À la recherche du temps perdu — Why Combinaison, Why Now
The undergarment worn beneath a beautiful kimono is called nagajuban.
It too is, by default, 100% silk, hand-sewn.
But lately, extreme weather has made Japanese summers unbearably hot. Wearing a full kimono is hard enough in summer as it is.
Bras, sleeveless tops, mini skirts. None of that can compete with a kimono when it comes to beating the heat.
So summer nagajuban are made of hemp, or skipped altogether. All kinds of wisdom, gathered. Washable silk. Polyester. Science keeps advancing.
The secondhand market is flooded with nagajuban. White ones, especially, and pale pink. The kind almost everyone already owns one of.
A safe, unremarkable piece, but no one wants a second. I want to find these ones a new keeper.
The all-in-one slip with a built-in bra top has become the norm in Japan now, and a slip on its own barely finds demand. The habit of wearing silk against bare skin is fading.
Because it's worn against the skin, it deserves a finish that sits against you without a hint of friction. There was a time, not so long ago, when hand-sewing was simply how it was done.
Battle armor under a suit. A second skin for winding down.
Wrap yourself in silk, a natural fiber, and polish yourself from the inside out, so the light comes from within.
A new habit.
You may never wear a kimono. But you can wear the art of Wasai.
On ne porte pas forcément un kimono. Mais on peut porter l'art du Wasai.
— PASSIONEER
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