Make Your Own Japanese Clothes

Classical elegance. Loose-fitting comfort. Versatility. Functional design. These are just some of the reasons why traditional Japanese clothes have captured the imagination of modern fashion designers and stylish dressers around the world.

Making Japanese clothes is surprisingly simple. Patterns consist of virtually all straight lines, and the non-body-conforming shapes require no darts, buttonholes, or zippers.

Here, in this creative sourcebook, is all the information you need to sew authentic Japanese clothes or to design your own Japan-inspired fashions:

• Step-by-step instructions for making 14 select traditional garments, from the luxurious wedding rove and the classic kimono to the informal hanten jacket and practical field pants
• Detailed patterns that can be adjusted to fit any size
• An introduction to the basic building blocks—sleeve shapes, collars, hems, linings, and padding—so creative sewers can design their own fashions
• Over 40 sketches with many more suggestions for modern variations on the classic garments
• A choice of authentic Japanese techniques or simplified methods that achieve the same look
• How to use any width fabric, whether narrow Japanese fabric or standard Western widths
• Sources of Japanese fabric and sewing accessories
• Care and storage guidelines
• Fabric suggestions, ideas for creative wear, historical information, and much more!

JOHN MARSHALL, who studied traditional dyeing and garment construction in Japan for five years, is a textile artist and fashion designer.