V&A

Cream Ramie Summer Kimono with Floral Embroidery

Romantic · 1820s · Japanese

Production

artisan-craft

Material

ramie

Culture

Japanese

Influences

Edo period yūzen dyeing · classical Japanese iris motifs

This summer kimono features a sophisticated textile design on plain weave ramie, a lightweight fiber ideal for hot weather. The composition centers on stylized iris flowers rendered in blue and orange with gold accents, emerging from flowing water patterns indicated by curved linear motifs. The design employs multiple techniques: freehand paste-resist dyeing creates the precise floral forms, while stencil work mimics tie-dyeing effects in the background. Silk and gold-wrapped thread embroidery adds dimensional detail to flower centers and leaf edges. The asymmetrical placement of motifs across the garment surface follows traditional Japanese aesthetic principles, with the design flowing from lower hem upward in a naturalistic arrangement typical of Edo period textile arts.

dressloose fitfloor length

Connected To

V&A

Japanese Traditional · 2010s

V&A

Romantic · 1820s

Pink White Striped Silk Kimono with Obi

58%

Cream Ramie Summer Kimono with Floral Embroidery

Worn with·obiWorn with·undergarmentsFunction·religious-ceremonial

SHARED190 years

The pink striped kimono's crisp geometric lines and the cream ramie's loose botanical embroidery represent two poles of Japanese textile sensibility—one urban and structured, the other rustic and flowing—yet both achieve elegance through restraint.

Echoes Across Time

Japanese Traditional → Romantic · 190yr58%

SHARED

Worn with·obiWorn with·undergarmentsFunction·religious-ceremonial

Pull the Thread→

Follow this garment wherever the graph leads

Pink Silk Crepe Obi-Age Sash

56%

Cream Ramie Summer Kimono with Floral Embroidery

Worn with·obiTechnique·hand-weavingFunction·religious-ceremonial

SHARED190 years · cross-category

That crimson silk crepe sash would have nestled perfectly beneath the obi of this ramie summer kimono, its saturated color echoing the burnt orange lilies embroidered across the pale ground. Both pieces speak to the Japanese mastery of restraint — the sash's pure, unadorned surface providing the same visual breathing room as the kimono's scattered floral motifs against cream ramie.

Text69%

Image57%

Entity24%

2020s → Romantic · 190yr56%

SHARED

Worn with·obiTechnique·hand-weavingFunction·religious-ceremonial