THE TIMELESSNESS of the kimono, from its origins in traditional Japanese dress to a costume for popstars, makes it a worthy exhibitor for Europe’s first major exhibition on kimono at the V&A. The kimono is often perceived as traditional and unchanging, but Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk will counter this concept, presenting the garment as a dynamic and constantly evolving icon of fashion.
Christian Dior, Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2007 © Getty Images
Madonna, Nothing Really Matters video, 1999. Photo by Frank Micelotta © Getty Images
Rare 17th and 18th century kimono will be displayed, together with fashions by major designers and iconic film and performance costumes. Over 315 works will be featured, including paintings, prints, film, dress accessories and kimono especially made for the show, half drawn from the V&A’s collections and the rest generously lent by museums and private collections in Britain, Europe, America and Japan.
Kimono Times, Akira Times, 2017. © Akira Times
COURTESY OF LUCASFILM LTD
The first section of the exhibition will explore 17th century designs and shine a light on a fashion-conscious society not dissimilar to today’s. This is followed by the beginning of western interest in the kimono as a collectable in the 18th century and then the start of a world-wide craze for Japanese art and design in the 19th century, with kimono being bought from department stores such as Liberty & Co. in London. The kimono’s biggest impact on western fashion came in the early 20th century, when designers such as Paul Poiret, Mariano Fortuny and Madeleine Vionnet abandoned tightly corseted styles in favour of loose layers of fabric that draped the body.
Image © Nick Knight © Alexander McQueen. Courtesy of One Little Indian Records
The final section of the exhibition will show how the kimono has continued to inspire fashion designers around the world. The kimono’s timeless, universal quality has also made it the ideal costume for film and performance. The display will include the outfit worn by Toshirō Mifune in Sanjūrō, Oscar-winning costumes from Memoirs of a Geisha, the original Star Wars costumes (modelled on kimono), and the Jean Paul Gautier ensemble worn by Madonna in her video Nothing Really Matters.
by Alicia Pountney
Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk runs from 29 February – 21 June 2020 at the Victoria and Albert Museum, Kensington. Tickets are £16
Featured image: Image Courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.