Help Japan and Win a Kimono Jacket!!!

 I think we all feel a sense of helplessness at the situation in Japan. What can we do to help when we are so far away? Well...how would you like to help Japan AND win this fabulous, vintage kimono jacket???! Is that a "yes please" I hear?

An online friend who lives in Japan is running an auction, with the help of bloggers all over the world. Details of the master plan are here Japan Quake Appeal Auction 

So, I'm GIVING AWAY this rather scrumptious 'haori' (kimono jacket) to the person who pledges most to the appeal.

OK so what's a haori? A haori is a jacket worn over the kimono as an outdoor coat, to protect the kimono. This is a genuine, authentic haori from Japan, probably made in the 1970s. Great for collectors of vintage clothing, or those who just want to look stylish but different. That's all of us then, yes?


The beauty of a haori is its versatility. It is not tailored, so will comfortably fit anyone from a size 10 to a size 18. If you are smaller than a size 10 (lucky you!), simply wear with a belt. It is supposed to hang at the sides rather than meet in the middle, so will fit larger women too. (Btw I have also sold plenty of haori to men, so if you are male, don't let that put you off!). Haoris suit and flatter any figure, age or height and look amazing as evening jackets.

The haori is PURE SILK. The outside is decorated with woven patterns of clouds, and the black silk itself has designs woven into it (you can just see it on the photos)

At the nape of the neck is a hand-painted 'mon' or family crest. This means it is a semi-formal haori (basically, perfect for a night out!)

But wait til you see the lining on this baby!!!

The lining of the back and sleeves is HAND PAINTED on silk. Absolutely stunning. And it is so well made that there are no ugly seams inside. So if you want to wear it inside out and show off that lining, go ahead.

I hope I have you salivating and desperate to know how to get your mitts on this haori. Here's the deal. The auction will be run in British Pounds, but you may bid wherever you are in the world and if you win, it will be posted to you FREE OF CHARGE. The starting bid is just £10 (but obviously the jacket is worth a helluva lot more, so be generous!). You can bid by leaving a comment at the end of this post, along with your bid (which must be higher than the previous bid, obviously...) and your email address. The auction will close at 11pm GMT on 26th March.


On 27th March the winning bidder will be announced and contacted. The winner must then make their payment (ie donate the pledged amount to the relief fund) and send me proof of payment within 48 hours. If payment is not made within 48 hours then the item will go to the second highest bidder. The donation must be paid to Global Giving. For help with the donation you can refer to this post (http://jojoebi.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-to-make-donation.html) The auction is being held on this blog, in cooperation with a Bit of This and a Bit of That. We are in no way affiliated with global giving, that's just our chosen method of getting funds safely to the affected area.



OK it's time to get this party started and let you get bidding! Again, please, please bid generously as all the money goes to a very worthy cause. Even if you don't personally want this jacket, please consider bidding on it as a gift for someone else. The main thing is, we all come together and raise whatever we can for Japan in their darkest hour of need. Thank you so much x