Turuturu WI hosts luncheon
A happy group of approximately 50 Women’s Institute members from the South Taranaki Federation enjoyed a finger food luncheon and a celebration on International Day.
This is a day each year where a different country is recognised. Turuturu WI chose Japan with Alison Chapman as our special guest.
Alison was a student in Japan and stayed on for a further few years. In that time she became enamoured by the unique style of dress, the kimono. This led her on to study the format of the dress, the culture associated with it and a demonstration of the steps involved in dressing a model.
Alison’s knowledge was extensive and she displayed two very special certificates acknowledging her skills.
The characteristic that stood out was that the woman fully dressed in the kimono must have straight lines so every effort is used to disguise the curves by padding out the form.
First of all, the padding that minimises the curves and then the underlay is put on. Alison said that the underlay was usually very beautiful and it was a pity it could not be seen. The outer layer, the kimono, must not touch the skin so special little collars are stitched into position, before putting it on.
The formal kimono is made from high quality silks that are very expensive.
It was a fascinating progression from a standard mannequin to the layers being put into position.
The final layer was what Alison described as a ‘‘modern style’’ of fabric, which she particularly liked. The swirls were bold with gold woven into the fabric. The middle band highlighted that gold.
Also interesting was the way the kimonos are stored. Each had its own special ‘‘envelope’’ that allowed the kimono to lie flat and beautifully folded according to fold marks.
Alison brought along a number of kimonos in their ‘‘envelopes’’ to demonstrate different fabrics and styles and when each would be worn appropriately.
It was a fascinating talk and demonstration.