How do I put on a kimono and everything?

What kind of things do I need to have for a kimono on a semi-skiny, 6ft tall, otaku, unmarried American?

And how do I put them on?
(Pictures please!)

It would also be nice for someone to put up links to a site that has them for sale.

Thanks a lot for any help you can provide!

I don't think you'll be able to put on a kimono by yourself. It is very difficult! I am not kidding! Most women need to have it professionally fitted. However, a yukata may be doable, though I don't think anybody has them for sale at this time of year. In the summer, you'd be able to find some at Uniqlo
www.uniqlo.co.jp


Before my ex-gf left for home (Europe), she wanted to wear a yukata at the summer festivals that we went to. We didn't know what we were up against until we took the yukata out of its package, which came with instructions that made it look harmlessly simple. Wrong! There is no way in hell she would've been able to put it on without my help, and even then, on close inspection, we could see that it wasn't on quite right. But even on Japanese girls, maybe 40% of the time it was on kinda wrong too. But she was a tall, blonde girl, and she looked great nonetheless in her crooked yukata:)

I suggest doing a google for this. To take the time and effort to explain the process on here, for free, is something I doubt many would do. I suggest attending a class on kimono, or at least buying a dvd about how to wear it.

I learnt yesterday morning how to put it on, practised a couple of times, and now I can do it myself :)
However, putting it on is easy. Putting it on neatly enough to look good isn't ^^;;; As far as I can tell, the basics are okay, it's the getting it perfect that's the hard part. Mine's still messy (obviously) and my cords come loose, etc :P But it's fun practising anyway!
It's probably a good idea to get someone to show you and help you once or twice at first, before you practise alone - it's a lot easier as you know what it should look like, rather than trying to follow instructions ^^;;; and they can show you how to do it better. Like, tie it at the front then turn the obi around, holding onto the stuff underneath (if you use anything for padding) so it doesn't turn around too, etc. And they can neaten up the back where you can't see ^^;;;

the people with perfectly tied yukata do: cheat! you can buy pre-tied obi, where the bow is on a clip, and the obi itself is a lot shorter with strings on the end you wrap around and tie. Goes from being an hour long, two or three person chore to five minutes, with maybe a little help straightening.

If you go back to a ouple of weks back on this site you'll get another long posting about kimonos etc. One crucial to remember is that women kimonos and yukatas are worn like the men's one(yes men do wear kimonos and yukatas, but in different colours and fabrics) in other words THE LEFT SIDE GOES OVER TO THE RIGHT. Many foreign women wear the right side over to the left, as in Western women clothes. right to left is only used for dead people lying on a bed or in an open coffin!. also never ever wear chopsticks in your hair (I have seen North American women do that!) this grosses out the Japanese.

sensei 2, what about kanzashi? Those look like a single chopstick and I have Japanese friends that wear them.

The fashion for hair chopsticks in some countries has kind of passed now in any case and there are Japanese people in Tokyo wearing much stranger things than chopsticks in their hair anyway- have you been to Harajuku lately?

there are hair ornaments (pins, combs) that may look like chopstisks to the initiated,hence perhaps the confusion. As for Harajuku fashions they are supposed to be extreme, which means that we can't compare them to any of the styles worn before. I was only talking about kimonos that, like all ancient styles of clothing, must we worn following proper traditionnal rules. A woman wearing a kimono cut to the knees, a blue curly wig and cowboy boots would look interesting but it would annoy or even offend many people.

One can dress themselves in a kimono. It really isn't that hard to put one on. Making it look nice, takes some time. I have 4 Kimonos, and I dress myself. There is books one can read to put one on and there's even instuction on the internet.

To make a kimono look really fancy, One needs more things.

I even tie my own Obi. It just takes some practice. So that comment about one cannot dress themselves in a kimono, is silly.

You just needs patient and practic. I even fold up my kimono after wearing it.

I can put one one by myself quite easily. I have many years of practice and there's several techniques that make it easier.

Putting on a yukata takes about 20 min max for me. 10 if i'm using a pre tied obi. a furisode will take me about 25-30 min.

I know this thread is over a year old, but in case anyone did want a complete list of the items needed to wear a kimono, here you go:

hadajuban
suosoyoke
nagajuban
han eri
date jime
koshihimo (3 or more)
tabi
date eri
obi ita
obi age
obi jime
obi makura
kimono
zori
obi

this is a basic list. there are other pieces that one could add to complete the outfit such as kanzashi, a watching purse, and perhaps an obi dome.

My wife put her kimono on by herself this weekend, it took her about 30 minutes from start to finish. But then she has been doing it all her life, so she has had practice. The only time she asked for help was when she tied a bow in a rope belt (jp name?) around her waist. So, putting it on by yourself is possible but you need lots of practice to make it look right.

See "KIMONO BASICS: From Top to Bottom"
at http://blog.livedoor.jp/auberginefleur/archives/50677857.htm...
and "How to Wear Yukata I: What You Need" at http://blog.livedoor.jp/auberginefleur/archives/50997880.htm...

A good starter book is The Book of Kimono; by Norio Yamanaka

-AF
Japan Now and Then
http://blog.livedoor.jp/auberginefleur/