Styling kimonos so they aren't boxy

Styling Kimonos: Unsurpassed Ways to Make Them More Fitted

I appreciate each and every share. Thank you!

Updated 9/18/2023

I figured out many ways of styling kimonos in case you struggle with the fact that some are boxy, too big, or overall just overwhelming. Sure, you could “wait” until you find the “perfect” kimono, but that could take too much time and energy and then you don’t have one in the meantime.

Quote of the day: “Each of us is born with a box of matches inside us but we can’t strike them all by ourselves.” Laura Esquivel, Like Water for Chocolate

I’m here to help strike your match. It’s no secret, I like to use my ingenuity for the clothes in my closet. Just like how I styled a skirt 5 ways, yet only one way was as a skirt. It all boils down to rethinking the piece of clothing you are wearing.

For example, what is a kimono? You could describe it as a scarf with sleeves. Or a summer poncho in a cardigan shape. Thinking of it those terms may help you figure out ways to make styling kimonos work best with your body and what else you’re wearing.
As for me, I tried to help out with 5 options in this post. However, I also put together a YouTube video with more than 8 tricks that I hope you’ll check out. A couple of these ideas are hard for me to explain properly, so the video may make it much clearer!

Here are the ideas in this post:
1-Tie up the front panels
2-Reduce material from the inside
3-Use a belt
4-Pin the side panels
5-Put the side panels in the back

Now if you really want to get creative with a kimono, check out ways to transform it into other clothing items.

Tie Up the Front Panels

Front ties in styling kimonos

Tying up something that is too long isn’t something new. I’ve used this approach many times for t-shirts and blouses. Heck, Nancy, and Charlotte even did this with a maxi skirt.
Since many kimonos have a slit between the front panels and the back, this makes it easy to do. Even if your kimono doesn’t have these slits, you can still use this trick.

Insider tip: I’m showing 2 different ways to tie these panels below. It may be easier to see in the video. One is to let the tie hang down, while the other creates more of a bow. I also included a version to make the entire kimono shorter in the video.

Details of this Outfit

You’ve seen this kimono when I discussed a recipe to find 5 color combinations with ANY print piece. This colorful kimono was the print piece of choice, but the recipe works with all print items.
I used hair ties to create the knots because this kimono is thicker than the pink one below.

Insider tip: Even if you have short hair, investing in hair elastics, bobby pins, and barrettes is useful. I use bobby pins to keep head scarves in place, hair elastics for this, and barrettes for scarves.

Create front ties

Reduce Material from the Inside

Tucks in your kimono

If you don’t love the idea of a bundle of material evident from the outside as with the option above, then you can bundle it secretly. What you do is gather some material from the inside of the panel, and use your elastic to hold it.
If you gather the material higher near the bust, it opens the front more. If you gather it near your waist, it looks like ruching at the middle.

Details of this Outfit

Since there is less material gathered up in this example, I used my orthodontic elastics. The advantage of these is they are smaller, so you don’t have to double them up.
This was one of the examples of color combinations with a print item, and did you notice that you could see the dress better? Compare it to the title photo where the kimono covers what I’m wearing so much.

Use a Belt

Belt your kimono

I came up with this idea after thinking about a kimono as a cardigan poncho. I’ve used this trick with ponchos in the past, and it helps shape those boxy pieces.
In the video, I show using a belt three different ways, but here it is with only the back being belted.

Insider tip: It’s good to match the size of the belt with the heaviness of the materiel of the kimono. If your kimono is a heavy material, then try a wider belt. For this example, I used a thin belt because the kimono is sheer and lightweight.

Details of this Outfit

This kimono was one I purchased out of my Fashom box that I received for our Caribbean cruise. It’s wonderfully lightweight and you saw it on our excursion outfit post.

Pin the Side Panels

Styling kimonos with safety pins

Here’s an idea for styling kimonos to give you the coverage in the back and sleeves, but open it up in the front. This is one where I struggle to explain it well, so the video may make it clearer.
What you are doing is pinning each front panel to the back about halfway down. Then when you put your arms down, the material is halved.
I used regular safety pins for this trick.

Insider tip: Don’t pin the panel too close to the top because you still need to put your arms in the sleeves.
For my lighter-weight kimono, I also could use my fashion tape (which is double stick tape).

Details of this Outfit

Again, you saw this outfit in yesterday’s post. Could you tell that the kimono wasn’t covering the front of my look as much?

Put the Side Panels in the Back

Styling kimonos with ingenuity

This option for styling kimonos isn’t much different than the one above. Except you are pinning the two front panels to each other. You put your arms in the sleeves as normal, but where the fronts are pinned against your back. Does that make sense? Again, if not, see the video for clarification.
You’re going to want to see the video anyway because I included 2 entirely different options along with a bonus track.

This trick can work for any jacket or cardigan as I showcased with a gold bolero.

Details of this Outfit

My mom made this kimono for me last year out of a large scarf. It could be an easy trick to convert a scarf to a kimono with some strategic safety pin placements.
This lilac dress is from a company called Savvi. I wore it in this Instagram video to show ways to zhoosh up a column of color.

Kimono Love

Not all kimonos are too boxy or overwhelming. In fact, my first one ever is much smaller and I don’t need to use any of these tricks with it. I also didn’t need these tricks for my longer kimono that I showed recently since the front panels are curved.
However, there are times, I like the bigger kimonos since they cover more area.

While I’ve concentrated on ways to wear your kimono as a third piece here, it’s also wonderful as a swimsuit cover-up. If you don’t have one, I highly recommend it.

VIDEO

If you would like to see more ideas for styling kimonos, I hope you’ll check out my video. It’s a longer one at just under 20 minutes, so you can save it and watch it later.
Please also subscribe to my channel, click the thumbs up button and comment if you enjoyed it.

5+ ways of Styling Kimonos

Photo credit: Rob Filogomo

Did you like what you just read?

Consider buying me a coffee as a thank you. The best gift you can give a content creator is the gift of sharing or supporting. You could share this article on Facebook, or Pinterest or even email it to a friend. Thank you so much for your support!!

Thank you

If you’ve enjoyed this, I hope you will look around the site and…

  • find out more about the blog here. Including behind the scenes of our relationship here.
  • you can see all the categories of past posts here
  • feel free to use any discounts or deals that I share here.
  • make sure to sign up for emails to be included in a monthly giveaway and enjoy fun features in every email PLUS get my recent eBook here.
  • I’m honored to be included in many interviews and articles  here.
  • follow me on InstagramFacebookYouTube, and Pinterest.
  • and if you ever want to reach out or have any requests, feel free to email me at JTouchofStyle@gmail.com

If you enjoyed any of this information, I would appreciate if you would share, share and share wherever you can!! You can do this by saving an image to your Pinterest board or sharing this post on Facebook. Or send this post to your friend, and make sure they sign up for the emails.

Facts: Some of these links are affiliate links. Meaning, if you click a link and make a purchase, Jodie’s Touch of Style gets a small commission at no extra cost to you. I do appreciate you supporting the brands that make this blog possible! I am also a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Scroll to Top