Japanese Fashion - School Uniform

Japan introduced Western style school uniforms in the late 19th century as a part of its modernization program. Today, school uniforms are almost universal in the public and private school systems. They are also used in some women's colleges.

The Japanese junior and senior high school uniform traditionally consists of a military style uniform (gakuran) for boys and a sailor dress (sailor fuku) for girls. Many schools have moved into more western pattern parochial school uniform styles in order to make a departure from the decidedly military appearance of the traditional uniform. These uniforms consist of a white dress shirt, necktie, blazer with school crest and dress trousers (often not of the same color as the blazer) for boys and a white blouse, necktie, blazer with school crest and tartan skirt for girls. Schools usually have a summer version of the uniform.

Japanese High School Girls
The school uniform is an established part of Japanese life and has become a recognized fashion style in its own right. Many teenage girls wear their uniforms even on weekends and non-school days, making alterations such as wearing skirts mini length and adding "accessories" such as Burberry scarves (always worn with the label showing) and loose socks.

School uniforms & popular culture
Stylized school uniforms are prominent for instance in the Japanese comic Sailor Moon, or in Cardcaptor Sakura, as well as Ling Xiaoyu and Miharu Hirano's school uniforms in the Tekken games. Asuka Kazama's school uniform is a different style than Xiaoyu and Miharu's school uniforms, however (examples of this uniform include Lori's (Shiori) school uniform seen in an episode of Zatch Bell!).

School uniforms have also become something of a fetish item, with used school uniforms being offered for sale.

Loose socks
Loose socks are a type of sock that is popular among young Japanese girls.

They are nearly always white and are very long, in some cases up to almost 2 meters. They are usually worn below the knee, and are held up with a special adhesive called "socks glue" or "sock touch". They are similar in appearance to leg warmers.

Some high school girls like wearing loose socks together with their school uniforms. Certain schools don't allow students to wear loose socks at school, so it is quite common to see girls changing socks in cafes, on trains, or on the street.