Fly into the fluttering world of Fairy Kei, where pastel 80s cartoon vintage babies reign supreme with their colorful hair, My Little Pony pullovers, rainbow sparkled tutus, and pastel high tops.

Fairy Kei, a fashion blossoming out of the Material Girl days of the 80s, was first established in 2004 by Tokyo fashion icon Sayuri Tabuchi, aka Tavuch, the founder of the vintage and repurposed boutique, SPANK!

The “fantasy-styled” fashion depicts 80s and early 90s cartoons such as My Little Pony, Care Bears, and Rainbow Brite. Fairy Keis can be spotted from over a mile away with their radiating fluorescent pastel colors, shining bright for all to see.

Differing from Lolitas, Fairy Keis are unstructured free spirits who, according to Victoria Suzanne – a modern day princess, fashion model, and blogger – live by only one rule: to fit the aesthetics of “the vintage fantasy world…and (pastel) color pallet.”

Suzanne goes on to say that Fairy Kei fashion resembles “that slightly nerdy, overly energetic girl of the 80s…who’s got a great blonde Cali-girl teeny bopper vibe going on.” Suzanne references Karate Kids’ love intrest, Ali Mills, as a prime example.

Chunky pullovers or 80s cartoon graphic tees are typically layered with cardigans, sweaters, or baggy hoodies. Whimsical hair, big circle lenses, and retro circle lensed glasses appeal to the nerdiness of the look. Some of the key themes include, but are not limited to, unicorns, kittens, 80s vintage toys/franchises, moons, stars, rainbows, sweets, cotton candy, and conversation hearts. For shoes they’ll wear pastel high tops, or if they want to dress the look up, they’ll wear lifesize Barbie Doll shoes.

The majority of this look is DIY, Do-It-Yourself, because it is not “couture” based, meaning that not many stores carry items that are labeled “Fairy Kei.” However, SPANK! and Ticket to Darling, two used clothing stores located in Tokyo, Japan, do sell approximately 80% of vintage clothes that can fit well with the Fairy Kei aesthetics. The other 20% are repurposed vintage or handmade items, which also work well with this look. But, many Fairy Keis tend to have more fun creating their own clothes and accessories.

Suzanne makes an excellent point by emphasizing that “the best way to do Fairy-Kei is to observe all sorts of coordinates and media and then select what you like and make it your own.” Honestly, that thought really goes with all fashion: find something you like and then make it your own. Like I always say, the best person you can be is yourself.

With that said, stay tuned because next time I’ll be taking you through the glamorous life of a pin up girl.