Denim kimonos, bold prints star at Tokyo fashion week (Reuters)

TOKYO (Reuters Life!) - Denim kimonos and thumping techno beats: Tokyo fashion week paid homage to classic Japanese tailoring with a twist on Tuesday as a third-generation kimono designer showed the latest updates on the ancient attire.

Kimonos are mostly worn on formal occasions in Japan, but designer Jotaro Saito hopes his creations in bright, printed fabrics will seduce Japanese and foreign fashionistas looking to add something original to their everyday wardrobe.

"My message would be -- you can wear kimono to a party, a birthday party, you can even put the denim kimonos in the laundry," Saito told Reuters after the show.

"It can be casual wear, just like other designer clothes, not just for weddings and funerals."

Still, kimono-wearing takes some practice -- several models looked distinctly uncomfortable as they tripped down the catwalk in tightly wrapped kimonos, being more used to sashaying over the runway in skirts and trousers.

Models with neon pink and green hair-pieces peeking out of long ponytails wore kimonos in the bold color combinations that are typical of Japans festive gowns, even though modern Japanese design tends to be known for its muted grays and black.

Kimonos and belts in green and bright orange, pink and red, mustard yellow and emerald green sparkled before an audience of mostly Japanese buyers and fashion enthusiasts, including many straight-backed spectators in elegant kimonos.

Sparkling black headbands added a casual note, and a couple of sexy, floating silk numbers in red and black would not have looked out of place in a bar or a night-club.

"My grandfather and father always created avant-garde kimono, so I continue that way," Saito said. The designer from Kyoto, Japans ancient capital, also collaborates with furniture makers and interior designers.

He said his collection was inspired by the camellia, a flower that the Japanese associate with happy occasions such as the birth of a child, but also with misfortune.

The kimonos on show reflected that contrast, with patterns and colors ranging from somber, dark shades to loud graphic prints -- and, in the case of the mens kimonos, blue denim.