Anna Jackson

Bringing together more than 100 items of clothing, this book reveals the intricacies of Japanese dress from the 18th century to the present. Including garments for women, men and children, the details have been selected both for their exquisite beauty and craftsmanship, and for how much they impart about the wearer's identity, be it age, status or taste. A comprehensive introduction, illuminating the main periods and key themes of Japanese fashion history, is followed by thematic chapters that cover all aspects of clothing, from hair accessories and necklines to hemlines and shoes. Each garment or object is accompanied by a short text exploring its structure and the fascinating range of decorative techniques employed, including embroidery, weaving, lacquering, stencilling, dyeing and digital technology. Specially commissioned detail photography and line drawings provide an invaluable resource for Japanophiles, students, collectors, designers and lovers of fashion and world dress.

The kimono is the ultimate symbol of Japan, revered within the country as the embodiment of national culture and regarded internationally as an exotic fascination. The iconic garment is often viewed as traditional, unchanging and timeless, but this book counters that conception, presenting the kimono as highly dynamic and fashionable dress. The cultural and sartorial significance of the kimono is explored in historical and contemporary contexts, both in Japan and the West, where its impact on clothing styles has been felt since the seventeenth century. Beautifully illustrated, the book features over 250 kimono and kimono-inspired garments from the V&A and collections around the world, revealing its sartorial influence on pop stars from David Bowie to Bjoerk and examining the ways in which fashion designers such as Issey Miyake, John Galliano and Alexander McQueen have reworked its legacy.