Kimonos are the national dress of Japan. They are the more ceremoninal robes once worn on the daily now worn primarily for official occasions by most individuals or on the daily by some elder members of the population. In my experience in Japan I have most often saw kimonos worn by elderly ladies downtown especially when going to or from Kyoto. I saw some more full black kimonos worn at a funeral, and at the coming of age ceremony where all the women coming of age and some of the men wore beautiful bright and highly decorated kimono complete with extravagant hair styles and makeup. The construction of the kimono is fundamentally simple. Because the kimono is constructed primarily of large rectangular cuts of fabric, unlike most western garments, the highlight of a kimono has less to do with complicated construction and extensive tailoring and more to do with the fabric. Therefore, kimonos vary very little in style and far more in the choice ...