Antique Japanese Kimono 'Umeko'

The print that looks older than anything you own

Umeko reads like a textile with a past. Large ume blossom in brick red, cream and black sit across a cream-and-black ground, each flower traced with a fine gold outline and set among a few grey-blue chrysanthemums. The slightly faded, layered colour is what gives it that handed-down, antique character — pattern with weight, not a fresh pastel.

Printed on lightweight cotton, the large flowers carry a confident, retro presence, the brick reds reading strong against the pale base while the gold lines catch the light at the edges. The cotton keeps it breathable, so it wears lighter than the heavy-looking print suggests, and the scale reads clearly from across a room.

A mustard obi finishes it, pulling the warm tones together and shaping the long line. The matching sash comes with it, ready to wrap.

Wear it when you want pattern with history — a festival, an evening in, a shoot where the print leads. It's for the person who finds clean modern florals a little forgettable. A scatter of small grey-blue chrysanthemums breaks up the red and cream, keeping the large ume blossom from reading as a single repeating shape.

For the woman who likes a print with a past. One size, cut long with a generous, wrap-front fit.

• Type: Full-length kimono
• Material: Lightweight printed cotton
• Pattern: Brick-red, cream and black ume blossom with fine gold outlining on cream and black
• Technique: Printed
• Closure: Wrap front, tied with the obi sash
• Sleeves: Long kimono sleeves
• Includes: Matching mustard obi sash
• Colour: Cream and black with brick-red blossom
• Wear it with: Belted with its obi, for festivals or evenings at home