An artistic and intricately designed vintage Japanese kimono is the true indicator of Japan’s respect for traditional elegance and creative refinement .A kimono is formally acknowledged to be the traditional Japanese attire. All people in Japan, irrespective of gender, age and background wear a kimono. For an outsider the subtle variations in the kimonos might be hard to distinguish, but actually the kimono has various different wearing styles, patterns and colors, all influenced by factors like age, sex and the marital status of women.  The time of the year and the specific occasion for which the kimono is intended to be worn also affects the kind of kimono worn and the fabric used.

There has been a constant evolution of vintage Japanese kimono through many centuries and consequent periods of Japanese rule. The kind of style which was followed and popularized by the royal families also influenced the style of national wearing. Each era has got its own unique trait, and the styles in vogue in one period were distinctively different than that of another period. For instance, if we take a look at the kind of kimonos which were worn during the Jomon era, we will find the style and patterns to be different from that of, say, the Edo period. Obviously, the panache and elegance that were displayed by the Royal family were a class apart from the rest and were hard to be imitated by the common Japanese people. Even now, the royal people of the Imperial court during occasions of marriage and coronation stick to the vintage Japanese kimono style of the Heian period.

Women wear kimonos in a manner which reflects their fascination for bright colors and floral prints. According to tradition, an unmarried woman in Japan would be wearing a kimono having sleeves which reach up to her ankles. The name for this category of vintage Japanese kimono is Furisode. On the other hand, a married woman would be wearing a kimono having sleeves whose lengths are much shorter.  Women also wear Obi/sash which is long and wide, nearly 1 foot widthwise and lengthwise up to 13 feet. Various elaborate styles were devised in this kind of clothing. Some specially designed and customized versions of kimonos take as much as thirty minutes just for tying the dress. Japanese brides are seen wearing white kimonos, and above that they wear a red/orange over-Kimono during occasions like formal receptions or other formal gatherings.