How Not To Fold Kimono

The bland, nondescript office across the road from my room turned out to be a kimono factory or something. Of course the kimono hanging on a stand in the corner should have been a giveaway, as should the posters with kimono clad women. But I thought it could be anything to do with the Kyoto tourist industry. Anyway, kimono…

I know because the other day some samples arrived, I guess for next season’s collection, and a bunch of people -men!- sat around the oval table discussing them. Afterwards one of the office workers -short, balding, glasses, sleeveless bottle green sweater over striped shirt and tie- was left to fold the samples and put them back into the box they came in. I had just made myself some morning tea and was standing in front of my window, contemplating some kind of plan for the day. And then suddenly I had entertainment:

The man was exceptionally clumsy and folding the four kimono took him something close to thirty minutes. He kept folding and refolding, aligning and realigning, huffing and puffing and shaking out the fabric to avoid creasing in all the wrong places…He was about to finish with kimono number two when he accidentally picked at the sleeve of the only one he had managed to fold so far. So close! Poor guy, he ran outside for an emergency cigarette at that point.

The kimono were gorgeous, by the way. Of the four I saw, I would have gladly taken two. For free, mind you, because I don’t even want to guess at their prices. They were classy stuff, nothing like the ones I own. One was turquoise with light yellow lining and white, yellow and dark purple flowers, and the other one a dark red with soft pink lining and white, light pink and lilac flowers (I was too far to see which flowers exactly, though I bet you’re not holding your breath). Haaaaa, I could just imagine wearing them -yes, I do from time to time, though without the under garments, tabi (white split-toe socks) and geta (wooden sandals). I team mine with boots and a t-shirt. Or would that be a sacrilege, for kimono as fine as those..?

In any case, I now know how to fold kimono.

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