Sashiko Coat

This elegantly graphic kimono was made in the style of work clothes and was probably used as casual wear. However, it is obvious that the elaborate sashiko decorations were carefully designed and executed to achieve visually exciting effects, in witness to the imaginative talent of their unknown domestic creators. The robe is densely decorated with highly precise stitches. The lines are so regularly stitched that many parts of the kimono appear to consist of woven patterns. For example, the upper half of the right kimono is graced with parallel zigzag lines that are repeated so exactly they look like a woven herringbone twill.