Hi! It’s Annie!
I’m going to take a slight break from all the K-Pop posts, mainly because I’m slightly getting over not getting BTS tickets (I did go to the LA one, so I’m honestly fine!) and I’m currently stuck in the music world of N.Flying. I swear I’ll find something else to discuss about them soon because I love their music so much! But right now, I’ve kind of been sitting on this idea for a while and I wanted to get it out there. I’ve mentioned very briefly in some of my past posts that I have an absolute love for pastel colors. In fact, a lot of my fashion style revolves around my love for pastel colors. This has been a more recent development over the past three or four years as I’ve started figuring out what I really like. And, as a giant geek, a lot of my style inspiration has actually come from fictional characters and the media that I consume. So, in this post I’m going to go over some fictional characters and one real person, who have influenced me and my love of pastels over the years by watching media that features them. Maybe it’ll even give you some inspiration!
Kat Hillard (and other Pink Rangers)- Power Rangers:
I think this is one of the most obvious ones from when I was a kid and it definitely still influences me. When I was a kid, I dressed a lot more tomboyish. But I wanted to dress more like the pink Power Rangers that I absolutely loved. And some of them definitely still inspire me. Some more than others, especially because I’m a lot more into softer pinks than redder pinks. Kat Hllard probably dressed the most in soft pinks (before Zeo), so she’s my primary example. She also dressed a bit less trendy and a bit more casually compared to Kimberly. But I think one of my favorite things about the Power Rangers in general is that all of their outfits change to heavily feature their ranger color. Tommy even makes a joke about having to buy more black in ‘Dino Thunder”. (How do you need to buy more black??) So, I definitely do enjoy constantly going around in pink and feeling a bit like I’m an actual Power Ranger in civilian clothing. Katherine alternated a lot between pants and skirts as well, which is something that I do. And her occasional headbands and scrunchies is something I have definitely adopted. I think if my ten year old self could see me now she would be overwhelmingly happy. When talking about pastels, it’s difficult to not mention an actual Pink Ranger.
Ann Takamaki- Persona 5:
Ann’s character is one of my favorites and there’s a lot that I love here aesthetically. Especially with her persona, Carmen. Ann dresses in a lot of reds and pinks, but what I like here is that Ann definitely has a comfy style to her. While Katherine is a lot more of a nice-casual, which is what I usually wear out, Ann is very realistic in her hoodie game. I just like that Ann is depicted in quite a few oversized comfy sweaters, because those are some of my absolute favorite things to wear. Ann’s casual looks do lean more towards the side of reds than pinks, and I honestly don’t wear a lot of red, but her hoodie and skirt style is something I wear a lot these days. Especially since we’re all still inside a lot. And the red and pink hearts and roses that adorn much of Ann’s aesthetic have definitely affected some of the patterns I look for on my pastel sweaters or hoodies. Either way, Ann is one of those characters I have picked up some inspiration for in my search for more and more pastels.
Seraphine- K/DA and League of Legends:
I have to mention the new Queen of pastels. Though I haven’t been a fan of her long, she has already become fictional fashion inspo for me. In fact, that’s partially how I picked her out as my favorite avatar in K/DA. Her hair alternates between pastel pink and pastel blue. What more could I ask for? The exact colors that they used are really soft so they are right up my alley, and she’s shown in a variety of styles because they try to use her as an idol. So she has home photos and idol photos. Her idol outfits are more bright and glamorous, with chokers and mini skirts, which I have definitely looked to for concert fits. But the photos that they release for her social media are a lot more oversized sweaters with cute dresses. Though she is fairly new and I am fairly new to her, it is very difficult for me to not mention this character when talking about pastels. Her entire aesthetic is pastels.
Ariel- The Little Mermaid:
I have to talk about another childhood style inspiration because this one goes with more of a beachy style that I adopt during the summer. Ariel also has a soft pink dress that I could definitely point to, but there’s also more to discuss here. Like the mermaid vibes and the more fantastical vibes. I love wearing flower crowns and bows every once in a while, and the princess vibes from Ariel covers that. But I live in California and I do tend to embrace the lighter sweaters and light blue sailer shorts that usually go along with something that feels more beach casual. Ariel is this very aesthetically pleasing mermaid and princess combo, and I go to that a lot. Though Ariel herself probably affects my hair inspiration more than anything else.
Qiu Ying- Gank Your Heart:
It’s kind of odd for me to mention this character because I wasn’t very fond of her in this C-Drama. Her character was kind of flighty and often blamed the male lead for things that were entirely and very clearly not his fault. But that’s besides the point. I owned a few pastel pieces before quarantine began, but I accumulated most of what I now regularly wear over quarantine. I wasn’t really into buying clothing for myself until I actually discovered that I had a sense of style that I felt really comfortable in. I knew that I liked pastels before, but I didn’t really know exactly what I liked. And part of me coming to realize that softer looks with pastels was part of my personal style was the entirety of Qiu Ying’s wardrobe in this drama. She constantly wore pastel pinks and blues and went for a much softer style. The oversized sweaters and cute smaller skirts that I’ve been talking about. Between her plain pastel hoodie, her oversized sweater covered in hearts, her soft pink leather jacket, and her pink and blue skater skirts; I had so much that I wanted to try. And I have more or less accumulated all of the items that I just mentioned. Am I ashamed of this? Not really. Honestly, this entire drama is part of the reason why my aesthetic is the way it is now. One of the main hang out spots in this drama is at this pastel pink shop that the characters were constantly ordering strawberry milkshakes from. And Qiu Ying’s apartment was just as pastel as her wardrobe was. Thank you Wang Yibo for introducing me to one of the most aesthetically pleasing shows I’ve ever seen in my life.
Farina Jo- YouTube Channel:
The channel is just her name if you were curious. This is a channel that I randomly found while looking up BTS concert videos and I’ve been following it ever since. It’s run by a German model named Farina and her boyfriend Dongin who is Korean but from Germany. Farina’s hair is usually dyed this very nice pastel pink. She also has amazing game when it comes to buying pastel oversized sweaters. Some of my favorite pieces I’ve seen her wear are this amazing cloud sweater, all of her fluffy pink ones as well, and she of course repped the strawberry dress that was flying across the internet for a while. The sweaters have to be my favorite though, they are definitely the cutest! I would also recommend checking out this channel because Farina and Dongin are nothing but adorable and sweet. It’s some really good wholesome entertainment.
So, if you’re also looking into getting into pastel fashion, I hope I’ve given you some places to start. I know I definitely needed some help to figure out exactly what kind of pieces I wanted and what I would rather pass up. I really do find that looking for pastels specifically can push you in some very specific directions. Pastel goth is one of the main things I’ve felt pushed onto me because of the lack of options, but that’s not exactly what I was personally going for. I find that having ideas to go off of really helps you get more specific so that you don’t feel you have to get a specific piece if you want to dress in pastel colors. Hopefully these inspirations will help you just as much as they helped me. Or maybe I just gave you a new aesthetic to be into! Either way, finding what you feel comfortable in can be tough. But having fictional characters and other media to help you find what you do like, is one of the main things that helped me find out more about myself!
See you across the pond!
Sincerely, Annie
Oreos & Peanut Butter 