Men's Medallion Kimono 'Tatewaku'

Pale streaks falling down navy like rain, with round crests in white line between

Two things are printed on this kimono, and they were made for each other. First, streaks: bands of fine pale-blue lines running down the navy cloth and fading out at each end, like rain seen against a dark sky or the broken stripe of an ikat weave. Second, medallions: round crests drawn in white line, each one a different design, a koi curled in a circle, a dragon, a flower, scattered between the streaks across the body and the sleeves. The obi is pale grey, flat and wide, a third tone that sits between the other two.

It is a print with a rhythm, vertical and interrupted, and it is the reason the kimono looks tall. The streaks draw the eye down, the crests stop it, and the obi cuts across the middle. Nothing on it is loud, and everything on it is doing something.

The name, Tatewaku, is the old name for a rising-steam pattern, pairs of wavy vertical lines that Japanese textiles have used for a thousand years to mean good fortune rising. The streaks on this kimono are that pattern, loosened.

It is printed, not woven, with the streaks kept soft at their ends and the crests kept crisp. The cloth is polyester with a dry hand and a slight texture, chosen because a navy this deep must stay even through washing and the pale lines must not fade into it, and because a kimono for the warm months should hang light.

The obi is included. Cross the fronts left over right, wrap the grey obi twice at the waist and knot it at the hip. The obi is the only solid on the garment, and it is where the eye rests.

At three metres it is a navy robe with pale rain on it. At thirty centimetres the crests separate into their subjects, the koi, the dragon, the flower, and the streaks show every line. It is built for the second look.

The cut is long, falling to the ankle, with wide square sleeves and the room to walk. Worn at home it is a robe with weather on it. Worn out with dark sandals it is an evening outfit that reads navy from the street and detailed from the table.

Sizes run from M to XL, by height. It is cut to Asian sizing and runs small, so take one size up from your usual. Between two sizes, take the larger.