5 of the Cutest Anime Styles to Try in 2022
Have you ever been watching your favorite shonen, and thought to yourself “Man, I wish I could have just a little bit of that style in my daily life.” Well, you’re in luck my friend because cosplay has made it to the states and it’s here to stay! All over the country, people have been adopting anime aesthetics into their wardrobes. Since the early aughts we’ve been seeing a steady increase in the general acceptance of anime, and this translates to fashion as well. But that doesn’t mean you need to carry around Tessaiga to make a fashion statement. Just stick with me and I’ll take you through some looks that will have you shouting “Kawaii” in no time!
Cat Ears
What’s one of the most undisputed methods to looking cute these days online? Why a pair of cat ears of course! Cat ears give you that Sugoi style without becoming too over the top. They serve as the perfect accessory to a more bombastic outfit, but would look great on both men and women! This is perfect for someone who’s trying to make their love of anime known, but it works for e-girl style as well. You see, anime and the new online aesthetic are very closely linked. So feel free to cross-pollinate to create your own cute and complex style!
Chokers
Something that’s been a buzzing style for women of all stripes is the humble choker. The choker is amazing because of its versatility. It can be paired with ribbons and a cute dress, or you can completely change gears and create a look with some boots, and a statement jacket. That’s why chokers are so amazing because you can wear them with anything!
KeyChains
If Japan considers itself the king of collectibles then a keychain could easily be its scepter. Known as charms in Japan, Japanese teens go crazy for small statues and figures of some of their favorite characters that attach easily to a pair of keys. This effortlessly shows your fandom practically and functionally. Remember that joke I made about carrying around Tessaiga earlier? Well, what if you could carry it on your keyring? I carry Cloud’s Buster Sword on mine and I’ve never felt more stylish! You can find practically any character under the sun in keychain form, so if you’re interested take a look. You might be surprised by what you find!
A Statement Piece
When you’re designing a popular character, an artist often tends to find one element of the character and exaggerate that aspect for their design. The interesting thing here is that fashion works the same way. So for a moment let’s meld these two elements together because we are talking about a “Statement Piece.” The statement piece is the part of your outfit that the rest of your look orbits around. Now, this can take on a lot of forms. Maybe it’s a jacket or a particularly nice pair of shoes. Whatever the case when we remember that technique we can ask ourselves the same question. What part of ourselves are we exaggerating for this party, what look do we want to be known for? In a lot of ways being fashionable is about knowing the character you’re trying to play and playing it. So why not take a tip from the pros and play the role you were born to!
Jewelry!
For some characters, their entire design rests on their jewelry. Funnily enough, this can apply to people as well. But that’s not to discount the power of jewelry. It’s a credit to it. You see jewelry is such a powerful tool that it can elevate almost any look from boring to fab in seconds! For instance, check out this amazing collection of anime jewelry. These exceptional pieces are all beautifully crafted to fit all styles. My personal favorite are the aries hoops in the astrology section, and I can’t wait for them to arrive!
When we talk about our style, we’re talking about something with such an enormity of context it becomes almost impossible to unpack reasonably. But for those who can unpack and take influence from what at first glance seem to be very disparate styles, they become shapeshifters. People who can transform with the times and shift from one style to the next. It is a fascinating subject. Where things get interesting is when we see these style mavericks interact with something completely out of the ordinary, like anime style.
Anime style can be traced back to Japan all the way back to the late 80s. This type of high-impact, very theatrical style was originally known as visual kei and was popular with rock groups at the time. Roughly translated to “visual shock,” visual kei became a phenomenon that inspired many of Japan’s largest and most bombastic fashion trends. From everything to the advent of Harajuku to cosplay, visual kei is an enormous influence on the fashion industry. And now that we’re seeing anime-style take shape more and more in America we must again pay homage to this beautiful flamboyant version of fashion.
When one is looking for their style in a way they are looking for the person they want to portray for the next clip of their life. Whether that be the calm cool collected day trader wearing a crisp suit, and letting people know who’s boss. Or a funny free spirit who just likes to have fun and show their friends a good time. What we choose to wear says a lot about who we are in general. So if you’re looking to adopt a more anime-inspired style, I say go for it! Some of the greatest characters to ever exist are from this medium, and if you’re looking to align yourself with someone who cares about friendship, doing your best, and trying as hard as you can. Then I say more power to you because you could be doing a lot worse!
