The Complete Handbook of Haori Jackets

Chapter 1: Understanding Haori Jackets

What a Haori Actually Is

A haori is a single-breasted outer jacket worn over a kimono. It is cut from rectangular panels of fabric with no darts, no curved seams, and no buttons. The front is left open, the sleeves are attached at a right angle to the body, and the garment extends from the shoulders to roughly the hip or upper thigh. This silhouette has been stable for roughly 300 years. Understanding haori requires understanding what it is not: it is not a coat in the Western sense, not a robe with a closure system, and not a ceremonial garment in the same category as a shiromuku wedding kimono.

The haori belongs to a family of Japanese garments known collectively as souka, or outerwear worn over the kimono. Its role is practical and social at the same time. Physically, it adds a layer of warmth and protects the kimono underneath from wind, dust, and sun. Socially, it acts as a formal or semi-formal cover that signals the wearer's attention to occasion. A woman attending a tea ceremony in late autumn will wear a haori over a kimono. A man attending a wedding reception may wear a haori with a kimono and hakama trousers. In its most casual form, a haori can be worn over a yukata cotton kimono in summer. In its most formal form, it is a black silk garment with a family crest placed in five positions.

Unlike a suit jacket,