A new gyaru style?! Part One: Pre-Styling!

Hello you guys! Long time no speak! It's truly been awhile but I've been out and about this summer. Fanime passed-the life style happened-and then I attended my first Anime Expo in LA! And it was quite the adventure. However I will talk more about those personal adventures later! Right now, I want to talk about a new discovery I have found!

I'm writing about part of this pre-J-Pop Summit but I probably won't post this until post just because I honestly don't know how this new style will turn out fully! However I really want to share with you guys this new discovery and new journey! As we all know, gyaru fashion has kind of taken a major hit in the past year. Clothes have gotten simpler, make-up has gotten minimal, magazines have died... We could go on and honestly, there hasn't been an answer to combat the whole situation fully.

It actually took me looking at a couple shop girl instagrams, going to Anime Expo, and then also having J-Pop Summit happen right after where I will be one of the 'Bring Your Own Kawaii Fashion' contestants! I really had to think about what 'Kawaii' meant to me and of course I had the answer for the Kawaii International contest that just passed-my answer is still that. But physically? What was truly kawaii and I honestly thought 'everything!' I've never really disliked any genre of Japanese fashion truly. I've always found cute things in both Shibuya and Harajuku esque fashion and even cosplay stuff is really flipping cute. I've done everything fashion wise at one point in time.

So I went to Anime Expo and really looked at the fashion booths and what they had to offer! I looked at all four booths. Ghost of Harlem was of course my priority because come on, Sakurai Rina is their face model and I love being a badass

But then I looked at Kokokim and fell in love with of fucking cute it was. But then I was like 'can everyone get away with this pink concept?' No. But that's why there were brands like Swan Kiss there and GOLDs even which I looked over as well. They had their own takes on what 'kawaii' meant and while the pieces they had were expensive and simplistic-I went back  to NorCal and just now coordinated the Kokokim dress I got. It's simple but I realized...I've always collected pastel accessories without realizing it on the occasion. Not even brand pieces-things from Artist Alley and things from friend's booths! And I put it all together with thigh highs and heart heels and realized I wanted to still do gyaru make-up and hair... and Then it fucking hit me... This was truly ShibuHara.

What ShibuHara was before hand was..frumpy. It's what was Harajuku's answer to be gyaru but not be as crazy outrangeous... This new fashion is like the inverse or the response-this would be Shibuya girl's dedication or answer to Harajuku fashion! It took me realizing that cute brands like Kokokim resided in Shibuya 109 and that perhaps gyaru could still be gyaru, but wear this brands and wear it in a whole new way while still keeping it cute/sexy/glamorous. I feel like Hikari Shiina/Pikarin should have really grabbed at this look instead of going the route she has because this is truly something she could have have ran with it and made an even *bigger* following on than she had because she's dabbled in both realms of fashion and then kind of went the 'idol' route.

ANYWAY; let me explain this new gyaru concept to you! Think 90s trends, think Polly Pockets/Sky Dancers/Barbies, bling, retero but with an agejyo/hime flare! Girls would wear things like Swan Kiss items with the longer lashes and really gorgeous princess style hair with perhaps a bunny ear head wrap instead of a tiara or flowers! Lacey heels could still be a factor but those platform shoes could also been worn depending on the outfit. For girls who want to go the pastel cute route Kokokim is your answer! But think Barbie with a twist! Still bling your nails out, wear agejyo esque hair with curls..or even go the Popteen route but for the Harajuku flare-use hair chalk for bright colorful hair or even gradient hair! Don't be afraid to be cute and retro but glamorous and sexy. Black and hot pink would still be a huge thing but black and pastel would a huge staple but don't think 'tumblr' fashion or pastel goth because the black is supposed to be a sexy edge. Bittersweet could be used as the term too but not exactly because I still relate that to gothic fashion. It's more like Poison Sweet because I can see gyaru girls looking all sexy and sweet on the outside but being so comfortably confident and not afraid to stand their ground that they could be considered laced with poison! LOL Things like Swan Kiss would be the retero-perhaps pink isn't your thing? Then white/girly colors/rock-a-billy almost would be the concept. High wasited shorts/crop tops/but with thigh highs and deco! Color coordination is key as well as the balance in style.

It would take a certain girl and style to TRULY pull of this fashion because it's such a fine line in balance with Shibuya and Harajuku. There could be a girl who looks too Harajuku-kei and cutesy but there could be a grl that could look too Shibuya-glam and gyaru. It would have to quite literally be the right mix. I don't exactly know wtf to call this fashion style or trend... You guys should help me seriously come up with a name or share your rendition of how you think this would be translated in real life! I'll be experimenting myself for the coordinate I plan on wearing for J-Pop Summit on Saturday. It might be a little Pikarin/Hikari Shiina looking because I intend to rock pigtails with a very big bow BUT the gyaru will come in with the heart heels, thigh highs, and make-up! The bigger trend for this new style would be lipstick. In the past gyaru wore only regular pink/baby pink/nude/toned down red lips. For this new style you'd want Nikki II from mac's line even! Hot pink! Flaming red! Purple! BLUE EVEN! LOL Seriously the make-up for this look would be out of this world!

Hopefully I can show you guys an example of the make-up and styling soon! As I said, help me come up with a title for this new substyle for gyaru fashion! Feel free to share your rendition of what this might look like coordinated together! I'd LOVE to see pictures!!!