Storing Your Kimono

[Carmen]

In another thread (Uchikake lovin'), I asked general questions regarding the proper storage, handling and display of older textiles (100 years or more). Having gotten no answer I decided to do a little research myself.

I had read somewhere that in addition to being properly folded in washi paper, the layers of the kimono should be interleaved with tissue paper. It just so happens that this is NOT overkill. Metallic substances commonly used to decorate kimono can oxidize and leave discolorations on the facing fabric. Having observed this for myself, I wondered if the tissue had to be "acid-free". It indeed does. Because common tissue paper (and most other wood products) are acidic by nature, they can react with the textile in undesirable ways. So, yes, we must have acid-free tissue paper interleaving the layers of fabric.

Acid-free products are relatively expensive, I suppose due to the processing required to render woody content stable and neutral. Here is a link to the best price I have found:

www.archivalsuppliers.com/user-cgi/display.cgi?id=720

You will note that the product is "Unbuffered" Tissue Paper. It is thought that the natural acidic properties of wood products that have been rendered "acid-free" eventually reassert themselves after a number of years (25-30) So some archival products are "buffered" up to a pH factor of 8.5 or 9 to be slightly more alkaline to forestall the "acid flashback" (7 is neutral, neither acidic or alkaline). These buffered products are fine for some things, but not for silk garments. Silk is weakened by alkaline substances (specifically the tensile strength). So get UNBUFFERED boxes and tissue. You'll only have to change them out every 1/4 century...

Also, when folding the garment, it is advisable to put rolls of tissue paper in the folds of the garment, so that the folds do not become permanent. I think this is especially wise when you have a stack of tatoshi-wrapped kimono approaching 2 ft high.

The site link above also has some inexpensive (relatively speaking) boxes that would fit a Uchikake and an interesting array products that inhibit humidity, insects and corrosion. Check out the glossary, too.

Below are links with excellent information on properly storing and handling your precious garments:

General Guidelines from the Pros:
www.resource.gov.uk/information/advice/conserv06.asp

Common Conservation Materials
www.resource.gov.uk/information/advice/conserv15.asp

Exhibition Guideline for Costumes
www.rap-arcc.org/leaflets/tcwho13.htm

Another link to archival supplies (kinda pricey)
www.lightimpressionsdirect.com/servlet/OnlineShopping?dsp=2&R=4637

Caring for Textiles
aic.stanford.edu/treasure/textiles.html

Silk Fiber Properties
www.artfacts.org/standards/tex_1999.html

This has answered all my nagging questions; I hope it's helpful for you.

Carmen

PS) If a seller ever brags about ironing her silk haori or hanging them out in the sun to air, RUN, don't walk, to a more informed seller!

[Neeta]

Carmen, thanks for taking care and make such a good research, I think it's going to be very helpful for many people

[fraise]

Yes, thanks very much, it's very informative!

(About ironing, it is possible to iron silk - carefully! here's a bit about that: www.stonecreeksilk.co.uk/silk_care.html
It mainly talks about scarves, but seeing as they're almost always a lighter weight than the silk used in kimono, it applies to the latter as well. I've steam ironed jubans and a haori successfully, following their advice.)

[Carmen]

Hello All,

The info above is mainly geared for older textiles.
I sometimes iron silk, too, but only on newer haori that I actually wear, not items that are terribly old.

Regarding Ironing:

Since photo and thermal UV is damaging to silk, it is advised to never directly touch the face of the fabric with the hot iron, but instead use a pressing cloth. Any tailor will tell you that by habitually ironing directly on the face of the cloth, any cloth, it will eventually develop a dull shine, which is essentially damaged surface fibers.
So use that pressing cloth! Let a clean piece of cotton muslin or canvas take the brunt of the heat, not your haori! Also, misting the surface of the haori before ironing is a dicey proposition, too. If the garment has ever been dry-cleaned, it will have some dry-cleaning solvent residue. Add a drop of water to that and see what you come up with. Depending on the amount of solvent residue, a drop of water, when dried, can leave a tell-tale white stain. Yuck! You're much better off in the long run using a low setting and STEAM.

For every old pieces, I wouldn't go near them with a common household iron. Light steaming with a pressing pressing cloth over the face of the steamer head might take a little longer, but it minimizes the heat damage to the fibers.

Fraise, the silk care link you sent is good, although I think it's more targeted toward their particular products, which are new, rather than years old. Also, I don't think you'd want to follow their storage guidelines for very old textiles. They recommend hanging on a padded hanger, but this is not the preferred method for older textiles. Hanging will definitely stress the fibers that get all the weight and could result in splitting/tearing. All the professional sources I have seen so far fold and pad the garments in acid-free tissues and boxes. Again, we're talking about vintage and antique garments, not things you wear. But if you wear a garment you'd like to pass on to your grandchildren, you might want to go with flat storage (with all the trimmings) vs. hanging.

The main point to all conservation measures is to preserve what's left of the garment, and not to change it or damage it in any way. There is also a surprising amount of chemistry involved. I've joined a professional textile conservator's mailing list and I'm going to ask some very specific questions and will post the results here.

Carmen

[Stephie]

I know that there was a thread about this on the "new" board. It was a post from someone about a very sad storage discovery involving discoloration and tarnish stains from the metallic thread.

My kimono collection tends toward the new, synthetic, "I am not going to feel bad about hanging this on my wall" types of items but my first bit of garment collecting started with a 1880's mourning dress about 15 years ago so I also have my share of things that stay packed away. The few japanese items I have purchased that are packed away I have always followed the recommendations given for my other vintage clothing. One bit of information I have found on the Internet is an Ebook by Kristina Harris, it is free and you can download it at:

www.geocities.com/vintageconnection/VintageConnection--eBook.html

The book links to www.universityproducts.com/main2.html for most of the storage supplies which is the main site for archival suppliers. The company also carries products for books and other items. So if you have something that isn't a textile that you would like to preserve you will probably want to browse around a bit.