Offbrand Vs Himekaji: Cardigans

I was chatting with a friend of mine the other day about offbrand cardigans and why they were the bane of my early himekaji coords.

As a habitual sweater wearer, I tend to feel a little naked if I don't have some kind of outer layer. Because of that I already had tons of cardigans when I was first starting to build my himekaji wardrobe. They're soft and comfy, but a little dressier compared to sweatshirts, and more convenient than pullovers. Surely these qualities make cardigans perfect for himekaji! Or so I thought, as I shoehorned all my vaguely himekaji colored cardigans into my wardrobe. Cardigans can look really cute in a himekaji coord and there are tons of good examples out there. However, just because it's a cardigan, doesn't mean it will fit with your wardrobe automatically. At their worst, offbrand cardigans can make a perfectly cute coord look ill fitting and cheap. Please learn from my mistakes as I teach you about the key features of brand cardigans and what to look for in your offbrand endeavors!

Arm and Shoulder Fit

Most western brand cardigans have fairly form fitting sleeves. This is fine in western fashion where there isn't usually too much bulk in the shoulder area. The problem for himekaji is that typical features like puff sleeves, shoulder ruffles, sleeve cuff ribbons, or slouch shoulders are going to have a tough time fitting without some extra room in your sleeves.

In contrast, most brand cardigans will have puff or gathered sleeves that are full in the shoulder and pinch in at the wrist, leaving ample room in the arm and shoulder for all the details to fit under smoothly without getting squished. The poofy sleeve silhouette also creates a cute girly feeling which himekaji is all about. Sleeves with a small gather at the shoulder as well as the cuff will give the most fullness as well as the cutest silhouette!

Texture and Weight

Brand sweaters also tend to be made of thicker fabric on average compared to western brands. Chunky knits with cute designs seem especially common, but even a basic stocking stitch sweater will usually use thicker fibers than your average western mall or thrift find. If your sweater is too thin, you'll have the same problem of details from your blouse or dress poking through and create awkward lumps.

Length

Himekaji skirts and dresses almost always synch at the waist, so a short cardigan that's cropped at about that length will usually be the most flattering! Unfortunately the majority of offbrand sweaters in the west will fall at about hip length, which can undermine the synched waist silhouette that himekaji often creates. Clobbering your natural waist in a cardigan on top of the bulk of all the ruffles on your shoulder and hips can create an awkward blocky figure, so finding a shorter cardigan that stops around your waist can be quite important!

On the other hand, extra long robe length cardigans are also quite trendy and common in himekaji coords! I still have no idea how to wear those though, so I'll write about those some other time 

Details

Other than the basic shape, the line between normie and himekaji is all in the details! Ruffles, lace, ribbons, hearts, pearls, and sparkly things can also totally transform a sweater. Some of these details will be built into the pattern itself, but a lot of these details can also be added to a plainer sweater with a good enough basic silhouette! For example:

• Switching the buttons for heart, crystal, or pearl buttons
• Adding ribbons to the sleeves or placket (the part with the buttons)
• Adding ribbon lacing
• Adding lace ruffle to the collar, placket, or cuffs

Himekajiable Offbrand Cardigans

All of this being said, that doesn't mean that no western brand sweaters are himekaji-able! There's plenty of options out there especially as frills and lace continue to be somewhat popular in mainstream western fashion! Here are a few examples I found on google as of Summer 2021:

Zara

Ruffles

 Peter pan collar

H&M

 Fluffy fabric

 Puff sleeves (near cuffs)

Target

 Puff sleeves (near cuffs)

 Plain sweater that could be a good base for DIY decorations

As non-print items, it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that any offbrand cardigan will do for your himekaji coords. On the contrary, sweaters have such a variety of details which are just as important to the look and feel of your coords, so just as much care should be taken when shopping for offbrand items as any other wardrobe staple! Especially if you're first starting out, I would strongly encourage you to buy at least one or two himekaji brand cardigans whether brand new or second hand, and only use off brand items as a supplement to your wardrobe. Having a couple of genuine Liz Lisa or related brand items in your wardrobe will help you a ton when comparing off brand items and hunting for easier to acquire himekajiable pieces!

Have you fallen prey to the cardigan trap like I did? Please show me your best and worst cardigan coords in the comments!