To the Japanese, a kimono is not simply a robe but a symbol of culture and fashion. Kimonos represent social change, as well as the evolution in Japanese self-image.
Through Oct. 10, the Birmingham Museum of Art is showcasing “Fashioning Kimono: Art Deco and Modernism in Japan.”
The exhibit chronicles the importance of kimonos and demonstrates, through a wide range of beautiful, one-of-a-kind examples and photographs, why kimono is an art form that resonates within the culture that created it.
“Fashioning Kimono” features nearly 100 kimonos worn by women, men and children. Some are hand-woven and simple, others are elaborately embroidered. The kimonos on display date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and are from the Montgomery Collection in Lugano, Switzerland.
In conjunction with the kimonos in the galleries, 50 period photographs of women in kimonos and fashion advertisements document the way this important garment reflected the evolution of national thinking.
The exhibition includes kimonos worn by modern-minded, urbanized young Japanese women. Many are embellished with Art Deco patterns that heralded the emergence of Japan’s “new woman” who entered the work force for the first time and challenged the way women were viewed in Japanese society.
Well into the 1950s, the kimono was the daily dress of choice in Japan. A short time later, however, Western styles of clothing replaced the kimono, leaving the traditional garment to be worn at more formal occasions.
Birmingham Museum, 2000 Eighth Ave. N., is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday (all times are Central). Admission is free. Call 205-254-2565.