The New Chic Wrap: Not Your Ordinary Kimono

Tina, here.

There's a new kid in town. Her name is Kimono. She comes from distant shores and has an air of exoticism and mystery about her. We're old friends and have much shared history.

My grandmother brought us back kimonos from her travels East. My mother wore hers as a cocktail topper. I wore mine as a robe. I still have them all. Vault Insiders can shop this kimono in the Style Notes inside July's Style Vault.

The kimono is related to the pashmina. Both are wraps without closures. A kimono is a T-shape, forming the "T" wide across the shoulders, and dropping straight down your body. Sometimes there is an obi belt. Today's kimonos often have silk or cotton fringe or tassels. Here's how to wear a kimono without looking like a geisha or a boho hippy.

This kimono actually looks like Turkish T that was cut into a kimono. It's a heavy cotton but so breezy because the arms are open and nothing is ever really touching you. Unless you pull it in close to your body like I did here. I wore it the other day and let it hang open. It was the perfect finishing piece, loose over a t-shirt and jeans.

I have on a nice pique cotton ankle pant to dress up the kimono a bit, but it's great over jeans, too. Vault insiders, you can shop two fab kimonos, one very similar to this one, inside July's Style Vault.

You can also wear a kimono with a skirt. But listen up - your skirt has to be the right shape or you will look like a big blob of fabric.

You know the drill: if you're wearing something full on top, you must go more fitted on the bottom half. And vice versa. See how my skirt is slim and almost pencil-shape? It's not a swing skirt or A-line skirt.

Yeah, so I took my kimono in a western direction instead of an eastern one here, with my hat and navajo beaded earrings, which I must tell you, I bought at Target almost 8 years ago. And I am not kidding. Who convinced Target to sell these earrings back then? A designer who was ahead of her time clearly. But I've always loved this western/navajo look. Members, shop a similar hat inside the July Style Vault, 1st collage, and earrings in Style Notes.

Here you can really see how open through the arms and sides a kimono is. Perfect for that transition from summer into early fall.

I have on a tank under my kimono, but you can switch it up with long sleeves when the temps drop. The kimonos I included in this month's Style Vault are a half-sleeve like this one and a 3/4 sleeve one.

I just recently bought this dolman sleeve sweater (at a consignment shop in Nashville) that acts like a kimono. It has the same T-shape and open front and arms. These kimono shapes are the perfect foils to today's skinny jeans and fitted skirts.

I belted this kimono. Actually, I was looking for a slim, caramel-colored wrap belt. I didn't have one! So I borrowed the removable strap from a Ceri Hoover cross-body handbag - you may have bought yours from the April Vault - and I re-purposed it as my wrap belt.

You can see the traditional T-shape of this kimono sweater here. That's what really makes it a kimono. Shop similar inside July Style Notes.

I promise you, you'll be seeing lots of lots of these kimonos and kimono-inspired sweaters in the months to come. And pull out your vintage ones if you still have them! You'll want mostly good neutrals so you won't feel like those teens wearing silk robe kimonos over their shredded jeans and combat boots. I've added several kimonos I personally like (including a curvy option - hard to get the proportions right and this one is perfect) to the Style Notes section of the July Vault.

Thanks for reading, and if you'd like to shop my favorite kimonos, including the ones in this post and similar ones, you can join the Style Vault. I update it weekly with new products you can shop from inside.

For our month-to-month subscription, click here. For our annual membership, click here.

August Style Vault drops this Saturday! And don’t forget our amazing Nashville Wardrobe Consulting services. Check out how you can access our in-store discounts and have us in person to get you to your most stylish self.

All the best,

Tina