A Very Layered, Very Stitched and Very Beautiful Boro Noragi with Benibana Patches
Written on January 18, 2010
Of the many boro noragi, or patched and mended work coats, that I have seen over the years, this one, below, is a personal favorite.
This coat, probably a woman’s, is extremely thick from many layers of patching. The patches are all of really rustic, homespun cotton cloth, so the textural quality of the noragi is amplified by the toothy, hand woven cottons that were used to mend it.
The faded blues and the naturally unbleached whites of this coat are in beautiful contrast to the soft salmon colored patches that were dyed in benibana or safflower.
Note the way the dense stitching has embedded itself in the many layers of mending; gorgeous.
Which is the best view onto this noragi? The front, the back, the inside, the outside? Any way you turn this coat, inside or out, it’s magnificent.
oh this one is really lovely… very intense thickness.
January 18, 2010 @ 7:45 am
It’s not only the stitching, but it also the shape of this jacket – a simply beauty!
January 18, 2010 @ 5:10 pm
I love the palimpsest, the way the fabrics bleed through their layers. Thank you for photographing these so carefully. I wonder if the last person who wore it (maybe the only person?) thought it was as beautiful as we do.
January 20, 2010 @ 9:04 pm
What is the Japanese word for ‘BEYOND gorgeous . . . fabulous . . . stunning’ ?????!!!!!
January 21, 2010 @ 1:01 pm
This is breath taking!!!! Absolutly on of the most beautiful I have seen also.
April 2, 2010 @ 6:53 pm