Tokyo Street Styling: The Aesthetics of Japanese Street Fashion
a.k.a. why do some outfits have a ‘very Japanese’ aesthetic and others don’t?
If you’ve ever scrolled through the TokyoFashion instagram, you’d see outfits of all types and styles, ranging from the ‘classic’ harajuku staples like decora and lolita to the more street-style based coords of which an overall style is yet to be properly named.
Over the years that I’ve been an observer and a follower of these styles, I’ve noticed a gradual but significant decrease in actual Japanese people wearing the ‘classic’ sub-styles and more and more venturing into the realm of the nameless umbrella which is ‘tokyo street fashion’.
And yet harajuku fashion isn’t really dying, it’s transforming into something completely new (mentioned in this post). And what interests me the most is how these new styles are so different from the so-called OG sub-styles and yet are distinctly Japanese.
So this post will attempt to talk about that in as short of a post as I can manage
This other post already mentions the basics of Japanese street style so I won’t go over that in much detail again.
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First, a quick background of Japanese colours.
Japanese colours in the Edo period were originally split into three categories:
The Colours of Animals
The Botanical Colours
The Colours of Nature
And these colours in varying proportions would evoke certain seasons or feelings. Some colours are tied to spring, others to autumn. And borrowing from confucianism and taosim, there are colours that are tied to specific elements.
Nowadays, these are not completely strictly adhered to, since the West introduced their own colour theory after the Edo period, but there is a lot of the original colour theory of Japan that is still relevant in their aesthetics today.
Sources: 1, 2
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Next, a quick introduction to some of the main concepts of Japanese aesthetics:
♔ Wabi-sabi
The idea of embracing transience and change, but also imperfection and incomplete objects, as it is natural. Think of the sakura that only blooms for a short while, the idea of things growing, flowering and then decaying, and finding beauty and peace in that process is part of wabi-sabi.
♔ Yūgen
Referring to “something dim, deep and mysterious, something that cannot be understood”. The Japanese also don’t believe this feeling can be expressed in words, but I think the closest explanation is a sense of profound melancholy and gentle grace.
(Think of mode, karasuzoku, outfits by Rei Kawakubo, can possibly be applied to mori kei)
♔ Iki
A combination of intellectuality and sensibility. It is simplicity and sophistication, or maybe even sophistication in simplicity. It refers to the unselfconscious, measured and straightforward. It usually is used to relate to a person, but we shall see how it applies to fashion in a bit.
(Mori kei is the first thing that comes to mind, but also pop kei and classic lolita)
♔ Shibui
The aesthetic of simplicity and unobtrusiveness. Shibui refers to things that are overall simple, but when observed more closely are detailed and textured and refined. It has a balance of complexity and simplicity.
And of course the most important one to this context:
♔ Kawaii
The concept of cuteness and being loveable, found in most Japanese street fashion.
I find that these, in their various combinations and proportions, make up a lot of what is Tokyo Street Fashion.
Sources: 1, Aesthetics of Colours in Japanese Paintings and Woodblock Prints in the Edo Period (Siying Wang)
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So. How does this all apply to fashion?
I’m going to use some examples here to describe what I mean.
♔ Strawberry Candy Outfit
I call this the strawberry candy outfit because it is indeed the colours of a strawberry candy. So outfit breakdown: why is this an example of Japanese street fashion?
Firstly, the use of layering textures and sheers is a common part of Tokyo street style, as well as the use of colour blocking. The overall colour palette is based around pink, so the makeup and accessories would match that, and the blueish-grey of the hair and the blue accents on the shoes and the earrings provide the littlest bit of contrast.
So colourwise, I’ve decided to use pink as my main colour, and the red, white and grey are all secondary to that, though by playing with proportion, I can ‘even out’ the amount of pink and make it less overwhelming. Pink is made of red and white, so I broke apart the red and white, and then added grey to make the look more neutral, but also feminine.
The main aesthetic concepts I am following here are Shibui and Kawaii. There’s an overall cute energy that comes from the bows, red tulle and pearls. And yet it’s a very balanced look, not overly cute. The idea is to play with the textures and patterns to give it more dimension.
♔ The Utilitarian Office Lady
This coord is based around a monochrome palette, the suit is made of a pair of flared trousers and a boxy jacket, which on its own can make a cool base for a karasuzoku outfit or a mode outfit.
But here I layered the suit jacket over another jacket of reflective grey fabric, with a lot of utilitarian elements to it, and also added a plastic belt with grommets punched into it. The hair could just be a really long sleek ponytail, and the faux reptile skin backpack and dark makeup would go nicely to give it more of a street-style edge. The shoes are black Nike Kyrie 6 EPs but really any chunky black sneaker will do.
This one is more following the aesthetics of Shibui and Iki. It’s unobtrusive in the way that it is sleek and monochromatic, but it’s also very detailed in all the contracting sheen and texture of the outfit. The matte suede of the suit with the reflective polyester of the jacket, as well as the reptile skin and the mesh. There’s a subtle contrast there.
This outfit, I would say is very straightforward and simple, but there are so many interesting layers about it that give it more dimension and personality.
♔ The Edgy Gyaru
This outfit is inspired by the modern gyaru. The sheer top can easily be paired with a shorter skirt and knee high boots to be Even More Gyaru, but I’m going with this skirt because I find it more interesting. This outfit leans more towards the Rokku Gyaru sub-style, and would go with light ash grey coloured hair and the typical gyaru makeup.
This look is a mostly Iki sort of aesthetic. There’s a sexier type of sophistication in this look, and it’s mostly in dark muted colours, but the details make it far more interesting than it first seems.
This is the most ‘mild’ of the looks I’ve shown here, and it’s largely because this one has the most western influence. This look will be a lot more tokyo street with the makeup and the hair styling factored in, but just as it is, it’s actually more of a blank slate.
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If you’ve read this far, thank you! It’s been a long post, but to conclude:
The world is becoming very interconnected and very globalised. Which is great for spreading word of a style or a trend, not so great for maintaining the so called ‘purity’ of that style or trend. And as styles and trends progress over time, they can die out, they can change into something new, and I am of the opinion that that change should be welcomed.
However, we can’t forget where the original trend came from or where the style evolved to add another layer on top of an older trend or to completely reject it and become something even newer and unseen.
Other countries and cultures have been adopting Japanese aesthetics into their street culture ever since the ‘big 3’ of Japanese designers were introduced to the world in the 80s. There are elements of Japanese street style in Parisian and New York streetwear, just as there are western influences in Japanese street style.
In fact South Korean, Chinese and Japanese street style is becoming more and more homogenous, and sometimes it takes me a while to even figure out where the specific outfit i’m about to share is from.
I hope this post was helpful in explaining how to spot the core aesthetics that make Japanese fashion so Japanese, and I hope you, my dear readers, can use this info to craft your own outfits.
The traditional Japanese colours and aesthetics aren’t a hard and fast rule, but if you want to dress more to the style, it’s a pretty good guideline to really ensure you’ve got the coord right.
What happens if you want to attend a HFW, but you have mostly denim pieces? What if you want one of your staple pieces to be denim, but harajuku fashion isn’t always that big on it?
Hopefully this styling post will help with that.
This post will talk about how to incorporate denim pieces into your harajuku/tokyo street outfits using 3 different pieces:
♔ Denim Jacket
♔ Denim Jeans
♔ Denim Shorts
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♔ Denim Jacket
This outfit consists of a printed button down and a pair of window pane plaid pants, with a denim jacket and tulle socks with blue platform sandals. The jacket was something I thrifted and painted, and the shirt and pants were made by me. Any other colourful printed shirt and pants should do just fine too.
I’ve matched this one with a thrifted purse and a pair of blue shades, a blue and green scarf, as well as a yellow crochet hat I found at a vintage store. I think the makeup for this should be bright and colourful, and make use of coloured eyeliner and stickers for the face.
The whole idea for this look is to be very colourful and cheery, and to make use of prints to help brighten up the relative plain-ness of the denim jacket. Don’t be afraid to go overboard with bracelets and necklaces or pins for this look too!
♔ Denim Jeans
This look is more subdued, but it follows a very earthy theme. This look consists of a pair of jeans from Zara, a red turtleneck I thrifted, and a white cardigan with very long sleeves under another corduroy jacket. I made the jacket and embellished it with ‘fungus’ and ‘moss’ but any matching corduroy jacket should work too.
If you want to follow my example with the embellishments, you could add lots of badges and pins to add more detail.
I’ve paired this with some brocade boots and a yellow belt, and also a green floral purse to match the mossy accents.
The makeup for this could also be more earthy to match, but not too simple or it won’t be noticed. You could go way more dramatic too, and do a bigger hairstyle to match.
♔ Denim Shorts
This last one uses a pair of blue denim shorts as one of the accent pieces for this look. This look is overwhelmingly pink and red, which makes it very cute, but I’ve also added some hints of blue so it’s got more dimension. This look consists of a pink turtleneck tucked into blue high waisted shorts, with a red mesh top over it, and a pink, red and white jacket over that. I’ve also added some red stockings and blue platform sandals to match the shorts.
The coord also has a pair of blue shades and a basket bag to match.
I would suggest pink, red and blue makeup for this look, to match the outfit. And cute gyaru or decora type makeup would go nicely. Don’t forget to pile on the rings and bracelets to complete the look, and hair done in a more hime gyaru style would be very cute.
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There we go! Some ideas for how to bring denim pieces into your harajuku or tokyo street looks! This list isn’t limited to these options and I hope to see lots more ideas at the next fashion walk (after the pandemic is over…) Meanwhile, stay safe, stay indoors, and keep on being kawaii!
Part of the spirit of Harajuku fashion and Tokyo street fashion is the customisation of your style or your clothes. This usually comes in the form of wearing clothes unconventionally; or in the case of the various sub-styles, it’s about putting your own unique spin on the style you’re wearing while keeping to the base rules of the style.
Many Harajuku and Tokyo street fashion icons also customise their clothes. Some are made completely from scratch, while others take existing (usually old or thrifted) garments and upcycle them. And that’s what this tutorial will be about.
Outside of Japan, it can be a bit challenging getting clothes that are “Harajuku enough” for your style, and this method of taking old or thrifted clothes and giving it a new look is a good way of working around that. (It also helps to save money since ‘genuine’ Harajuku goods can be rather pricey)
This tutorial will use a t-shirt dress that I thrifted as a base and the extra materials can be found at Daiso or other craft stores, as well as fabric and embellishment shops.
♔ Step 1: Find an old garment
This is the top half of a t-shirt dress that I cropped. I chose this specifically for the stars and constellation print and the wide neckline, which meant that I could add on top of it without having to cut it bigger.
♔ Step 2: Gather your supplies
For this project, I didn’t have a plan with what I wanted to do with it, but I knew I was going to reference yume-kawaii and neo-street styles.
The sparkly organza was collected over the years and are basically big scrap pieces now. The constellation printed cloth came from the bottom half of the dress that I wanted to recycle, and the other cloth with a different, but also constellation, print was a scrap piece I bought for cheap.
It’s actually a good idea to go to fabric stores that sell scraps like these, a lot of the time it’s deadstock that can’t be sold by the meter since it’s too small so it can go for pretty cheap. Plus you can get more variety while avoiding too much wastage because of the size. The piece I got was about 50x40cm, but I had used most of it so this is the last bit left.
The star beads are all from Daiso, so each pack was $2, and the sequins were all from a local embellishment store and also collected over the years for various projects.
♔ Step 3: Add on the embellishments!
Since I was basing this on yume-kawaii and neo-street, I wanted something translucent and fluffy on it. So I started by making this fluffy ruffle out of lilac organza. I also mixed together these sequins to put inside the ruffle.
I used my sewing machine on this part, but if you’re sewing this by hand, make sure your stitches are really small to prevent the sequins inside from slipping out. I would recommend using a backstitch to sew it up.
Ruffle steps:
Fold the cloth in half, lengthwise.
Sew up the short edges, with the right sides of the fabric facing each other.
Turn right side out and sew up the long edge, leaving a gap of about 5-6cm to pour the sequins in.
Pour the sequins in and carefully distribute them inside the ruffle.
Sew up the last gap.
Gather to the correct length using a loose running stitch. Mine was to match the length of the hem of the shirt and most of the way around the collar.
Sew the ruffle to the hem of the shirt and to the collar.
I sew stuff at home so I have a serger to overlock the raw edges. If you don’t have a serger, I would recommend using a zig-zag stitch or a herringbone stitch so the shirt cloth can still stretch.
After the ruffles were sewn, I added a bow made of organza and constellation cloth. I like the shoujo protagonist look of the shirt so far, so I added a star bead and a charm to the bow.
Lastly, I added on some sequins and beads to give the shirt more sparkle.
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Aaaaand done! This shirt can be used for various styles, from neo-street to a darker yume-kawaii look. It can be paired with pastels or with black, depending on how you want the final look to turn out.
I hope this tutorial has shown that it’s actually pretty easy to create your own Harajuku clothes using old fast fashion. It not only gives you a one-of-a-kind garment but helps to save the environment too!
I know that a lot of people who are into Tokyo street style or harajuku fashion are Also into anime. And i’m sure you’re all aware that cosplay IS NOT harajuku fashion. But what if you really like a character and you’re feeling really inspired by that character?
In this series I’ll be sharing some ideas for how to take elements of your favourite characters and build outfits from that.
Part 1: Kimetsu no Yaiba
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♔ Tanjiro Kamado
This outfit was inspired by the main character of Kimetsu no Yaiba (KnY), and i’ve based the overall colour scheme and silhouette off the character. Tanjiro wears a black uniform under a haori patterned with green and black squares, as well as white leg wraps and sandals with dark red straps.
I wanted to keep the green as an accent colour, as well as the layering of the green and black, so I layered a green turtleneck under a boxy fit black button down. The tops are then tucked into a circle skirt to give the silhouette more flare when you walk. And I’ve added a plastic belt with a very utilitarian feel.
The shoes are chunky black sneakers with red accents, matching the original art, and the white socks that go with it will be worn in a more old-school gyaru style, scrunched up around the ankles. The bag is also black with mini studs on it. And if you have Tanjiro’s earrings, you could wear those as accessories too.
For makeup I’d suggest something sharp and clean, with dark red or black lipstick for a more edgy feel or a nude gloss for a slightly lighter feel. The hair can be left down or tied into a ponytail, but don’t wear the actual character’s wig, or it’ll be too cosplay-y.
♔ Nezuko Kamado
This outfit is much more sweet and girly, and it’s inspired by Nezuko. This outfit is mostly pink to match her kimono, with a pink turtleneck and a pink sheer floral skirt. I also added a sheer black coat to match the black haori she wears. I’ve used a small obi thats red on one side and cherry printed black on the other, with a green and blue scarf tucked in like an obiage, held down with a yellow belt to mimic the colours on the original art.
This outfit also includes some black knee high socks and sandals. (Though I’ve neglected to wear them in my 2nd pic.)
Soft pink or coral coloured makeup would go nicely with this look, and a few snap clips or a floral headband would top it off. The hair can be braided down the sides or across the fringe, for a sweeter look.
♔ Muzan Kibutsuji
This one is my favourite coord, it’s got quite a few layers to it, which give it interesting dimension and a contrast of silhouettes.
This outfit base is a black miniskirt and a white button down tucked in for a very fitted and clean silhouette. Over that is a boxy suit jacket, with the lapels over the yukata that is worn over that. There’s also a blue scarf to give some colour, and it’s paired with a red bag, to match the colours in the reference image.
I’ve paired this outfit with some black boots and a wide brimmed hat, and some shiny tinsel stockings too. Some sharp and dark makeup would finish off this look, with glossy dark lips or matte red lips.
The whole idea for this look is to layer and play with silhouette, so sort of like a matryoshka doll, you get to see peeks of the smaller silhouettes beneath.
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I hope this gives you some inspiration for how to dress like your favourite anime characters, without looking like you’re in casual cosplay. And I hope to see some interesting coords with this theme!
Hello and welcome to the second instalment of the Harajuku DIY series!
This time I’ll be taking a bag that I thrifted and turning it into something cute for the fashion walks. Again, upcycling and remaking clothes into something new and more suitable for the fashion walks is completely fine! And in fact I encourage it!
If you really want something unique and something that doesn’t cost a bomb, go thrifting!
This is a tutorial that includes some sewing, but don’t worry if you can’t sew or have no sewing machine, it’s completely doable with some strong glue.
♔ Step 1: Find an old bag
This is a bag I thrifted and it’s from uniqlo. It’s the right size to be a purse, and it’s completely plain; which is a good starting point.
You could either paint it or dye it into a colour you like but I’m going to leave it as is and add things on top.
♔ Step 2: Gather your materials
I didn’t have any specific idea going into this but I knew I wanted to incorporate some materials I already had on hand.
These are some scraps of cloth from my cabbage pile. Some are from old projects and others are bought for cheap at local fabric stores.
The ribbons here are also thrifted or spare rolls gifted to me from various people. And the extra beads, lace and assorted sparkly things are from daiso or just leftovers from other projects.
You’ll also need some scissors and glue to stick things on, or some needle and thread to sew.
♔ Step 3: Add on the embellishments!
Firstly, I knew I wanted there to be a strap that I could sling on my shoulder or cross-body. So I sewed together 2 ribbons, one pink and one red, with a length of frill sandwiched in between. I then sewed this to the bag on either end.
I then added some pink pom-pom lace to the bottom of the bag to give it a bit of fluff and glued on some patches I cut from some of my scrap fabric.
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And that’s it!
You can do this with any old bag or any tote bag that has worn through. Or even with backpacks that aren’t being used anymore.
It’s really easy to create your own accessories and matching items, and if it no longer matches or you want to upcycle it again, you can just use the same item and add different things to it.
Drop me an ask with any requests for future harajuku diy projects and I’ll see what I can do to answer them :)
I got an ask for a Decora styling post so here it is! I’ve been down with the flu so apologies for this post taking so long to be done. The gyaru one will be done in a couple more days and will be linked somewhere here when it’s done.
Decora fashion or decora kei is a staple of harajuku subculture. As you might already know, it includes piles and piles of kiddy accessories, brightly coloured clothes and hair and equally brightly coloured makeup to match.
Instead of doing another usual themed styling post, I’ve decided to go more in depth and do a coord breakdown of my (rather un-accessorised) monochrome decora. After the coord breakdown is an update! Same monochrome decora theme, but with the things I have now.
Fair warning though, this is gonna be a long post.
♔ Coord Breakdown - Black+White Decora
So this was a harajuku walk I attended some years back and this was my coord.
It’s a white printed t-shirt with a polka-dot skirt and a pair of black stockings with manga sound effects printed on them, as well as a printed black jacket tied around my waist. I (read: tried to) accessorise with some black and white bracelets, a black backpack and boots and also some monochrome badges and necklaces. My wig was an old black one with bangs that I bunned up and I threw on as many clips as i could fit onto my head.
There are some bits of red here and there just for a little bit of colour (and also because I didn’t have enough accessories then)
First things first, why would this be considered decora if it’s not colourful? Well, decora, from my observation and understanding, is a style based on 3 core points: colour, childlike playfulness, and exaggeration (which can refer to silhouette, the amount of accessories worn, hairstyle, etc.)
These 3 points are easily found together on the same garments or accessories that are designed for a decora market, and these things are found at brands like 6%DokiDoki or if you look for childrenswear in your size. But of course, it’s possible to find decora-worthy clothes and accessories if you just look for each of those elements and then add to them to complete the look.
So in the case of this coord, since I was going for a look that was ‘colourless’, I went for clothes and accessories that had the other two points and went as overboard as I could manage.
In order to get the ‘exaggeration’ point, I tried to contrast prints and shapes, such as the vertical boxes on the shirt and the angular words on the legs with the round badges and dots on the skirt. Another attempt at exaggeration would be the excessive amount of hair clips and accessories that are a hallmark of typical decora fashion.
To get the coord to be more childlike and playful, I chose garments that are more flouncy, like the skirt, and paired it with a shirt that was more shapeless. The manga print on the shirt and the stockings also helps to make the look a little more playful, as do the little ribbons and bows on the clips.
The hairstyle and makeup was also aimed at giving a more childlike appearance, and if the wig was shorter, I would have done pigtails.
♔ Coord Update
Since my wardrobe has changed quite a bit since then, I’ve used some of the clothes I have in my closet right now. I would have preferred a printed black shirt but I didn’t have one what was loose-fitting enough for this look, and I think the hood is cute.
This look consists of a white long sleeved shirt from Cotton On, a black cropped shirt with mesh from Temt, and a tulle skirt that was thrifted quite some time ago. I paired it with mismatching socks, one black and one white, and some black lace gloves. The white sneakers are from Adidas, white the wig, hat and hair accessories are all from Taobao. The badges were all collected at various times over the years and I made sure to only take my black and white ones. The necklaces too are from various places and the holographic glasses were DIY-ed by me using a cheap pair from Daiso.
The whole look is meant to be a little more shapeless and flouncy, and it contrasts the black and white to show the textures of each article of clothing, since I couldn’t find things with print.
I did the hair simply, with side-swept bangs covered in hair clips and two low pigtails coming down to allow for the hat, and the makeup I recommend would also be more childlike, glittery and lots of stickers for the face, I’d also recommend long and dramatic falsies and simple glossy pink lips to compliment the glasses.
There are some things I would like to add to this look, such as more hair clips, stacks of bracelets and rings and if possible I’d prefer to mismatch the shoes too. I was considering belts but I would personally prefer a looser silhouette. I’d also like to find a monochrome backpack to match, preferably something animal themed or something equally sweet.
Similar to the previous coord, the whole idea is to put in as much exaggeration and playfulness as possible, while keeping to the monochrome theme. It’s also a possible walk outfit since the shoes are comfy enough to walk in and the shirt layers are not too thick.
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To sum up this post, decora is all about overloading accessories and being kiddy again, and though the rainbow colours help, it’s also completely possible to do a decora look that is entirely black and white. It’s also possible to wear fast fashion from your daily wardrobe, it’s all in how you dress it up and style it.
The whole point of harajuku fashion is to be experimental and expressive. So experiment, try out different coloured decora looks, go completely blue or pink, put a plushie on your head. As long as you know what you’re aiming for, just try it.
There is no such thing as a perfect look, anyone and everyone can improve as long as you have the will to do it.
I hope this post has helped you think about your coords for the walks and I hope it’s provided some inspiration too! Also check out the decora tag for more inspiration
This set of ideas is based around a specific garment. In this case: A yukata. This is meant for those who have a yukata at home already or want one but don’t know how else to wear it.
A yukata is a casual summer kimono worn during the warmer months, and its often worn during the summer festival. They’re typically made of cotton, but more modern yukata are made of synthetic materials too.
Each of these coords has a yukata incorporated into it, and maybe also the obi. These are pretty simply done with just the yukata worn over, but there are more styles which I will plan for a future post. The few here are done according to different colour schemes that you can draw inspiration from or dress more to a preferred substyle.
(Note that yukata have to be worn with the left side over the right. Wearing it right over left makes you look like a corpse.)
♔ Black + Purple
This coord was styled largely with a punk style in mind. It consists of a simple black tank top and an asymmetrical skirt with high socks and pink shoes to match the flowers. There’s also a holographic belt and some chain detail. It’s matched with a skull purse, a black and purple neck corset and a key necklace. If you don’t have a neck corset, you could replace it with a scarf or with a pile of necklaces.
To top off the whole look, I added some black lace gloves and some colourful rings.
For hair and makeup, I suggest a more edgy look, so dark or gothic style makeup and hair. You could do a bun or an updo for a more traditional look or go with your natural hair with some clip on extensions.
For an alternative, here’s a look I did with the same yukata a while back. This one has a black lace top and shorts with graphic stockings and the same gloves. And instead of a traditional obi, I used a faux leather corset belt with a skull printed scarf below for contrast.
♔ White + Blue
The main feature of this yukata set is the yellow accents and obi, so when styling this look, I tried to bring those out in a few small areas, so it’s not too overwhelming. The base is a floral blue romper with the yukata worn over, and the obi tied around the waist. It’s paired with white sneakers and a simple fan, as well as a yellow clutch and gudetama socks.
An alternative is this other look which features the same accessories, but instead of a romper, it’s a lacy white top and yellow pants.
For makeup and hair, I suggest something very natural and feminine. So wavy curls and orange-pink or yellow and blue eye makeup. If you want to go more ott, I’d recommend bright yellow hair to really tie the whole look together.
♔ Red + Black
This yukata set has an interesting obi, one side is matte red and the other is metallic gold. And I wanted to show elements of that gold without it being too bright.
This look consists of a black sweater dress and the yukata worn over and tied off with the obi and a leather belt. The obi isn’t tied in ay particular style, it was just done in a way that left one end long and that shows off hints of the metallic gold underside.
I also matched it with red and black bracelets, black shoes and a red handbag. An alternative is to have all gold accessories, so gold jewellery and even gold shoes or a gold bag.
For makeup and hair, I suggest something that’s more glamorous or edgy. And this look would go nicely with a wide brimmed hat.
♔ Pink + Stripe
This is a pic taken a few walks ago, and as you can see, it’s a yukata coord. For this look, I wanted to combine elements of traditional japanese fashion with modern decora elements.
So for this look, I went with bright, youthful colours and lots of pins and clips to keep to a decora style, with a pink and pinstriped yukata as a base.
The main things to keep in mind when putting an outfit together is:
♞ Pick a colour or two to focus on
Many modern yukata have bright or colourful prints, and it can be very overwhelming to try and match every colour. (Unless that’s what you’re going for then, just be careful to not overdo it.) So just pick an accent colour, like the yellow in the second coord, and match accessories or clothes to that colour.
Think about ratios when matching the colours. For example, when the coord has hints of yellow, but lots of blue, you can pick a ratio like 3:7 for yellow:blue. And keep checking your coord to see if you’ve matched your chosen ratio.
The ratio helps a lot for me, because it prevents me from picking too many things that are of the same colour, and making the main colour shift to an accent colour.
♞ Pick a key point/focus point
If you want a certain element of your coord to stand out, try and match your accessories or build your outfit to suit that element. Like in the red and black coord, the key point was the gold accent, so I tried to keep the other elements roughly the same colours so that the gold would stand out.
