You probably know everything about pastel goth because it has been trending for quite a while now. But do you know where it has its roots? Do you know that American and European pastel goths should probably give some credits to Japan? Fairy kei, meaning fairy style, is a popular Japanese street fashion trend and it has been around for years now. It’s centers around pastels, fluo colors, and 80s inspired fashion. Prints are for the vast majority cartoons from the 80s and the 90s, like My Little Pony, Care Bears and Rainbow Brite. It’s a street style, born on the streets and later spread all over shops and even the world. It seems like the first fairy kei is Tabuchi Sayuri, founder of the brand SPANK!. With her colorful and childish style she gave life to this new trend, now that’s what a trend setter is!
Fairy kei is a feminine and colorful style, with a little if no structure at all, with A-line skirts and dresses. Sweaters and oversized t-shirts are largely common in this style, and shapes are not really body-flattering (puffy bloomers, colored petticoats, layers). Loose t-shirts and dresses, decorative patterns mixed with 80s colors, quirky accessories, and sweatshirts: this is what fairy kei is. Colour is the key in all fairy kei looks. There’s little room for black clothes, everything must be colorful. The more colors the better, the more accessories the better. Fairy kei is the opposite of minimal or nu-goth if you want to think about it in these terms. Popular colors are mint, seafoam, lavender, pink, electric blue and lime green. Patterns and themes also rule the fairy kei world: unicorns, kittens, stars, moons, rainbows, sweets, cupcakes, cotton candy, hearts and so on. This style is also based on DIY a lot. Being the brain child of one quirky girl, it has started on the street and that’s where it continues to evolve. If you want to get the fairy kei style you’d better start rummaging markets, thrift stores, and vintage shops. Many fairy kei brands are vintage or re-purposed vintage brands, like Ticket to Darling. You can obviously purchase new items and it’s fairly easy to do so. The style has become more popular and thanks to pastel goth you can now find a lot of pastel and neon pastel items in shops and online. When it comes to shoes and accessories you have to buy new items. The most popular shoe styles for fairy kei are sneakers, boots and sometimes boots similar to UGGs in shape. High heels are used as well, like cute shiny pink platform mary janes, or shoes that you could also see on a sweet lolita. Purses and bags are of many types, there aren’t many rules in fairy kei style. Shaped purses, plush purses, vintage lunch boxes and cute backpacks are all on the table. Pick your favorite style as long as it matches the general “rules” of pastel and cuteness. Other pretty common accessories are tights and legwarmers. Patterns are always rainbows, kittens, stars and cutesy imagery, colors are pastels of course. Legwarmers are soft, droppy and usually fluffy, like the ones you can find in dance supply shops (or specific fairy kei brands of course.) What about hair and makeup? Hair styles are typically dyed in pastel colors like pink, lavender and green, and they are styled in cute ponytails, buns and locks. Bangs are very popular too, adding to the general cuteness of the whole look. Wigs are also a popular item because in Japan you won’t be allowed to work anywhere with purple hair. Extensions are common for the very same reason. Makeup is not a big deal in this style. You’ll maybe want to go for pastel lipgloss and an eye makeup that will make your eyes look bigger. So lots of mascara, light eyeshadow and a thin line of eyeliner works best. Do you like fairy kei? Would you like to know more about it, perhaps through a video tutorial? Let us know in the comments below. Photo credits: Pinterest.com
Sources: Rebel Circus.com
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