Vintage Japanese Kimono Fabrics by Pieces: Japanese Textile Fabric Swatches

7464:1930-50s Japanese Meisen Silk 54 in. Piece Deadstock

7464: 1950s Meisen Kimono Silk,long view

Catalog# 7464

1930s-1950s Japanese Textiles:

Deadstock: Japanese Kimono Meisen Silk Fabric Piece

Width: 13.75 inches / 34.92 cm
Length: 54 inches / 137.16 cm

US$18.00 per piece plus shipping

Item Details and Description

Fabric History/Pedigree: 1950s or earlier silk fabric pieces unused, deadstock from a previous era.
Fabric Description: Meisen silk, lightweight, slightly translucent with the background color a dark plum with large plus-shaped figures, 3 inches/7.62cm X 4 inches/10.16cm in 5 rows, 2 columns; these are equally spaced rows with average spacing 5.5 inches/13.97cm; These figures are typically fuzzy-edged --- typical of meisen silks; they also alternate from white (with aqua blue accents) to solid yellow figures; note the intentionally fuzzy edges to all figures, and they are also evocative of kasuri ikat designs seen in cotton Japanese ikat(Kasuri); This piece is the same on both sides; minimal sheen; not as stiff as some winter-wear meisen.

Colors: Please NOTE that colors and contrast differ on each device, so please use our text descriptions to complement your sense of the fabric.
Condition: Excellent.
Recommended for making scarf/accessories.

Background Information on Meisen Kimonos:

Meisen is defined literally in our Kenkyuusha dictionary as "...common silk stuff"; meisen fabrics (or garments made from them) are currently called 'meisen'; Meisen kimono were made similarly to Kasuri (ikat), though meisen usually have very colorful patterns with distinct -- often more modern -- motifs and a slight sheen; 1950s meisen have intentionally fuzzy, almost Impressionistic look and often larger designs; Kasuri/ikat, of course, is mostly indigo blue and some white with black. To learn more about kasuri click here.

To see pictures of meisen silk vintage kimonos from Google, touch HERE.

Other Cultural Notes: The best discussion we've found of Meisen silk fabric was on an old blog post by Japundit, excerpted here*:

"...Young women have rediscovered(Japan Times) the kimono, and you can see them out in Harajuku on the Sunday fashion parade. There's even a term for these girls -- not surprisingly they are called "kimono girls." There are even some nice books documenting the trend which you can check out at J-List and are definitely worth having if you are at all into fashion.

"The meisen kimono in particular has become very popular. These kimono were made in the first half of the twentieth century, and were characterized by a glossy sheen, and brilliant patterns. There is often a sort of blurry quality to the silks...."

[*original article has been pulled]

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