Remake Kimono Dress - AnnaNiponica

Happy Customer and her beautiful photos!

2009-12-15T04:58:00.000-08:00

It is definitely my happiest moment of all when I receive an email or photo(s) from a customer after wedding. and here is the very stylish photos sent by a happy customer to share with you. She selected a dark red uchikake with gold shades.

She says that the dress fits her perfectly and she was very comfortable during the wedding. You could see that it is making a perfect mermaid shape around her waist to the hip as well as the tighs. We made a long train and it is making a beautiful arc as well.

I love how she coordinates her dress with gorgeous bouquet and hair corsage! It is soooo beautiful! Happy Wedding!!!

New Pink Kimono on Stock!

2009-11-25T05:51:00.000-08:00

Here is the lovely pure silk pink uchikake kimono just arrived today!

Up-close photo of left sleeve. It has some gorgeous cranes and colorful flowers all over the kimono.

Up-close photo of lower body of kimono (just around the hem.)

It is pink based with beautiful purple shades using lame thread. It will be sold in JPY21,000-/USD230-/EUR158- category on our "Kimono" page.

More photos of New Kimonos.

2009-11-12T03:28:00.000-08:00

This new pure silk black&red uchikake kimono has just being on hold.

Here are more photos of new pure silk blue uchikake kimono.

It has extremely gorgeous embroidered patterns. Pastel pink and white cherry blossoms, gold fans, colorful flowers and "Temari" (a Japanese traditional ball of cotton wound tightly around with threads of many colors for kids to play.)

Close-up photo of patterns.

Close-up photo of lower body with gorgeous patterns!

Price: JPY31,500/ GBP346/ USD236/ EUR210-.

Photos of New Uchikake Kimono(Pink and Black)

2009-11-12T03:17:00.000-08:00

Here are more photos of pure silk Pink&Black uchikake kimono.

Close-up photo of patterns.

Another close-up photo of patterns. Batterflies have beautiful green/blue/gold shades!

Close-up photo of upper body kimono.

This is a right sleeve, black-based with gorgeous gold patterns and some batterflies.

Left sleeve is pink-based, also with gorgeous flowers and some batterflies.

Close-up photo of upper body (around shoulders). Pretty flowers in various colors, and white/pink cherry blossoms on the bottom.

Price: JPY31,500/ GBP346/ USD236/ EUR210-.

New Arrivals of Kimonos!!!

2009-11-11T04:25:00.000-08:00

#28 orange uchikake kimono was sold out today. and we have had requests from our customers to get more kimonos on stock. so here is the new arrivals of gorgeous kimonos!

This is a pure silk blue uchikake kimono with fantastic gold fans, purple, red, and white cherry blossoms. Because those petterns are arranged evenly, you could have any designs you want without having to worry about patterns getting cut.

This is a lovely pure silk pink uchikake kimono. I LOVE those pretty batterflies and peony! and these black shades will give your dress a very nice spice (i.e. you could have these shades for the train of your dress, upper body, or any part(s) you want.)

and this is a pure silk black&red uchikake kimono. Very colorful cherry blossoms and gold fans for the patterns. With this kimono you could also have nice shades for the train or other parts you would like to spice up.

All these kimonos will be sold for JPY31,500/GBP346/USD236/EUR210-. I will be posting more photos later this week.

New Arrival! Ready-Made Kimono Dress!

2009-11-10T01:11:00.000-08:00

This is a semi-formal Princess Flare Line Dress, Yuzen. It is made of pure silk orange Furisode kimono. As you could see the patterns are very gorgeous, with some cherry blossoms, Japanese apricot, and black shades around the hem of a dress.

Backstyle with a gorgeous Obi Ribbon!

Frontstyle with a matching necklace and a corsage with a pearl.

Backstyle around the hem.

Frontstyle around thighs.

Please contact us for further questions and more photos!

Princess Flare Dress "Yuzen"
Line: Semi Formal
Material: Pure Silk Furisode Kimono
Color: Orange-based with White/Black shades
Size: JP9-11 / UK 10-12 / US 8-10 / EU 38-40
Bust: 90cm / 35.4"
Waist: 78cm / 30.3"
Hip: 113cm / 44.1" (Flare Line)
Total Length: (front style) 126cm / 49.6" with 14cm/5.2" train
Accessory: Obi Ribbon, Corsage, Long Gloves, Necklace(Japanese cord used to tie a broad sash)
Price: JPY126,000/USD1,400/EUR940/GBP846-

More Photos from a Happy Customer! / Sold Out Kimonos

2009-11-07T13:40:00.000-08:00

I have received more photos from the customer! The bride looks absolutely stunning in her kimono dress! The groom is wearing a matching tie.

Spral staircase probably is one of the best settings for a mermaid tube top Kimono dress for a photo shooting. I love her matching party bag!

Very sweet picture...they make a perfect couple!

As for our kimonos on stock (http://www.annaniponica.com/kimono/kimono.html), #4, #14, and #15 are sold out.

Happy Customer from America! ~ 4 more available for our winter Time Sale!

2009-11-06T04:51:00.000-08:00

We just had our first International customer confirmed her order with our Winter Time Sale. We still have 4 quota available, so please contact us at any time if you are interested!

I just received some gorgeous photos from the customer this morning. She lives in America with her Israeli husband. They both love Japan and its culture and wanted to have a "Japanese themed" wedding. I love love love her hairstyle! It looks like a flower, doesn't it? Amazing job! and the bag is very nicely done as well. It matches perfectly with the dress.

The groom is wearing a matching tie (made of the same material as her kimono dress). and I am so happy to know that he loved it!

Backstyle is very gorgeous, too! She told me that she would be sending me some more photos so I will update this post very soon.

I also received a feedback comment from this customer shown below. I hope that it will help for those who are planning on making a fully custom made kimono dress. Happy wedding!!!

Feedback from the customer

Before Order: To be honest, I was very worried to start with my dress order. I wanted to see the kimono or a dress in advance like at those bridal saloons. I was afraid that the items will arrive for sure as I made a payment beforehand. or there might be some problem during the shipping as I live in America.

During Order: I felt a lot closer to Anna as we get to know each other by exchanging emails. She has sent me precise answers and advices on my questions, with lots of photos. I gave a lot of troubles to Anna as I wanted to make a bouquet. I asked her to send me the photos of leftover materials, asked her to ship them to America and so on. For every single thing I asked her, she always gave me a prompt replies and I felt very relieved. I liked the "free fitting" system they had, I got to try on my dress and see how it came out before it was completed.

At a Wedding: Kimono dress was very comfortable to wear. Guests were very surprised with the dress and I was asked so many questions like "Where did you order?", "It's amazing!, "Absolutely beautiful!"...etc. Also my Israeli husband's family came all the way from Israel to Japan. It was a great surprise for them and they loved our wedding and a kimono dress. so I am very happy and satisfied with everything.

I am thinking of keeping this dress carefully, and wear it again in 10-15 years of our anniversary. We had a wedding in Japan this time, so we hope that we will be able to have another one in America next time. Thank you very much for everything, and I appreciate my dressmaker's great work!

Thank you so much for your heartwarming feedback!

As for some of the feedbacks she gave me, I would like to add some explanations. Our company is interenet based, as we take orders worldwide. also it will cost a lot of expenses to have a real shop so we will have to raise the price for an order.

I have established my brand AnnaNiponica in 2002, and since then I have always promised our customers to design their dream dresses for fully custom made, and at low prices. I have been to many bridal saloons and checked the prices for ready-made dresses or rental dresses. and some of them are insanely expensive!

If you are worried not being able to see your kimono or the dress, we could send you some photos along with details in email. We ask our customers to complete the payment in advance (of dressmaking). The reason is because I hire professional pattereners, dressmakers and accessories makers. so I need to secure their schedules. There is NO way that your dress will not arrive after you made your payment, that is something I could never ever do. so please do not worry about that part.

Well, as for shipping, that is a tricky one. We use EMS (Japan Express Mail Service) with a full insuarance and online trackying system. It usually takes 3-7 business days for the item to arrive. Sometimes they impose a tarrif on the item at Customs, but we always make sure to avoid those troubles from our experience. We have not had a big problem so far, and I am sure your dress will be deivered safely, and in time.

If you have any other questions regading a dress order, please contact us at any time. Thank you!

Happy Customer in her Gorgeous Gold Uchikake Kimono Dress!

2009-11-05T02:03:00.000-08:00

I could never get tired of looking at this beautiful photo! I personally love the color gold, and it goes so well with red. This customer wanted a long train for her dress, so we made the hems of a dress and Obi ribbon using a red part of the kimono to spice up.

The customer is wearing a pair of gold long gloves, and a matching hair corsage. As you could see the dress fits her perfectly, making a real mermaid line with an arc shaped long train.

You could see the hair corsage better in this photo. We always make the accessories to match with your kimono dress. Happy Wedding!

Sample Photos of Option Accessories

2009-11-04T03:56:00.000-08:00

In this post, I will be putting some sample photos of accessories we have as options.

We have a pair of Stretch Bridal Satin long gloves (JPY10,500-/USD115-/EUR79-) in: Pure White, Off-White, Black, Gold, Silver, Orange, Red, and Dark Blue. The model in this picture shown on left is wearing a pair of Orange long gloves.

Here is a sample photo of Obi Ribbon (JPY21,000-/USD230-/EUR158-.) It will be all handmade using the same material as your kimono dress.

This is another sample photo of Obi Ribbon. It gives a gorgeous look to the backstyle of your dress. and it has an effect on "hip-up" as it will be attached slightly higher than your hips.

You could have a bigger Obi Ribbon by adding extra cotton as shown in this picture.

I make an Obi Ribbon using the best part(s) of kimono that is left over from making a dress. Every single kimono has different patterns in various color, and I do not want to waste anything. This Obi Ribbon shown left is made of a gold Uchikake kimono. It had a bit of red patterns so I used it to highlight the ribbon.

Matching Party Bag (JPY21,000-/USD230-/EUR158-) is also all handmade using the same material as your kimono dress. (*In this sample photo, the model is holding a bag in a different color than the dress she is wearing for a photo shooting.)

We could alternate the design if you have any request.

Matching Shawl (JPY10,500-/USD115-/EUR79-) is also all handmade using the same material as your kimono dress. It needs a lot of material to make, so it could be a bit difficult to have other options if you would like to have a shawl. (You could possibly have Obi ribbon and a shawl depends on the kimono you select.)

This customer is wearing a shawl made of red Uchikake kimono.

Matching Hair Corsage (JPY10,500-/USD115-/EUR79-), is all handmade usingthe same material as your kimono dress.) In this sample photo, the customer has a large corsage.

We could alternate the design if you have any request.

This is a very good example of how the hair corsage gives a nice "matching" look with your dress. We usually make a corsage into the shape of a Japanese Apricot or camellia, but we could alternate the design.

Gorgeous Shiromuku (White Uchikake Kimono) Dresses!

2009-11-03T19:57:00.000-08:00

"Shiromuku" is the pure white kimono worn at a traditional Japanese wedding ceremony . In Japan, "White" is a symbol of pureness, cleanness or virginity. It can be dyed with any color, and it is customary for Japanese brides to wear "Shiromuku" showing that they are ready to be dyed with color of groom.

I love Shiromuku because its texture is so smooth and it hightlights the patterns so beautifully when remaking into a dress.

This is a mermaid tube top dress made of Shiromuku kimono. I have made a matching hair corsage and Obi (broad sash tied over a kimono) ribbon from the same material to go with.

As you could see, the Shiromuku has beautiful hexagonal patterns with cherry blossom pedals in them. They stand out as the dress fits you perfectly, and it is just absolutely beautiful.

I made an extra corsage from a red kimono into a shape of Japanese apricot. I love the combination of red and white, as well.

This is another mermaid tube top dress made of Shiromuku. I made a train slightly shorter than the other one.

In this photo, you could see a bride wearing a Shiromuku dress with her father in Haori Hakama (traditional Japanese clothing for men).

Her wedding was held in America, and she told me that the guests were very surprised with the dress. I love her veil!

Happy Customer! / AnnaNiponica's Winter Time Sale

2009-11-03T03:42:00.000-08:00

I received an email with beautiful photos from the customer who just had a wedding last month. She chose this gorgeous red uchikake kimono for her dress, and it came out amazing with a vivid blue wavy pattern and white cranes!

I like the combination of her beautiful bouquet with the bridegroom's corsage, perfect match! Her matching hair corsage is also made of the uchikake kimono.

They had a wedding in Okinawa, and it was a beautiful sunny day! She looks stunning in her wedding dress, too! I am so happy that I could work on her kimono dress! Thank you very much!

As for our Winter time sale, only for International customers (anyone who lives outside Japan) , is the biggest and the last offer of this year. Please check out for details from top page of our website. Thank you!

Happy Customer from America! :)

2009-11-02T01:09:00.000-08:00

I have to say that this is one one the most beautiful Uchikake Kimonos I have ever seen. I absolutely fell in love with the pattern- gorgeous cranes and pretty small flowers splashed on a vivid red kimono. I especially liked the black shades and wanted to use them as effectively as possible when remaking into a dress.

and....

This is how it came out!
I have recently received these beautiful photos from the customer, and I was totally amazed to see how gorgeous she actually looks!

She told me that these red and white hair corsages are made by her mother and friend...wow!

I have had a wonderful time talking to the customer's mother throughout a dressmaking. They live in America and so the wedding was held there. These little cranes you see in the photo are called "Origami", it is a Japanese traditional art of paper folding. I believe that these are for guests' nameplates, sooooooo artistic!

and this is the back style.
As you could see the black shades are exactly in the center of a dress.

I really like her hairstyle! and another gorgeous hair corsage!!! I am so happy that I could work with her! Thank you!

Kimono Coat "Takarabako" on 50%OFF Sale!!!

2009-11-02T00:38:00.000-08:00

We are having a winter time sale on this gorgeous Kimono coat, "Takarabako" for

JPY136,500/GBP928/USD1,516/EUR1,026 (50%OFF)!

(*Our original price) JPY273,000/GBP1,857/USD3,033/EUR2,052.

It is made of a pure silk orange Uchikake (one of the most formal kimonos of all kinds, worn at a wedding) with embroideries of cranes, trees, and flowers all that represent "Happiness" and "Prosperity".

Please check out for details from URL shown below:
http://www.annaniponica.com/en/coat/detail/2.html

Formal Line Kimono Dresses!

2009-02-05T04:36:00.000-08:00

Red-based kimono is always gorgeous, and this one has pink and black on its pattern! I love how so different each dress looks because each kimono is so special.

This is a "Tube Top Flare Line" kimono dress. Those who love black will definitely love this one! It has some gold flowers on its pattern so I used that part for the center of skirt and sides of the tube top.

This is a "Tube Top Corset Line" dress. It comes with a tube top and the mermaid skirt (with or without a train.) I personally like this design a lot and often wear at parties and shows. It could be used separately so sometimes I have jeans on the bottom, or black sweater on the top. :)

In the previous post we had "Shiromuku" the pure white kimono dress. This is a similar one but it's made from a white-based kimono with some gorgeous flower pattern. I made the rim very thick with a red piping to match with flowers.

This is another "Tube Top Flare Line" dress.
We usually don't select a kimono with big patterns as we have to make lots of "grafts" to make a dress perfectly fits the customer's body line. But I fell in love with this beautiful red kimono with huge white cranes. So I made a flare skirt instead of a mermaid one. This way we could use the whole kimono without making grafts and I think it came out wonderfully. :) I also used a black satin for the top to make some accent.

Formal Line Kimono Dresses!

2009-02-05T03:54:00.000-08:00

This is the "Mermaid Tube Top" dress and it's definitely my favorite design. When I design a kimono dress, I always want to leave some "essence" of a beauty of kiomono. So it comes with a long train and the thick piping rim, just like the real kimono that those brides wear at wedding. Also it has a gorgeous Obi(sash) ribbon on the back, it's attachable and is easy to put on.

This kimono dress (as shown on the left) is made from a gold/orange-based kimono, with a black velvet tubetop for upper body.

This one is made from a pure silk white kimono called "Shiromuku." It means "pure white" and it's a traditional kimono which is worn only at wedding.

Because it's pure white, the patterns on the kimono stand out when you put on a dress. It's absolutely gorgeous, degnified, and elegant that I always have so much fun designing.

I have a very special memory for this kimono dress. I named her "Hanayagi", means "brilliance", and she has travelled all the way from Japan to Italy. She was worn in the Italian fashion show held in Roma, 2006.

Welcome to my blog!

2009-02-02T22:41:00.000-08:00

Welcome to AnnaNiponica's official blog!

In this blog, I will be updating the pictures of upcoming kimono dresses, fashion shows, exhibitions, customers' voice, and my personal life.

If you have any questions please leave a comment on my blog or simply email me from my homepage. I hope that you will enjoy my blog and kimono dresses! Thank you!