Modern Mode: Kimono for Japan's New Woman at Lee Institute, through Apr. 1
Topic: Kimono
Hanford, Calif. -- The Ruth and Sherman Lee Institute for Japanese Art presents the new exhibition Modern Mode: Kimono for Japanese New Woman from Dec. 6 through Apr. 1, 2006.

This past summer, over seventy modern-style kimonos have been incorporated into the Lee Institute Permanent Collection, allowing the institute to have its first kimono exhibition in its ten-year history.

The kimonos exhibited in Modern Mode are made from a type of silk plain-weave fabric known as meisen that owes much of its existence to Western technology.

Meisen is a commercial term used to describe a textile of inexpensive machine-reeled silk thread and colored with synthetic dyes that was developed in the 1880s. Western dye technology adapted to traditional Japanese dye methods resulted in new, cost-effective techniques and dazzling, multicolored pictorial designs resembling paintings.

Both traditional and Western-inspired motifs decorated the affordable meisen kimono worn by the upper and middle classes as everyday wear and by the working-class, such as the increasing number of women who worked in the new textile mills, as formal attire.

Meisen is often considered a fashion associated with Taishō period (1912-1926) Japan. Through those years, meisen remained affordable and the quality of the textile improved greatly. In addition, the Japanese women’s life style has immensely modernized.

Many women started working as office workers, store clerks or waitresses and the trend was to go window shopping in Ginza; the main shopping area in Tokyo which resembled that of Champs-Elys?es in Paris, France.

The iconic modern girl of that time wore meisen kimono with a bob style hair cut. It was only when wool and western clothing were introduced to Japan, that the popularity of meisen came to an end in the early Shōwa period (1926-1989).

These vibrant meisen kimonos reflect the stimulating changes that occurred in the lives of women living in a modern Japan. Along with twenty-five of the meisen kimonos and haori (short coat), the exhibition includes various objects from the Lee Institute Permanent Collection to enhance the world of meisen.

This exhibition has been curated by Sharon Sadako Takeda, Senior Curator and Department Head, Costume and Textiles at Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Ms. Takeda will also present a special opening lecture for members of the Institute.

The Lee Institute is located 6 miles south of downtown Hanford at 15770 Tenth Avenue. The gallery and extensive reference library are wheelchair accessible and open to the public Tuesday-Saturday from 1:00–5:00 pm. Entrance fees are $5 for adults, $3 for students with valid ID, members and children under 12 are free. Docent tours of the exhibition are held every Saturday at 1:00 pm and special pre-arranged group tours are available for an additional fee. For more information, see our website at www.shermanleeinstitute.org or call (559) 582-4915.

(Photo Caption)
Kimono with Lozenge and Triangle Designs (detail), artist unknown. Kimono, dye on silk. (Courtesy of Lee Institute for Japanese Art)