I love the sheer, gauzy kimono silks called “Ro” or “Sha”. They come in many weaves, colors and patterns and are designed to be worn during the summer when it’s hot and sticky. Even though you would still wear several layers under your sheer kimono, you are at least a little bit cooler than you would have been.

I used a ro silk for this top. You’d wear something under this too, a little top or a camisole. We want to be cool, yes, but we don’t want to shock our maiden aunties.

A picture of a ro silk kimono. When worn, ro silk is not so obvious because of the under layers, but here you can see just how transparent it can be.

A picture of a geisha with a sheer, gauze silk kimono.

A detail of my top, you can see the amazing and interesting weave of the fabric.

I’ve appliqued my narrow bias strips of silk and with every stitch I’ve added a bead to give it a sparkling, glittery look.