Elements of Harajuku Style

Elements of Harajuku Style

The popular styles of Harajuku fashion originated in a region of Tokyo called Harajuku. A popular term for a related style in America is Harajuku Girls, which originated with the Gwen Stefani song of the same name and refers to the girls who popularized the style in Japan.

Harajuku fashion, also called Lolita fashion, consists of elements primarily from America and Great Britain and spans all aspects of popular fashion including clothing, makeup and hair styles. Skirts and dresses are worn both short and long with and without tights. Pink, black and white are three of the most popular colors worn in this style.

Primary elements of designs which follow this style are lace, bows, gingham prints, plaid and other bold patterns. Bold, bright colors are often mixed or set against black. Hairstyles are usually just as bold, and feature rainbow colors like pink and blue; platinum blonde and red are also popular. Hair is usually curled and piled on top of the wearer's head or built up with extensions.

Piercings and bold sunglasses are often used, and inspiration for some outfits is taken from popular Western stories like Alice in Wonderland. Stickers, bold lipstick and false eyelashes are all perfectly acceptable elements for makeup.

Elements from Western holidays are also used year round, especially Halloween elements like plastic trick-or-treat pails used as handbags. Some elements are decidedly Japanese in their styling, like straight hair and the emphasis on high-contrast colors. Lips are also sometimes painted in styles similar to Geisha makeup.

One of the unique things about Harajuku styles is the use of American Colonial dresses and bonnets. These are frequently used and paired with traditional hairstyles and footwear. In fact, many Western styles are used, inspired by figures like Elvis or styles like the Cowboy styles of the Old West.

Popularization of Harajuku Girls in the West

American singer Gwen Stefani began to popularize the style of the Harajuku region with her song “Harajuku Girls” and the motif on her first solo album Love Angel Music Baby, which she released after a trip to Japan. She took a lot of inspiration for her clothing line LAMB from the styles she saw there, and her Harajuku Lovers line features characters based on the young population of Harajuku wearers which she named Love, Angel, Music and Baby which are portrayed on stage by Japanese dancers.

The popular style is focused around being creative and inspiring others around you to be creative by exploring fashion and combining styles, colors and patterns.