How Much? - Men's Formal Outfit

Notes and Disclaimers: If you're thinking about putting together a kimono look, to wear normally or for a cosplay or costume, you might be wondering how much you're probably going to spend. I've seen hideously overpriced items in my time collecting, and ones that are real steals. This ongoing series, "How Much?" will give you my highly subjective, personal experiences in Kimono Price Land on what is a good price, what you should snap up immediately and what you should pass on with raised eyebrows. ;)


Before I get started, and I'll repeat this in every entry for this series, it's not impossible to occasionally see a really high-priced item, due to age or rarity, etc. However, most of the time in my opinion you're more likely to see prices in this range. I pull my estimates from a long time spent on Ebay looking at vintage pieces, online with various vintage dealers, and a bit of convention-going thrown in. Brand-new kimono items, please note, will often be astronomically higher (thousands of dollars for a kimono-obi set).


The lowest price is the lowest price I've ever seen, and the highest I consider reasonable, give or take a few bucks, with both prices including shipping if you see this on an online site. Usually most pricing will fall around the middle.

Kuro Mon-tsuki (Men's Formal Kimono-Ensemble) 

For any guys reading, or cosplayers/crossdressers/interested women, tonight's "how much" installment will be for the most formal of men's outfits, the sort of thing you'd get married in or get photographed in for New Year's cards, etc.

The * indicates things that can be left out or faked in a pinch to lower the cost. (In truth, budget-minded costumers could, for once in kimono-land, sew an entire version of this outfit from scratch and have it come out pretty well as there's no dyed patterns you'd have to mimic beyond getting striped fabric for the hakama and finding a way to get the crests going up top.)

For the real deal or closer to it you'll need:

-a men's juban (underkimono, * - can be faked with a collar insert of plain fabric, which can also be added on top of the juban but under the top kimono as a faked layer) $20-$90
-men's 5-family-crest black kimono and matching haori jacket (sometimes sold as a set) $50-$150
-men's obi* (As you can see, this is hidden under the hakama for the most part so a stiff piece of fabric can be used in a pinch) $40-$80
-white/grey and black striped men's hakama pants $35-$100
-tabi socks $15-$30
-men's zori sandals $35-$80
-white "puffball" haori jacket ties* (basically two cords frizzed and teased out at the ends) $20-$40