Kimono Seasons

The Kimono seasons much like western clothing adapts to the climate and weather with the use of padded silks, unlined robes with stiffened edges and lined unpadded, raw silk. Raw silk (susushi) makes its appearance in the hitoe of the first summer kasane raw silk is glossed silk before it is beaten. It is less pliant and stands away from the skin, making it cooler. Stiff-edged robes were worn during the rainy season that starts in June. Hineri-gasane were robes with sleeve edges folded back into heavily starched hems. This made them look and feel very crisp. The autumn kimono Lespedeza and maiden flower is woven of lavender warp threads and bluish-green weft threads. Maiden flower is made from yellow warp threads and bluish-green weft threads. They are worn alone over bluish-green hitoe. Padded glossed silk was worn in the winter until the official beginning of summer in May. Glossed silk (neriginu) was silk treated with lye and pounded to remove the sericin, a natural resin in raw silk. This makes the cloth very soft and pliant. Silk floss padding was inserted in the lining of these robes to make them warmer.