Hansel from Basel socks

Socks and tights, often layered one over the other, are often featured in mori girl fashion, especially with winter on its way for most of us. Hansel from Basel makes really cute, colourful socks that make me feel like lounging around the house in a cotton dress and stockinged feet!

These striped socks can be worn with oxfords, booties and other flat shoes.

My favourite sock length is just below the kneecap. What's yours?

Love the tops of these socks! These would look cute peeking out the tops of boots.

Classic thigh-highs that can be paired with all manner of feminine, floaty dresses. I have similar socks that I never fail to take out of storage each spring and fall.

Cute lemon yellow soles on forest green socks.

What I love best about cool weather is being able to mix, match and layer socks and tights. Summer is raging ahead here, though, so it looks like that's it for me this year.

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Featured Mori Girl: Yu Aoi

Over the next few weeks I will post pictures of Japanese celebrities who have been identified as mori girls. The first is an actress many of you will be familiar with if you've been following this blog. Yu Aoi (蒼井優) was born on 17 August 1985 and is an accomplished actress known for her roles as displaced, sensitive characters. She was also identified in a poll as the celebrity most representative of the mori girl subculture. She never looks like she has any makeup on and always seems to be wearing interesting clothing. I admit I've been a big fan of Yu's for a quite while now! Her onscreen persona is just so off-kilter yet strangely inspiring. She's the girl we think we really are deep down.

Taken from her photo books Travel Sand, Dandelion and Portugirl respectively.

 

Stills from one of her latest films, One Million Yen and the Nigamushi Woman (otherwise known as One Million Yen Girl), in which she plays a girl who leaves home and wanders around different towns doing odd jobs until she's saved one million yen.

Yu as the star of the drama Osen.

Sporting a look similar to Hagu's in Honey and Clover in an ad for Canon.

A shoot she did for mori girls' favourite magazine, Spoon.

Yu in a shoot for Nylon Korea.

She's also an awesome ballet dancer.

I just had to include this. It's a breathtaking scene from Hana and Alice (which I highly recommend) in which Yu shows off her ballet skills. The entire soundtrack was composed by director Shunji Iwai. (If you want to get the DVD on Amazon why not get it from my affiliate link?)

Yu always seems to get roles in these thought-provoking, artsy little films. Can't wait to see what she'll appear in next!

Related posts:

Yu Aoi collaborates with Journal Standard

Yu Aoi in Jille

Yu Aoi in Anan

Yu Aoi in Pretty Style May 2010

Top 20 mori girls

Yu Aoi as Hagumi Hanamoto in Honey and Clover live action movie
Yu Aoi in Spoon

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Wonder Rocket accessories

So, I was surfing through the Wonder Rocket website a while ago when I chanced upon their accessories and couldn't help but think that other mori girls would love them too. There's a vintage feel to some of these items, while others have plant or animal themes.

The mori girls Mixi community specifically mentions pocket watches and leather pochettes as two of the things mori girls like. Could this have influenced Wonder Rocket's collection?

The flower pot pendant is adorable, while the tree necklace remains true to the forest theme of the mori girl subculture.

The floral hairclip looks like something you would see on a mori girl walking around Harajuku. Upon closer inspection, I realised the necklace has a sewing theme.

This necklace appears to be made up of a mixture of symbols of childhood and garden insects. But my favourite of the lot has got to be the gold rabbit ring! Isn't it the cutest thing ever?

Image source: Wonder Rocket

Related posts:
Wonder Rocket Spring 2010
Featured Brand: Wonder Rocket

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Featured Brand: Minä Perhonen

Thanks to a dear reader, Rinna, I discovered Minä Perhonen, a Japanese label that designs textiles, clothing, accessories and even furniture. The Northern European influence is strong with clean lines, strong contrasts and vibrant prints.

Rinna mentioned that one of the dresses worn by Yu Aoi in Honey and Clover looked like it could be from Minä Perhonen, and indeed, the third dress does look very similar to a certain black and white floral dress.

Clean lines mixed with combined with astonishing details.

 

I'm loving the crafty vibe. There's just something so... comforting about these accessories. Just looking at them makes one feel so cosy and safe somehow. Do check out Minä Perhonen's website to see more beautiful things.

Image source: Minä Perhonen

Related posts:

Featured Brand: Sally Scott

Featured Brand: Hana To Guitar

Featured Brand: Marimekko

Yu Aoi as Hagumi Hanamoto in Honey and Clover live action movie

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Top 20 mori girls

Several people have posted about this before, but I thought I'd just reiterate what others have said for the sake of completeness. Goo conducted a poll on Japanese celebrities who could best be classified as mori girls, and three of my favourite Japanese actresses made it into the top three!

#1: Almost half the voters selected Yu Aoi (蒼井優) as the #1 mori girl. She is undeniably the face of the mori girl trend. I've loved Yu ever since I saw her in All About Lily Chou-Chou, and she just keeps growing as an actress. In an industry where girls struggle to outdo each other in terms of cuteness, Yu Aoi is refreshingly earthy and natural. She's got an indie sensibility that is reflected in her unique style and image. Her most typically mori girl role has been Hagumi Hanamoto in Honey and Clover, but really, in most of her films she portrays individualistic, quirky girls.

#2: The adorable Aoi Miyazaki (宮崎あおい). This girl has the cutest face I've ever seen. You may have seen her as the irrepressible Hachi in Nana. While I wouldn't say she has as mori girl a look as Yu Aoi, she is often photographed in cute, loose, layered outfits. Her role as a quirky photographer in Heavenly Forest has been identified as a mori girl icon.

#3: One of the prettiest young Japanese actresses in my opinion, Juri Ueno (上野樹里) is famous for her scatterbrained, free-spirited character in the Japanese drama Nodame Cantabile.

#4: I admit I don't know much about singer and host Kaela Kimura (木村カエラ). She looks spunky and unique from the pictures, though.

#5: Yuki Isoya (磯谷有希) is a prominent Japanese singer who has been part of several bands. She's got a fun image which belies her age--she was born in 1972. That goes to show that the mori girl subculture isn't restricted to adolescent girls!

#6: Hiromi Nagasaku (永作博美)

#7: Eri Fukatsu (深津絵里)

#8: Chara

 

#9: Aiko Yanai (柳井愛子)

 

#10: UA

#11: Chiaki Ishikawa (石川智晶)

#12: Kumiko Aso (麻生久美)

#13: You

#14: Rie Miyazawa (宮沢りえ)

#15: Mikako Ichikawa (市川実和子)

#16: Tomoko Kawase (川瀬智子)

#16: Miho Tanaka (田中美保)

#16: Ikuko Harada (原田郁子)

#19: Yuko Ando (藤裕子)

#20: Meg

Related posts:

Yu Aoi in Jille

Yu Aoi in Anan

Yu Aoi in Pretty Style May 2010

Featured Mori Girl: Shizuru Shitonaka in Heavenly Forest 

Featured Mori Girl: Yu Aoi

Yu Aoi as Hagumi Hanamoto in Honey and Clover live action movie 

Featured Mori Girl: Hagumi Hanamoto from Honey and Clover manga

Yu Aoi in Spoon

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Featured Brand: Franche Lippee

I was looking through some Japanese magazines the other day when I chanced upon an ad for Franche Lippee. Intrigued, I searched for their website and was delighted to find yet another brand mori girls would like. The clothes look like something a little girl exploring the forest would wear, crunching through piles of autumn leaves in the middle of fall.

Many of you are preparing yourselves for winter, and these adorable coats would make it a little bit warmer and a whole lot sweeter!

The A-line, loose and unfitted cutting of these coats as well as the cute collars make them extremely childlike.

These coats are quite special. The vermilion coat would brighten up a cold winter's day, while the furry sleeves and brass buttons on the black one make it more interesting than your average black coat.

Of course, no mori girl's wardrobe is complete without loose tops. These are too adorable for words!

Sweater dresses to wear with boots, patterned tights and a knitted hat with ear flaps.

The fabrics look so warm and comfy. The pinafore would go well with a turtleneck.

This has to be one of the cutest brands I've discovered so far. See how many times I used the word 'cute' in this post!

Image source: Franche Lippee

Related post:

Featured Brand: Par Avion

Featured Brand: Hana To Guitar 

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