16 Reasons Why You Need a Kimono Right This Second

Are you ready to get schooled?

By Courtney Thompson Jul 20, 2017, 10:17 AM ET

When you hear the word kimono you might be transported to middle school, where a tween version of yourself was struggling to listen as a teacher droned on about 17th century Japanese culture. But fast-forward a couple of decades and suddenly you’re thinking about them again. Why? Because thanks to the fashion Gods, the traditional floor-length Japanese dress has been reimagined for 2017, coming in short, long, and midi-lengths in every hue and fabric imaginable—and being worn in place of cardigans and jackets.

A post shared by Wantherstyle Blog (@wantherstyleblog) on Jul 13, 2017 at 3:17am PDT

Why do we care? Because kimonos are freaking wardrobe savers and there are countless ways to wear them. Throw a duster over jean shorts and a tank top—like Emily Ratajkowski did with her green Realisation dress or Kourtney Kardashian and Kendall Jenner did with their satin numbers—and suddenly your ho hum summer outfit has some serious edge. Or tie in basic skinny jeans and a t-shirt with a cropped satin kimono jacket (a la Kelly Rowland) and you’re ready for a night out on the town. Or you can even drape one over a bikini and your trek to the beach will now look more like an elegant sashay.

A post shared by Kourtney Kardashian (@kourtneykardash) on May 24, 2017 at 4:55pm PDT

Below we’ve rounded up 16 iterations of the world’s greatest accessory—so ditch your bomber and military jackets til the temperatures dip and rely on these pretties to elevate any look instead.