Size Guide

The measurements are written: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

 

The measurements listed on this website are taken in centimeters.

Antique, vintage and modern silk kimono are individually tailored and measured according to height and armspan. Women wear kimono with a large fold at the waist (ohashori), so their ideal kimono length is their height+/-10cm. For example, I am 167cm tall, so kimono fit me best if they are between 157 and 177cm. The more lengths you try, the more certain you can be - my ideal length is 163cm.

Antique and vintage kimono are often worn nowadays without the ohashori, since the average height of Japanese women has increased quite a lot in the last century. Without an ohashori, you can wear a kimono as much as 20cm shorter than you! My shortest kimono is 145cm and (with an effort) wearable!

The ideal armspan is from the nape of your neck to your wrist, measured with your arm down and slightly away from your body. The shoulder seam of a kimono does not sit at your actual shoulder, but rather falls somewhere between your shoulder and elbow.

Modern polyester kimono are usually mass-produced in set sizes: S, M, L, LL, TL and so on.

If you are still unsure of the size or condition of any item here, send me a message and I will happily help you out! You can message me at Twitter or Facebook or email me at catherine@ainokimono.