Delightful designs composed of multiple lines, stripe patterns became the vogue as kimono patterns during the Edo period (1603-1867), and countless combinations have since been created. Today they are used not only for kimono, but every conceivable article of clothing from underwear to outerwear, as well as packaging, interior design, and even modes of public transportation. This collection features some 500 stripe patterns, selected from fragments of old kimono, obi, and futons, and from textile samples kept in weavers' scrapbooks, known as shimacho or "stripe albums.
