The most formal kimono for unmarried women is the furisode, which has long sleeves. If you are married, the most formal one is the kurotomesode, which is black and has five family crests. Well, you may find it hard to tell the difference between various types of kimono, so let's take a look at the different designs and their ranks.
未婚女性の一番の正装といえば、長い袖の付いた振袖。既婚の女性なら、黒地に紋を５つ配した黒留袖。その違いを見分けるのは難しいものですよね。では、柄や格など、その違いをみてみましょう。
Furisode: a prime formal kimono for an unmarried woman. It has long sleeves; the average length is 1 meter （between 39 and 42 inches）.
振袖：未婚女性の第一礼装。平均１メートルほどの長い袖になっています。
Tomesode: a black kimono patterned only below the waistline, kurotomesode are the most formal kimono for married women. Kurotomesode usually have five kamon printed on the sleeves, chest and back of the kimono.
留袖：腰より下にのみ柄が入った黒い着物。黒留袖が既婚女性の第一礼装で、袖、胸、背中に家紋が入った５つ紋です。
The Japanese heraldic symbol known as the mon is a Japanese family crest that is used for decoration and to identify an individual or family. It is depicted in a 2 cm to 4 cm circle. Mon are not always printed on kimono but when they are used people only use them in quantities of 1, 3, or 5.
紋とは、直径が2cmから4cmくらいの円の中に収まるくらいの大きさで家紋を描いたもの。飾りのため、あるいは個人や家族の証として用いられます。紋は常に付けられるわけではありませんが、紋付のときには１、３、５という数のみになります。
Irotomesode: a single-color kimono, patterned only below the waistline. Irotomesode are slightly less formal than kurotomesode, and are worn by married women.
色留袖：色無地で、腰より下に柄が入ります。既婚女性が着るもので、黒留袖よりも格は下がります。
Houmongi: houmongi literally translates as "visiting wear." Houmongi may be worn by married and unmarried women. They are characterized by patterns that flow over the hem, shoulders and sleeves. Houmongi rank slightly higher than tsukesage.
訪問着：文字通りに訪問の際に着られます。既婚・未婚を問わず女性の正装で、裾と肩、袖に模様が特徴。付下げよりも少しだけ格が上です。
Tsukesage: the tsukesage is slightly less formal than the houmongi. It has fewer patterns and is less flamboyant than the houmongi.
付下げ：訪問着に準ずる正装。 柄が訪問着よりも柄も派手さも少し控えめです。
Iromuji: a single-colored kimono that may be worn by married and unmarried women. It's a formal kimono mainly worn to tea ceremonies.
色無地：無地の着物で、未婚・既婚を問わず主に茶会などで着る正装です。
Komon: a kimono with a repeated pattern. It's what you might wear when you don't want to be too formal. Edo-komon is a type of komon characterized by tiny dots arranged in dense patterns that form larger designs. It’s a casual kimono.
小紋；型押しの模様が繰り返し染められた着物。あまりフォーマル過ぎるのを避けるときに着用します。江戸小紋は、細かい点を使って繰り返し模様を描いて大柄を作るもの。普段着です。
Yukata: the most casual garment among kimono. Some people do not even consider a yukata to be a kimono.
浴衣：一番格下でカジュアルな衣装。着物ではないとの位置付けをされることも。
