V&A
Cream Silk Obi with Black Floral Motifs
Japanese Traditional · 2000s · Japanese
Designer
Bentley & Spens
Production
artisan-craft
Material
silk with metallic thread
Culture
Japanese
Influences
traditional Japanese yukata construction
A traditional Japanese yukata featuring a cream-colored base with scattered black floral and botanical motifs throughout the fabric. The garment displays the characteristic straight-line construction of Japanese robes with wide, flowing sleeves that extend beyond the hands and a body that wraps left over right. A dark contrasting obi sash cinches the waist, creating the essential silhouette. The textile appears to be lightweight cotton or cotton blend suitable for summer wear, with the pattern distributed evenly across the surface in a repeating design of stylized flowers and foliage. The overall construction follows traditional Japanese garment-making techniques with minimal fitted seaming.
belt
Connected To
Worn with·getaWorn with·obiWorn with·tabi
SHARED70 years · cross-category
These two garments reveal how Japanese textile artistry adapts while maintaining its essential DNA across decades of upheaval. The earlier cream silk obi displays the classical restraint of traditional Japanese design—those scattered black floral motifs floating against pale silk like ink dropped in water, each bloom precisely placed with the kind of spatial confidence that comes from centuries of refinement.
Text72%
Image85%
Worn with·geta
SHARED40 years · cross-category
Text56%
Image68%
Worn with·obiTechnique·machine-weaving
SHARED65 years · cross-category
Text69%
Worn with·obiTechnique·machine-weaving
SHARED40 years
Text66%
Echoes Across Time
Japanese Traditional → Great Depression · 70yr72%
SHARED
These two garments reveal how Japanese textile artistry adapts while maintaining its essential DNA across decades of upheaval. The earlier cream silk obi displays the classical restraint of traditional Japanese design—those scattered black floral motifs floating against pale silk like ink dropped in water, each bloom precisely placed with the kind of spatial confidence that comes from centuries of refinement.
Worn with·getaWorn with·obiWorn with·tabi
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