Wednesday 5 December 2012

Mori Girl and Dolly Kei

Today, I went to Southampton to visit the German Christmas Market, and couldn't quite resist popping into the bookstore. I was looking for a book journal, but I found myself a Style Journal from Moleskine. I would highly recommend such an object to those of you looking to a) clear out unwanted clothes, b) develop your personal style and c) actually get organised. My lovely journal has separate tabbed sections for all-important things including a complete wardrobe inventory (eek!), tracking outfits, and - inspiring this post - notes and photos of styles and 'trends' (Moleskine's word... not one I am hugely fond of) that have captured your heart.

As I was flicking through the pages with glee and wondering what photos I could fill up those oh-so-tantalising blank spaces with, I decided to pop online and share my current most inspirational styles with you. ^^ Here are one or two to get the ball rolling.

Mori Kei/Mori Girl
This style originates from Japan, and has a focus on natural fabrics and nature; a mori girl seeks to capture the essence of a girl who lives in the forest. Wikihow has a lovely description; "Mori girl has developed not only as a style but as a lifestyle as well! Quirky girls who love vintage clothing, pocket watches, tea, moss or going snooping in grandma's attic will feel right at home in this style." (There is also a darker offshoot known as Black Forest Mori Girl.) As of yet I know very little about the style but I love the entire aesthetic with lots of gentle, romantic layering.... ooh! <3
For more, see MonMonMori.

Dolly Kei
Dolly Kei is also a Japanese style, taking inspiration from vintage and historical Eastern European clothing and of course old porcelain dolls, with a whimsical twist. I really can't get enough of those fairy tale layers and antique-y elements.

See Dolly-Kei.

21 comments:

  1. I knew these styles and I like them very much, especially dolly key which takes inspiration from lolita. :)

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    1. I'm so in love with them. I can't wait to start experimenting a little more! :-)

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  2. I've always really loved Dolly Kei. Sheesh,I hate to see what a jumbled,incoherent mess my wardrobe is going to be when I move out of my Mother's house...And achieve a stable enough income to pay rent while still indulging myself.Then again,who needs food,anyway? Certainly not me.(Though I'm sure to have plenty of time to consider and pinpoint my fashion taste. Still painfully young after all!)

    PS. Digging the new Blog,by the way!

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    1. Urgh. You're telling me. My wardrobe is... a little confused right now. Best of luck to you!

      Thanks :-DD

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  3. I followed one of your links about mori girl and ended up finding some article that mentioned three female singers mori girls like who have awesome music, so thanks!

    PS the singers were: Agnes Obel, Cecile Corbel and Emily Loizeau

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  4. I have loved the mori girl style for a while but I don't really dress in this style... I think the reason is that I tend to not like shopping for new clothes, so my wardrobe doesn't change much. :P

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    1. I have the opposite problem... I buy too much stuff that I don't really want or need >.<

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  5. I've never heard of mori/dolly kei, even though I'm Japanese. It's sad, but at the same time very funny.

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    1. There are probably a lot of styles in the UK I've never heard of!

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  6. try going to wikihow then type morigirl there shoud be a page that is called "how to be mori girl 12 steps" that will have a link to something called the morigirl mixi list iam into fashion and subcultures 2 and i found it very usefull

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    1. Oh this sounds interesting! I'm going to go and have a look - thanks! :-)

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  7. hi i left a comment a few days ago and i was reading another site called hellolace and aperantly there is a new lolita style mori lolita and from pictures online i woud say itis alot like classic only thers more texers like crochet embroidery eyelets lace fauxfur sorry if i am bugging you but i thought you shoud know it is realitvly new or it is to me and looks like a reather cute yet formeal style p.s huge fan of your work so sorry if i sound rude or pushy p.s.s there are no moriloli pictures on the hellolace site right now but there is a discripton it is in the miscstyles and themes section

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    1. Hi sweetie, don't be sorry, you're not bugging me at all! This sounds like something I would be really into as I think classic Lolita is beautiful, I'm going to Google it right now actually. You are NOT rude or pushy at all, you're very helpful! Thank you :-))

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    2. ty it relly means alot hearing you say that i always wanted to be a fasion stylist but its relly hard to find people in real life who are in to fasion.but ther are some other styles that i think are quite similer to mori its predisessor natural kei whitch takes its insperation from the prarie style clothes of little house on the prarie, anne of green gables, the scert garden, rebbeca of sunnybrock farms.oji girls who dress in traditional masculine fashions like buttondowns tweedblzers thickrim glasses but with somting girly added to it like a lace scarf. and there is cult party kei which alot of people say is similar to dolly kei but i dont see it myself but the style is very unusual and woud take alot confidence to pull off it consists of traditonal 1950s bedclothes and knits layers and rocking horse shoes it can be done with pastels or dark shades it looks a bit like a young girl playing dress up i dont say this to be rude but thats just what it looks like to me.and young fogey whith i dont know much about aside thats it is from the uk i read about it on wikipedia but to me it sounds like a male combo of dolly and oji but thats just me prob sorry for ranting i tend to do that alot

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    3. ty it means alot to here you say that plus ileft a reply that is like this a few minits agobut i think something went wrong i found some other fashios that are quite simmler natral kei whech is mori girls predissor it takes insperation from little house on the prarrie and anne of green gables oji girls who take masculine fashions and puts a feminene twist on them like a twede blazer and slacks button down shirt tie and a lace scarf and cult party kei whitch looks like a cross of sleepover fashion and young girls playing dress up it comes in bloth pastels and dark colors and many people say it looks dolly kei but i dont see it sorry for leaving so many comments it is just grat talking to enother fashion lover

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    4. ty bye the way ther is another style called natural kei that is one of the building blocks of mori girl it is still loose and flowy but a bit more fitted and the clolers are briter not neon but still brite and its more girl living in a wagon train or logcabin than magic forest

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    5. Natural kei and cult party kei are also on my list of huge inspirations; I hope to post about them soon!

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  8. sorry for leaveing so many coments they did not apeer after a day or 2 so ithought they got deleted or flaged as spam sorry

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    1. That's no problem! If I'm not online for a couple of days comments don't get moderated - sorry about that!

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  9. I love Mori Girl fashion :)


    ...But just don't own many clothes that fit it, and every time I want new clothes My parents moan that I have too much stuff... Why can't I just have everything >.<
    Anyways, thanks for posting such a great little article-thingy on here about these styles I love so much :)

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