Every second Monday of January, the streets of Japan are overrun with gaggles of giggling girls running or rather hobbling about in gorgeously decorated kimonos. They are celebrating their coming of age their rite of passage into adulthood with all of its wonders and horrors of drinking, smoking, and voting though many have probably been indulging in the former two activities for quite sometime.
Become familiar with variations of style in the Harajuku district. It's impossible to pinpoint one "Harajuku style." Many styles have originated or developed on the streets of Harajuku, and many Harajuku girls (and boys) integrate one or more of these somewhat more defined styles into their outfits.
Dress in layers.
One of the hallmarks of Harajuku is layering. Sweaters, vests, or jackets over blouses over t-shirts, dresses worn with leggings, and so on. Layering clothes (or giving the appearance of layering by wearing ruffled dresses, for example) allows you to mix and match a wider variety of different styles, and adds more dimension to your outfit.
Recently you might have heard a certain Hip Hop Rapper, Nicki Minaj using the phrase “Harajuku Barbie” on her interviews or typed it on her twitter page, but the first big star that really popularized the word in the United States, and even made a song with her dancers “The Harajuku Girls” was Gwen Stefani. Gwen Stefani is a fashion icon in her own right, so it was only right she brought the term to light over here.