Main Fairy Kei Substyles

When looking at lolita fashion, most people in the J-fashion community would agree that the fashion is best split up into substyles. The main three are gothic, classic, and sweet --- with oldschool quickly rising to become one of the more popular substyles. Each has a unique silhouette, color scheme, and aesthetic that sets them apart, and fairy kei is no different.

There are several different substyles of fairy kei that have been unofficially recognized in the fashion community for years that I'd like to define for you today!

Before I begin, I want to say this article is mostly for fun and for educational purposes. I am not the fairy kei police, nor do I pretend to be the biggest expert in the fashion. This is merely how I like to divide up the fashion. Your outfit can absolutely be a blend of any of these substyles, it doesn't just have to fit into one! Think of these as end points on a spectrum.

Fairy kei 'substyles' are also much more nuanced than most other fashion styles, but the differences are there if you know what you're looking for!

Before we begin... Let's talk about Spank style!

I think it's right to preface our substyle list with the one that started it all! If you want to get technical, fairy kei is technically an offshoot from Spank. 

While the styles are different, I felt it deserved a mention in this list as there can be a lot of overlap between the two.

Spank! logo

Spank! is the name of Sayuri Tabuchi (Tavuchi)'s personal brand and thought to be the first fairy kei brand. The shop focuses on vintage items, remakes (upcycled clothes), and handmade goods. 

A barbie jumper from Tavuchi's personal line Monascas Banana

Ever wonder how those vintage sweaters got so popular? You can thank Spank! for that! 

Here is my friend @ConfettiRibbon wearing Spank style

Spank style is one of the few places you'll see the color black being utilized in pastel J-fashion. Black and white polka dots are iconic to this style, and the silhouette also tends to be sleeker than what you see in fairy kei, with pencil or a-line mini skirts being a common staple.

Here are some other examples of Spank style outfits

Alright, now that we've covered that, lets get into the list!

1.  Fancy Style 

Fancy style seems to be one of the less worn, but more iconic styles. Nearly every fairy will gush and drool over new Nile Perch releases, but it's pretty rare to see it actually worn.

These outfits focus more on the 'dreamy' feel of fairy kei, with less 80's influence. Nile Perch is the most popular brand for this style, but stores such as Pinkly Ever After, Swankiss, Magical, Miracle.com, and Candy Rain also make great items for the style.

The style is characterized by the softer pastel shades, and smaller silhouette. Soft laces, fluffy fabric, and delicate ribbons are utilized in abundance here.

@ConfettiRibbon on Instagram

Nile Perch Dress!

The World Standard / Wasuta

 2. Classic

While I mentioned that Spank! is the founding fashion of fairy kei, I like to use the term 'classic' to describe what we most often see in street snaps. I personally take the most inspiration from this substyle!  Once again, pastel colors are present from head to toe, with white being used mostly as an accent color.

Colors are brighter, silhouettes are fluffier, and the shoes are taller! Oversized sweaters, cardigans, shirts....  it's important to look like you might fly away at any minute! Accessories are usually kept simple, and legwear is a MUST!

Shoes also match the color scheme, with platforms, converse, and tea parties all being extremely popular!

3. Western (Old)

When fairy kei first came to the west, it wasn't too much different than the classic style fairy kei. Western fairy kei takes a lot of influence from decora, so outfits tended to be more OTT.
Fluffy tutus, colorful wigs, and an abundance of accessories were commonplace.

You also see a lot of lolita influence in this time period as well. Brands like Angelic Pretty and Baby The Stars Shine Bright created items like mini skirts and salopettes that work better for fairy kei, and have since become a staple in the community. Socks made for lolita brands also became popular as they come in many different colors and styles.

Mio - Pastelraindrops

Mio -  Pastelraindrops

We'll get back to western fairy kei in a minute...

4. Boy Style 

In the past few years, I feel like boy style has really made a name for itself! Boy style focuses on a more masculine style of fairy kei and most noticeably, incorporates a lot more pants than the other styles of fairy kei. Harem pants are some of the most iconic pieces in this substyle, and accessories and headwear are usually kept minimal.

Overalls, shorts, bloomers... all in pastel colors or decorated in some way! Dark colored denim usually isn't suitable for fairy kei, but you can always add patches or stencil paint onto them to add that dreamy feel to them!

5. Modern Western

Let's talk about REAL fairy kei first.

Colors are even brighter, wigs are less common (but still present), vintage sweaters reign supreme, and items from Japanese brands are easier to find than ever before. Makeup is more prominent than it has been in past years, and natural and dyed hairstyles are normally kept simple. Modern fairy kei most often blends the different substyles together to create a cohesive look!

Unfortunately, a lot of modern fairy kei is extremely watered down and nearly unrecognizable from general pastel fashion. I'm going to save my grievances with modern 'fairy kei' for another post, but right now I'd like to share some of my favorite outfits from recent people in the fairy kei community! True fairy kei does still exist, it just takes a bit of digging to find!

@MahouDolly

@PrinceDorkFace - Cohost of O-Kei Podcast

@minaminakawaii and @dreamytabby

@solarsherbet

@caspianokazaki

@sweetieflossx

@pastelboyfriend

These are just a few of my favorite people in the fairy kei community, but there are many more who inspire me as well!

I hope this list was informative to all of you, and maybe gave you some outfit inspiration of your own!

I'll be back in another post soon!

See you soon!
~RoseQuartzRoyalty

Hello World!

My name is Hannah! I'm 19 and have been wearing fairy kei and lolita (seriously) for about two years now. I use the word 'seriously' because I found the fashion when I was 12, and like most 12 year olds, sucked at alternative fashion.

Don't believe me? See for yourself!

Here I am in my first 'lolita' dress. I sewed it myself and was pretty proud of it.
I also wore it to Walmart immediately after this.

Here I am in 'fairy kei'. It should be noted that I was wearing ratty tennis shoes with this.
Very kawaii. Much fashion.

I've been thinking for a while now that I would like to have some way to collect my thoughts about J-fashion (specifically lolita and fairy kei). I'm working on making YouTube videos, but I keep clamming up as soon as the camera turns on. So (at least for now!) I figured I'd try writing a blog while I figure out how to fix that problem.

I'm super passionate about J-fashion and addressing issues I see within the community, but not in the way you might think! I love tackling topics involving newbies --- rather than talking about issues with community veterans.

I also love interacting with the community! Creating and maintaining online spaces for people to come together and grow is a subject that is very important to me. I actually created a fairy kei discord server because I noticed that there wasn't a place for fairies to come together and talk about the fashion! Online communities are a valuable resource for people like me who don't have a local community.


Another thing I am passionate about is creating ACCURATE outfits for each of my fashions --- especially fairy kei.

 Lolita fashion has strictly defined rules, and thus, less tolerance for error. I think those boundaries are wonderful. It means that people aren't as scared to give others constructive criticism and honestly makes it more beginner friendly.

Here is a casual outfit from a few weeks ago!
I've still got lots to learn!

Fairy kei however, has very few rules, which means there is more room for mistakes. Many newbies (like myself at the age of 12) find it difficult to recognize and coordinate fairy kei (or fairy kei-able) items. Even though fairy kei is sometimes advertised as a 'beginner' level harajuku fashion, most people in the community will beg to differ. While it can be cheaper than lolita, the looser rules mean it can be confusing for newcomers to achieve the proper aesthetic.

That's one of the reasons I created this blog (and hopefully soon my YouTube channel). I want to cover topics that AREN'T quite your everyday 101 content and inspire everyone to learn and grow.

If you've made it this far, THANKS! I hope to be creating more content very soon!

See you soon!
~RoseQuartzRoyalty