My first fashion love have always been wafuku. It has been 24 years and I am still obsessed. Flowing silks, sturdy hemp, the different weights and textures that can be achieved with wool, soft cottons; there is a fabric for everyone! I can't think of anyone who doesn't look great in proper wafuku, whether it's a kosode (kimono) or comfortable jinbei.
Movies depict kimono-clad women as bound in these elaborate, ornate dresses, unable to breathe with the same obi-yanking scenes as Victorian women are portrayed in hostile corsetry. The reality of either is far from the truth. Corsets in Western fashion were always about support and that "yanking tighter" wasn't even possible until the invention of metal grommets and bones (the ribbing in corsets) in the early 1900s. Obi cannot be pulled on like that because they warp, tear, the embroidery breaks, whatever. You really think someone is going to spend months, sometimes a years' average income, on a piece of fabric just to ruin it? Models in yukata and casual kimono magazines look comfortable because they ARE. Ceremonial kimono tend to be difficult to wear, the same way the American equivalent is difficult: stiffer shilhouettes, shoes you may not be comfortable in, lots of structural garments, etc. Just like in America, wearing very formal clothing is a rarity.
Please enjoy trying wafuku intended for your activities! Wear cotton or hemp in hot weather. Try monpei, which are easy to move in. A yukata 'dressed up' with a second collar and cute obi accessories can elevate it to most casual 'daily wear,' fine for grocery shopping or walking around a mall. You can always go fancier when you have more experience or more necessity, like wearing iromuji and fukuro obi for tea ceremony practice or visiting a museum. For me, I can wear the same kimono when I lose or gain a few pounds and the obi gives me back support all day.
This new site is meant to help me organise my private kimono collection. My Tumblr site is the primary BebeTaian blog, which includes these things, reblogs of karyukai images, Japanese memes, stories, etc. BebeTaian on Tumblr. I hope to upload different sections, including information on individual pieces and full outfits. There are often 'stories' or themes for any particular selection, such as imitation of a doll or ukiyo-e scene, inspired by an old waka or haiku, or a collection of motifs of the 72 seasons. These can also be found on tumblr but the site displays only my own collection, vs. other posts on tumblr. While the site is primarily intended for myself, I hope others enjoy it as well.
A list of intended sections:
I have to completely re-learn HTML. I haven't run a website since perhaps 2004 and have not used "old HTML" since. I predate HTML5 and .css wasn't yet a Thing for many smaller, private websites. Since this is a "free time" project, I expect to make changes slowly.