Outfits, like all elements of character design, can be a hard thing to get right in anime. It's important to make the design interesting without it being too cluttered, while also taking into consideration the problem of complex costumes often being more difficult to animate with their patterns and small details.
A lot of design teams choose to go down the route of simple, bold minimalism, though some go in the opposite direction, creating looks that are totally mesmerizing in their complexity. Either way, there are a handful of anime that feature outfits to make any fashion-forward fans green with envy -- even if the animators weren't so enthralled.
10 xxxHolic's Yuko Always Dresses Impeccably
The manga artist group CLAMP is famous for its hyper-stylized character designs (perhaps most famously seen in Code Geass), which often serve as models for some truly outlandish outfits. One of their most stylish characters of all time is undoubtedly Yuko from xxxHolic, whose mysterious personality and wide variety of fashion statements make her hard to pin down.
Unfortunately, while the anime was able to depict her enormous wardrobe relatively faithfully, it just couldn't capture every tiny detail the way CLAMP's luxurious splash pages could.
9 Kill La Kill Shows Off Some Of Trigger's Fanciest Outfits
Kill La Kill is a show where the plot revolves around clothing, so it would be a travesty if it didn't feature some incredible outfits. Luckily, the design team at Studio Trigger more than rose to the occasion.
Of course, the most memorable outfit from the show is Ryuuko wearing Senketsu in his transformed form. However, there are plenty of other fashion highlights to be found in the series, such as Nonon's adorable marching band outfit (with lots of skeletal accents), Nui's Lolita fashion-inspired explosion of frills (complete with an eyepatch in the shape of her name).
8 Shugo Chara's Aesthetic Is "Magical Girl Meets Punk Rock"
Almost all magical girl shows would be eligible for this list, as the outfits they feature are a big part of their appeal, with plenty of frills, ruffles, and bows to go around. But special mention has to go to Shugo Chara, the popular manga and anime series, because protagonist Amu's great fashion can be seen even before she transforms into a magical girl.
With her unique punk aesthetic, Amu can usually be seen wearing at least one studded belt and statement hair accessory -- she even customizes her school uniform! Add in her typically gorgeous magical girl outfits, and this show is one of the genre's biggest fashion statements.
7 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Has Some Brilliantly Bizarre Outfits
Part of what makes the phenomenally popular JoJo's Bizarre Adventure stand out among other shonen series is its famously colorful and over-the-top aesthetic, with even minor characters given outfits with plenty of little details. There's a huge variation in aesthetics as well -- compare, for example, Josuke's Japanese school uniform-inspired outfit to Jolyne's gothic stylings.
And that's without even getting into the design of the Stands. With the adaption of the Stone Ocean arc coming soon, fans can look forward to seeing even more wacky outfits brought to life.
6 Ouran High School Host Club Is One Big Game Of Dress-Up
Since it's a show about a group of young men trying to charm as many young ladies as possible, it's not surprising that Ouran High School Host Club delights in dressing the members of the Host Club up in outfits that vary from traditional kimonos to police uniform cosplay.
Even the students' default school uniforms are definitely on the fancy side, with all the (many, many) fangirls wearing ballgown-inspired dresses with puffy skirts and sleeves. No wonder Haruhi starts off the series feeling a little out of place.
5 Demon Slayer's Outfits Bring Traditional Japanese Style To Modern Shonen
In a lot of recent modern shonen series, such as Jujutsu Kaisen or The Promised Neverland, most of the main characters wear some variation on the same outfit. While this gives each show a strong sense of identity, it can also mean that the outfit designs are a little dull.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba gets around this problem by having many of the demon slayers wear brightly-colored haori with intricate and unique patterns. Special mention goes to those of Shinobu and Kanae Kocho, with their gorgeous patterns resembling butterfly wings.
4 Black Butler's Period Costumes Are Devilishly Good
Victorian-era period clothing is a firm favorite among fashionistas, and it's not hard to see why -- profusions of ruffles, velvet, and cravats make such costumes a feast for the eyes. The Gothic aesthetic of Black Butler takes this style and runs with it, with its character designs looking like what would happen if Oscar Wilde went on a shopping trip to Hot Topic.
The manga that birthed this classic early-2000s anime is still going strong after 15 years, and a big part of that is due to just how fun it is to look at it.
3 Rozen Maiden Features Perfectly Dressed-Up Dolls
Rozen Maiden is the story of Jun, a withdrawn teenager whose life becomes a lot more complicated when he becomes involved in the Alice Game, a series of competitive battles. That might sound like an ordinary anime plot, but there's a twist -- all the participants in the Alice Game are sentient dolls, battling for the prize of becoming a real girl.
Fittingly, all of these dolls are decked out in gorgeous outfits. The popular Gothic Lolita fashion movement takes much of its inspiration from Victorian dolls, and that style is exemplified by every one of the maidens' frills and bows.
2 Cardcaptor Sakura Has An Unlimited Wardrobe
Most magical girls have their one signature outfit, but Sakura Kinomoto, the heroine of the iconic magical girl series Cardcaptor Sakura, gets a new one every episode!
This is thanks to her loveable friend Tomoyo, who sees Sakura becoming a magical girl as the perfect opportunity to practice her design skills. There's no doubt, however, that the real reason for Tomoyo's love of fashion is that creative team CLAMP wanted an excuse to draw an endless supply of their signature elaborate outfits. It certainly paid off, and it's one of the reasons Cardcaptor Sakura is so beloved.
1 The Rose Of Versailles Shows What True Luxury Looked Like
The classic shojo series The Rose of Versailles is considered one of the best works in the genre for multiple reasons -- its engaging story, its powerful and fascinating main female character, and its beautiful art. But part of this last element that isn't discussed enough is the truly sumptuous gowns on display throughout the series, which (while not all historically accurate) capture all the excesses of the last days of the French royalty.
There aren't many anime set in 18th century France, and there aren't likely to be many more, so these outfits truly stand out as being unlike anything else out there.