This sumptuous outer-kimono (uchikake) was worn by a merchant-class woman during her wedding. These elaborate events required the most extravagant of garments. At the culminating banquet, a bride would wear a sequence of kimono, often in in white, red, and black with matching designs. The folded paper male and female butterflies, executed in a tie-dye technique called shibori, symbolize harmony for the newly married couple. The pattern has been further embellished by embroidery in glossy untwisted silk and gold-wrapped threads which look very striking against the black ground.