Mondrian Kimono Project

span style="font-family:verdana;">I have had a crazy Kimono idea. It all started with an innocent discussion on the Immortal Geisha forum about fabrics we would love to use to make Yukata. One person there suggested printing a Monet painting on a silk Kimono, and suddenly it hit me: A Mondrian Kimono.

For those of you who do not know Piet Mondrian (1872-1944), he was an artist who became famous for his abstract paintings of grids with blocks of bold colours, generally primary colours (red, yellow and blue).

Composition with with Red, Blue and Yellow, P. Mondrian, 1930, oil of canvas

Of course, fashion aficionados will remember that Yves Saint-Laurent made a very famous shift dress inspired by Mondrian’s paintings.

Yves Saint Laurent, "Mondrian" Day dress, Autumn 1965 (Wool jersey in color blocks of white, red, blue, black, and yellow)

Since Kimono are so geometric (square) in construction, you can see how Mondrian’s art would fit the shape perfectly.

Once inspiration struck me, I began playing with shapes and colour to come up with this concept for my Kimono:

Mondrian Kimono Concept by Gwenyver

I tried to keep everything balanced, while placing the colour blocks in places where a Kimono would usually get more detailed decoration. I may re-work the design before actually making it, but for now, it gives you a good idea of my concept. Of course, I would wear it with a Ro Obi, but I am unsure what colour it should be. So many possibilities!

Now, should I make it by painting the cloth, like Mondrian, or should I use blocks of fabrics, somewhat like a quilt, the way Yves Saint-Laurent did?