Red Dragon Kimono Cardigan 'Shinmon'

A dragon coiled round a red shrine gate, in clouds, on black or on blue

The gate is red, the dragon is wrapped round it, and the clouds are everywhere. That is the back of this cardigan: a torii in vermilion at the centre, a dragon with a red mane and a body of gold and green scales coiling up through it, white clouds curling on every side, and blue waves breaking along the hem. The fronts carry more of the same, cloud and scale and water, so the scene continues when the jacket is open, and the sleeves are clouded to the cuff.

It comes in two grounds, and they are different cardigans. On black, the dragon and the gate blaze and the clouds read as smoke. On a bright royal blue, the whole scene turns to sky and sea, the clouds become weather and the waves at the hem belong to the same water. Pick black for the night and blue for the day.

The name, Shinmon, is the gate of the gods, the entrance to a shrine, which is what a torii is: the line between the ordinary street and the sacred ground behind it. The dragon on this jacket is on the far side of it.

It is printed, not embroidered, with the scales drawn one by one and the clouds outlined in black so they hold their shape against either ground. The cloth is a light polyester with a smooth surface and a soft drape, chosen because a scene this full needs a ground that keeps every colour where it was put, and because a cardigan this bold should weigh nothing. Three-quarter sleeves, open front, no fastening, hem at the hip.

At three metres it is a red gate and a coil of gold on black or blue, with white all round it. At thirty centimetres the dragon has claws, whiskers and a tongue, the gate has its crossbeams, and the waves have foam. It is drawn like a print, flat and hard-edged, and it looks like one.

The cut is a short open kimono cardigan, relaxed through the body and easy at the shoulder. Over a plain white tee, the white links to the clouds and the dragon has the rest of the outfit to itself. Over black, with the black version, the scene floats on a dark column. It goes with black trousers, dark denim, and absolutely nothing else with a pattern.

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.