How to do Gyaru in Winter: Tips, Tricks and Inspiration

I don’t know about you, but I find it really hard to do gyaru in winter… It really is more of a summery style, and the community dwindles in the winter months (especially in the UK when it’s too miserable to venture outside). But doing gyaru in the winter is not impossible! Here are some tips and tricks so that you can look both stylish AND warm. 

Please note: I don’t own any of the following pictures, and took them mostly from tumblr/pinterest/the hidden corners of my computer.

Doing it the gyaru way

Over-the-knee/fluffy boots + big coats = best winter combination

This combination is the most popular among gyaru! I’ve seen a lot of leg-warmers and furry arm warmers being worn as well, especially with tsuyome styles. It’s usually the safest option I go for when I’m going to a gal meet, however it can be a little chilly wearing it…

So how can I make it more suitable for cold weather?

Yes, wearing boots and a big coat is a very stylish combination but sometimes you’d want to wear something a little bit warmer where you don’t feel like your legs are going to drop off from the cold. The first step is to swap your bare legs for a warmer pair of tights – such as fleece lined ones that you can get from Primark. Secondly, wear an extra pair of socks and definitely lots of layers on top!

So swapping bare legs for tights is the first step, but how else can we do gyaru in winter?

Some tips/ideas to keep you warm (and gyaru) in winter

Dress up your jeans

Black jeans or leather leggings are great in winter as they are so versatile, but if you want to dress it up, opt for something like acid-washed or ripped jeans, and then wear a pair of tights underneath to keep you extra warm. I used to wear a pair of patterned tights underneath my ripped jeans which not only kept me warm, but it also made the outfit look more stylish as the pattern would show through the rips. 

Invest in thermals + lots of layers

Your base garments are so important, and thermals will be your best friend in the winter. I pretty much lived in my thermals when I went away to Finland a few years ago and you didn’t really notice it underneath my knitwear. If you do want to invest in some thermals, I suggest going for those that have a lower, scoop neckline so that they go with whatever you wear on top.

And then aside from that, you wanna go with lots of layers! I prefer doing that then just wearing one chunky jumper because I find it keeps the heat better. I find that amekaji gals are reeeeally good at building up on layers, and the “generic” gyaru style.

Bring out the over-the-knee boots

Honestly I wouldn’t be able to get through looking good in winter without a pair of over-the-knee boots. They are a winter staple for me, and you can always wear a pair of over-the-knee socks underneath for some extra warmth as well as some tights. Over-the-knee boots go really well with sweater dresses or skirts/shorts with chunky sweaters, which is a popular combination in the gyaru world. I found an endless amount of this combination, and while it might not be the warmest outfit, it’s good for when you’re out with your friends (and when you know you won’t be outside for too long). 

Hide everything with a high-neck jumper

Then you can wear as many layers underneath as you want, and no one will notice a thing! My favourite sweater in Winter is a high-neck grey sweater dress, and I usually dress it up with a waist belt and then over-the-knee boots. Sometimes when it gets really cold I’ll wear another thin jumper underneath so that if I do need to peel a layer off, at least my outfit underneath is still stylish!

Go for a really big coat

In terms of material – I find that wool is usually the best at keeping the heat in, and when buying a woolen coat look for one that has a high percentage of wool in it. The higher the percentage, the warmer it will be! However, sometimes I find that a wool coat isn’t enough and opt for a puffy jacket/coat instead, or a big faux fur one (because faux fur makes everything look super gal!) Also, when buying a big coat, maybe go for a couple of sizes up from your usual size to accommodate some warm jumpers underneath.

Don’t forget the winter accessories!

When all else fails… Jazz it up with winter accessories. Anything animal print is always a safe bet as well as faux fur so if you feel like you’re “not gyaru enough” you can always amplify your outfit in accessories. And, of course, make sure your hair and makeup is as gal as can be! 

And there we have it! I hope this post is useful to you, and like I mentioned above I don’t own any of these pictures and don’t really know where they were originally from as I gathered from from all corners of the internet (mostly tumblr/pinterest/whatever I had on my computer).

One thing I would say before I go is that it’s okay to look outside of gyaru for winter inspiration. Gyaru isn’t the best style when it comes to cold weather (as we loooove our shorts/dresses) so feel free to dress things up with gyaru-able accessories and focus on your makeup. That’s what I’m going to do in any case!

Please let me know if you need anything else!

Love,
Lizzie xx

P.S. Special thanks to my twitter pals for the help and encouragement behind this post! (You know who you are)