Donning the Costume, Heian Period Costumes

The most formal court attire is the sokutai for men and the itsutsuginu-karaginu-mo (commonly referred to as the jūnihitoe) for women； both are tailored from woven silk. The costume outfits are composed of numerous layers worn one over the other. It takes quite a bit of knowledge and experience to dress a person: for the jūnihitoe each layer is temporarily belted in place until the next layer is carefully draped over it.