scratch this time and i have to admit i’m really not good at knowing what i should buy (ex. i have like no pants at all lol and i buy too much gray clothing that washes me out so basically i just can’t shop/style clothing to save my life) i was wondering if maybe you could give me a few recommendations about what i can buy for fall/winter or what i should look for or what staples i NEED to buy? i’m not necessarily looking for anything crazy gyaru but just clothing thats in style. ^^
Yeah I understand what you mean and I’ll do my best to help!
- at least 1 trenchcoat/coat: the colors navy, black, beige will go with the most outfits (If you want to be ‘up-to-date’ so to speak with fashion trends oversized coats are in). If you don’t feel like catching up with the trends one that cinches in at the waist line, is your best option.
- 1 denim jacket or 1 military jacket or 1 varsity jacket or 1 leather jacket (faux leather) : This is moreso for fall than winter. It starts to get chilly but not coat weather. These three items are currently in, but I feel the military jacket and leather jacket are more ‘timeless’ pieces than the denim jacket and the varsity jacket. The common colours are washed out light blue for the denim and the forest green for the jacket, black for the leather jacket. Adding blazers may make a nice touch for the fall as well.
2. Sweaters (pullovers)/Cardigans:
- At least 2 sweaters (pullovers). At least 1 knit (regardless of size) and 1 non-knit. When it comes to the non-knit design it can be anything a floral print, a text based cotton print, whatever, but the base colour (the one appearing the most ) should be black, white, navy. This is for the sake of being able to match it with pants, or demin when it really matters. Knitwear is usually a solid colour so it really doesn’t matter what colour you get. A non-knit pullover like this:
can be worn with virtually any basic pant/denim colour. However, if you buy a sweater and decide you’re going to wear pants that ‘match’ some of the colours it has on it — a mint green pant for example using the print above— you are cutting down options on what you can wear with it. So I would recommend buying for certain items, only after you at least have some of the basics.
- Cardigans : mehh, ehhh oversized cardigans can make interesting silhouettes. You can get an average sized one, but I think having it single coloured is best, whatever that colour may be. If you find you love cardigans, just buy them all and opt out on the military jackets/denim. Basic colours I would rec are obviously grey, black, navy, white, beige or a rich dark maroon.
- Pants : Any style (flare, straight, skinny) .Any length. I personally prefer them to be slightly above the ankles and I roll mine up, but you don’t have to buy those kinds, it’s the colours that are important. Once again, the basic colours should be black, navy , white (optional). Then you can expand with different textures and designs : tweed pants, plaid pants, etc. The colours will be whatever is to your liking, but really for winter, if you’re not really having to look professional for something , you’ll probably stick to denim.
- Denim(s)/Jeans: Any length. Any cut style (flare, straight, skinny, etc they all could add personality to your outfit) The most important thing is colour. Always have at least 1 black denim pant, 2 blue denim pant (one light, one dark), *optional* white pants or grey pants. They work well with a lot of outfits but you should consider your surroundings.
- Skirts/Shorts : It is still possible and not really rare to see people wearing skirts / shorts in the fall/winter season. To wear them requires a certain amount of layering to keep you warm. I would say, for the winter/fall consider adding skirts/shorts to your wardrobe LAST. That way you have a good idea what you can wear with them and you can mentally coordinate your outfits and see if they would be appropriate.
- For layering and nice colour effects at least a white, black, and/ or light blue button up shirt. Most of the time, these will be worn under the knit sweater or pullover or the jackets/coats. It adds a cleaner look to your outfit, even if you wear it with a skirt or shorts. You can get them at a pretty good price from Uniqlo. Most gyaru brands will have some sort of button up top as well. If the design is complicated/interesting then I wouldn’t recommend putting it under a pullover/sweater. Whatever the design shows, is a reflection of what you like and your personality, so wearing it with either a jacket or coat would be more appropriate. You take the jacket or coat off in class and you wear the top visibly.
- Long sleeved shirts (meh might as well grab a couple) You can wear them under regular t-shirts (a la jouetie’s styling), to add a layer of warmth. However, in doing so, you already start a more casual coordinate look , so combine fabrics and textures appropriately.
- You can wear dresses during the fall/winter. You’ll probably be layering under them and/or over them, with either the button up or the pullover sweaters. This is where you can combine a simple light blue button up long sleeved shirt under a more complicated dress design, such as this one from Emoda,
And have at least the top of that dress stay warm with a pullover sweater such as this dazzlin pullover
+ Black tights, boots, bag, accessories and add a winter coat ( if too cold ) over it, and you basically have a very mode winter outfit. If black tights don’t keep your legs warm, you might want to layer over it with black otks.
- Don’t forget hats, gloves, scarves, ear muffs if you’re going for that look
- 1 Tights, 1 stockings, 1 ankle socks, 1 over-the knee socks (I would rec them all in black since that’s easiest to match items with as a basic )
- Boots - Depending on whatever look you’re going for chelseas, wellingtons, ankle or high boots, heeled or not, it should go with your personality, so you choose :)
1. Know what style/look you are going for (that will narrow down your search so that it’s like grocery shopping with a list, fast , simple.) You can do this by:
a. Exploring styles/look concepts you like (aka the ‘street’ style , modern/minimalistic styles , romantic styles etc). Once you know what style you want to encapsulate you buy items that will fit.
b. Looking through magazines, circling/scrapbooking all the outfits you basically want and finding them 1st in cheaper stores near you 2nd if unavailabe there the actual store.
As I tell my little sister, when you pick up an item, you should be able to make at least 2 simple coordinates with it in your head based on what you already have in your closet. If you have trouble making a couple simple coordinate with it off the top of your head, it’s probably not worth the investment. Since you buy clothes to wear them :PWith your style chosen, be able to describe it with at least 5-10 words. For example: Mode gyaru - Geometrics, Bold Font, Minimalistic, Basic Colors, Silhouettes . Those keywords should help you determine if an item you’re interested will fit with the style you like, even if it’s not from a ‘gyaru’ store. If you can at least fit 2-5 of the descriptors with the item then it’ll go with the style. The only question is if you have things to match it with ;P.
Consider whether the style requires a more warm colour scheme or a cooler colour scheme. If it requires a warmer colour scheme like winter ank rouge or winter liz lisa, basics should not include navy. The addition of beige or maroon should take navy’s place. An ofset white might be better than a pure white. And black goes with everything lol. If it is a cooler colour scheme like winter murua / emoda the usage of bold colours means navy, white, black, and a bright blue would be the best additions.
Like I said, patterns, textures, fabrics, etc should be chosen after you have most of your basics. You should choose the style of pants, the colours, the over all designs based on your body shape, personality, etc.
Don’t be afraid to mix and match these patterns , textures, fabrics. It could be interesting. This is all after you’ve got the necessities though . I should stop rambling. Good luck D: I hope I helped some D:
Current trends I picked up in the gyaru world for A/W 2013 :
- Minimalistic tops with Simple Text
- Long (Knee-length) Pencil Skirts
- Military Jackets
- Denim Jackets
- Simple All Over Print Tops (Flowers, Stripes, Polka Dots, Cars)
- Oversized Coats
- Circle/Round Sunglasses
- Overall Style dresses/Strap Dresses
- Overalls
Once again, Hope I helped ! :) x
