Hello, everyone! ♥

Today, I will be writing a post, that will most likely end up as several posts, since there is so much to talk about!

The reason I named this series Gaijin Gyaru, is because, I am a Western girl whose style is inspired by Hime-gyaru and Hime-kaji, and trying to achieve this style can be a bit difficult due to availability of clothing, size issues and so on~ And since Gajin Gyaru, or 外人ギャル, means Foreign Girl (or a foreigner who follows the gyaru style) I decided it fit as my title. But this style can be worn by anyone, and I want to help that~



What is Hime-gyaru and Hime-kaji?  Also known as Hime kei. It is one of the more over the top and also one of the most expensive style of dress of all of the categories. The hime style is largely based on the Rococo era. Gyaru of this style wear dresses or skirts in pink or other pastels with lots of lace and bows. Rose patterns, pearls and crown motifs are also very common. Headpieces range from large bow clips with pearls to rose accents, while the hair is either bleached, poofed up in a bouffant at the top and curled or a wig/extensions are worn. The make-up style has even more exaggerated eyes than the typical gyaru. Hime gyaru does not only include clothes, but many girls see it as a way of life and make or buy custom-made decor for their homes. The style blossomed in the early 2000s but has since declined or turned more casual (this version is referred to as hime kajii), even if the old one is still present. Not to be confused with Lolita fashion. (Source: Wikipedia)

The clothes are so pretty ヽ(ｏ`皿′ｏ)ﾉ

But finding stores that have this clothing can be very hard, when shopping in stores with friends I can barely finding anything, and online stores can be very pricey. I don't even know how long I have spent now, searching, and searching online stores that stock clothing that is easily accessible and affordable. I really regret not asking whether I could visit Liz Lisa while I was in Japan in 2013, oh my lord.

Of course, there is still hope! I have found some stores that may help us achieve what we want, although, they all vary.

Storenvy:

Storenvy is a great place to find secondhand or new clothing at a cheaper price! I have bought bags from there before, which are excellent, and I always see a variet yof clothing on there as well. There have been great priced jfashion items, but they were sold out, so I missed out. So it's good to keep checking regularly!

• Spreepicky is very popular for their cute clothes and accesorries, catering to a lot of harajuku styles, cosplay and even lolita. 

• Kawaii Gyaru Shop specifically stocks authentic Liz Lisa clothing, which I adore to look at, since it's too expensive for me to buy yet (but it's still cheaper than the original price). It's also good that this store has been set up since it allows people to get their hands on Liz Lisa clothing without using a shopping service and so on.

• Kawaii Clothing: This is another cute store that stocks a variety of clothing! I see that with a lot of storenvy stores, the products are quite similar, but it's good to explore to get the best price and size!

eBay:

I have found eBay to be a great place to find new or second-hand clothing at a great cost! Sometimes it can be a bit of a hit and miss since new or authentic clothing can still be pricey, and cheaper ones can be short or of lesser quality, so always review what you buy carefully!


Sheinside:

Although Sheinside doesn't specifically cater to a hime style of any kind since they stock clothing that's really a really western kind of style, if you know what I mean? But there are some pieces that you can use to mix and match to create a style you want. My experiences with them have been great previously, and the items I got are really cute!


Here are a few more stores I might suggest looking into even though I haven't bought from them before, yet:

K-StyleMe.Com/Asian iCandy: I found these as a suggestion to shop at for jfashion/kfashion clothing, and I see why. I haven't shopped from them yet, but the clothes are worth checking it out as well.

Yesstyle: I have seen people buy from this store, for example, Bubzbeauty, and the clothes look so cute! I have seen some unique clothing pieces too, and some of the detailing on some of the tops is really cute! I hope to shop from them soon!

Romwe: I have bookmarked a lot of clothes on this site since some are so pretty! I'm pretty sure that this site is American, maybe, like Sheinside, so the clothes might be more chic than floral or jfashion like~ But it's still worth having a look since some items can be paired well with other clothing items to achieve a nice look!

Lalalilo.com: I very much want to try some of the clothing from this site, it all looks so wonderful! I have bookmarked a few dresses I think are really cute and I hope I can review them when I get them soon!

AliExpress.com: I heard that this was the English version of Taobao so I thought it was worth checking out, and there are some items on there that are of gyaru style! Has anyone shopped from it before?

I hope I will be doing more reviews in the future and hunt down some great purchases to share with you all! Do you guys have any other recommendations of stores that stock nice clothing online or anywhere else? Have you purchased anything from the stores above? How was your experience? Let me know!

Enjoy life!

Nina

Hello friends!

So I'm finally posting my Spreepicky review! FINALLY, after a like a year of receiving the items. This is my first review so sorry if the photos are not of amazing quality haha!

I ordered two items on the 12th of June, 2014:

J-Fashion Straps Fake 2 Pcs Chiffon Princess Dress SP130229 $56.99 (in a Size L)

J-fashion Velveteen Sweater - Cute Animals SP130110 $45.99

I don't think these items are available anymore, sorry! But I there are still many items similar to these in the store :)

Now firstly can I saw how ridiculously fast shipping this store has, usually when I would order things online it would take 20-30 days, but these items arrived within a week, on roughly the 19th of June, 2014.

It was all packaged nicely and came with a lovely handwritten note and a free necklace:

Sorry the lighting is a bit strange.

I finally own a dress (or any clothing) that is hime-gyaru style! I'm so happy! And this was just like a bonbon21 dress as well.

The quality is really good. But, I've put it on a few times and the buttons look as though they're going to break off, but the dress came with extra buttons just in case. It might just be because I was trying to find the easiest way to put it on, so it might be my fault.

As for the size, I did choose the largest size, thank god I did because it's still a bit short on me, in the photographs I am wearing a white skirt underneath which matches perfectly, so that's my suggestion for anyone who is 170cm or taller like I am. It's still wearable.

Overall: I am quite happy with this! The detailing and style of the dress matched the picture and the quality is super great! I will always have sizing issues in the future when I order these kind of things, so I wasn't too disappointed with it being a little short on me, I expected it in a way. But it fits perfect everywhere else!

I give it a rating of 4/5 due to the size and how easily the button was coming off, but this is due to my own measurements and it can't be helped.

(Sorry for the watermark on the gif, haha~)

I was so excited to get this sweater because the pattern on it was quite unique and very Harajuku! When it arrived, I noticed it was quite warm and the material was soft and smooth.

As soon as I touched this jumper, I fell in love with the feel of the material: it was soft, not itchy in any way and so comfy. The colour and design is so nice too, I have yet to see whether it fades through washes, but I'm confident it will.

Since it doesn't open or zip up, it might feel a little tight (as it's a free size), but on the flip side, it's very warm and it's a great length for taller girls.

Overall: I am very happy with this! It's a very unique jumper to wear out and since I get cold easily, this is great to quickly put on and go out and still stand out. I have been lacking hoodies and I'm happy to add this to my growing collection.

I give this a 5/5! Amazing item!

My experience with Spreepicky is a great one! I would very much like to add more from their wonderful selection of clothing to my wardrobe in the future (not sure how though since they changed the payment method recently). There is a great selection of clothing and the staff are lovely from what I see on all the social media as they're trying to cater to many different tastes. The shipping is no joke as well, very quick!

Enjoy life!

Nina