This opulent outer kimono (uchikake) was both costly and glamourous. It combines meticulous tie-dyeing and embroidery on supple rinzu. Clusters of pine firs and flowers are reserved in white on a vibrant red ground through stitch-resist tie-dye. This technique entails outlining sections of the cloth in minute stitches, each stitch sometimes only spanning a few threads of the fabric weave. The stitches are pulled tight, and the resulting section bound, which resists the dye. Other pine firs and flowers are rendered in kanoko shibori, a slow and demanding process where each “fawn spot” is created by individually binding small, closely spaced circles with thread to resist the dye. Additional details are finished in embroidered gold and silk floss.
