Both classic and modern styles offered to keep you feeling cozy and looking ready for class.
Japanese schools tend to have two different uniforms for their students: a light summer version, and a heavier winter outfit. Most schools make the switch to their winter versions in the fall as the weather gets chillier, so it makes sense that wearers of Japan’s schoolgirl roomwear will want to do the same.
Back in the spring, quirky Japanese company Bibi Lab released the Sera Kore (“Sailor Collection”) line of uniform-style sweat suits for wearing while relaxing at home. Now, it’s back with new versions of two of its designs made with thicker, warmer material to keep wearers cozy during the long, cold winter nights.
Fashion trends are always changing, and school uniforms are no exception. If you came of age in the 1990s, the Kogyaru design (which takes its name from that decade’s slang term for “schoolgirl”) probably strikes a nostalgic chord with you, as it features the sort of short skirt and loose socks that were in vogue at the end of 20th century.
Alternatively, the more contemporary JK (named after the currently most popular slang meaning “schoolgirl”) has a longer skirt and more snugly fitting socks, and also replaces the Kogyaru’s ribbon with a scarf.
While they may look like the skirt and blouse combination worn in Japanese schools, the Sera Kore are single-piece garments, with their seemingly separate top and bottom actually sewn together. As such, you won’t be able to tuck anything into the waistband, but both designs feature a breast pocket that’s large enough to slip a smartphone with a 5.5-inch screen into.
Both outfits are available domestically through novelty retailer Village Vanguards’ online shop (Kogyaru here, JK here) and Amazon Japan (Kogyaru here, JK here). While their standard list price is 9,072 yen (US$88), Village Vanguard has currently discounted them to 6,048 yen, and they’re just slightly more, 6,130 yen, on Amazon. And in any case they’re far cheaper than actual Japanese school uniforms.
Source: IT Media
Top image: Village Vanguard (edited by RocketNews24)
Insert images: Village Vanguard (1, 2, 3) (edited by RocketNews24)
Follow Casey on Twitter, where he’s wondering if we’ll someday see gakuran-style roomwear too.