Crimson Peacock Long Kimono 'Shinku'

A peacock on bright crimson satin, white plum blossom scattered over it, tied in red

Most peacocks sit on cool colours. This one runs hot. The ground is a bright crimson satin, and across it white plum blossom scatters from the shoulders to the hem, with a peacock standing on the left front, its tail sweeping down the body in pink and green, and pink peonies gathered round it. The white of the blossom is what makes the red work: it breaks the colour up and keeps it from becoming a wall. The collar is white, edged in gold. The obi is the same red.

It is the warmest piece in the peacock family and the one that reads from farthest away. Red is the colour of celebration in Japan, of the gates, the lacquer and the wedding, and this kimono uses it without apology.

The name, Shinku, is deep crimson, the true red, the word for the colour before anything has been added to it.

It is printed, not embroidered, on a polyester satin with a smooth, glossy face and a fluid drape, chosen because a red this bright must stay bright through washing and the white must stay white, and because satin is what makes a red glow instead of sit. It is light and it moves.

The obi is included, a matching sash that wraps twice and ties at the back. Cross the fronts left over right, tie the obi, and the kimono closes into a long red column with the blossom breaking across it and the peacock's tail running down one side.

The cut is long, falling to the ankle, with wide kimono sleeves and a wrap front that adjusts at the waist. Tied, it is the dress people will remember from the evening. Open over black, it is a robe that warms a room by being in it. Wear it with black shoes and nothing else patterned, because nothing else could compete.

At three metres it is red with white on it. At thirty centimetres the peacock's tail shows every eye, the peonies show their layers, and the plum blossom shows its stamens against the red. It is built to be read from the door and from the table.

It comes in one size, cut long with a generous wrap. It is Asian sizing, so it sits closer than a Western one-size; the wrap and the obi give the room, and set the waist where you want it.