A question of obiage!

[Flock]

It's a subject I am only vague with, so if anyone has opinions or knows more please post here!
1) is black obiage only for funerals, or can it be used for other things?
2)is full shibori strictly only for furisode or is it worn with other kimono, if so how much?

A lot of the obiage on ebay are full shibori so I hesitate to buy them, owning no furisode.
I recently purchased 5 obiage, 2 of them are black, if they are only for funerals I will sell them on ebay..

[Kiyoaki]

In the spirit of offering some kind of reply (and perhaps mis-stating something), Let me say, you're probably right about the black obiage being used for funerals.

As to the appropriateness of a given obiage when wearing a furisode (aside from color), I hadn't heard there was any kind of distinction. Afterall, the obiage is mostly pushed down behind the upper limit of the obi, so very little shows. I suppose a densely decorated one is more 'formal' than one with big, splashy motifs, but most of the time, no one but the wearer would know if her obiage matched the kimono she was wearing (color aside).

If you were asking whether 'full shibori' is only for furisode or not, in terms of the kimono's decoration, not at all. Kosode can also be decorted in shibori. Shibori is actually considered a casual type of decoration. But some people like trying to pull off the mixing of disparate elements (a full shibori furisode), to make a sophisticated style statement.

In this regard, the obiage is considered an undergarment, and therefore is more casually (almost exclusively) decorated in shibori.

[Flock]

Thanks, yes - obiage only show a little so aren't maybe so important, yet it's good to be sure!
I just thought shibori obiage might be more for furisode because they seem elaborate and showy, and much more obiage shows on some furisode obi styles.