On the night of a fireworks festival, you hear some middle-aged women whispering, "The yukata these days..."

It wouldn't be far-fetched, right? (^_^;)

When I see girls with their dyed brown hair in huge updos wearing yukata with polka dots, hearts, and roses, adorned with frills and lace, I, too, can't help but think, "The yukata these days." (Ha ha.)

What do people of my mother's and grandmother's generations think?

I decided to interview my mother, aunt, and grandmother about it. (^o^)

First off, my grandmother! My grandmother's generation used to wear kimono on a daily basis when they were young, so I thought that maybe she'd be against yukata with non-traditional patterns. But...

"I've never seen anyone wear (yukata with non-traditional Western patterns)," she said. (^^;

Indeed, they're probably not that common in shopping arcades in the boonies. At this point, my grandmother doesn't appear to be very interested in the yukata-wearing practices of young people.

Next up: my aunt. She's definitely against yukata with Western patterns. "No way!! I would never let my daughter wear them," she said.

I suppose those yukata might be hard to pull off.

My aunt apparently prefers yukata with modest designs that highlight the Japanese beauty (like morning glories).

And finally, my mother!

"I think anything's fine if it looks good on you."

She was the only one who had something positive to say about the kind of yukata we're talking about. (^_^)

Maybe girls who usually wear gyaru clothes and hairstyles look good in flashy yukata that are not unlike what they normally wear.

Come to think of it, for girls who always put their hair in huge updos, put on lots of makeup, and wear high-heeled sandals to boost their height, may have a hard time rocking really modest yukata.
"Yukata these days" might just be "evolved yukata" for today's girls. If you think of yukata as just one kind of clothing, I guess it's only natural that the way it's worn has changed over time.

I went searching for yukata with Western-style patterns where I live, and finally found two (see photos). Surprisingly, it was hard to find yukata with frilly frills! Where does everyone buy them? (゜.゜)

As for the two yukata I did find, if you look really closely, they have a modern twist--the fabric and the obidome belt clasp are sparkly, and they come with accessories. The way I see it, they're fashionable yukata that would make you feel like you've moved one step toward becoming an adult. (^^♪

I bet even my aunt would be okay with something like this!