Offbrand Amekaji! ☆ Guide

Okay, so hi, I haven't written a blog post in AGES. I'm so forgetful, honestly. After the BGtG went up, I kind of stopped caring about all my gyaru related social media.

So as you all know, I love amekaji. Although I've only been wearing it for a few months, I've been researching it and studying the style for YEARS. Literally since 2010. Actually, there was a Cocolulu spread in my first gal magazine and I fell in love, and I knew I wanted to wear it eventually (but didn't until recently. Honestly why did I wait?!)

So today, I thought I would make a little post about shopping for amekaji style clothes offbrand! I'm not gonna lie, I'm a sucker for Cocolulu and Blue Moon Blue, but to be honest, a lot of my pieces are offbrand.

I'm going to be focusing on the general items you would need. All photos are featuring brand, but only to give you an idea of what shape/color/pieces to go for.

So to start. What makes a typical amekaji coord?

T-shirt with text, loose jeans, skate shoes, hat, and loads of accessories (earrings, two necklaces, multiple bracelets, and a belt).

Something like this is a rather typical amekaji coord. Amekaji is very boyish, and very colorful. Most pieces have some sort of text on them. So from this, you can kind of get an idea of what to look for.

Some other examples of a typical amekaji coord.

For me, personally, finding baggy jeans was the hardest. I'm not going to lie, I'm not the thinnest person in the world, so it took me a while to find something that was the best fit for me. For me, I love jogger pants (I'm pretty sure that's what they're called), because they can come in loads of different colors. I have 2 jeans in the style of jogger pants, as well as khaki joggers. 

For shirts, I am such a brand whore not gonna lie. But I do see loads of pieces that could easily work!! Anything that has a bright color, a graphic pattern, or is a bright color can work! Long sleeve T-shirts are great to wear alone or to layer under another shirt to give the look some variation. 

Shoes are pretty easy to find, just look for skate shoes! DC's, Etnies, Converse, and even Vans can all work. During different eras of gal, different shoes were popular for amekaji. At one point, heels were worn with amekaji! To me, it looks out of place, but it can totally be done. Boots are also an option; look for something with some bulk to it (Ugg style or something similar!).

Here you can see a few different styles of shoes that can work! High top skate shoes are probably the most common, along with converse style shoes

So now that leaves the accessories. Really, just anything neon or colorful will work. Bulky jewelry is best! Things like bright, thick bracelets are my go-to. I still have to build up my accessory collection, honestly! Hats are super important, in my opinion. Trucker hats, knit hats, and snapbacks are the best to use, and pretty easy to find. Something bright works even better! Belts are an easy way to add interest to a look, so be sure to have a few. Again, bright colors are best.

Sorry for the low quality photo! (From Ranzuki November 2010). Snapbacks are great hat option! Text on the hat helps, but if not, just aim for bright colors

Knit hats like these are cute, and great for winter! (I just bought one recently, but it's gonna be summer soon! WAHHH)

Okay, so with all that said, here's what a basic amekaji should include:

• Loose jeans or pants
• Bright T-shirts with text or patterns
• Skate Shoes of some sort
• Bright, bulky jewelry
• A few hats, preferably something bright
• Colorful belts

Alright, so that's just the basics. And let's face it, that can get boring really quickly.

So let's add in some variety!

Jean skirts are a super easy way to wear amekaji in the summer. I have a white one that I love. 

So sorry for this crappy photo! I couldn't find any scans online! (From Ranzuki June 2010)

Overalls. Can we please bring them back? Overalls used to be really popular with gal, espcially within amekaji, a few years ago. Full length baggy long overalls as well as short overalls (and overall skirts) are cute options.

Pink full length overalls. Cute, but make sure not to go overboard with color!

Sorry again for the quality. And that it's sideways. But here you can see 2 styles of overalls: full length and shorts.

Of course, jackets and hoodies are essential for the winter time.

Letterman style jackets are really common, same with hoodies. The brighter the better!

Some other random options for amekaji: shorts, capris, dresses, long shirts with leggings... The possibilities are endless!

HORRIBLE QUALITY. The top 2 coords feature leggings.

A dress?? In amekaji??? Yes, of course! However, unlike the usual idea of a dress, this is more of an oversized hoodie.

Personally, I really dislike wearing shorts and capris. I still think they look killer in amekaji, though!

Now, I think it's important to explain how I view gyaru and my clothing choices, because this plays a big role in how I think of coords.

Gyaru, to me, is art. Color theory and proportion are a huge thing for me. I make a very big point of this in my makeup (I'll try filming a video on this eventually), but it also applies to my clothes.

Whenever I paint or draw, I try to keep the colors in balance. It's hard to explain that, but I try not to let one color go alone. (I doubt I'm making sense, so let me give you some coord examples!)

So one way to go is to use minimal colors, just one or two. This is a foolproof way to make a good color choice. 

This coord consists of mostly a pale turquoise color. Most of the coord is neutral, with the exception of a few accessories. Tying the blue in with the hair bow keeps the color trend continuous.  

Both of these coords have two major colors going on: pink and green. Notice how the gal on the left matches the green of her hat to the necklace and shoes. (Although it isn't visible, the front of her hat has pink text, which ties into the shirt). The gal on the right matches the hat and necklace, while her shoes and shirt are both matching. 

Once more colors are added, things can get a little trickier. Sometimes something will not match perfectly, and that's fine, too.

There are a lot of colors going on, but if you really pay attention, they all work together. Green from the belt -> green of the necklace. Yellow from pizza shirt -> yellow bracelets. White from hat, text on shirt and pants all go together. Pink from hoodie -> Pink on necklace. It's important that if you introduce a color to the outfit that you find a way to keep it included throughout the look.

This coord is a really good example for what I mentioned in the previous photo about keeping colors going throughout a coord. The necklace and sweater both have the same color scheme (red, yellow, blue), while the hat and shoes both share pink. 

Although you can put a crazy amount of thought into the colors and their placement, it's totally fine if you just wear a bunch of bright colors at once. To be quite honest, you can make the coords as simple or as complex as you would like.

Marple Q had a unique way of working without making a big point about a continuous color scheme. 

Okay, I think that's all I can really say about that for now. I'm super tired and I've been working on this post all night LOL. 

Leave me any questions you might have and I'll get back to you as soon as possible!!

Beginner Guide to Gyaru!

I've kept so quiet about this project for the last 5 or 6 months, and many of you have heard of it by now (I'm so late at writing my own blog posts!). But anyways! The Beginner Guide to Gyaru video series is now up on youtube!

This series has been an idea I've had for probably about a year or more, now. I always put the idea to the side, since I figured someone would beat me to it and do one first. After waiting a while, I saw no one had even tried anything close to it. So why not?

Thankfully loads of people in the gal comm agreed to help (and I mean loads!). Planning took a lot of time, and we originally planned for a lot more to be included in the series. Unfortunately, not everyone could participate in it this time, just due to school schedules and just life in general. So because of that, I decided to leave the series open. I will add to it as more people can help. (I have a vague idea of doing it in "seasons" like how TV shows have seasons/series. I just don't know how regular that would be!).

I really wish that the series could be more well-rounded, but, again, not everyone who wanted to participate could. It is what it is. It's a little longer than 2 and a half hours long in total, so I think it's safe to say that it's pretty damn well-rounded as is.

Editing was... So much work. I love editing though, so it wasn't that big of a deal. But it was the most time consuming part of the process (aside from waiting for videos to be sent in). I'm really happy with my editing, and I want to say a huge thank you to Jalisa for helping me find an amazing program (WonderShare Video Editor, in case you're wondering!).

On the topic of thanking people, I want to thank everyone who helped, yet again! I know I made a video on it, but honestly, that doesn't even begin to cover how thankful I am to everyone. This video series could never have happened without so many wonderful gals who volunteered to film and to plan everything (God, I was so bad at planning everything out, I actually forgot to include hair). It's so incredible to see everyone who is so passionate about their style willing to help out with this series. I know that we have created something spectacular that will help new gals for years to come (or so I hope).

Also, can I just say how much I was fangirling when Pin and Lisha agreed to be in the series? It's so amazing that these incredible people that I've looked up to for years -- even before ever attempting the style -- agreed to help. I remember watching the Gaijin Gyaru Awards a few years ago and wishing that I could be like them someday, and here they are helping me film! I was totally starstruck.

I'm really so amazed with all the positive messages and comments people have been leaving on the videos, and to me directly. It's so cool to hear people saying that we are helping them out. Honestly, I wished there was something this in depth when I started. I can't wait to see new gals who get some help from this! I actually really love seeing new faces in the comm.

I'm totally rambling, but there's so much I want to get across. It's been a crazy couple of months, and I'm very happy it's over for a while. I can finally get some decent sleep again!

The gal community may seem intimidating, but I know that the majority of us really want to help others. And that's exactly why this series exists.

Thank you especially to Lizzie, Renny, Tia, Motoko, Xin, Maxime, Christina, Lisha and Pin!! ♥～(‘▽^人) 

I'm getting all mushy. Anyways, here's the first video in the series! Hopefully there will be much more to come!

SoCal Winter Gyaru Meetup 2015!

Is it bad that I'm so new to blogging that I don't even know how to open this post? Hm. Well, anyways. This weekend was the first (of hopefully way more) SoCal winter gyaru meetup! It was pretty small, only Tia, Jasmine and me. It was definitely so much fun though. (Prepare yourself for a spam of purikura)

New Blog for a New Year?

Alright, so after a lot of debating, I decided to finally get an actual blog. And actually use it. This blog will be mostly for my gyaru related things, as well as beauty reviews (I love reading them, so why not write them?).

Eventually, I will get the hang of this and have a prettier layout and whatnot, but for now, this is good.

I'm starting to get into a new style of gyaru, and I think a blog would be a really good way to record my progress and improvement. It might not be something everyone wants to read, but it's more or less just for me.

In my new style, amekaji~

I have a lot of plans for 2015, and I hope to keep track of them through this blog. My main goals so far are:

• Host an amazing meetup in January (It's so close, I can't wait!!)
• Post the Beginner Guide to Gyaru Video Series that I've been working on with some amazing people.
• Own as much Cocolulu as possible.
• Finally get my nail shop going (One bad review from someone who didn't read my policies before purchasing... really messed up my shop.) I have loads of ideas, and I'll definitely post them here. 
• Post youtube videos more regularly. Last year, I tried to upload every 2 weeks, (or was it every week?) and it worked for a while, but eventually I couldn't keep up, I just got too busy. 

That's about all for now. I don't know if this is how regular intro posts go, but whatever! It's mine.