The BIG rule

At the last Kitsune meeting I introduced an idea that I'd been playing around with to do with kitsuke - more specifically ideas about getting the right length and proportions during kitsuke.
I call this the BIG rule and it goes a little like this:

The length of you kimono depends on a combination of the following: how is BIG the garment?; how BIG is the wearer?; how BIG is the event/occasion?; how BIG are the shoes being worn with the garment?

For example, most of my kimono are too small for my 174cm frame. To combat this, I tend to wear them with high-heels which, as discussed earlier, means that I can wear my kimono slightly shorter than is strictly proper.

The more formal an event, the longer a kimono should be worn. Informal yukata should be worn so that they fall somewhere between the top of the ankles and the top of the foot. For a formal kimono, the kimono should just skim the floor at the back of the heel. If you are wearing kimono with zori (formal platform thongs) then the kimono should just touch the zori. Zori also fall under the BIG rule as they have a higher platform as events become more formal.

This 'rule' should be taken as a rough guide only. There are volumes of books dedicated to what the proper length of a kimono is depending on the situation. This is simply something that helps me when I'm dressing.

-E