LET’S FACE IT, every teenage girl is looking to add a little glamour to her life. And all the popular guys—whether they want to admit it or not—are conscious of the way they look. They may put a lot of effort into looking as if they don’t care about their appearance, but they do. The popular boys and girls of manga have expensive taste, and the good thing is this: It doesn’t cost any more to draw an obscenely expensive Italian outfit than a pair of polyester pants. So, go for the bells and whistles.
Just as proportions and height differ from one age to another, clothing styles also change as characters grow and interests and activities develop.
An older teen wears cooler clothes than he did when he was a kid. And any teen wears cooler clothes than me! Note how clothing style changes to suit the various stages of life of the same character.
PLAY CLOTHES (OVERALLS)
Clothes are purely functional at this stage.
PRETEEN CASUAL
These are rough-and-tumble clothes.
SCHOOL SPORTS UNIFORM
Clothes now indicate belonging to a group.
COOL TEEN CASUAL
Clothes help him carve out his own identity.
Unlike boys’ clothes, girls’ clothes are a fashion statement at every stage of life. They start off as one-piece items and become separate, mix-and-match garments as girls get older.
PRETTY TODDLER DRESS
Note the comfort toy.
PRETEEN SPORTY
Sidewalk sports are popular activities for youngsters—and good opportunities to draw action.
TEEN CASUAL
Note the heart belt buckle.
COOL TEEN CASUAL
The jeans alone set her parents back over 150 bucks! Believe me, I know.
An enormous number of manga stories are set in Japanese high schools, where specific styles of Japanese school uniforms are the norm for girls. So, let’s familiarize ourselves with the look of the popular school uniforms, starting with the girls.
TRADITIONAL
All buttoned up in a jacket and pleated skirt that falls to just above the knees.
CASUAL
Sweater vest and short-sleeve shirt, with a slightly shorter pleated skirt and long leggings. The shoes are more playful and have ribbons on them. And instead of the tie worn with a traditional uniform, a ribbon is tied around the collar.
SPORTY
A loose, carefree shirt cut off just above the waistline, with leggings that go up to just below the knees and loosely laced-up shoes.
Most teenage boys are sort of … um … slobs. Come on, admit it. But there are exceptions. Every school has a few guys all the girls have crushes on. And all the other characters are jealous of these guys. These lady-killers are always tall and thin. Their outfits are sharp and formfitting. These guys look like they just fell out of a men’s fashion magazine.
FORMAL/ELEGANT
A classic double-breasted, buttoned-up jacket, with a buttoned-up shirt and tie. Draw a pronounced crease going down the length of each pant leg.
BAD-BOY CHIC
Make his outfit dark and a bit racy for school. His attitude is this: If you don’t think his clothes are respectful enough, too bad! He wears a crewneck shirt and sneakers.
PREPPY
An open jacket and a vest over a shirt and tie. Collegiate, simple, and straightforward.
Be sure to change the hairstyle to match the change in outfits so that it reflects the mood of each character and of the clothes.
Outside of school, the uniforms come off and the trendy clothes go on. Remember, Tokyo is one of the major fashion cities of the world, along with New York, London, Paris, and Rome. People there gobble up the latest trends from all around the globe, and this is reflected in what they wear.
When the outfits are stylish enough to look like they came straight off the runways, the characters wearing them should be either older teens or, more likely, twentysomethings. Characters in their midteens still need to retain some of their childhood innocence. That’s what makes them interesting. Also, midteens haven’t yet developed the body language to pull off the slightly disinterested poses that more sophisticated women in these haute couture clothes are so good at.
One of the more popular genres in manga is a subgenre of shoujo (girls’ manga) called magical girls. Magical girls are ordinary schoolgirls who, usually by accident, discover that they can transform into superempowered, idealized versions of themselves. In this transformed state, they appear in hyperglamorized school uniforms. You can get very creative in designing these. Keep in mind that the long, flowing, fanciful hair is also an integral part of the magical girl look.
CLASSIC
