Mori Girl vs. Cult Party Kei: How To Spot the Differences

(This post was updated in December 2018.)

In previous posts, I have talked about the differences between Mori Girl and two of its close cousins, Natural Kei and Dolly Kei. In this post, I'll talk about the final style in this series, Cult Party Kei. 

Cult Party Kei's silhouette consists of pastel colors, lots of layers, lacey and flowing vintage sheer covers, vintage pajamas, red accents, platform shoes, handmade accessories, tattoo tights or other wild types of tights, and often teddy bears or other kid like accessories. The name, as far as I can tell, stems from a shop in Harajuku called Cult Party (now the Virgin Mary). There is nothing "cult-like" about the style, other than the more traditional outfits sometimes featuring crosses as accessories. 

Unlike Mori Girl, Cult Party Kei can often give a very synthetic or pop feel. And often features shorter skirts, or more mainstream popular items in Harajuku (Platform shoes, tattoo tights, other j-fashion styles color palettes, etc.). Cult Party Kei often combines elements of other styles to make its own unique look.

Here are a few traditional examples:

And a few examples of designer Etsuna Otsuka whose recent interpretation of the style seems to be becoming more widely recognized as the new Cult Party Kei, according to recent street snaps:

Here are a few examples of hybrid styles between Mori and Cult Party. Notice the use of unnatural colors, printed tights, and synthetic material, while still retaining a Mori silhouette.

Mori Kitchen Adventures: Pumpkin Bread

The other day I was in the need of some good, homemade pumpkin bread. So I put on my vintage apron, and got to work making some!

Here is the recipe (from Better Homes and Gardens):

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar (I substituted regular sugar since I was out of brown sugar)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger or cloves (I used ginger)
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup shortening (I substituted butter)
Optional ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
Heat oven to 350 degrees, and in a large bowl combine 1 cup of the flour, the brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, and ginger or cloves. Add pumpkin, milk, eggs, and shortening.
Beat with an electric mixer on low speed till blended, then on high speed for 2 minutes. Add remaining flour; beat well. Stir in nuts and raisins.
Pour batter into greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 60 to 65 minutes or till a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Remove from the pan; cool thoroughly on a wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing. Makes 1 loaf (18 servings).

I accidentally missed the last cup of flour, so my bread was a little bit dense. However, I think that 2 cups of flour might actually be a little too much, so I would recommend a cup and a half. It was delicious and satisfied my pumpkin craving (for now). It also was a good snack to go with tea, and also made a delicious breakfast too!

A Few More Outfits

Another outfit dump. I post all my outfits on my instagram, forestsandtea, if you're interested.