Today’s outfit is inspired by Mori Girls and made with items that are in store now!
Perhaps in a backlash against the shiny, hyper-saturated, candy-coloured perfection of other Japanese street styles, Mori girl has emerged over the last 2-3 years – and it’s taking over Tokyo by storm. Mori means “forest” and it’s easy to see why this label was applied, because these girls do look as if they’ve worn a beautiful frilly outfit into the woods and have emerged a few years later having worn it nearly to shreds, just like Miss Havisham in Charles Dickens’ classic novel Great Expectations. (Click on any pictures to enlarge.)
Mori Girl is all about layering together aging lace, crochet, soft cottons, knits, leather and other nostalgic fabrics to create a sweet feminine look that’s a bit rough around the edges. Which is great news for the budget-conscious, because you can mix real Mori Girl brands like Wonder Rocket (browse Wonder Rocket here) together with any old thrift store finds – the gnarlier the better, some would say! In my visits, I’ve seen a lot of suede or leather boots, real fur, slouchy knits, ratty old scarves, antique jewellery and canvas or leather bags being used.
The colour palette seems to be heavily neutral, with small splashes of black, burgundy, and dusky pink.
But it’s more than just a fashion style for some. It’s part of a broader resurgence of home-made crafts and nostalgic activities like knitting, drawing, and photography with old-fashioned cameras. In some ways I think we’re seeing similar trends here, when I look at hipsters with their Holga cameras, listening to folk as they trudge around in a pair of worn out leather boots…
So what’s the verdict?
Mori Girl: Love it or hate it? Have you ever tried it?
I love Mori-girl! It’s not really something that I wear myself, but I love seeing it on other people because it looks so cozy.
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Comment by Aly — July 9, 2010 @ 3:01 pm
i like it for the most part. some of it is too plain & too unshapely for me, but the outfits that have more accessories & cute colours (like the ones you posted here!) are really pretty. it’s relaxing to look at, too. sometimes Lolita & Fairy Kei overwhelm me, haha.
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Comment by emily — July 9, 2010 @ 8:47 pm
I think Mori is an excellent style. It reminds me a little of old-style otome like Pink House. I love that lace scarf, it’s beautiful!
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Comment by SaffronSugar — July 10, 2010 @ 7:10 am
i desperately want to get into mori girl style. it’s so cooooool!!
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Comment by maru — July 10, 2010 @ 7:44 pm
I think that Mori is the most lovely thing ever, but I doubt that it will ever look good on me. All of those layers would end up making my body look huge.
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Comment by Rebecca — July 12, 2010 @ 3:45 am
I like the purity that seems to emerge from this style and like the light and soft colors too
Tavuchi looks beautiful like that, this girl knows how to dress like nobody else! ❤
xo
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Comment by Mademoiselle Creamy ❤ — July 12, 2010 @ 4:00 am
I love, love, love the mori girl style! I’m probably the only person in New Zealand that dresses (or knows!) of Mori-Girls.
I’m more of a simplistic mori-girl fan- To be honest, the images you have are leaning more towards Dolly-kei than mori girl.
Mori girl really suits the current trend of simple, vintage inspired clothing and I love it!
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Comment by Cath — July 13, 2010 @ 5:04 pm
I don’t really like mori-girl very much, it makes me think of a homeless grandmother to be honest. Even if I did like it though, I doubt all the layering would be very flattering on me.
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Comment by Lexi — July 14, 2010 @ 5:38 am
[...] simultaneously are Mori Girl and Dolly Kei. We talked about Mori Girl last a little while ago in this post, but a few commenters rightfully pointed out that some of the outfits we posted could be considered [...]
Pingback by The Dolly Kei Difference « Electric Alice — July 26, 2010 @ 4:02 pm
Zazdroszczę swoją zdolność do opublikowania wspaniały artykuł – po prostu chciałem powiedzieć, że tak!
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Comment by NEX-5 — November 18, 2011 @ 4:29 am