Monday, January 18, 2010

Mori (Forest) Girls





I would love to be a Mori Girl.




Have you heard of Mori Girls?
Here is a little description from Mori Girls blog:

The mori girls (森ガール) belong to a subculture which began in Japan. 'Mori' means forest in Japanese, and if you're looking for the simplest description of mori girls, they are girls who look like they live in the forest. Indeed, the unique appearance of the mori girls is what attracts most people to join in their adventures.

Mori girls are often seen in loose dresses or smocks, vintage blouses, puffed sleeves, A-line skirts tights and leggings and many-layered ensembles. They delight in beautiful fabrics and textures, preferring natural to synthetic materials, and are impartial to autumnal shades reminiscent of forest glades such as deep reds, greens, blues and browns. They keep warm with knits and furs in winter, and ponchos and leather boleros in the fall.

The childlike nature of mori girls sets them apart from the more aggressive and carnivorous women in the city. They shun stiletto heels for flat shoes and prefer to keep their fingernails short and skin fair. Mori girls are also drawn to animal, candy, checked, floral, vintage or polka-dotted prints. However, they avoid looking overly cute. They wear little makeup, but when they do use it some like to draw pick circles in the centre of their cheeks as a homage to the dolls they played with when they were younger. While every mori girl is a child at heart, they are endlessly fascinated by objects with a history. Vintage items such as pocket watches, small gold pendants and analogue cameras captivate mori girls.


Mori girls are also characterised by certain attitudes to life. While most mori girls really live in the city, they maintain a pace of life that may be considered slow by others, preferring to stop and savour the tiny delights that many deem insignificant. Mori girls like to explore old neighbourhoods, discover hole-in-the-wall shops and read in cafes. Many mori girls enjoy expressing their creativity, never mind if nobody will see or applaud their efforts, for instance through photography or journalling. Scandinavia is for many mori girls a dream destination, and Scandinavian design influences often appear in mori girls' style.


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.

How lovely! And the best news is these Mori Girls don't shy away from a bit of Mori-girl-meets-1960's-retro style action! Which suits me just perfectly!

Oh, and I am desperately wanting one of these winter coats (above) from Japanese store Franche Lippee seen on Mori Girls Blog. They would be just perfect for my Tokyo holiday next week.

You can find out more about the Mori Girls here.

21 comments:

  1. Aww. Sounds so cute to me! I want to be one too! I'm sure you'll make a SUPER cute Mori girl! If we both ever become Mori girls, we can meet in the same forest, sip tea and pick wild twigs together. haha

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  2. Ow Dawn I would just love that! We can take pictures with our Holgas and then stick them in to our journals with out MT tape!
    xxx

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  3. More here from click opera:

    http://imomus.livejournal/462034.html

    Joel

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  4. I've never heard of Mori Girls before. Sounds very interesting and beautiful way to live :)

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  5. I love Mori Girls so much! It's one of my recent favourite subgenres of japanese street fashion.

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  6. I love this! I want to be one too. :) What beautiful coats!

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  7. So sweet! Being a Mori Girl sounds like it would suit me too! :)

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  8. ooh, such a lovely post! They're my favourite kind of Japanese girl but I didn't know they had a name!! xx

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  9. I've been trying out Mori Girl fashion too! Thanks for the post!

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  10. oh my goodness Ebony where can I get those coats? Ive been looking for one just like the checked one but they're all divine!

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  11. what great haircuts those two ladies at the top have! japanese coats - i think they are the best makers and wearers of coats anywhere..although i think maybe france is also great, and sweden, norway. hmm. anyway - great coats!

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  12. what a cute blog! im going to add, thanks!
    cute haircuts btw

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  13. I love mori girls! I did a similar post here: http://thisisskeleton.blogspot.com/2009/10/are-you-mori-girl.html after my Tokyo holiday last year. If only I had the ability to layer like they do!

    xx

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  14. Thank you for this introduction, I looks and sounds very appealing all of it!

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  15. mori girls, sounds very cute
    + the coats & aoi yu

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  16. oh yes! i did leave the house as a mori girl several times in autumn, and i can say: it feels great! btw i would love to come to your garage sale, but as i happen to live in vienna, austria, i guess i won't make it ^^

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  17. how gorgeous! I only recently found your blog, and it makes me so happy as a studied a little Japanese a few years ago but haven't had the opportunity to go there yet. thanks for all the inspiration!

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  18. these are so cute :)

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  19. When I was in Japan Amy and I called these girls 'Muji Girls' as we would spot them chilling in the Muji Cafe in flats and tent dresses. I love them! they always had super cute muji boyfs as well!

    x

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  20. who is the girl on the SPOON cover? she's on like every ad in japan at the moment!

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  21. Finally got around to reading up on these girls. This is something I could totally be into. Great post.

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