and I'm very excited to report that I've finally found one, which means I'll soon be able to wear my grey kimono out and about! 

here it is--

I think it's so lovely! although I don't really care for orange in general, let alone a rusty tone, the grey kimono features some very subtle dark-blue and orange motifs that I wanted my obi to accentuate. (attached below is an image from when I first bought it to show you what I mean!)

I also really liked that it was reversible! my nagoya obi actually is too, though all that really varies between the sides is the placement of the flower design; and the embroidery on one of them came damaged, so it doesn't see as much action as my hanhaba will. I thought the navy would still provide a bold contrast to my pink kimono in the event that I decided to try it out, though the orange should also nicely complement its warm tone! :-) it was very important to me that the obi I bought could work with both kimono, to maximise my versatility.

while the chōchō musubi is the most well-known hanhaba musubi with its classic bow shape, I actually think a karuta or kai-no-kuchi musubi will best suit the slightly edgy style of the grey kimono. pictured below is the latter- I'm very partial to it at the moment! :-)

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I'm so excited to share the changes that'll result in my kitsuke once my items arrive! I'll finally be able to wear my kimono out in public with greater confidence that my appearance is tidy enough to honour the centuries of refinement and grace that allowed kitsuke to evolve into what it is. -- but until then, I hope you'll join me in being happy and well(-paid) <3 thank you as always for joining me! take care, friends :-)