Aspirational Elegance: Classical Motifs in Early Modern Kimono Design

press release:

An introduction to classical themes present in Edo period kimono design, this talk will introduce several major kimono pattern books and the real life kimono they inspired. While considering how women of the early modern period used these sometimes risqué patterns, this talk will consider how these themes have been translated into modern kimono culture.

The speaker, Michelle Kuhn, is doctoral candidate at Nagoya University and the International Student Advisor for the Nagoya University Graduate School of Information Science. Her research background focuses on Heian prose texts, including the Tale of Genji and the Tale of Sagoromo, and their Edo period interpretations. Her recent projects include studies of an Edo period book of kimono patterns inspired by the Tale of Genji.

Hosted by the Center for Textiles and Design, School of Human Ecology.