Intro to Ouji

Ouji is a Japanese fashion style that is typically thought of as the masculine counterpart of lolita fashion. Ouji is not a sub-style of lolita, but a fully-fledged fashion in its own right. It would be more accurate to think of ouji as the brother-style of lolita fashion, or the “prince” to lolita’s “princess,” since “ouji” is the Japanese word for “prince.”

The elements of a typical ouji outfit are: pants, a blouse, a jacket/vest, socks, shoes, and optionally a hat. When putting together an ouji coordinate, these pieces should be combined to create a look that is boyish yet elegant. Despite being a “masculine” fashion, this style can be worn by anyone, regardless of gender.

Ouji can be worn in a variety of substyles and themes. It’s three main substyles are the same as lolita’s: sweet, classic, and gothic. However, the substyles in this fashion are not nearly as well-defined, and there is significantly more overlap between styles. Additionally, color is much less important when determining which sub-style an ouji coordinate falls into, since black is quite common across them all. Instead the cut/shape of each garment, and the overall styling of the coordinate typically determine which category it falls into. Sweet ouji has a cute, frilly look, classic is more refined and elegant, and gothic has an overall darker look, usually featuring sharp, crisp lines. A number of other sub-styles, such as punk, exist but are much less common. When trying to determine which substyle a coordinate falls into, keep in mind that black is not automatically gothic, and sweet does not have to be pastel.

Sweet Ouji:

Classic Ouji:

Gothic Ouji:

Common themes include pirate, military, school, and royalty.

Many well-known lolita brands also carry ouji items. Alice and the Pirates, Atelier Boz, and Metamorphose temps de fille are among the most popular. Even Angelic Pretty has been known to carry ouji items in the past. Many Taobao brands, and several western indie brands create ouji pieces as well.

Finally, while you may occasionally hear ouji fashion referred to as “kodonna,” please note that this term is not correct. “Kodonna” is a combination of the Japanese words for “child” (kodomo) and “adult” (otona), and was once used by a member of the visual kei band, The Plastic Trees, to describe his personal style in an interview with a Japanese magazine. When this interview made its way to the west, a number of people were confused by his comments and believed he was referring to ouji. The fashion style has never been referred to as “kodonna” in Japan, and these days, the term is disliked by most who participate in the fashion.

For more information on ouji: -Buttcape’s Ouji Overview -Palace of Princes -Ouji’s Armoire

#gnc tag #fashion #japanese fashion #ouji #ouji kei #clothing #japanese brands #alice and the pirates #metamorphose #gothic #gothic kei #angelic pretty #japanese #japan #(OK for the sake of Not Feeling Like I Imagined All of This despite having active Japanese fashion tags since long before 2k15 here)#(as in Knowledge I Knew Even before 2k15 Happened)#(I am rbng some old Jfashion info posts from my other blog archives)#(Hopefully people have long-followed close enough you can Get what these things are Actually Talking About by now but Yes)#(and not come up with *Wildly Inaccurate Assumptions Otherwise* or the like y'knO----)#(AKA : I had some Ouji branded pieces before and now I'm seriously thinking I need to get them organized and Out of the back of my closet)#(I wasn't sure how to)#coordinate #(them before because I didn't have as many of the long capes as seen here hhha but I have a COUPLE by now I Think they came in sETS)#(*Secondhand sets* FYI {again everything I had back then was from before 2k15} B u t)#(SO LIKE I Might As Well Start USING tHE--- {but specifically I liked seeing the styles in the last few photos})#the dream #(and yeah tbh iT DOESNT MAKE SENSE... TO TAG OUJI AS... {OTHER NAME ONLY} WHEN ITS *OUJI KEI*... Y E AAAA ANYWAY)#(Buttcapes blog and wardrobe posts as a whole are honestly fantastic and how i learnt a lot about gothic kei in general HIGHLY rec)#({Also but omggg I was confused about the 'Kodon{n}aTM' term for SO LONG and im so grateful this was finally clarified but that was bc})#({I was confused bc} {OTHER PPL kept using it that way EVERYWHERE I WAS LOOKING} {despite having an idea of this info})