There are a few key years that really defined popular items for OG Gyaru:
Remember this post (Deco Everything! A Decoden Evolution) a little while back? The first big boom in the Gyaru world happened in 1997 with cellphones. At the time, cellphone antennas could be customized, and Gals thought that people with long antennas were the coolest. Some of these antennas were recorded to be as long as 80 centimeters. Even though extending the antenna didn’t change the signal quality that much, at the time it was the best to extend the antenna to make a call! (If you’ve seen any 80’s and early 90’s shows like “Saved by the Bell”, you know what I mean). Even though it was a troublesome item, it was a bit of a status symbol amongst Gals in the early years; Bonus points if the antennas light up.
Sidenote to this before elaborating, but it’s said that the original EGG photographers sought out “flower girls,” which by the way, the origin book for EGG is called EGG Flowers soooo, it kind of makes sense and pairs up with this idea and trend.
Flowers became a big boom at the same time as the long antenna did. It was also the time when gals with flowers in their hair and leis hanging from their necks that looked like they had been to Hawaii were on the rise. Gals more serious in their style even wore flowers all over their necks, hair, and arms… At the same time, Hello Kitty merch was becoming more popular, and you could see Gals carrying Hello Kitty goods such as notebooks and mirrors. There’s a bit of a debate since this is around the time that Hello Kitty starts gaining popularity worldwide, but Gyaru as trendsetters and with Japan usually ahead of the curve, there’s a strong argument that Gyaru pioneered this trend.
Surf brands like Roxy were all the rage in 1998, so instead of mini skirts and tight tops, surfwear like jerseys 3x a Gal’s size, camis, and t-shirts were all the rage. Once the trend caught on in Shibuya, these windbreakers were renamed as Shakashakas for the sound they made when walking by, and they were proof of a Gal’s surf mastery if they owned one.
By 1999, Yamanbas were out in full force and back then, no black eyeliner was strong enough to be anti-sweat for Gals. This resulted in using markers, specifically the Mackee brand, to do their eyeliner. Of course, this shouldn’t be imitated now.
Once the Yamanba substyle died down, the black x gold x pink Gals came out (a bit of a prelude to the Ayu era). At that time, it was the theme of Gals to have items that would make a statement around them, so it was a boom to wear accessories, especially those that jingled; these could come in the form of rings, bracelets, and necklaces.
And that about sums up the major accessories that made up the OG Gal era. There are a lot more based on different substyles but they didn’t make as big a splash as these did.