Grew up being fascinated by the Japanese culture and always loved finding out a little something about their traditions, food, people and robes. While spending one of my summers in London, I was lucky enough to meet one of my favorite people on earth, Sayaka, aka my sensei. She taught a lot of things and answered to all my questions regarding their iconic traditional robe: the kimono.

A kimono — literally translated as “the thing worn” — is a traditional Japanese garment defined by its straight seams, “T” shape, and intense decorative detail. Although it’s been in existence since the late eighth century, it wasn’t until the late 16th century that the articles of clothing began to resemble the long, hanging ensembles we recognize today.

Inspired by the traditional Japanese robes, the modern kimonos have been given a contemporary twist. They can be found in a lot of styles featuring unique decorations, bold prints, unexpected cuts and different lengths. The Kayomo Lab kimono I am wearing today came in an oversize style with avant-garde elements. The modernized design of the kimono worked like a charm in dressing up my casual outfit. Wearing a white cami and a pair of jeans can be quite boring, but things change when layering with such a statement piece. Highly functional, kimonos can be styled with anything in your closet, from jeans to your favorite fitted dress. Just give them a try and you won’t regret!

Down below you can see how I styled this kimono in a smart casual look by pairing it with my favorite mom jeans, a white cami top and heeled mules. It took me about two minutes to pull the outfit together! Having a kimono on hand definitely makes dressing up easy! If you don’t love them yet, then you will surely do after checking out the mood board from the bottom of the post. Enjoy! Wishing you all a great week ahead! x

I’m wearing: Kayomo Lab kimono (here) | Mango cami (similar here) | H&M jeans (similar here) | Zara mules (similar here) | Furla bag (here) | Zara sunglasses (similar here)

KIMONO & JEANS 

Photography by: Ionel Birsan

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