It seems like a lifetime ago when I first found out about Japanese fashion and just how broad it is; from the elegant Lolita fashion, the cute and colour Fairy Kei, to the wild and sexy Gyaru. Despite this, though, I’ve only really done gyaru fashion (having called myself a proud gyaru for the past ten years) so here are all of the Japanese fashion styles that I’d love to try out one day.
Before Hyper Japan, MCM Expo was the only convention I went to in London but I didn’t enjoy it as much because I wasn’t a cosplayer. It was simply a place where I could meet and hang out with friends but other than that it was pretty, well, boring. But then my girl Chewiee told me about Hyper Japan and my life changed! (Dramatic much, Lizzie?) Here are some of the reasons why I love it so much…
I felt like we had stepped back in time when Chewiee and I found ourselves in our pj’s watching TV and scrolling on our phones. I can clearly remember the first time we had a sleepover back when we were both students, living in/near London, and at the prime of our Gyaru days. I was so relieved to have found someone who was happy just to laze about and relax (as I get really exhausted after spending a whole day shopping in London) and it has been part of our sleepover routine ever since. This time, however, we were going to do something different… For the first time in our lives, we were going to try out manba gyaru!
I picked up the MA*RS set that had been sitting on my “to sell” pile for months and sighed. I’ve been thinking about selling this heart-print set for a while now but for some reason I couldn’t seem to let it go. The agejo style slowly diminished in my wardrobe ever since I adopted ane agejo, a more toned-down version, and so I sold most of my older prints. This one was one of the very few pieces I had left that belonged to the old school agejo style and some part of me sighed in relief when I slowly put it back into my wardrobe.
If you’re in the magical world of gyaru then you would’ve heard about our gyaru ‘bible’ (aka the most important manga ever), Gals! also known as Super Gals! in anime. It is my all-time favourite manga ever, and I’ve recently read it again so I’ve decided to put together everything that I loved about it.
It’s 2010; I am scrolling through livejournal, saving every picture I could find of Yui Kanno and Liz Lisa shop staff girls and dreaming of the day that I would look like that kind of gyaru. Himekaji. Casual princess. I fell in love with the pink blusher, the big curls, and the cute floral dresses. Those were the days that I went to my nearby Miss Selfridge to buy similar clothing (as I didn’t have the means to buy it online back then) so that I could feel like an everyday princess.
Fast forward to now and I happily have an array of himekaji items in my wardrobe from a mixture of gyaru brands and Western brands. I even worked with my favourite himekaji store Kawaii Gyaru Shop, but I feel sadder than I was back in 2010.
And that reason was because there aren’t any himekaji anymore.
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I’m dreaming of a kawaii Christmas… And nothing can get more kawaii than receiving a box of Christmas-themed goodies from Kawaii Box in the run up to the festive season! I’ve done reviews on their previous boxes in the past and have been really satisfied with them so far, so I was really looking forward to receiving their December edition. There’s even a chance for one of my lucky friends (like you!) to win your own Kawaii Box, so scroll to the bottom of the post to enter our giveaway.
But first, let’s take a look at what I’ve received!
What’s this??? Lizzie, DIYing? Haha no, I really suck at DIY but my friend and fellow gyarusa member Dani is an absolute goddess at it. Being able to DIY your own gyaru clothes is a HUGE help for when you’re on a budget, so today we’re going to learn how Dani has created this beautiful agejo dress!
So, what are we waiting for? Let’s get started…
“What even is gyaru?” I hear people say whenever I tell them about this Japanese fashion. Sometimes I brush it off and say, “it’s just this Japanese fashion” and let them divulge at their own pace (usually they then follow it with “where you look like an anime doll?” which is very frustrating). Other times I hop onto Google for some inspiration to show them what I mean but then realise that I don’t look anything like the first few pictures of Black Diamond that pop up… And when I finally found one, the stranger has lost interest by then so I just put my phone away.
“I love the look of it but I wish I was more confident to gyaru wear it in public…” is one of the most-used phrases I hear from people who have held back from wearing gyaru. It can be daunting because gyaru, like other Japanese fashion styles, isn’t exactly “normal”. Sure, we can get away with jeans and t-shirts but there’s something about us that sets us apart from Western fashion. Maybe it’s the over-the-top makeup, the curly hair, or the flashy nails… Whatever it is, it makes people look back and wonder “what the hell are they doing?”
I’ve had to deal with more and more ignorant people the more dramatic my style became. It allowed me to grow thicker skin and boy I’m so glad it did because I was a right nervous wreck when I first started! Even now it’s still quite nerve-wracking to be decked out in MA*RS, but my style has toned down because of my laziness so it’s not quite so bad anymore. Here are some tips I’ve learnt over the years on wearing gyaru it in public!
