What Is Harajuku Style? Do You Want To Explore Its Various Styling Ideas?
Harajuku style is popular as a street-style way of dressing. It allows you to express your personal choices and a distinct aesthetic sense.
Harajuku Girls, a hit pop album by Gwen Stefani, has drawn all the attention to this style. Further, this particular fashion aesthetic got its name from Harajuku, a station in Japan. It is the hub of anime and Kawaii culture in the country.
The beauty of this style lies in its free-spirited nature. You can see people dressed up in goth style and pretty women flaunting the classy Lolita avatars. Also, there is a prominent presence in cosplay fashion.
Sounds fun? Let’s learn more about this fashion aesthetic and how to ace the trends in 2024.
What Is Harajuku Style?
The Harajuku style, born in Japan in the 1980s, promoted a free fashion culture. The philosophy of this way of dressing encouraged people to wear whatever they felt was right. It was like standing against the tides of mainstream fashion.
This style of dressing was also about embracing your true self and denying any form of social pressure to fit into the mainstream.
Harajuku became popular in the Western world in the early 2000s and won hearts in no time thanks to its cute and quirky vibe.
Harajuku style has many sub-styles. Check out the list below.
- Lolita
- Goth
- Cosplay
- Fairy Kei
- Visual Kei
- Decora
Being a versatile fashion aesthetic, it coexists with bright and dark styles of dressing. However, bright colors and cute accessories primarily define this aesthetic.
Lolita Style
The Lolita sub-style is heavily influenced by Victorian fashion. So, you will see women getting decked in classy outfits and gothic-style clothes as well.
Harajuku Goth Style
The goth style is, of course, different from the colorful Harajuku style of dressing. People wear long black clothes and complement them with dark makeup.
Cosplay Style
The cosplay or costume play substyle of Harajuku is about being as creative as you want. You will see a rainbow of colors in these Harajuku cosplay outfits and accessories.
People often dress up like their favorite anime characters to make a distinct style statement.
Fairy Kei
The children’s pop culture of the 1980s had a major impact on Fairy Kei dressing. You will notice the presence of lavender, pink, green, yellow, purple, and blue shades in the outfits and accessories.
If you follow the 80s Barbie style, you will understand what this Harajuku sub-style actually promotes.
Visual Kei
Visual kei is a fusion of the punk and goth styles of dressing. The Japanese rock culture is hugely indebted to this way of dressing.
Visual Kei is simple. You can wear a T-shirt in a dark shade with denim jeans or shorts and leather pants to perfect this look.
Decora
The decora style is about dressing up in colorful clothes and accessories. You can wear cute hair clips, jewelry, and chunky sneakers to complement your outfit.
Who Is The Harajuku Style For?
The Harajuku style of dressing is for anybody with a creative bent of mind. You do not need to belong to a particular age group to celebrate the child in you.
So, it does not matter whether you are in your 20s or 50s. You just need to pick the right outfits and accessories to complete your look.
Why Do People Love The Harajuku Style?
People love the Harajuku style for the freedom of dressing it promotes. Further, each sub-style in this fashion aesthetic tells a different story and different beliefs about life and society.
Further, being diverse in range, this style of dressing can accommodate people with a love for bright and dark fashion alike.
Also, Harajuku clothes and their particular way of living are in social media trends. TikTok, especially, is promoting this way of dressing in full swing.
The outfits and accessories needed to ace this style are simple and easily accessible. So, if you want, you can emulate your favorite anime or cartoon character with minimal effort.
Moreover, retro fashion is present with all its glory in the current fashion scenario. So, this fashion of the 80s and early 2000s is very much in vogue today.
Having said that, let’s find out how you can ace this trend with some simple styling ideas.
How To Ace Harajuku Style Dressing This Season?
Using your creative ideas and finding your fashion aesthetic is important when you want to ace this style of dressing. Here, I have curated some of the most exciting dressing ideas with styling tips. So, let’s explore!
1. Wear Blue Sheer Top With A Pink Mini Skirt
Keep it as vibrant as you want with your style of dressing. To exude color into your dressing, choose a blue sheer top and wear it with a pink mini skirt. If you want, you can even get the top detailed with pearls, glitters, and sequin work.
You can complement this outfit by coloring your hair pink and blue and two braids like your school days, which will be just perfect to go with this look.
Wear blue knee-length socks with pink or white sneakers to keep your overall look cute.
2. Get A Ruffled Pink Dress
If you want to dress up in a cute and sexy way, consider adding a pink ruffled dress to your wardrobe. However, to remain true to the vibe, you can choose a shade of pink or pastel pink.
Now, girls need no guide to style a pink ruffled dress well. This time, you can use a lot of lace accessories to do your hair.
Pumps, sneakers, or flat ballerinas will be the best choice to complement a pink ruffled dress.
3. Wear A Black Lace Dress With A Beanie Cap
Well, this style of dressing is very mysterious and a great fusion between the Lolita sub-aesthetic and the Harajuku goth style.
Get a lace black dress with a flowy hem and wear it with matching boots or pumps. Accessorize the outfit with a beanie cap or a lace hat to keep the overall look classy.
4. Get A Pink Dress With Checks
Barbie has been a popular reference point when it comes to Harajuko dressing. So, it’s time for you to get inspired and choose a pink dress with checks for your next casual outing.
A simple white cotton dress with pink checks will be enough to perfect this style. However, if you have an eye for detail, you can get lacework or frills in your outfit.
Wear the outfit with pink or white pumps and white socks to get a swoon-worthy appearance.
5. How About A White Skater Dress?
Yes, bright colors are very much a part of the Harajuku style. However, if you know the right art of dressing, you can do wonders even with monochromes. To cut a long story short, you can choose a lace white skater dress to get ready in this Japanese style.
The detailed lacework will add a quaint vibe to the tailoring of your outfit. The skater style, on the other hand, will make you look sexy.
Wear the lace skater dress with white socks and pump shoes to step out in style.
6. Black Off-Shoulder Sheer Dress Will Be Perfect For You
You can celebrate your sensuality in full swing with your choice of Harajuku outfits. You can even give it a classy twist by picking an off-shoulder black sheer dress for you. To add more drama to the overall tailoring of your outfit, you can also get it tailored with puff sleeves.
Accessorize the black sheer dress with sheer opera gloves and a lace hat to infuse some element of intrigue into your way of dressing.
Are you a fan of the Lolita style of dressing? You can even get yourself a miniature lace umbrella. Now, you are all set to look like a Japanese porcelain doll from the pages of history.
7. Adapt The Classy Victorian Style Of Dressing
Have you seen “The Cook of Castamar?” Why not adapt the style of dressing portrayed in it? Go for the quintessential Victorian outfits for maidens in muted colors like brown and powder blue. These dresses have a lot of detailing with the use of lacework and frills.
Don’t forget to get a scarf or classy hat for you to perfect this look. Wear white socks and pumps with this dress to step out in style.
8. Wear Red And White Victorian Dress With A High-Low Hem
It’s time to bring some contemporary touch to your Harajuku style of dressing. Instead of the regular Victorian gowns, choose outfits with a high-low hem.
Wear the outfit with white socks and Mary Jane shoes to make a unique style statement.
9. Choose A Pink Dress With Butterfly Prints
Why not add some feminine touch to your daily dose of dressing? A pink dress with butterfly prints can be your go-to outfit to celebrate the little girl in you with a lot of sunny vibe.
Style this pink butterfly outfit with a matching hairband or clips. Choose lace socks and pink Mary Jane shoes to look super cute in this look.
10. Look Stylish In A Short Dress With A Corset Bodice
Do you want to flatter your bust area? You can pick a skater dress with a corset bodice. The corset style will give your bust the right plunge. At the same time, it will be cinched at the waist, helping you achieve an hourglass silhouette.
To adhere to the Harajuku style of dressing, you can choose the skater dress in a combination of white and pink or white or blue.
Wear sneakers or Gladiator shoes with tie-up detailing stretched to your thighs to charm everyone with your style of dressing.
11. Look Your Best In A Cartoon Printed Hoodie
Who is your favorite cartoon character? You can now have a hoodie with your favorite cartoon print to perfect the Harajuku way of dressing. This can also be your go-to outfit for any casual day out during autumn and winter.
You can wear the printed hoodie as a standalone top with denim jeans or skirts. You can also use it for layering and wear it over a dress or top for some extra dose of comfort.
12. Wear A White Top With A Green Tulle Skirt
Do you want to bring out the child in you and remain true to the Harajuku style? Why not go for a skirt and top combination in white and green? However, for me, the pastel shades of green work better than the flashy neon ones.
You can even match the color of your hair with your tulle skirt to add some more fun to your overall look.
Choose matching socks and sneakers to keep your feet comfortable as you get ready for a casual day out.
The Harajuku Style And The Weird Girl Fashion
In an interview, Bella Hadid said that she wears what makes her feel comfortable and happy. This is the core value of the Harajuku style, which has acquired another name for itself in the recent past. Many of us now know this fashion aesthetic as “Weird Girl.”
An interpretation of the Harajuku style, the “Weird Girl” aesthetic is about the use of bright colors, bold patterns, and funky accessories like furry purses, colorful rings, fancy hair accessories, etc. You will even notice girls wearing mismatched clothes in Harajuku style.
Further, in the Harajuku outfits, there is a use of different textiles and layers. So, people of all age groups are sold on this particular style.
Summing Up: The Popularity Of Harajuku Style
With the growing popularity of the Harajuku style, it has become more inclusive or receptive. So, practically, there is no style guide or rule book to define your dressing style. Further, this Japanese fashion is gender-neutral and ideal for people across all age groups.
So, all it takes is the zeal and a creative mind to ace this fashion trend. The overall idea of celebrating this style is to have fun and assess how far you can go with your way of dressing.
Do you want to adapt this fashion aesthetic to your daily dose of fashion? Explore the cool ideas and styling tips I have discussed here.
Also, if you have some additional input regarding the Harajuku way of dressing, don’t forget to share!
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