Anime With the Best Fashion: 5 Picks and What to Notice

Choose by the kind of fashion you enjoy

This is a fashion-focused selection, not an objective ranking of animation quality or a claim that every show suits every viewer. Read the programme’s synopsis and rating when choosing what to watch. Streaming availability varies by country.

Five anime worth watching for the clothes

1. NANA — best for contrasting personal styles

Ai Yazawa’s story brings together Nana Osaki, who pursues music, and Nana “Hachi” Komatsu, who arrives in Tokyo with different hopes. Their contrasting clothes make it a useful choice when you want to see how two people can inhabit the same world while dressing very differently.

What to notice: compare the visual weight of dark, punk-influenced pieces with softer, more romantic combinations. Look at the whole relationship between top, skirt or trousers, shoes and accessories rather than searching only for one famous necklace.

Try afterwards: choose either a dark graphic top with a simple lower half or a soft cardigan with a patterned skirt. Our Nana Osaki guide and Hachi outfit guide turn those directions into everyday formulas.

2. Paradise Kiss — best for design-led drama

Yukari is drawn into a group of aspiring fashion designers and becomes involved in modelling their work. Clothing is central to the story rather than decorative background, making this a strong choice if the process and ambition behind a look interest you.

What to notice: how a dramatic silhouette changes the mood before you examine its small details. Ask whether the strongest effect comes from volume, a fitted waist, a colour contrast or the relationship between several pieces.

Try afterwards: make one item the focal point and simplify everything around it. If you want a follow-up watch rather than an outfit, our anime like Paradise Kiss guide compares related viewing choices.

3. Sailor Moon — best for colourful casual inspiration

Usagi Tsukino and the Sailor Guardians have magical identities, but the everyday clothes are a separate pleasure. Fashion coverage has highlighted the series’ casual knits, tops and skirts as well as its more elaborate designs.

What to notice: a simple outfit can become memorable through a colour pairing. Separate civilian outfits from uniforms and transformation costumes when collecting ideas.

Try afterwards: pair one pastel top with white and blue denim or a plain skirt. Our casual Usagi outfit guide gives three ways to do that without a costume.

4. Princess Jellyfish — best for turning an interest into design

Tsukimi’s love of jellyfish becomes connected with dressmaking through her encounters with Kuranosuke. The appeal is seeing an unusual personal fascination become a clothing idea, rather than treating fashion as something only confident insiders understand.

What to notice: how a reference can suggest shape, layers and movement without becoming a literal printed picture. A jellyfish-inspired dress is a useful prompt to think about form, not just decoration.

Try afterwards: choose one quality from something you love—a soft colour, a rounded shape or a repeated line—and use it in an ordinary outfit. You do not need to reproduce a whole dress.

5. Smile Down the Runway — best for fashion ambition

Chiyuki Fujito wants to become a model, while Ikuto Tsumura has a talent for design. Their goals make this a useful pick if you want fashion work and ambition to drive the story.

What to notice: how an outfit is made to work on a particular wearer. Instead of assuming a striking design must suit everyone identically, consider proportion, movement and the intended presentation.

Try afterwards: change one fit relationship in an outfit you own: jacket length above jeans, a tucked versus untucked tee, or the amount of room in a sleeve. Compare the result while moving, not only standing.

Borrow one idea instead of copying everything

Pick a single direction after watching: dark contrast, pastel colour, a strong silhouette or a layered texture. Test it with familiar clothes. This keeps the reference useful even when an anime garment would be impractical for your day.

Two small starting points from the store

Build the outfit

Black guitar-print tank

Use this for a music-led dark outfit: the white graphic provides contrast above plain dark jeans, with an open cardigan if needed. It is a contemporary styling option, not NANA merchandise or a replica.

Check the cropped length and your preferred underlayer before choosing a size.

View black guitar-print tank

Build the outfit

Pale pink top with a small bow

For a softer, Usagi-inspired colour exercise, pair this pink top with your own blue jeans or navy skirt. Let the lace and bow be the only decorative focal point.

This is ordinary contemporary clothing, not licensed Sailor Moon merchandise. Compare its garment length with your preferred waistband height.

View pale pink top with a small bow

Choose a show for the story and the clothes you enjoy noticing. If an outfit idea stays with you afterwards, start with that one detail rather than buying a whole character wardrobe.

Reference notes: VIZ’s official NANA and Sailor Moon introductions; Aniplex’s Paradise Kiss introduction; Crunchyroll’s Princess Jellyfish and Smile Down the Runway episode descriptions; Vogue Singapore’s anime-fashion feature. “Best” categories and styling exercises are our editorial judgement. No official affiliation is implied.