The stereotypical sailor fuku that’s often seen in anime, also called the sailor uniform or seifuku, consists of a white shirt with a skirt, with a sailor collar over the shirt and a tie of some sort. In anime and manga, most sailor fukus are depicted as having rather short skirts - however, the skirts of the sailor fuku’s uniform are actually typically knee-length or longer. They tend to be depicted as shorter because many girls in Japan roll their skirts at the waist, giving the appearance of a shorter skirt. These are most often seen in middle schools, although some high schools use them. High schools in Japan are gradually switching over to a more Western-style uniform, which consists of a plain shirt, a skirt or pants, a tie, and a blazer. Again, the skirts aren’t short - they’re rolled up! Gym uniforms tend to be solid color, usually something such as black or navy blue. The summer gym uniform typically consists of a pair of gym shorts and a short-sleeved gym shirt. The winter uniforms will usually be longer and have a jacket. Depending on the school, the uniform may have the owner’s name written on it in kanji or katakana. However, katakana is usually reserved for students with foreign names. The shoes the students wear outdoors are usually a pair of black or dark brown loafers. However, Japanese schools require students to change into uwabaki, or a pair of soft slippers meant for indoor wear. The appearance of uwabaki differs from school to school, but they can have the appearance of typical slip-on shoes without rubber soles.
Does she wear cutesy styles? Styles considered “cute” are typically clothes that are “girly” colors such as pink, purple, and baby blue, with ruffles or frills, as well as bows - whether on the clothes or in her hair. If she’s wearing a skirt or dress, it will likely puff out to the sides a bit. What if your girl is fashion-oriented? There are many different outfit types you could draw her in! Short dresses and skirts, shorts, cardigans or jackets, cute designer T-shirts - the possibilities are endless. Just make sure that everything she’s wearing looks good together, or else she’ll look more like a fashion train wreck than a fashionista! If she’s a tomboy, you can put her in something like a pair of dark jeans and a video game T-shirt can work wonders. Keep in mind that most tomboys don’t put a lot of effort into their appearance, and most of them don’t wear skirts. Try a baggy look. If your girl is a gamer, somewhat of a loner, or just values being comfortable over looking nice, try dressing her in baggy clothes, such as an oversized sweater or shirt and a pair of loose jeans, or an oversized skirt with a baggy top. Shoes that go well with this type of style are brand-name sneakers, such as Converse or Vans.
Things such as nightgowns tend to hang straight down, especially if the material is somewhat thick. Large shirts tend to do the same, but will move differently than a nightgown - nightgowns will “spin” more than shirts do. Regular pajamas are essentially pants and a shirt. Depending on the type of pajamas, the shirt could be long-sleeved, short-sleeved, a button-up, a flannel, have a print on it, or just be plain. Generally, pants tend to be either short or long, and longer pants are more likely to have prints on them than decorations like ruffles.
Typically, anime girls wear longer dresses when they’re trying to be formal but not traditional. These dresses can be like ball gowns or wedding dresses - which all vary in types! In Japan, not conforming is typically frowned upon, but if you want, try drawing your girl in a tuxedo.
Be wary when drawing a kimono’s folds. The kimono is always wrapped left side over right, unless going to a funeral!
You can try the classic “emo” or “scene” looks. These looks are typically noticed from their artificial and teased hair, along with certain clothing fashions - scene has colorful clothing, while emo clothing is usually limited to things like black, gray, and deep shades of red. Some girls that follow these fashions also have piercings! The lolita fashion is fairly well known for its large, frilly and lacy dresses, along with its many accessories such as parasols and the over-the-top girliness it portrays.
Even if your girl doesn’t have her hair styled, her hair doesn’t have to be boring. She can have wavy hair or curly hair, or be wearing hair accessories such as headbands, barrettes, or a knitted beanie. If you want, try giving her an unusual hair color. In anime, the hairstyles rarely ever conform to reality, and color is no exception!
