To say that Sailor Moon was one of the most influential anime series of the 1990s would be an understatement. Not only did it influence the magical girl genre, but it also was many children's introduction to Japanese animation. Before being shown on Cartoon Network alongside other influential series like Dragon Ball Z, the idea that a group of teenage girls could fight monsters with magical powers was something almost unheard of in the West.
While being hailed as a childhood staple for many, one aspect of the series, and particularly the anime, that gets little attention is the fashion of the characters. Avid fans of the series will know that Naoko Takeuchi is herself a huge fan of high fashion and took inspiration from the runway when illustrating her characters and designing outfits for them, including Princess Serenity's iconic dress.
One of the most notable examples of this is an illustration of Sailor Pluto wearing a black Chanel dress adorned with chains from the Spring 1992 collection. This same dress has been making the rounds on the Internet in recent months, bringing it back into the mainstream consciousness. Takeuchi was such a fan that she paid homage to it in illustrative form.
This not only shows Takeuchi's devotion to high fashion, but it also subtly tells viewers more about the character of Sailor Pluto. It tells them that Sailor Pluto is someone who also loves fashion, and her wardrobe throughout the anime series backs this up. As YouTuber ModernGurlz points out in a video on the Chanel chain dress, Sailor Pluto has a more sophisticated style compared to the other scouts, as she is the oldest of the group. Fashion is even listed as one of her favorite things in a character profile.
While each character has a signature color in their uniform, they also have distinctive and individual fashion styles. Usagi wears playful outfits that show off her child-like nature. While she doesn't exclusively wear clothing one would associate with a child, they are usually age-appropriate for a 14-year-old. She tends to wear warmer colors like reds, oranges and yellows but can also be seen wearing blue or green on occasion. She also wears a lot of pink, her signature color. The style of clothing she wears usually involves skirts and shorts with bows or ruffles, sometimes pairing them with thigh-high socks. She'll often pair her outfits with tennis shoes or flats but will occasionally wear heels. She also wears a lot of pinafores.
Ami, on the other hand, wears clothes that tend to be a bit on the more subdued side, yet still stylish. Her skirts tend to fall just above the knee and she will often tie a sweater around her shoulders, giving off a mature, collegiate feel. There are times when she wears a shorter skirt or shorts, but she typically pairs these with long-sleeved tops to maintain a more conservative style. Her dresses are reminiscent of those worn in the 1950s, with a belt around the waist and the skirt flaring out. Of course, many of her outfits feature her trademark blue color, but she also ventures into other colors like orange, brown and red.
Rei brings a more mature style with her wardrobe. Her clothing often accentuates her figure or shows off her legs. She is known for wearing heels with most of her outfits, which is also seen in her Senshi form. She wears lots of mini-skirts, tights, form-fitting tops and other clothes that one would likely associate more with a young woman than a high school freshman. Rei's style is that of someone who wants to come off as more mature than her peers. She's also one of the few main characters shown wearing blue jeans more than once. One of her most iconic outfits from the show is a pink pair of overalls over a white tank top with the legs rolled up, paired with white tennis shoes. This is one of the rarer examples of Rei taking on a more childlike sense of fashion.
Being the designated tomboy of the group, Makoto is the one who most often sports jeans or pants. However, she enjoys wearing more feminine styles as well. Like Rei, she tends to prefer styles that accentuate her legs, so she is often seen wearing shorts, pencil skirts, mini-skirts and mini-dresses. She usually pairs these with a pair of ankle boots, tennis shoes or flats. Many of her outfits are sporty in nature, even when on the more feminine side. One outfit in particular -- an orange halter top with yellow high-waisted pants and white flats -- appears to be an homage to 1950s summer fashion.
Of all the Senshi, Minako's style is most similar to that of Usagi's. There's even an instance in Episode 101 where she wears the exact same outfit that Usagi owns and wears in Episode 17; a blue pinafore over a white tank top. However, this doesn't mean that her wardrobe is exactly the same as Usagi's. While similar, there are some major differences. Out of the Inner Senshi, she is the one most likely to keep up with fashion trends and styles, given that her dream is to become an idol. She likes to wear clothes with lots of frills and ribbons, coming off as the most traditionally feminine of the group. She wears plenty of dresses and skirts but occasionally shorts, usually paired with a jean or leather jacket. Where Usagi's style is more reminiscent of childhood and innocence, Minako's is trendier and more likely to be found on a magazine cover.
The Sailor Moon anime is a time capsule in terms of 90s anime trends and fashion. While viewers get glimpses of the girls' various personalities and stylistic choices in the manga, the anime expanded on them and let the girls express themselves to a greater extent. Few pieces of media use fashion as an extension of the character and more as a status symbol. Naoko Takeuchi's love of fashion was translated into the anime, and it has led to a cult following of its own as a result.
