Okay, so it's Monday and usually on Monday i talk about... my favourite things.
Sadly, i didn't go to gymnastics today since i was feeling quite ill, so... no gymnastics post today!! AWWW!! ><
So to make up for that i will talk about something else that is quite a favourite in my life right now (and probably will be for a long time) which is... ANIME!
And from what i've seen so far, and i could be correct or incorrect, but i think that anime has a lot of tropes. There's ecchi anime, which i won't go into 'cause i don't watch (the closest i've gotten is <We, Without Wings: Under the Innocent Sky>), there's shounen anime (fighting, adventure, fantasy, stuff like that) shoujo anime (falling in love, being pretty, stuff like that) and slice of life anime (comedic every day life, also falls into shoujo anime group)
One trope i've seen over and over, especially for shoujo anime or slice of life / school life anime, is the 'kawaii schoolgirl.'
(perhaps this is more predominent in ecchi anime but nonetheless, I WONT GO INTO THAT... hehe~)
Anyway, this is one of my favourite things.
Anime of course, and the classic seifuku (or serafuku) of anime!
I think it's positively adorable and i'd just LOVE to own a set and get to wear it - in fact, i'd ADORE it if schools in the Americas adopted the serafuku as standard uniform instead of those ugly ankle length kilts that they make girls wear.
So, today, on the topic of my Favourite Things, i will talk about...
How To - make your ugly uniform more like a seifuku!
**not Serafuku. Just Seifuku.
This is something i've actively tried to do in the past before, although i originally did it out of the desire to be more comfortable in school.
In school, my uniform consists of...
- school issued navy blue sweater
- school issued green plaid kilt
- school issued polo (or button up with a tie during the winter months)
- navy or black knee socks or tights (can be bought from school or our own)
- black dress shoes
so, pretty standard. Sounds like every other uniform, and not at all kawaii!
Let's begin making it cuter and more classicly seifuku-esque, then!
**Granted, all schools have different policies on uniforms and my own allows these changes**
1) buy a different sweater. because FK school issued stuff. the material they use is coarse and uncomfortable. i got a nice replicate from Ralph Lauren, which has thinner weave so it's more airy and comfortable, and a couple of sizes too big for me, as well, for extra (growing) space (because holidays are fat days)
the school crest i bought separately and sewed it on. I had to request permission from the school but it was simple enough - i needed to use my own sweater because i have sensitive skin and the coarse material makes me itch.
2) roll your kilt up. i got mine adjusted previously, taking off about an inch and a half from the bottom; a seamstress did this, and i recommend getting a seamstress, since it seems like a pretty bad idea to me if you just take some scissors and hack off a piece of your uniform...and then from the top, i fold down the band, so about an inch, but only in the front since i don't want the back to be too short. this allows your kilt to not be knee-length or shin-length or whatever. And to make it look even shorter, my oversized sweater is pulled down over the front and back to give the illusion of it being a miniskirt, which in reality, it ISN'T.
differents schools allow different things. some schools don't allow short skirts. Check the policies first! Getting into trouble is not kawaii.
3) wear thigh-high socks. These are prevalent in animes and they are also much warmer than regular knee socks. Some schools are lenient while others are not. I never saw a problem with it at my school until recently but the one teacher who refused to allow it doesn't teach me, anyway. Or, alternatively, tights can make your legs look slimmer and more refined. regular knee socks are adorable during the spring times, especially if it has a tiny embroidery at the top. generally, don't wear ankle socks or anything below the calf; it doesn't look as cute as it does in anime. trust me on this one.
if school is lenient, some leg-warmers (to imitate baggy socks) are also quite adorable, but this one's on a limb. American fashion is frankly quite different from Japanese fashion. although i assume if you go to a private school, no one really gives a damn anyway.
4) wear Mary-Jane style shoes. these can easily be found in places like Payless, or Geox, or Tommy Hilfiger, like me, or if you want to go high-end, that's fine too, but it's not for me since i scuff up my shoes really easily. These are adorable and depending on the type (regular type, childish type, lolita type?) they can all give off different feelings. Ballet flats are okay too, if that's your thing. I'd not go with the shoes that you generally see anime schoolgirls wearing, since it doesn't seem to match so well with their Western counterpart.
alternatively, if your school does not mandate shoes, why not wear a cute pair of bright pink converse's, to add some flair and spice? any shoes can look cute with uniform, unless you're clomping around in some huge 7-inch platform knee high lace up crazy things :3
5) bags are important. sort of. Backpacks, especially those that hang low on your back, is quite adorable. Backpacks can show personality! the bag you generally see Japanese schoolgirls, or anime girls carrying, is quite dull, although it has its charms. It's not very Western though.
Personally, i alternate between an electric blue Neff backpack, a black Hello Kitty backpack, and the Japanese schoolgirl-style bag but slimmer, pale blue, and with little dolly designs. The little pockets are intricate and beautiful - they also allow me to be neater with my belongings! It comes with its own little keychains so i needn't worry about those things.
6) Behaviour? well, anime schoolgirls tend to act certain ways. most predominently you have your 'normal' character, a moe character, and a tsundere character. I don't really recommend acting like anything but yourself at school... although if you're at an anime con, let it rip! ^^
AAANNNNDDDD that's it. i think. that's really all the tips i have.
Oh! and hair. I personally change my hair a lot. when i had long hair i just left it alone or kept it in two low pigtails. When it was short i put up tiny side twintail's (like Misa Amane's hair). once that got longer i had a habit of using ribbons. Currently i like clippies since they're sooo cute!
But hair is another way to express yourself. Go all out! ^^
And i'm sorry, for not being an interesting blogger. I do have tendancies to rant and be boring, but,
Please give me a chance! Stay with me! Onegai!
So, spread word of my blog, my little cuties! I'll do my best to update. I can see i have some views! not a lot, but some! So i am very flattered to everyone who gives me the time of day! <3
Please spare a few more seconds of your life and comment on this post, tell me what you'd like me to blog about in the future! I'd really appreciate it! Arigatou, minna-san! <3 ^_^
** From now on, there will be a gymnastics entry on Monday and a random posting of something else anytime during the week but most likely on a Wednesday or Thursday~! **
~Re re! <3
EDIT - Favourite Manga of the Week - Nagareboshi Lens. check it out! The storyline isn't fabulous, but the art is exquisite! ^^
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