Today I want to talk about one of my biggest inspirations for hime gyaru, Ayano Tokumaru.
She was a hime gyaru back in the height of the substyle in the later 2000s and early 2010s. As a shop assistant at La Pafait, one of the biggest hime gyaru brands of the time (and my personal favorite), she was practically a celebrity. Like with many other shop assistants at the time, girls would sometimes come to the store just to see Ayano. She was also featured in several videos from Kawaii International and TokyoMoEStyle.
Ayano was sweet and friendly with a bright smile. She even spoke in a cute and dainty way. Interviewers often described her as charismatic. According to Kawaii International's “All About Shop Girls” she had over 500 personal customers. Not only did the girls love her princess style coordinates, they also enjoyed the way she talked to them like they were friends.
One of my personal favorite things about Ayano is how she styled her outfits. She often wore the latest designs from La Pafait along with her big lashes and even bigger hair. With her personal flair for fashion and over four years of work experience as of 2013, Ayano knew just how to style her customers. In an episode of Kawaii International that collaborated with a German TV series called Red, Ayano and another La Pafait shop assistant gave the show host a hime makeover. For a long time on YouTube, you could also find a Kawaii International episode where Ayano gave a tutorial for her signature “hime mori” hair style using four different types of wig pieces.
Another way Ayano Tokumaru interacted with her fans and other hime gyarus was through her blog she had on dc log for several years. She had posts varying from lip product recommendations, to pictures of her diy’s, to answers to questions from commenters. She wrote a little about being the manager at La Pafait and posted pictures of her co*des (or coordinates).
Though she is no longer active and it's nearly impossible to find her blog posts now, Ayano Tokumaru left her mark on the hime gyaru community with her fashion sense and her kind personality. You can still find a lot of photos of her and watch some interviews featuring her online.
