Hippy Haori

Wearing Haori Jackets

Haori are hip length coats traditionally worn over kimono for warmth and they come in various weights. They are becoming increasingly popular in western society because of their flowing style and beautiful silk fabrics. I have a number of them on the KimoYes website which customers buy to wear either formally or informally.  Unfortunately westerners are often larger than the Japanese women for whom these lovely garments were made and this week I was given the challenge of adjusting a haori to fit a local customer.

Haori are constructed with narrow side panels which are visible in the above photo. The haori in question fitted well across the back but not at the hipline. I simply unpicked the hand stitched side panel to the waistline, cut it off and hand stitched around the edges to catch the lining. The photos below tell the story.  

The result was a haori that fell straight at the front and back and which floated over the hips. Very flattering!