MURDER BOOTS! For those of you asking, these are my murder boots. Back row: the boots I wore for my Winter Soldier cosplay at the con where I made someone vault the table (L), plus the replacement boots I swapped into the cosplay after a damaged heel made the originals tough to walk in all day ®. Both are from Cathy Jean.
The front pair are Watchman boots from White Mountain via DSW, and these are the boots I wear every day.
(I wrote this brief guide to ouji fashion for the Lolita Amino, and I figured I would share it here as well. I hope it will be helpful!)
Ouji is a Japanese fashion style that is typically thought of as the masculine counterpart of lolita fashion. Ouji is not a sub-style of lolita, but a fully-fledged fashion in its own right. It would be more accurate to think of ouji as the brother-style of lolita fashion, or the “prince” to lolita’s “princess,” since “ouji” is the Japanese word for “prince.”
The elements of a typical ouji outfit are: pants, a blouse, a jacket/vest, socks, shoes, and optionally a hat. When putting together an ouji coordinate, these pieces should be combined to create a look that is boyish yet elegant. Despite being a “masculine” fashion, this style can be worn by anyone, regardless of gender.
Ouji can be worn in a variety of substyles and themes. It’s three main substyles are the same as lolita’s: sweet, classic, and gothic. However, the substyles in this fashion are not nearly as well-defined, and there is significantly more overlap between styles. Additionally, color is much less important when determining which sub-style an ouji coordinate falls into, since black is quite common across them all. Instead the cut/shape of each garment, and the overall styling of the coordinate typically determine which category it falls into. Sweet ouji has a cute, frilly look, classic is more refined and elegant, and gothic has an overall darker look, usually featuring sharp, crisp lines. A number of other sub-styles, such as punk, exist but are much less common. When trying to determine which substyle a coordinate falls into, keep in mind that black is not automatically gothic, and sweet does not have to be pastel.
Sweet Ouji:
Classic Ouji:
Gothic Ouji:
Common themes include pirate, military, school, and royalty.
Many well-known lolita brands also carry ouji items. Alice and the Pirates, Atelier Boz, and Metamorphose temps de fille are among the most popular. Even Angelic Pretty has been known to carry ouji items in the past. Many Taobao brands, and several western indie brands create ouji pieces as well.
Finally, while you may occasionally hear ouji fashion referred to as “kodonna,” please note that this term is not correct. “Kodonna” is a combination of the Japanese words for “child” (kodomo) and “adult” (otona), and was once used by a member of the visual kei band, The Plastic Trees, to describe his personal style in an interview with a Japanese magazine. When this interview made its way to the west, a number of people were confused by his comments and believed he was referring to ouji. The fashion style has never been referred to as “kodonna” in Japan, and these days, the term is disliked by most who participate in the fashion.
Hahaha, Ouji is generally considered the “male” equivalent of Lolita fashion, but neither fashion is gender-limited! Anyone of any gender can (and they do!) wear Lolita or Ouji fashion!
Ouji generally looks very princely, but as with Lolita, there are a lot of ways to wear it!
Some examples. I’m fond of puffy shorts and high socks, myself, but in more neutral colors.
Japanese students Airi and Karen - both SHINee fans - on the street in Harajuku wearing a cropped Boy London jacket, a “Neon Genesis Melancholy” hoodie by Unglayer, Demonia boots, MCM bag, and M.Y.O.B. NYC accessories. Full Look
16-year-old Japanese student Soso on the street in Harajuku wearing a colorful 1980s inspired look featuring a green denim jacket and matching shorts by Peco Club, a purple Peco Club sweatshirt and matching purple tights, Spinns high top sneakers, and an E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial bag. Full Look
