Okumi
The okumi is a thin piece of fabric worn in front of the kimono at slightly lower than the waist. Although a whole long square cloth called “Tanmono” is used for making a kimono, it is cut in half for making the okumi and collar. As you reform a kimono, do not forget that there is a thin piece of fabric coming out at that part, so you won’t waist any clothes. This kimono is open in front, so the front fabric has to be wider for the overlap than the back fabric. The additional fabric for the overlap is the okumi. The okumi by itself doesn’t have a specific meaning. As for the origin of the word, the former style of the kariginu, which are informal clothes worn by the nobility from the Heian period onwards, was called ‘Ookubi’. Then it’s said that it was changed into “Okumi”.
The stitches between the okumi and the main part of kimono is called “okumi-sen” (meaning okumi-line). This term is sometimes used for wearing a kimono. Standing straight up and placing the left okumi-sen at the middle of your right foot and leg, then the kimono position is the proper way of wearing a kimono.
Moreover, if the okumi-sen of Ohashori and the lower okumi-sen are lined straight, it will make your kimono look more beautiful. It is okay if you can’t make them a perfect line, but if there are too much gap between those two lines, you may want to fix it because some part could be loosen or a edge of a piece of fabric could be stuck in a string.