I uploaded a new video on my youtube channel discussing how to wear mori in the winter. I noticed that a lot of mori folk complain about not being able to wear mori when it's cold outside, and I thought that was such a shame. I know I made a quick post about this in the past, but I thought I'd go more in-depth with this video.
I hope you all enjoy! If you have any other post or video ideas you'd like me to address, I'd love to hear them!
Winter has officially made its way to where I live, so it's time for another activities list! I hope you enjoy these ideas, and if you have any of your own please feel free to share!
Make seasonal decorations
You can find some Pinterestideas here for different wintery themed decorations that you can make that have a very mori kei feel, and make your home feel cozy and festive! (If the links don't work, or you don't want to use Pinterest, some good search terms for ideas are "natural Christmas decoration" or "winter solstice decorations".)
Get out into nature, bundle up in warm clothes, and have some fun in the snow. You could build a snowman, make a snow angel, have a snowball fight, or simply enjoy a walk through the snow-covered forest.
The internet is full of different recipes on how to roast nuts at home. It's a fun activity to get you into the winter mood when it's too cold to go outside, and you get a delicious treat to eat afterward!
Paper snowflakes are fun to make, and pretty to look at and display in your home. You can either make them from scratch, and see what lovely designs you can create, or you can search for paper snowflake templates for some wonderful results.
What are some mori-esque winter activities that you enjoy! I'd love to hear about them! (Also, if you've also made a post with mori activities for winter, or any other season, link to it down below! I'd love to check out other peoples ideas for mori themed activities.)
Today's Mori Music Find is Vashti Bunyan. Vashti is actually quite popular amongst the mori community, so you may have heard of her before. She is an artist with a bit of a cult following, and she is considered the mother of 'freak folk'. Her music was originally unnoticed when published in the 1960s, and was rediscovered in recent years through old records. However, although people began to enjoy her music and sought out her recordings, she herself was unaware of it. When someone made her aware that her music was becoming popular, she was rather surprised! But after finding that out, she began to produce more music and began touring while in her 70s. Her music is soft, relaxing, and pleasant to listen to, and she's definitely one of my favorites.
Have you ever heard of Vashti Bunyan? If so, how did you like her music? If not, I hope you enjoy! Happy listening!
Occasionally these days I'll see posts on Mori Kei blogs about different activities that fit the mori kei aesthetic, but it's nothing like it used to be. In days past, you could find posts about mori kei activities on every mori blog. I used to really enjoy posts like that, so I thought, why not start my own series with mori activities you can try to get you into the mori aesthetic! I decided to start with activities catered to each season, but I'll also be posting a list of more general activities for all year round soon. Let's start with fall!
Take a walk and view the beautiful colors of the autumn leaves.
What are some mori-esque fall activities that you enjoy! I'd love to hear about them! (Also, if you've also made a post with mori activities for fall, or any other season, link to it down below! I'd love to check out other peoples ideas for mori themed activities.)
Today's Mori Music Find is Akdong Musician. Akdong Musician is made up of two siblings from Korea who write their own music. They gained prominence when they won first place on the "Kpop Star 2" tv show. Their music is very happy and very fun to listen to. Their first album is my favorite (and the most mori sounding in my opinion), but all of their music is very well made and I'd highly recommend it.
Have you ever heard of Akdong? If so, how did you like them? If not, I hope you enjoy! Happy listening!
In all of my years writing a Mori focused blog, I have yet to make an introductory post to Mori kei. This is because until recently I just didn't feel the need to. There were already hundreds of blog posts about the subject, and they covered it pretty extensively. However, most Mori blogs are starting to shut down or become inactive, so I think now is a good time for me to compile everything in one place so that none of it is lost. So, without further ado, here is an introduction to Mori kei.
History:
Mori kei, first known as Mori Girl, was created around 2006 when a Japanese woman named Choco made a Mori girl community on Mixi (Mixi is similar to Facebook). There had been a few girls who had been wearing the style in Harajuku (the Japanese fashion district) before this, but Choco gave it an official name and created a list of rules for the style. These rules were a loose guideline, and not even the original Mori Girls followed them completely, but regardless, they gave a basis for what the style was and wasn't. "Mori" is a Japanese word meaning "forest", so the original style name was, essentially, "forest girl". The style later developed its second name, Mori Kei, kei meaning something close to "style", by those looking to make it more inclusive. It also spurred some sub-cultures, such as Hama Kei (ocean style), Yama Kei (mountain style), Dark Mori Girl, Mori Gyaru, and Mori Boy. However, none of these styles compared to the popularity which Mori Girl would eventually develop.
After the creation of the Mixi and Choco's list, Mori Girl quickly began to gain traction as a popular street style in Harajuku. Many street snaps appeared within the year in popular street snap magazines and on street snap websites. In addition, it soon made its debut in fashion magazines as well. Publications like Spoon, Mori Girl Lesson, and Fudge began to produce issues dedicated to the Mori style and became another basis for what the style was and was not.
(The cover page of Mori Girl Lesson Number 5)
(The cover page of a Mori Girl edition of Spoon)
Mori also found its way into media, with artists like Popoyans wearing the style and creating music inspired by it, and the anime Honey and Clover, who had a main character who wore the style.
(Popoyans)
(Honey and Clover)
Mori Girl brands also began to pop up around this time. Wonder Rocket, one of the most highly recognized Mori brands, opened its doors to Harajuku in 2007, and online shops, such as DearLi, began to appear as well. By this point, Mori Girl had become one of the most prominent Japanese fashions, rivaling those such as Dolly Kei, Cult Party Kei, Lolita, and Decora, at one point or another.
(Wonder Rocket's original store)
(DearLi)
Some of the early "Mori girls" in Japan were interviewed in this short video. The English is very broken, but I think that the way the interviewer explains Mori is very charming, and worth a watch.
Mori Girl began to fade as a street style around 2013-2014, with street snaps beginning to slow before disappearing altogether. A lot of prominent internet Mori personalities began to deactivate their blogs around this time as well, and a lot of smaller brands disappeared. In addition, Mori officially made its exit from Harajuku in this period, with Wonder Rocket making the switch to more mainstream fashion instead of Mori catered pieces, and later closing its doors in 2017 (although its sister store Momo still remains open selling mainstream fashion pieces). However, the fashion is still alive, although the numbers of participants have diminished greatly. Nowadays, there are still some active Mori girls in Japan, but the majority of active Mori girls are now in the international community.
Fashion:
Mori Kei fashion has a lot of variation. However, there are a few basics that almost always remain constant throughout the style.
1) Natural Fabrics
Mori fashion focuses on natural themes, so it is no surprise that the favored fabrics are natural as well. Things such as cotton and lace are quite popular choices, although other fabrics that may not necessarily be considered natural in composition can be used if they appear natural in looks.
2) Natural colors
The colors most often found in Mori are creams, whites, and browns. However, that doesn't mean that all colors used in Mori are beige. For a bit more variety, colors such as natural greens, lighter blues, and light pinks are popular. Patterns are acceptable as well, with florals, nature prints (such as leaves or deer), or small stripes being the most common.
3) Layers
Mori is all about layers! This is the one thing that defines the style and never changes. Whether it is simply the appearance of layers or 15 articles of clothing, the silhouette is what matters. Layers are usually asymmetrical, and a common way to achieve the silhouette is to layer multiple dresses and skirts, or for a more boyish silhouette, baggy pants and lots of shirts, scarves, and sweaters can be used.
4) Natural Hair
Hairstyles in Mori Kei are generally conservative. They can be as short as pixie cuts, or rather long, but generally, there are no unnatural hair colors or large shaved areas of hair. However, there are Mori folk who do wear their hair in more wild styles, which can also work with the fashion. However, the traditional Mori hairstyles are rather simple.
5) Minimal makeup (or none at all)
The general rule for Mori Kei and makeup is that your face should look as natural as possible. Rosy cheeks are a popular touch, as well as natural lip colors and minimal eye makeup. Some Mori Folk prefer to ditch makeup altogether. There have been cases where people have worn more intense makeup looks, such as fawn inspired makeup, but the general rule is the less makeup the better.
6) Nature-themed accessories
Mori accessories tend to focus on natural themes: a mushroom necklace, rose earrings, flower crowns, and other similar motifs. Gold is the most popular metal used, especially when it looks weathered, although silver can be used as well. Overall, mori accessories are simply meant to carry on the forest theme.
7) Practical shoes
Mori girls tend to like shoes made of natural material, or shoes that would work well in nature. For instance, boots are a popular choice of shoe. Shoes are often round toed as well, and usually have no heels, or a small practical heel.
Like most fashions, Mori has seen a lot of fluidity over the years. As I've talked about on this blog before, many people have interpreted the style in new ways, and they continue to do so. However, the majority of mori fashion does follow the points listed above pretty consistently.
Lifestyle:
Mori Girl does not have any set lifestyle. It exists simply as a fashion style. However, there are some hobbies and activities that fit in well with the aesthetic, so many Mori folk have used these ideas to create their own versions of what the Mori lifestyle might be, with each of these ideas differing from one another. However, there has, since the beginning, existed a sort of attitude within the Mori kei community that lingers to this day. I could try to sum up this idea of "Mori lifestyle" myself, but I always find myself drawn to an old post by the classic Mori Girl Blog, which says it much better than I could ever hope to.
"In her own quiet way, the mori girl is an individualist. She does not care that the world may live differently from her. She lives consciously and chooses her own lifestyle. The mori girl often looks whimsical or quirky. When she shops, she buys something based on how it makes her feel, rather than on how fashionable or expensive it will appear to others. While she may enjoy the company of others, the mori girl loves her own company and indeed has embarked on many of her most memorable adventures alone."- Mori Girl Blog
Additional Information:
A lot of the original information on Mori came from blogs and websites that have since closed, so it's almost impossible to cite anything on this topic (which is an absolute nightmare to a History major like me). However, I felt it important to put all of this information here all in one place even if I couldn't properly cite things. I do have some other resources you can check out if you're interested in learning more about what Mori kei is. Dear Miss Kellie,Moss Marchen,Naomi N' Doll,Mori Girl Blog, and Bling Tree G have all made some great overviews of what Mori is. There is also a Mori boy checklist similar to Choco's checklist for Mori girls if you are interested in that.
As always, if I've missed anything you feel is central to what Mori Kei is, please let me know. Also, if I've completely butchered any of the facts, please let me know that as well so I can correct them. I hope you enjoy this overview of the style. If you're new to the style, I hope this has given you a clearer idea of what the style is, and maybe sparked your interest! If Mori is an old hat to you, then I hope that maybe you've learned something new that you hadn't known before!
Day 29: What other fashions are you interested in if any?
I like a lot of alternative fashions, but I don't wear any others than Mori Kei. Dolly Kei is probably my second favorite alternative fashion. I really enjoy the aesthetic. I also like Cult Party Kei and Lagenlook. Those are all fashions that I might consider wearing in the future, but I just don't right now.
I also have some alternative fashions that I appreciate, but I that I probably would never wear. Things like Lolita, and Gyaru. They're cute, they just aren't really my aesthetic.
Day 28: Has getting into mori girl changed your perspective on life or how you live at all? how so?
Overall, I would say mori hasn't changed my life that much. It's obviously affected how I dress, and what types of clothing I enjoy and purchase. It has also somewhat influenced my decor choices, as I am now more drawn to natural decor than I was before. But other than that it hasn't changed much.
Most of my interests have stayed the same, although some of them have expanded to include different, mori-esque version of themselves. For instance, I've always loved all kinds of music, but after getting into mori I started listening to mori music more. But none of my interests have completely changed since wearing mori. Before mori, I already lived a life that fits in pretty well with the mori aesthetic. I already loved nature, liked living simply, and enjoyed mori-esque crafts. I think this is the case for a lot of mori folk. We already liked mori things, we just didn't know there was a fashion for what we liked.
My favorite fairy tale is the 12 months. It was collected by the Brothers Grimm but was not created by them. It's been around for a long time, and its creation has been attributed to a lot of different cultures. The most commonly credited countries are Greece, Chezch Republic, Russia, and other Slavic countries. You can read one version of the story here if you'd like.
It;s my favorite tale because it ends more realistically than most fairy tales. I won't spoil the ending, but just suffice it to say that the end doesn't see the heroine become a princess for no other reason then she was in the right place at the right time. The happy ending comes about because the heroine had to work for it.
Side note, as I was looking up information on this fairy tale, I found a trailer of a foreign film inspired by the 12 Months. It looks a bit cheesy, but also kind of cute. Unfortunately, I can't find any real information on it as I don't speak the language, but it looks like a cute mashup of some of the popular fairy tales.
Day 26: When you’re out in nature, where do you often find yourself? (in the woods, a lake, river, etc. what’s your favorite spot? describe it for us!)
I love all aspects of nature, but my favorite places to be are near rivers and in forests. My favorite spot in nature is a place at a natural park. It's near a river, in the middle of a nature preserve on a rugged trail. The spot is up above the river, about 100 feet in the air, and it's a large rock that you can climb. At the very top, there is a spot that is flat and overlooks both the forest and the river. My favorite time to visit the spot is in the fall when I can look out and see all of the beautiful colors there.
Here are some pictures of that area, both my favorite spot and the trail leading up to it.
Day 25: What’s your favorite animal and why?
It's not possible for me to pick only one animal, so I'm going to tell you about all of my favorite animals!
These precious fur babies smile all the time, and just look so cuddly and precious. They're only in Australia though, so chances are I'll never get to see one.
3) Foxes
They just have such precious personalities, and they're such beautiful creatures. I've always loved them, and, by the way, their noises are adorable.
4) Deer
We see deer a lot in my area, and they've always been one of my favorites. They look so majestic, especially when I'm driving to school and I see them standing in the foggy fields.
5) Horses
I love riding horses (although I'm not very good at it), and I think they're both sweet and majestic. One of my dreams is to someday own a horse.
6) Cats
I'm probably biased on this one because I've owned a lot of wonderful cats over the years that have loved to snuggle with me. But they're so cute, and I just love them!
