Himekaji

Himekaji is a type of Hime Gyaru. The name is a combination of 'hime' (means princess or noble lady) and 'kaji' (from the english word 'casual') - so it is basically a more casual version of the Hime Gyaru look referring to more casual clothes worn by wealthier girls. The fashion of this substyle has changed over time and is now also popular among non-gyaru communities like Girly Kei (a japanese aesthetic/fashion that includes lots of frilly and cute stuff). Since 2022, the word 'himekaji' is also being used to describe early 2000s fashion from Japan.

The exact year Himekaji started is not known, but it became popular somewhere between 2008 and 2012. At that time, it was a more romantic but casual style, that still included many of the 'basic' Gyaru elements like styled hair and dramatic makeup. During that era, it was also known as Kananyan style, because the idol Kananyan used to wear this type of stuff. Since 2020 the 'Coquette' aesthetic has also become popular, which uses some similar aspects of fashion.

The colors worn in Himekaji are often more calm like light pink, beige, baby blue, brown, ivory, and white. More recent styles can also include darker red or even black for contrast. Common patterns are florals, plaids, and novelty prints.

The tops of Himekaji can be very different based on preferences and seasons, but most of them will have common details like ruffles, lace. Peter Pan collars or similar. For bottoms, a type of skirt called 'sukepan' (with shorts underneath) is very popular. They are usually very short and make the outfits a little more sexy. This sexy element is also one of the key differences between Himekaji and Lolita, since only Himekaji has it. Himekaji dresses take inspiration from princess dresses - just like Hime Gyaru. Other common dress styles are 70s inspired dresses (like prairie dresses of Gunne Sax). In winter, Himekajis wear coats and ponchos with big sleeves, large buttons and fur collars.

Himekaji makeup is casual compared to the usual Gyaru look. It can look like dolly makeup: pink blush, pink liptint, lipgloss, round eyeshape with dolly lashes and lots of highlights.

For hair, waves are seen as a usual hairstyle. Other common styles are ponytails, piggytails, loose braids or big buns. Many people will add accessoires like ribbons, and hats.

Himekaji visualisation