Kim-oh-no

The more I stare at this the worse it gets. I almost didn't post about this. It's pretty bad. But I am hoping maybe someone has a good suggestion for fixing this kimono. Or whether it's even worth fixing.

I used the other crazy print fabric from J's trip to China. You can see my failed Nicola bodice still on my dress form. I'm not removing it until I come with a brilliant idea to save it, by the way. I had no idea what to do with this particular fabric. I mean, it's pretty wild. Feather flowers/dream catchers/psychedelic floral? I don't know. There's not a whole lot you can do with a fabric like this.

I decided on a kimono after being inspired by Kat of Petticoats and Peplums. She has made a couple of kimonos that I have coveted in the past year or so. I also just happened to catch a blog post by Julia Bobbin this week where she made a beautiful silk kimono using the same tutorial. Anyway, I was not successful like either of the ladies of mentioned above. Most likely due to my fabric choice. I was hoping for a groovy Free People sort of vibe. But...

It's like a bad Hawaiian shirt. I originally took some photos of me wearing it with shorts, but they are so bad I won't be showing them. It looks marginally better with skinny jeans but definitely still has the same touristy shirt vibe. The tutorial I used tells you how to measure a bunch of rectangles to make a kimono. I made it up as the tutorial specified but was not happy with the finish. So I tried to beef it up afterwards. It looked like a bad robe. I put a big inverted pleat at the back neckline because the shoulders hung so low it looked ridiculous. Then I finished the neckline and sleeve cuffs with wide bands instead of just turning under and hemming. Maybe taking out some of the width in the back contributed to the Hawaiian shirt look. Using a wild printed fabric didn't help. I think a kimono like this should be made up in a more delicate fabric. Sheer. I also think the length is all wrong. Either it needs to be shorter or longer. In fact, I'm thinking about cropping the front up super short like so.

Let's be honest, I'll never wear it as is. I'm kicking myself for not using this fabric to make another quarter circle maxi skirt. What do you think? Is it worth trying to save? Am I just wearing it all wrong? What on earth do you wear something like this with anyway? Or should I just admit defeat?