The Portland Kimono Club is a community of Japanese women in the Portland area with an interest in the Kimono. Portland Kimono Club has regular activities including wearing a kimono and attending and volunteering at social events. The kimono can be used as a western-style dress without any modifications to the regular kimono.

Takako Elting learned about kimono at Marikoji Style in Kyoto, became a certified kimono instructor and then started working as a kimono specialist.

Elting is from a small island in Kagawa prefecture in Japan. She moved to the United States in August 2011. She is the founder of the Portland Kimono Club, and teaches a kimono dressing class in Beaverton, Oregon. In addition, she gives kimono demonstrations and cultural workshops.