The first habits adopted elements of men’s attire and were often inspired by military uniform. A caption to a 1779 drawing by John Downman in the Fitzwilliam Museum describes, “The Lady of Henry Bunbury in the Suffolk Militia uniform, the fashion of the day.”
Kimono are worn wrapped left side over right, something I discovered when a Japanese friend kindly informed me the (opposite) way mine was worn was only appropriate when dressing the dead for burial.
