Seifuku

Seifuku (制服) (lit Sailor Fuku) is the Japanese term for School Uniforms.

In the late 19th century, Japan introduced school uniforms and based the design of the female uniform on late Victorian/early 20th-century girl fashions (which were themselves based on European naval uniforms), replacing the traditional kimono. The Japanese Junior-high-school and Senior-high-school uniform traditionally consisted of these "navy style" uniforms for boys and girls (with seasonal variations for summer and winter).

Today, school uniforms are almost universal in the Japanese public and private school systems although the Seifuku uniform design is on the decline, with the Seifuku now becoming largely worn in middle/junior high schools, whereas high schools have shifted towards more fashionable styles of uniform, often with tailored blazers, vests, neckties, and plaid skirts (These uniforms have become known as "Blazer-style" uniforms). Schools lower than high school (like Elementary schools), if they have a uniform, tend towards collarless jackets and skirts with suspenders.

Trivia

 * All schools have a summer version of their uniform (usually consisting of just a white dress shirt and the uniform slacks for boys and a reduced-weight traditional uniform or blouse and tartan skirt with tie for girls) and a sports-activity uniform (a polyester track suit for year-round use and a t-shirt and short pants for summer activities).
 * The traditional male counterpart to the Seifuku is the "Gakuran": a black male uniform with long sleeves and legs and a high collar, based on Prussian officer uniforms.
 * In modern day, as a form of rebellion and expression of individuality and style, some girls raise the skirt of their uniforms higher than is uniformly appropriate to show more leg.
 * In the '70s and late '80s, the common image of a "Sukeban" or "Female delinquent" was a girl in a Seifuku with an extremely long skirt that reached down to her shoes.
 * Kogal (コギャル, kogyaru) is a Japanese fashion culture that involves schoolgirls wearing an outfit based on their school uniforms but with very short skirts. The girls may also wear loose socks and scarves, and have dyed hair.