A study on the evolution of Japanese fashion 7

Today, the kimono is worn only on special and very formal occasions, such as weddings, funerals, coming-of-age functions, New Year's Eve, and graduation. Moreover, it is now worn most often by women. Kimonos are now preferred only by older people, with the younger generations going in for Western dresses. Apart from this, professional Sumo wrestlers wear kimonos when they make a public appearance, as is the tradition.

Silk is still considered the preferred fabric for kimonos. On formal occasions, silk kimonos are preferred. However, in today's times, kimono are also available in Japan in easy-to-care-for fabrics like cotton, satin, cotton-satin, polyester, rayon and other fabrics. These kimonos are less expensive as compared to silk ones.

The attitudes of the Japanese towards the hakama have also changed. In today's times, men hardly wear hakama, except on formal occasions like tea ceremonies, weddings or funerals. They are also worn by those who practice martial arts such as kendo, iaido, aikido, and kyūdō. Sumo wrestlers also wear a hakama when they make an appearance in public. Shinto priests also wear the hakama routinely. Some schools also require senior students to wear hakama.

Japanese women today wear hakamas only at graduation ceremonies. Women who assist in carrying out various ceremonies, called 'Miko' in Japanese, sometimes wear hakamas. In this case, the hakama is usually bright red, worn over a plain white kimono, or a long, flowing naga-bakama at the time of the ceremony.

Coming to the yukata, it was originally worn by people of the upper class to bathing houses. However, with the passage of time, it began to be worn by common people too, and became a highly popular form of clothing. The yukata is worn even today by the Japanese on various occasions.

Initially, yukata were made of plain cotton and dyed in indigo blue colour. In today's times, however, yukata are available in a large number of colours and patterns.

As for the jūnihitoe, its origin dates back to the 10^th century, when it was worn only by Japanese court ladies. Japanese ladies have even been known to sleep in the jūnihitoe.

Like the kimono, the jūnihitoe has evolved over time. On account of the heavy weight of the jūnihitoe, movement was rather difficult. For this reason, the layers of the jūnihitoe reduced over time, and the garment became lighter.

In today's times, there is hardly anyone who wears the jūnihitoe. The production of the garment is very less, and it is only seen in movies and museums.

The obi has also become more decorative and fashionable over time.

Japanese traditional footwear has also not been left behind. It has also considerably changed over the years. The waragi was highly popular among common people in Japan, but in today's times, it is worn only by Buddhist monks. The zori has become more fashionable, and is now available in different styles.

Section 5 - Modern Japanese dressing

Modern clothing in Japan is a mixture of Japanese and Western styles. Some people prefer to stick to traditional Japanese clothes, while most have switched to Western garments. Some people prefer to mix both the dressing styles for instance, wearing a kimono with western-style sandals and hairstyles. Some people prefer to wear western garb, but with a Japanese touch incorporated into it.

Western clothing began to be worn in Japan about a century back, and now it is very prominently found among the Japanese. Here, western-styled clothing refers to denims, shirts, suits and skirts, as well as accessories like sandals and sports shoes. The major reason behind this change in dressing style was the awareness that traditional Japanese garments were rather cumbersome for everyday wear. After western-style clothing was introduced in Japan, even the kimono underwent several changes. Another reason that could be cited for the same is the influence of the western culture.

The popularity of western garments in Japan is clear from the statistics available regarding the production of silk and other fabrics in the country. Figures indicate that the production of silk has gone down by a much higher percentage in the last couple of decades, as compared to that of other fabrics like cotton. In spite of the speedily rising popularity of western traditions in Japan, it would be wrong to say that Japanese traditions have completely faded away. The same applies to clothing as well.