Harajuku Cosplay Costumes

In Tokyo’s Harajuku district, many teenage Japanese people gather with their friends in places like the Harajuku station to engage in cosplay. The types of costumes worn by these people are known as the Harajuku cosplay costumes. The Harajuku costumes come in various styles, and their looks range from Visual Kei which are punky and modern looking and inspired by the Japanese rock group called JRock, to elegant Gothic Lolita looks. Today, many people from around the world are influenced by the Harajuku style, but the actual fashion of this style stays in its place of origin, that is in Harajuku itself.

 

The Harajuku cosplay costumes involve a clothing style of mixing and matching different styles and fashions. Sometimes, the costumes are a mixture of traditional Japanese clothing like geta sandals and kimonos with some other styles and hence they keep on changing and evolving. For creating an individual and unique style, everything from designer clothes, punk and Goth are mixed and matched along with colourful accessories. Though in recent times brand loyalty has become quite prominent, but still the basis of the Harajuku costumes are doing it yourself and second hand clothings. This may involve a flowered skirt along with a pinned ribbon, attached with a hemline that is more angular. Those who have the talent can use their sewing kit and scissors to make their own store clothes for themselves in the style of the Harajuku fashion.

One of the important characteristics of Harajuku costumes are dressing in layers. Sweaters, vests and jackets are layered over the t-shirts and blouses, or ruffled dresses are worn to give the impression of layered clothings. Sometimes the dresses are worn with leggings, etc. For example, wearing a white and pink, striped leggings along with a plaid dress of pink colour. This kind of clothing adds more dimensions to the outfits and gives them more of a variety.

Extravagant accessories are worn with the costumes, like belts, earrings, jewelry, hand bags, hairclips, etc. While dressing in the decora style of Harajuku costumes, the key is wearing loud and colourful clothes and accessories. The outfits are embellished in pink, green, yellow and purple from head to toe and accessories which stand out. Wild hairstyles and makeup are also worn with this type of costume. Crazy or cute hairstyles are done which sometimes include cute pigtails and dying of the hair in various colours. Wigs of various types are also worn with the costumes. Makeup is generally done in a theatrical way. Harajuku costumes, unlike punk rock is not about rebelling the mainstream fashions, but they usually include clothes that look good in a person.