Plural of kimono; a traditional loose robe with wide sleeves, typically worn in Japan and often tied with a sash.
From Japanese kimono, which literally means 'thing to wear' (ki = wearing, mono = thing). The word entered English in the late 19th century as Japan opened to Western trade and fascination with Japanese culture grew.
The kimono was the everyday clothing of Japan for centuries, but it became famous in the West only after Japan opened its borders in the 1850s, and then it became so iconic that it overshadowed all the other traditional Japanese garments that existed before it—a great example of how one culture's casual wardrobe can become another culture's idea of 'exotic tradition.'
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