Devin Dondero has been collecting kimono since he was a teenager, first sparked by his interest in his Japanese grandmother’s background and culture. Since then, he has collected kimono from several different eras, including as far back as the Edo Period in the late 1860s.
Some of these rare and beautiful pieces were on display at the Neely Mansion in Auburn, Washington, on July 25, as part of an exhibit called 100 Years of Kimono. The exhibit featured everything from a sun-faded—but still intact—stage kosode from the late 1860s; a propaganda haori from the 1930s; a wedding kimono; and a kimono for a maiko.
Several different examples of period Japanese dress and other ornamentation sit on display, as part of the 100 Years of Kimono exhibit at the Neely Mansion in Auburn, Washington, on July 25, 2026. Photo by Carolyn Bick.
Photo by Carolyn Bick
A kosode — the immediate precursor garment to the kimono — from the tail end of the Edo Period sits on display, as part of the 100 Years of Kimono exhibit at the Neely Mansion in Auburn, Washington, on July 25, 2026. The kimono — which is about 120 years old — was a stage kimono for a kabuki or Noh play. It hung on a wall for two decades, leading to fading of the portions exposed to the sun. Photo by Carolyn Bick.
The colorful kimono of a geisha is patterned with several images meant to evoke spring and the changing seasons, bring good luck, and convey thanks. The kimono was on display as part of the 100 Years of Kimono exhibit at the Neely Mansion in Auburn, Washington, on July 25, 2026. Photo by Carolyn Bick.
A Shōwa Era stage kimono from the 1960s spreads across the floor. This piece would have been worn by a kabuki or Noh performer, and was on display as part of the 100 Years of Kimono exhibit at the Neely Mansion in Auburn, Washington, on July 25, 2026. Photo by Carolyn Bick.
Sunlight filtering through a window shines through the kimono of a maiko that stands on display as part of the 100 Years of Kimono exhibit at the Neely Mansion in Auburn, Washington, on July 25, 2026. Photo by Carolyn Bick.
A brightly printed kimono created sometime in the 1920s, during either the Taisho Period or the Shōwa Period, stands on display as part of the 100 Years of Kimono exhibit at the Neely Mansion in Auburn, Washington, on July 25, 2026. Photo by Carolyn Bick.
Two mannequins wearing a woman’s kimono, left, and a man’s kimono, right, stand outside the Neely Mansion as part of the 100 Years of Kimono exhibit at the mansion in Auburn, Washington, on July 25, 2026. Photo by Carolyn Bick.
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