Monday 14 September 2009

An updated list of Gal styles 2009

Every list of gal styles I see has really outdated pictures so I thought I'd have a go at amending that. I'll explain everything properly but first a quick overview of the names of styles

The list:
Shiroi/Ganjiro
Gyaru kei/Ganguro
Manba
Rokku
Banba
Hime
Hime Kaji
Yanki/Amekaji
Bibinba
Kogal
Gyaru-o
Sentaa
Saike (Psyche)
Bohemian
Haady
B-Gal
Onee gal
Agejo
Tsuyome
Serebu

Now I know other lists include Romanba and a few other bits but they tend to be one off styles or less common and I'm really going for the main ones here but if you want to know what they are then other lists will tell you.

Shiroi/Ganjiro.
This style is basically gals that don't tan but still wear a gyaru style. From my experience here has been slight controversy in the west about it because gals in western countries tend to be pale anyway and some have said that unless you go for the tan, you just look like you're going for western fashion. However, Gyaru fashion is still distinct enough in it's own right in my opinion so I think if you want to be a pale gal then go for it. You can't be manba or banba and be shiroi though because of the distinctive make.


Gyaru Kei/Ganguro

Gyaru is the modern form of fashion that most gals wear today. It was born from ganguro but I've read that some gals still call it ganguro since this is really the modern version of it. Good places to get style tips are from the fashion magazines created for this style and it's subsets. These magazines include Egg, Ranzuki, Jelly, Happi NUTS and so on. You can download the scans and take inspiration but remember that gyaru is a street fashion so don't be afraid to mix it up and put your own twist on it.
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Manba

This is an extreme gal style and probably the most recognisable and distinct. Manba tend to have the darkest tans and use very dark foundation and a white panstick or concealer as the basis for their look. These are the gals with 'panda' faces and eahc gal does her make in her own unique way but all manba have a white nose stripe and white on their eyes. Some take the white down to their cheeks and others don't. It's really a matter of choice. You can also use bright neon eyeshadows if you want as an accent on top of the white. They also use eyeliner to heavily contour their eyes. Their fashion stule tends to be bright primary and neon colours. A popular Manba brand is Alba Rosa. This style was born from Yamamba which died out around 2002/03 if I remeber correctly. There is a more extreme style of Manba emerging now called Tsuyome Manba but it's not to be confused with the Tsuyome style of Banba which is a much lighter and relaxed style.
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Rokku

This is
a sub style of gyaru kei that has recently become very popular in 09. It's basically a rocker type style that's a bit more edgy than guaru and incorporates band tshirts, stylish leather jackets and studded belts or ankle boots. This is one of my favourite styles personally and good if you like alternative or tomboyish styles anyway.
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Banba
This is really the lighter version of Manba. The nose stripe and white make up is a lot more sublte and less blocky. Tans tend to be a bit lighter too although that's not always the case. From what I've seen they don't tend to wear as bright colours either as manba but is still quite distinct. It's brighter than regular gyaru I'd day but not as wild as Manba although I've seen one or two pictures of Banba gals wearing the same things is Manba gals so it probably can be done. The hair is also not usually as wild or as bright as Manba gals.
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Hime
Hime is the only properly dedicated pale faced gal style where gals try to stay pale and not tan. This is the princess style which characterized by floral prints, fur coats, cute high heeled shoes and big bouffant, curly hair. Tiaras and bows are a common theme in Hime and the style itself is very sophistacated. Pink and white tend to be the main colours for this style with hair being a milk tea colour but black can be used as an accent colour. Magazines like Vanilla girl and HimeStyle are good inspiration and brands like Tralala, Jesus Diamante and La Parfait are extremely popular
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Hime-kaji
This is the casual hime style. Hair is usually not as big but is still in an updo and curly. It's still very sophisticated but hime-kaji girls do wear smart trousers and skirts too and not just dresses. high heels are still a must though as is the princess theme but this style is probably more practical for everyday.
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Yanki/Amekaji
Another sub style of gyaru-kei. This is kind of an american/military style. Stilleto boots, cargo pants and other things like that tend to be popular and in my experience this style always makes an appearence during the winter season. Miruteri (millitary) style is very similar to this but they tend to be one piece outfites like khaki coloured cotton dresses instead.

Bibinba

There aren't too many resources on this style but it seems to be a a B-gal and banba cross over. From the very few pictures I've seen, the style tends to go with banba/Tsuyome make up and a more R'n'B style of dress but keeping things bright and short hehe. It's kind of a sporty style really.

Kogal

This is probably one of the oldest surviving styles but it's changed a lot. Originally it was bright clothes and clumpy boots and very 90's lol but now it's more of a school girl style with slouchy socks and cardigans, short black or navy pleated skirts and blouses. It's a cool persons school uniform pretty much. A tan and everyday make up is a staple but nails tend to be less crazy than other styles from what I've seen.


Gyaru-o

This is the male version of gyaru-kei. Casual yet stylish. Dark colours, check prints and teased hair seem to be the staples for this fashion along with a smart pair of boots or winklepickers. Egg magazine do another one for men called Men's Egg.
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Sentaa Guy

This is the male version of Manba. The hair and clothes are wild and some of them wear the the block white make up but not so much these days from what I've seen in recent pictures. Sentaa Guy's still have a bit of the hawaiian theme going on too but no where near like they used to.



Saike

Saike seems to be a kind of hippy raver kind of style. Tie die and bright prints seem to be the theme for this style. I've never come across this style much though so feel free to help me out on this one.




Bohemian

Fairly self explainitary really. Most of us know what the boho style is. Kinda hippy but with quite neautral and earthy colours. Long skirts and crochet style tops are the way forward in the style and it's fairly relaxed.



Haady

This style was invented a few years ago by Egg magazine and it's basically an 80's style of thing. Bright colours and slogans, baseball caps and hi-tops feature a lot in this style and brands like Cocolulu are quite popular. It's more of a lesser style these days but seems ot be quite popular come spring and summer amoungst younger gals.
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B-Gal

B-gals or B-gyaru basically rock the R'n'B and hip hip style but with a gyaru feel too it. Magazines like Woofin girl are great to read for this style.




Onee Gyaru

This is for all you older gals who are getting into your late teens and early 20's. It's a bit more sophisticated and understated than Gyaru-kei and is considered a bit more grown up. From my experience Onee gyaru tend to go for more high end brands too and blacks and golds seem to be staple colours along with a classy stilleto shoe or boot.

Agejo

I've heard a few arguments that this isn't really gyaru but I think it is since the Agejo is similar to Gal styles anyway. To me Agejo is kind of like a cross between gyaru and hime-kaji. Big doll like eyes and curled are the staples in this fashion. This is another fairly recent fashion that was born from Ageha magazine and is starting to gain a strong following.

Tsuyome

This is the light version on Banba. Clothing style is the same but the make up is a lot lighter although it's a bit of a blurred line as to when Tsuyome actually turns into Banba. There's not really any rules when it comes to this make up and it's fun to do if you want something a bit different from Gyaru-kei but don't quite have the stones to do Banba or Manba. Not to be confused with Tsuyome Manba.
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Serebu
This fashion is basically about celebrity fashion so a lot of it seems to be western oriented. It's also kind of high end in terms of lables so if you're skint, not the fashion to pick lol.


Ok so there you have it! I've only really covered the major well known Gyaru sub fashions at the moment but I may well add to this list at a later date. Feel free to copy it as long as you credit/link to me. I typed all this by hand and the wording is my own. Feel free to comment if you think I've missed something or got something wrong. This resource is for all of you and I want you all to feel part of it. I would just quickly like to thank the gal_style community on LiveJournal coz you guys find the best pictures and I want to thank anyone that helps or contributes to this in any way.

Ja ne!
Ko xxx













8 comments:

  1. I have some questions. First, I thought amekaji stood for American Casual, and is more of a surf/preppy look like Cocolulu has been doing years before Haady Style.

    http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,958984,00.html

    Camo or military stuff is really not a separate style, or so I thought.


    Also, you keep saying to not confuse different styles with Tsuyome Manba, but never define it. What is it?

    ReplyDelete
  2. ya i was JUST about to point out tsuyome manba 88D
    tsuyome manba has more extreme make up and they basically have ANYTHING in their hair that they just can find. it can be leis, yarns, christams decorations: seriously ANYTHING 8DD
    some good examples here
    http://www.freewebs.com/viantie/guvii.htm

    ReplyDelete
  3. viante's got a good resource.

    however i always get this strange image of one of them dumpster diving near some kid's house that throws out at lot of toys and stuff.

    gah x.x

    usually it is...err... yeah. look at the pictures man. ^

    ReplyDelete
  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Your description of amekaji is wrong.

    Amekaji is American Casual. (Ame for American)

    It is a style based on what the Japanese believe to be what every day American teens wear. (Based on movies that revolve around high school situations) A lot of the outerwear looks like Jock jackets. There are a lot of bright colors used, and color coordination in an outfit usually consits of 3 main colors.

    Brands that cater to the Amekaji style are (first and foremost) COCOLULU, ValenTine's High and Ruvap.

    ReplyDelete
  6. its really interesting!
    thank you

    ReplyDelete
  7. I didn't realize so many different styles for gyaru existed, thanks for the info!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. A WESTERN GAL DOING IT FOR HERSELF?
    JURIES ARE LOOKING AT THIS ALREADY...CHER- SAWYER- CROWE- RICE!

    ReplyDelete