Shoujo Wardrobes

Animated scene from Idol Densetsu Eriko of Tamura Eriko twirling around in a knee-high poofy dress with a flouncy skirt and very poofy leg-of-mutton sleeves. The bodice is a darker pink compared to the very light baby pink of the rest of the dress. She has matching light pink bows tied around her curly pigtails. A large pale pink rose-like applique decorates the left of the bodice. Her more playful white lapdog Pianissimo runs around her feet, then jumps up at her, so the next shot is a close-up of Eriko worriedly catching her in her hands.
Tamura Eriko twirling in a pink party dress she was to wear to the Marine Live Stage...

I've always loved those "floating panels" in shoujo manga, where characters, after an outfit change, appear at full height (often surrounded by symbolic flowers, but not always!) unrestricted by the borders of the panels, so the audience can appreciate the full outfit, before carrying on with the story!

Shoujo anime also have a lot of lovely outfits (although simplified for easier animation!), the artists often take great care in lovingly depicting the outfits—even in simpler art styles—with colours and styles often unique to each character. I thought it would be fun to share some of my favourite shoujo outfits, for inspiration or even just for fun! I'll also include some characters from works aimed at other demographics, since there can be cute characters with sweet outfits, even in works geared at boys, young children, and general audiences too, especially if there's a shoujo influence to the character or style.

Pixel art of a vanity with a mirror.Pixel art of a girl with brown hair in two braided pigtails, wearing white pjyamas.Pixel art of a pink dress on a mannequin torso.Pixel art of a red dress on a mannequin torso.

Rosalind Hathaway (Saint Rosalind)

Rosalind in a dress with short, puffed sleeves; Peter Pan collar; two tiers of frills near the hem of the dress, and a frilly petticoat underneath. Flat shoes with ribbons.Rosalind in what might be the same dress as the first, but with the addition of a small, ornate vest embroidered with flowers.
Rosalind in a short A-line dress with ruffled sleeves (three tiers), a dark-coloured ribbon at the bust, tied at the back, and a wide-brimmed and frilled sun hat. Tall, nearly knee-length boots of some sort.The same second dress, but without the hat.
Floating panel of Rosalind in a polka-dot dress, with short puffed sleeves, matching polka-dot ribbon atop her head, a three-tiered frilly collar with a frilly jabot clipped in place with a decorative brooch, and socks to mid-calf-length and Mary Janes-esque flats with ribbons.Floating panel of Rosalind in what might be a short, gingham-checked dress, with poofy sleeves, light-coloured Peter Pan collar, and a dark-coloured showy bow tied underneath it. She's wearing thick, nearly-knee-high socks, flat shoes with buttons (likely slip-on, as she's only eight and on the run...), and a very classy-looking purse.Rosalind curtseying in her party dress. The top is dark-coloured, with a very high waist, round and very poofy sheer sleeves. The hem is nearly knee-length, longer than her usual dresses, with scaloped frills and more ruffled fabric underneath (might be a petticoat.) There's a sash around the waist tied into a ribbon behind her. Her socks are nearly knee-length. She's wearing dainty shoes with straps.
Tamura Eriko (Idol Densetsu Eriko)

She has many outfits and also seems to reuse different articles of clothing to make different outfits. A number of her outfits are showcased in the ending animation, but she wears many, many more... she'll often go through 2-3 outfits in a single episode! So, I think I'll focus on my favourites for now.

Eriko's baggy, lavender and pale mint green-striped long-sleeved shirt with an orange overall-dress. Often worn with lavender or orange bedroom slippers as she mostly wears it at home, although she also wears it with red flat shoes outside.The same outfit previously described, from the side.The same outfit previously described, but shown from the back.The same outfit previously described but focused on the front.
Eriko in the same pink party dress described at the top of this page.
Eriko in a light mint green dress, with a frilly lace collar or perhaps scarf, tied in the center with a red rose-shaped decoration on top. Matching frilly white gloves. A white ribbon sash is tied around her waist and pulled into a big, showy bow at the back. Ankle-high white socks, matching light mint green flat shoes with red rose ornaments.Eriko in the mint green dress, side view.Eriko in the mint green dress, viewed from the back. Her usual red hair ribbons match the roses.

Sprites above are from Cherish (now defunct).


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