V&A

Deep Red Silk Crêpe Kimono with Embroidered Design

Victorian Late / Bustle · 1870s · Japanese

Production

artisan-craft

Material

silk crêpe

Culture

Japanese

Influences

traditional Japanese textile design · cherry blossom seasonal motifs

This silk crêpe kimono displays an elaborate surface design combining resist-dyeing and embroidery techniques on a deep red ground. The textile features flowing water motifs rendered in gold metallic threads that create undulating wave patterns across the fabric. Cherry blossoms in white and pink are scattered throughout, along with geometric medallions and stylized floral elements in blue and gold. The crêpe fabric has a characteristic textured surface that adds depth to the design. The construction follows traditional Japanese kimono geometry with straight-cut panels and wide sleeves. The sophisticated color palette and dense decorative program indicate this was likely a formal garment for special occasions, demonstrating the high level of textile artistry achieved during Japan's late Edo to early Meiji period.

dressloose fitfloor length

Connected To

V&A

2000s · 2000s

V&A

Victorian Late / Bustle · 1870s

Coral Pink Striped Silk Kimono with Obi

66%

Deep Red Silk Crêpe Kimono with Embroidered Design

Worn with·obiWorn with·undergarmentsTechnique·hand-embroideryTechnique·

Echoes Across Time

2000s → Victorian Late / Bustle · 130yr66%

SHARED

The Victorian kimono's dense embroidered landscape of flowing water, cherry blossoms, and geometric motifs reveals how Japanese export textiles catered to Western fantasies of the exotic, layering every inch with ornamental drama. The contemporary striped kimono pulls back to essential geometry—clean coral and white lines that let the obi's narrative embroidery breathe as the singular focal point.

Worn with·obiWorn with·undergarmentsTechnique·hand-embroidery

Pull the Thread→

Follow this garment wherever the graph leads

Navy Cotton Summer Kimono with Carriage Wheel Pattern

V&A

Roaring Twenties / Art Deco · 1920s

V&A

Victorian Late / Bustle · 1870s

Navy Cotton Summer Kimono with Carriage Wheel Pattern

62%

Deep Red Silk Crêpe Kimono with Embroidered Design

Worn with·obiWorn with·undergarmentsTechnique·resist-dyeing

SHARED50 years

These two kimono capture Japan's textile traditions navigating wildly different moments of cultural exchange with the West. The earlier red silk crêpe flows with classical motifs—those sinuous gold streams and scattered blossoms speak the refined language of Meiji-era luxury, when Japan was carefully packaging its aesthetic for Victorian appetites.

Text74%

Image75%

Entity32%

V&A

Japanese Traditional · 2010s

V&A

Victorian Late / Bustle · 1870s

Pink White Striped Silk Kimono with Obi

58%

Deep Red Silk Crêpe Kimono with Embroidered Design

Worn with·obiWorn with·undergarmentsFunction·religious-ceremonial

SHARED140 years

These two kimono reveal how Japanese aesthetics traveled and transformed across centuries and cultures. The striped pink silk represents traditional Japanese restraint—its clean geometry and muted palette speaking to centuries-old principles of wabi-sabi simplicity, while the crimson crêpe kimono explodes with Victorian excess, its surface dense with gold embroidered waves, florals, and decorative motifs that would make any Meiji-era textile merchant rich.

Text77%

Image70%

Entity27%

Roaring Twenties / Art Deco → Victorian Late / Bustle · 50yr62%

SHARED

Worn with·obiWorn with·undergarmentsTechnique·resist-dyeing