confession #6: i think fairy kei is more than just pastels!

Dear fairies,

For my sixth confession, I am going to say that pastels are not always necessary in order to have a successful fairy kei outfit!

When I first began to research and start my fairy kei wardrobe, I was overwhelmed with this constant idea that fairy kei MUST be pastel in order to complete the look! I was scrambling to find any pastel accessories and clothing in my own wardrobe and found very little to pass the pastel “rule.”

After much deliberation in creating pastel accessories, I continued my research to find, with much joy, that pastels were not really a must have in every fairy kei outfit!

With that said, I do get and keep pastel items in my wardrobe to give off that 80s innocent feel that seems to define fairy kei. Yet, I do not think that the colors alone define fairy kei!

Just wearing certain colors of certain fashions doesn’t necessarily make it the fashion For example, wearing a sepia color scheme does not make an outfit Steampunk or wearing all black doesn’t make it goth.

So, wearing all pastels does not make an outfit fairy kei.

To give you a very obvious visual: this woman would hopefully not be considered fairy kei. 

But she’s wearing pastels and is cute. Yet we know that fairy kei is defined by something more than the pastel colors and cuteness. If that were the case, then the past summer trend of pastels would make the all the women who wore pastels fairy kei, which we know is not true.

There are different ways to approach the fairy kei color palette. You can wear any other bold brights, neons, or even black! It just depends on what you feel like and what looks right.

So, don’t let the all-pastel “rule” get you down! It doesn’t exist! Don’t be afraid to go into the brighter or bolder colors and patterns.

6%DokiDoki opts for vibrancy in colors and theme, Spank goes for second-hand pop and rock inspired 80s kitsch, and Nile Perch is a proponent of softer, kinder colors such as pinks and pastels.

~TokyoFashion.com

~Sparkling Ga Eul

Faith, Trust and Fairy Kei Dust!

popples birthday gifts~

Dear Fairies,

I’ve finally been able to take these pics to share with you all of the Popples gifts my lovely boyfriend gave to me for my birthday!

A set of Popples buttons with every Popple on them (perfect for fairy kei), a Popples bento box and a Prize Popple plush (which is the same one that Tavuchi from Spank! and Lisa, from Electric Alice, own ^_^)!

 

I’m so excited to have these things! I will definitely be wearing the buttons very often with my outfits; the bento box will be perfect for when I can just make my lunch the night before to take with me to class; and Prize Popple has taken a place on my bed amongst my other plushes…

~Sparkling Ga Eul

Faith, Trust and Fairy Kei Dust!

confession #4: i love fairy kei for its 80s/90s aspect!

Dear fairies,

I <3 the 80s part of fairy kei, and if there wasn’t any 80s inspiration, I’d probably never do fairy kei XD Honestly, what is fairy kei without the 80s aspect??

Ever feel like you were born in the wrong decade? Well I should’ve been born in the 70s so I could live in the 80s! I love the fashion, music, movies, TV shows, cute toy franchises, and pretty much everything 80s pop culture. When it was pick a decade day at school, of course the teachers were telling me I looked like Tony Basil or Cyndi Lauper!

For the longest time throughout my life I’ve been wanting to wear 80s clothing! Finally I found fairy kei which gives me the “excuse” to wear 80s style all I want despite many people having a distaste for 80s fashion >3<

Tights, buttons, legwarmers, large bows, side ponytails, scarves, cute socks, cardigans, suspenders, high tops, fake glasses, cute skirts. 

These are all the things I love to wear which makes fairy kei the perfect style for me!

It wasn’t the girly colors or even the cuteness of fairy kei, but the 80s style which now has me hook line and sinker!

~Sparkling Ga Eul

Faith, Trust and Fairy Kei Dust!

Confession #3: it can sometimes be weird that there doesn't seem to be a straight "definition" of fairy kei

Dear fairies,

For my next confession, I have to say that I’ve come to realize that fairy kei is an almost loose term…

Did 6% DokiDoki or Spank! invent fairy kei? Tabuchi Sayuri (founder of Spank!) thought her clothing line differed from the “fairy kei” style itself, but in a way, she has defined the style. After all, I read in an interview with her that “fairy kei” came around after the opening of her store. At the same time, 6% DokiDoki, open long before Spank!, seems to be defined as a fairy kei (and decora) brand by TokyoFashion.com 

6% DokiDoki

Ok, well, there isn’t a REAL answer to the origin, but I realize that Spank! is by no means decora, while 6%DokiDoki seems to have decora as one of their main proponents, yet both brands are described as fairy kei.

But there HAS to be several defining factors that make or break a fairy kei ensemble or otherwise it would just be considered decora, lolita, deco-lolita, cult party kei, or other Japanese fashion. I would like to try and define these things in many more future posts.

Spank!

With that said, look at other fashions such as scene, punk, goth, hipster, lolita, cyberpunk, and steampunk. Each of those styles may be related in many ways (especially the first three) to each other but there are several things which make them distinct from one another.

Nile Perch

You can say that goth and scene may have stemmed from the punk style, but that does not make those two styles punk or make punk goth or scene, right? Therefore, I think this idea could be similarly applied to fairy kei or any other Japanese fashion. 

Fairy kei likely has its origins, but has come into its own kind of fashion that is not the same as its origin.

%6Dokidoki, Spank! and Nile Perch

TokyoFashion.com seems to define all three of these brands as residing under the "fairy kei" umbrella but all three have very distinct looks from each other. Dokidoki 6% has decora elements with bright colors, Spank! plays more on vintage clothing with a combination of brights and pastels, and Nile Perch is a sweeter look with mostly pastels.

~Sparkling Ga Eul

Faith, Trust and Fairy Kei Dust!

confession #2: i don’t follow western fairy kei trends

Dear fairies,

So, for my second confession, I have realized, over the years, that learning about anything is best to go to the place of origin!

Therefore, I think it’s safe to say that the Japanese are the ones with the best inspiration in fairy kei considering that it is a Japanese style. So, my research and inspirations come from all Japanese women and girls, such as Spank! girls and other fairies who are just lovers of the fashion.

One Japanese woman, in particular, is a huge pioneer when it comes to fairy kei ! Her name is Tabuchi Sayuri. If you dont know her, then you should! She is the founder of Spank!. To me, she is the mother fairy, and I look to her whenever I am in a fairy kei outfit predicament (colors, accessories, pieces, hair, etc).

This is a picture of Tabuchi Sayuri surrounded by 80s cuteness ^_^

~Sparkling Ga Eul

Faith, Trust and Fairy Kei Dust!