Mori girl 30 day meme - Day 1

Day 1 – 10 things about your mori bubble.

(I'd like to start by asking what a bubble is?? ('～`；) )

1. I first learned about mori girl style through the LJ fruits community. There was a girl on there who always posted these really lovely, natural outfits and one day I followed her cross-post and found the LJ mori girl community. Shortly following that I went to Japan (end of 2009/ beginning of 2010) and saw lots of mentions to mori girls and magazines/mooks in the bookstores. I felt it was all rather serendipitous, and started to pay attention to the style much more towards the end of my stay and onward.

2. I don't know any other mori girls in real life. I have a few friends in the states who occassionally put together mori inspired coordinates, but I don't think any of them identify as a mori girl.

3. I'm a thrifter at heart. I love finding that perfect piece out of many, and the uniqueness of thrifted clothes. Even though I'm in Tokyo and could buy the brands I like directly, I still prefer to hunt second-hand shops like KINJI for what I'm looking for than to buy full price.

4. Some of my favorite mori girl motifs are: birds and rabbits, lace, polka dots, acorns, and cameras.

5. I first started my tumblr, littleforestgirls, because I was tired of dolly-kei popping up so often in other mori girl tumblrs. ( ^^;;) I understand that dolly-kei is a great inspiration for many mori girls, but it wasn't particularly interesting for me. So I decided to start my own and keep it more along an exclusively mori girl line. Not that I haven't deviated from that from time to time, of course... But I've been really happy to see it's success.♥

6. My favorite thing about nature is the wind. I also like the forest after rainstorms and the sound of the ocean.

7. I own a few "brand" mori pieces, but I think the items I wear the most aren't from any particular brand.

8. I love the look of really short cut blunt bangs and long, long hair like [this], [this] or [this].  ...But not on myself (>3<;;)

9. Mori girl was what first introduced me to the moomin series, and now I'm hooked! I think it also reinspired my love of Winnie the Pooh and The Little Prince, as well as other fairy tale stories.

10. I would love to live in one of those hobbit-like underground houses, with big, bright windows and a cute, rustic decor. I think to live like that would be so charming. ♥

森ガール Inspiration Monday

Hair styles that have really caught my eye lately have been ones with braids or buns. A short- and fine-haired girl like me can't really pull off the bun look without assistance from hairpieces, but I think braids are a lovely way to add interest to a hairstyle. Here are some hair ideas for mori girls of all hair lenghts! ( ﾟ▽ﾟ)

That being said, I also really love the short, toussled and androgenous hairstyles that sometimes pop up on mori girl models. As much as I love those styles though, I know I could never pull it off myself.  ┐('～`；)┌

It's coming time for me to get my hair-cut again. I wonder what I'll get?? Hmmm....

xoxo,
Brie

Fur tippets

Fur collars (or as they call them here, "tippets"- is that Japanese English??) are really popular this winter. I think this isn't a new trend, but I have certainly noticed more and more girls donning them on the streets and the train.

They looked sooo cute in these that I just had to try one out myself. After a fun afternoon in Harajuku, I had one offered to me at a discount in a used store and I decided to try it out!

Personally I like it! Nice points are that it's very warm, easy to coordinate with, and not real fur (mine isn't, at least)! However, some negative points are that you can't wear it with anything that has a hood and it looks strange with shirts or sweaters that have a low collar.

Here is how I ended up coordinating it. Admittedly, it was a very comfy, lazy outfit. I think it might needs some little je ne sais quoi before it's street-ready. Maybe the tights and undershirt need to be a lighter color? Hmmm... Thoughts?

xoxo,
Bee

Mori girl 30 day meme

This floated around the mori girl blogsphere for a while, and since I'm trying to get active again I thought I'd do it. It will keep me going for a little while, at least! ;)

30 Day Mori Girl Meme

Day 1 – 10 things about your mori bubble.

Day 2 – 10 things you love in mori.

Day 3 – 10 things you hate in mori.

Day 4 – 10 different kinds of food you like.

Day 5 – 10 items from your wish list.

Day 6 – 10 things you can’t live without in mori.

Day 7 – 10 people who inspire your mori style.

Day 8 – 10 songs that inspire you for mori.

Day 9 – 10 things you will never do in mori.

Day 10 – What’s in your bag?

Day 11 – One day in your mori life in pictures.

Day 12 – A picture of yourself before mori came in to your life.

Day 13 – A picture of your favorite nature item.

Day 14 – A picture of your dream item.

Day 15 – A picture of your last mori purchase.

Day 16 – Your outfit for the day.

Day 17 – What do you want more then anything right now?

Day 18 – A picture of your favorite mori style.

Day 19 – What’s in your make-up bag?

Day 20 – A picture of a mori friend.

Day 21 – Your favorite fictional mori girl.

Day 22 – A picture of your room.

Day 23 – A picture of your handwriting.

Day 24 – A picture of you from a meet.

Day 25 – Your favorite mori themed artwork.

Day 26 – Your Facebook profile picture.

Day 27 – One song that fits your favorite mori style.

Day 28 – A picture of the perfect mori location.

Day 29 – A picture of a mori you would love to meet for real.

Day 30 – A photo of yourself taken today and 3 good things that’s happened over the last 30 days.

I'm going to (try to) post these regularly on Tuesdays and Thursdays~ (^ ^)

Recent buys

Recent purchases in Harajuku and Shinjuku ♡

Bolo ties and big barrets have been very populary recently, especially in Harajuku. When I saw the camera one, I knew that was the style I wanted to have!

I bought this necklace at the 300 yen store in Shinjuku. I highly recommend people who like natural style to look at what the 300 yen stores are carrying- whenever I go in the items seem to have a lovely natural flair! (´▽｀)

Sorry about the strange shadows in these pictures. 

I took them after dark. (^^ ;)

xoxo,
Bee

森ガール Inspiration Monday

It has been soooo cold in Tokyo recently. So, for this week's inspiration, here are some winter coordinate ideas:

Winter-y outerwear that I've recently seen trending on naturally dressed girls are camel coats with toggle closures in wood or plastic, ugg boots or boots with lace or fur detailing, fur collars, scarves (usually heavy knit ones looped many times around the neck), ponchos, and shawls (both knit ones like in the first picture, and pashmina or otherwise large scarfs worn over the shoulders). (^ ^)

xoxo,
Bee

Pictures from tumblr, mostly magazines.

Outfits

I've been super happy with my outfits these past few days off, so I wanted to share them! :')

The majority of these clothes were gifted or thrifted. My personal favorite is the one in the middle. The vest is SM2, but I found it at KINJI for only ￥1260!! I also found a Cuccia dress there the same day I bought this. I love KINJI so much hahaha ('ω‘-)

I also bought a couple of Uniqlo's heat-tech shirts in lighter colors recently (striped white and tan, and grey-brown with polka dots)! They were just what I needed to pull my more natural outfits together! Before my undershirts had been too dark for natural coordinates (with a few exceptions). (^^ ;;)

If anyone gets cold easily or is looking for light-weight but warm shirts to layer with and have a Uniqlo in their area, I highly recommend them!

Also wanted to share a recent favorite song! "Her Morning Elegance" by Oren Lavie.

It's a gooooorgeous song, and the music video is very creative too!

It might just be me, but I also get a bit of a mori girl vibe from the lyrics!

Please check it out~

xoxo,
Bee

Currently reading...

Recently finished: Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
I'm rather embarrassed that I've just gotten around now to reading it.  It was a really interesting, lovely story. Once I got used to her writing style, I was entirely captivated. ♪(ﾉ´∀｀*)ﾉ

Just finished: The House at Pooh Corner, A.A. Milne
Loooooved the first one ♡ I liked this one even better though- it had the addition of Tigger, and many of the stories from the Dinsey movies that I grew up with as a child.

& Comet in Moominland, Tove Janson
This was my first moomin book to read (I'd only read the comics before). I really enjoyed this book. It was whimsical, though surprisingly dark! It had a happy ending though. I'd love to read more!


Just starting: Beowulf
Honestly, I tend not to like mideval literature. Buuuuut it's such a famous story that I feel obligated to read it. (^^ ;;)

森ガール Lesson 5

This was originally posted to the livejournal mori girls community [here], but I was so proud of my effort I wanted to post it on my blog as well.

I'm not sure about you folks, but I've felt recently that it had been a while since the last mook and it was due time for a new one. So, imagine my pleasure when I walked into the local convenience store on the corner today, and found the newest Mori Girl Lesson mook on the shelf! Since I know it usually takes a little time before the scans come out, I thought I'd give you a sneak peek into Lesson 5, which highlights trends and styles for Autumn & Winter 2011.


Styles for the autumn and winter seem to be a continuation on recent magazine and street trends. Flower, whimsical, and polka-dot printed one pieces, skirts and blouses, brooches, collars, neutral colored boots and patterned, loose knitted sweaters are named as classic waredrobe pieces.

Overalls and jumperskirts, peterpan collared blouses, airy skirts, "girly" down jackets, flower printed shoes, and unique/whimsical pocketbooks are suggested items to add to your waredrobe this season. There is a lot of name dropping in this edition in the "must have" section too, and I'm not sure if that's new or if it's always been there and I haven't noticed it before, but they also recommend pieces from several brands directly.

There is also a section in this Lesson highlighting 10 rules for making cordinates "slightly natural." Since my Japanese is shoddy at best I can't say exactly what that details (where's the boyfriend when you need him?! haha), but the points they cover are as follows:
1) beige gradation 2) long cardigans 3) loose silhouettes 4) wavy hair 5) a-line one-pieces 6)flats or heeled shoes 7) round collars 8) big stoles 9) rounded (blush on the) cheeks and 10) leg warmers.
In my opinion there definitely seems to be a movement away from early mori girl fashion (which was very layered and "street fashion" feeling) to a more mainstream friendly style. Don't let this scare you away though! I think that the fashions in this particular mook still capture that je ne sais quoi that makes mori so whimsical, but with coordinates that have fewer layers and more color.

Other sections of the mook include one week coordinate picture sets for real (as opposed to model) "fashionable mori girls", a section on earth music & ecology's new Natural Label, several pages on brands, a section on hair and makeup styling, suggested outer wear accessories (i.e. hats, ear muffs, stoles, bags, shoes and socks), books, home decoration, other new items of interest and recent fashion collection books that have been released (also showing the complimentary bag that comes with it).






Speaking of complimentary bags, the one with this edition is from the new earth music & ecology Natural label. It's very small, but wicked cute!!




Hope that you've enjoyed reading about what's to come! Please make sure to support the makers of the mori girl Lesson emooks and purchase a copy if it's an option for you, so that they continue to put out these lovelies!
xoxo,
Bee

Recent reads

About a year ago, I found myself rather ashamed at how little I had read of "classic" English literature. This prompted me to pick up a Jane Austen book (now one of my favorite authors) and since then I've been reading whatever I could get my hands on, in particular off of the BBC's list of 100 books you should read.

I've only read 23 out of the top 100 which at first I found really embarrassing, until I realized that it's almost 1/4 of the list- huzzah! ( ﾟ▽ﾟ)/

Since moving to Japan however, I haven't had English books so easily at my fingertips. I did bring some of my English books with me, and had my parents send me some in the mail too, but I commute for 2 hours a day, and read for most of that so my rate of finishing books is much higher than normal.

Luckily, there is an AMAZING used book store here called BOOK-OFF, and if you happen to stumble upon one in the more populous areas, they tend to have English books, and every so often they'll have some that interest you. And I found just such a one~ ♪

What is especially great about BOOK-OFF is that everything being used, you can get them for very cheaply. All of these books were only ¥2500! Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ

I was REALLY excited to find these- ESPECIALLY the Moomin book. I've been so into Moomin recently. ♡ There is a moomin mook out recently that I've been chewing on buying.

I think from now on I'll canonicalize what I'm reading here! It'll be a good motivation, I think.

xoxo,
Bee 

森ガール Inspiration Monday

Trying to start up my Inspiration Monday posts again~~ (ﾟωﾟ;)

Recently I've been really into the (what I've personally dubbed) "fever blush" style I've been seeing in street fashion magazines like Zipper and Spoon. It's unique and interesting and I think if done with the right colors can look natural.

By keeping her eye and lip makeup neutral and minimal, it really draws attention to the blush. The picture above also highlights another trend I've really liked, which is braiding part of the hair. It adds interest and can still be done by short-haired girls (like me!).

xoxo,
Bee

ps. photo from tumblr, not me. If you know the correct source I'll give credit where it's due. :)

森ガール Provisions

One of the things that I always find very interesting is when people come into the various mori girl communities that I follow and start asking about "rules".


One of the things that I love about this fashion is that there aren't really any "rules." There is a lot of flexibility and personal fashion cross over and I think this appeals to people (especially those coming from more stringent fashions like lolita!). (ﾟヮﾟ)

However, I think it's interesting that at the onset of mori girl fashion, provisions were laid out by those who had been at the forefront of the style, like the mixi community. Something I find particularly interesting about these provisions is that it's as much (if not more!) about how you live as it is what you wear. 

So, while it says things like  "Dresses in A line clothes," "Loves smock-like one piece dresses and blouses," "Loves ponchos and boleros," and "Wears flat soled shoes as default foot-wear," it also says things about how to be! Some of these are things like: "Finds old/vintage items charming," "Girlie-girlie,"  "Loves to hang loose/chill at cafes," "Feel happy when the find cute books at bookstores," and "You were told you permeate a laid-back aura at all time." How interesting it is to me that this is a fashion as much about who you are as it is about what you're wearing! 

I think that this is some of the appeal of mori girl, though. It isn't just about putting on clothes and suddenly being part of a fashion culture- it's becoming (or nurturing the already existent) person who takes time to see things and appreciate them in a world that is too busy and over-sexualized. It encourages people to take time and live slowly. Of course, some people might not like the lifestyle aspect of it, or find the whole idea too contrived (see numa girl!). But I think for those who are looking for a fashion that reflects some part of themselves, mori girl is a breath of fresh air.

For me personally, I had already felt drawn to many of the more quirky parts of mori girl. However, I was am also a girl who doesn't match the "provisions" entirely. I think I'm perhaps more like a "numa girl" hahahaha. BUT, I haven't let that stop me- I like that this style has encouraged me to go more slowly, and on my own path. ☆ It relaxes me to wear it.

I read a really interesting article on almost the same thread on the FASHION JAPAN website, called 62 Rules for Living in the Forest. I highly recommend the read.

What are you own opinions about mori girl? Did it fit into what you wanted/needed from a fashion, or did it appeal in some other way? I'm interesting in hearing what people have to say~ ☆

Present~

One of my students took a business trip to India recently. When he came back, he brought me a beautifully carved wooden elephant and a few different types of tea. Wow wow wow!
I'm so touched (& excited to drink the tea)~ (^^ -)

Outfit snap

At the job where I'm currently working, I'm required to wear a suit. (;O;)
While this isn't the first job I've worked that requires a dress code, there is something a little more stifling about a black suit and button-up shirt than anything I've had to wear in the past.

As such, the opportunities I actually have to wear my own clothes are very exciting for me! Admittedly though, some days I just sit around in my pajamas. （￣ｰ￣)


Since coming to Japan, I've been experimenting with my personal style. Recently it's been a little more main-stream with mori influences. As much as I love mori girl, I have trouble coordinating it on myself. (- - ;)

(sorry about the blurry picture on the right... that was my favorite of the three too!!)

I really would like to put together some more obviously mori outfits. The one on the left in the most mori influenced of the three, but even then it's not very... （´・ω・｀）I'll continue to do my best though! haha...

My next day off is on Sunday~ I wonder what I'll wear?

xoxo,
Bee

Hello again ☆

OK OK OK! Time to start posting in this lovely again. It's been far to long. :)

Hello again. You may not remember me, or perhaps this is our first time to meet. I'm Bee.
I run the littleforestgirls tumblr, and I'm a big fan of mori girl fashion!

Other things I enjoy?:

all types of music, travel, laughing, reading (recently I've been particulary interested in "classic" English literature), writing (esp. poems), foreign cultures and sociology, smiling, sewing & crafts, being an ENFP, street fashion, love, living life, making memories etc. etc.

In May I graduated from college, and 3 months ago I made the jump and moved to Tokyo, Japan!

It's so lovely to be in the country that has fascinated me for so long! I'm working as an English teacher in a conversation school, and living with my boyfriend of about 3 years. ♥

It's my hope to use this blog not only to chronicalize living here, but also to muse more about fashion and other interests I have. :')

Thanks for reading!

xoxo,
Bee