Skirt Suits As School Uniforms
In the same way that elementary school students have their toddler backpack and middle/high school boys have their gakuran, middle and high school girls in Japan have a special type of skirt suit for a uniform.
Previously, the common uniform for girls was the sailor outfit, which like the gakuran comes from traditional military style uniforms. While it is not uncommon to see this uniform still in use in the schools, it is becoming more popular to use a more westernized style of the uniform consisting of a white blouse, blazer (usually with the school crest emblazoned on it), tie, and skirt. This is very similar to the boy’s version of this uniform which consists of a white shirt, blazer, tie, and slacks.
Both the sailor outfit and the more modern uniforms are sometimes modified or worn in a way that does not satisfy the dress code. The uniforms might be different among schools, but the similarity of the uniforms within a school makes it difficult to express oneself through clothing. Sometimes things like charms are attached, different color or style socks are worn, or a skirt is not worn at the proper height.
Japanese school girls in uniform - Tokyo
One of the reasons the uniforms may have become such a symbol of school in Japan is because they represent one’s time in school. Just like seeing someone wearing a shirt or sweatshirt with your alma mater brings back memories of time in college, seeing students in the school uniforms brings back memories of time in middle in high school. This is actually similar to the way a randoseru might be kept as a keepsake after elementary school in order to be reminded of the carefree times.
Similar to uniforms in other parts of the world, students sometimes like wearing them because it is much easier to put on a uniform everyday than worry about picking out an outfit. Some parents feel that this keeps students from being stereotyped based on their appearance. Based on the ways the uniforms are modified though, it seems students are willing to show their individuality by any means necessary. It has also managed to become an icon of beauty and some students elect to wear them when they are not required.
Also similar to the gakuran, there are designer skirt suits available in different schools. These might differ from the normal uniforms in that they use different materials or are of a higher quality. Whichever type is worn, these have managed to become an interesting symbol of youth and beauty in Japan and around the world.
A Black Suit Jacket Called A Gakuran
Similar to the way elementary school students in Japan seem to have the coolest type of toddler backpack, boys in middle and high school have a very cool suit jacket called a gakuran (学ラン). These jackets showed up at the end of the nineteenth and century were modeled after the Prussian military uniforms because their army was particularly strong at the time.
The term comes from a combination of he character for study or student (学) and the one that traditionally meant the west (蘭). The second character is now written in katakana and comes together with the first character to roughly mean Western uniform. This second kanji has come to mean the Netherlands in the current day and age.
I’m not sure how common this practice is now, but it is customary for a boy to give the second button of the top of his uniform to a girl as a display of his affection. According to Wikipedia this may have come from a novel by Daijun Takeda. To me this tradition seems like a good match for the slick gakuran jackets and I’m curious to hear how effective it actually is.
The black suit jacket has a tall stiff collar and brass buttons that usually have the emblem of the school and is generally paired with black slacks, a belt, and dark shoes. There are many ways that the uniform can be modified to let one’s personality show through. For example, leaving the top buttons unbuttoned can create a bad boy image.
In addition to the standard uniforms there are sometimes versions available from designer labels. Higher quality uniforms are also offered by schools in some cases to attract new students. The gakuran might just be popular as a school uniform in Japan, but the black suits probably offer a cool enough image to make their way to other parts of the world in due time.
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