Part 1 : “She conquered the world and returned in a vintage kimono”.
It was her birthday. She deserved a celebration for the year she has had and they were eating fine delicacies at Nobu, Palo Alto. I walked in and saw what she was wearing. A mauve kimono with something simple underneath that served as a canvas. Her stacked dainty jewellry sparkled in candle light. She skin was luminous and her smile generous. She looked radiant. I was happy to be a part of the day. In the back of my head, “she is always a woman” started to play in John Legend’s voice. She is the woman Nina Garcia wrote about in the her ‘ the black book of style’. She is the woman American expats in Paris study and dissect to write lessons on ‘how to be french chic’. She is the woman I want to go up to and say ‘please, oh please, tell me about what you are wearing’. I know she reads my blog and I have managed to impart some minimalist guilt in her about her closet size. I tell her ‘your role in this world is different. You are an artist. It’s your job to raise the style quotient of world in general and show us how it’s done. It’s your job to create and inspire us. You don’t worry about the numbers’. I mean it.As such tales go, she found this vintage kimono is some no name alley while wandering in Japan. I asked to borrow it the first chance I got. It doesn’t have 10% the effect as it did on her but it’s fun to wear nevertheless. Like the fictional superman wears a cape, the superwoman could wear a kimono. Nolan, are you listening ? Catsuits are so last century. It isn’t about being a man’s fantasy anymore. It’s all about the woman’s fantasy. Are you listening ? I got it home to examine it and photograph it.
Part 2 : Pink
Last Sunday, I woke up with a desire to wear pink. I rummaged through my closet and found the kimono. I wore it. I watered my plants. Fed my cat. Plucked some herbs from my garden. Made garlic basil hummus and ate it with leaven bread. Drank my coffee. Asked Alexa to play ‘she is always a woman’ and danced around in my living room. For exactly 3 minutes 23 seconds, I transcended time and space to slip into the song. The music ended. The desire was fulfilled. I neatly wrapped the kimono and put it back. The moment has passed.
[ P.S. Some Many beautiful things are not meant to be owned. Some relationships should be maintained for afar. It’s better that way. This garment is one of them. It’s meant to be loved for a second and turned into a memory to cherish. I am glad that I get to borrow it, play dress up and then return it. Reduce, reuse, recycle, replace, repair, refuse, rent, rethink and rot is the noble principle of materialism.]