Crimson Peony Kimono Jacket 'Enji'

White cranes over crimson peonies and red waves, at the hem of a black jacket

Japan's bird of fortune and its most opulent flower share this jacket, and they have been given different floors. The cranes take the upper back, white with red crowns, rising in a loose line toward the shoulder. The peonies take the hem, in crimson and wine red, packed dense along the bottom edge with red waves breaking between them, and the same band runs round each sleeve. On the front, the waves and peonies repeat at the hem and the cuffs, with a single crane at the chest.

The composition is classical: pattern heavy at the bottom, open at the top, the way kimono have been printed for centuries so that the eye is drawn down to where the cloth moves. On black, the crimson glows and the white cranes read crisp, and the whole thing has the depth of lacquer.

The name, Enji, is the deep crimson of the peonies, the red with a little purple in it that Japanese dyers pulled from safflower and used for the most expensive cloth. It is the colour of the hem, and the reason the jacket looks richer than its weight.

The cloth is a light polyester with a smooth surface and a soft drape, chosen because the crimson needs a smooth ground to keep its depth, and because a light jacket should hang rather than stand. Three-quarter sleeves, open front, no fastening, hem at the hip.

The cut is a short open kimono jacket for women, relaxed through the body. Over a white tee, the white runs between the two halves of the crimson hem and the front reads clean. Over black, the body vanishes and the peonies float at the hip with the cranes above them, which is the look in the evening.

It goes with black trousers, dark denim, and a red shoe if you are feeling brave. It is the richest of the women's prints and the one that looks best in candlelight.

At thirty centimetres the peonies show their layers, petal over petal, in three reds, and the waves have white crests. At three metres the hem is a band of crimson and the cranes are white marks on black, rising. It is built to be read at both distances, and it is.

It comes in one size, cut to drape with an easy fit. It is Asian sizing, so it sits closer than a Western one-size; if you are usually L or above, expect it to fit close rather than loose.