The purpose of this paper is to establish a basis for silhouette and handle design of traditional Japanese silk chirimen fabrics for Western-style women's thin dresses. We collected 10 chirimen kimono fabrics with different crepe structures to clarify the fabric characteristics. The mechanical and surface properties of the fabrics were measured by using the KES-FB system. The primary hand values of chirimen fabrics were obtained by an objective evaluation method developed by Kawabata. Silhouette formability was investigated by using the silhouette classification equation with fabric mechanical data. The tactile feel of chirimen fabrics was assessed by 60 female students.Large values for the mean deviation of the coefficient of friction (MMD) and compression linearity (LC) were observed in chirimen fabrics as compared with women' s thin dresses (n＝120). In terms of the primary hand values, high Koshi and low Shinayakasa were identified as distinctive features of the chirimen fabrics. Applying the silhouette type for Western-style garments, the chirimen fabrics can form drape-type or hari (anti-drape) -type silhouettes. The subjective hand values of softness, smoothness, and preference with regard to chirimen fabrics were closely related to the small value of thickness (T0), which can be used as a key parameter for the design of chirimen fabric.