I love all kinds of tea, not just matcha and Japanese tea. I also enjoy visiting tea rooms and having afternoon tea.
DOJA Teas is one of my favorite tea rooms in the Portland area. I have visited many times, both in regular clothes and in kimono.
So when I heard that DOJA was holding a Best Dressed Contest last year, I thought it would be another fun opportunity to wear kimono.
Since it was a fashion contest, I decided to try something a little different. I created a Wa-Western mix, a style that combines Japanese and Western fashion, with plenty of lace, while my friend chose a traditional kimono style.
And to our surprise, we won second place!
My Kimono Styling for the Contest
For the contest, I wanted to create a Western-inspired look, so I chose one of my favorite kimono, a black and white lace kimono. This kimono has become something of a signature piece for me, and it is still one of my favorites.
I layered a white lace blouse underneath the kimono and added even more lace around the obi. I wanted to create an elegant and romantic look that would fit the atmosphere of the tea room.
I paired it with a long skirt, boots, a small vintage-style bag, a black fascinator, and a pearl necklace. For the obidome, the decorative piece worn on the obi, I used a rhinestone flower brooch to add a little sparkle.
You cannot really see it in the photos, but the obi itself has a teapot and teacup pattern. A friend handmade it for me years ago, so I thought it was especially perfect for a tea room!
I love and respect traditional kimono styling, but I also enjoy experimenting with kimono as fashion. For this occasion, I wanted to keep the beauty of the kimono while creating a completely different look for the contest.
That is one of the things I love about kimono. The same kimono can look very different depending on how you style it.
Sometimes I enjoy wearing kimono traditionally. Other times, I enjoy creating a Japanese-Western mix like this one.
We Won Second Place!
There were so many beautifully dressed people who entered the contest. The tea room selected three finalists from each location, and then the final voting took place on Instagram.
My friend and I were excited to be chosen as one of the three finalists at the Portland location. After the Instagram voting, we found out that we had won second place!
Of course, winning was exciting, but I also loved seeing all the creative outfits and different styles people brought to the contest.
What I especially enjoyed was being able to participate in a local fashion contest wearing kimono and seeing kimono appreciated in a setting outside of a Japanese cultural event.
Back to DOJA for Afternoon Tea
One of the prizes for winning second place was afternoon tea at DOJA, so my friend and I had another reason to come back!
This time, we both chose to wear our kimono in a traditional style.
Since we visited in the fall, I chose a kimono with a seasonal chrysanthemum pattern. I paired it with a turquoise blue obiage and obijime, choosing a color that appears in the kimono pattern. In kimono styling, it is common to coordinate the colors of accessories with colors found in the kimono or obi.
We had a lovely afternoon enjoying tea together in kimono.
The Best Dressed Contest Is Back This Year!
If this sounds like fun, there is good news. DOJA’s 3rd Annual Best Dressed Contest is happening now!
They have extended this year’s contest through September 28, so there is still time to dress up, enjoy tea, and participate.
I had such a fun experience joining the contest in kimono, and I love seeing all the creative outfits people wear each year.
If you are in the Portland area and have been looking for an excuse to dress up, this might be a fun one!
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