My Favourites for Feb

Ugh. My camera is currently dead, so no photos for the moment, so here's some things that I currently love!

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I've been wanting to write about this store for a while, even though it's quite a well known online store.

This is my favourite mori store! ( ﾟ ヮﾟ)

[Or should I say 'stores'? I've noticed that there are two Taobao shops with identical names, and who sometimes have the same model. Here(dearli) and here(litongxue). Is one ripping off the other, or are they 'sister' stores? Regardless, both have nice photos hah ●´ω｀●]

I enjoy brands such as Crisp and SM2, but when it comes to inspiration, nothing compares to the Chinese Taobao store 'Dear Chestnut' or 'Dear栗'. Regardless of season, this store manages to provide not only lots of lovely clothes, but lovelier photoshoots to show off their items. (The quality of items is irrelevant to me to be honest- I don't plan on buying any haha). They manage to use patterns, colours, and styling so well- I just want to jump into the photos.
I always look forward to their new season!

dearli.taobao.com

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xMOTHERx is an etsy store that sells lovely handmade aprons, smocks, and collars among many other things. Their photos have a lovely crisp look to them, reminiscent of many Spoon photoshoots I have seen! I can almost smell the freshly baked bread that I imagine would be baked wearing these lovely items! ´ ▽ `

xMOTHERx

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I found scans of (part of) Crisp's 2011 winter catalogue! Click for bigger resolution! Although slightly outdated now, I love the use of colour.

Click for bigger resolution!

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Listening to 60s pop music (especially Japanese 60s pop), and listening to 45s on the record player. We don't have many records so I've been listening to Dance of The Sugarplum Fairy, Minor Bossa Nova, and this song on repeat:

Bobby Vee - Take Good Care of My Baby

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What has caught your eye (or ears!) lately?

❀ Thanks for reading!

ミュシャガール!（◠▽◠）

The other day I came across a 'Homage to Mucha' feature in the Mucha Mook.
 Not only is a great homage to Mucha, but it was also a fantastic inspiration for accessorising!
 The Homage to Mucha photoset can be seen below!

Scans of Mucha Mook from Madouer

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The Mucha Mook made me very much want to wear my floral wreath again, so I just put on something simple to go with it! I got this Deicy dress from my friend's mother for Christmas. It's so lovely and long, and it makes me feel nymph-like. ◠‿◠

Dress; Deicy (a gift)・ Overdress thing; Wonder Rocket ・ Collar; Glassons・ Shoes; Thrifted・Socks; CottonOn・ Headband; Handmade

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Thank you so much to Piperita for the Liebster Blog prize she gave me! I feel very honoured and happy to receive it!  (I will have to get around to sharing the award to others asap! (≧◡≦) )

This is a very skinny blog post, but it was mostly to share the Mucha-inspired images.

Wouldn't it be awesome if there was a fashion subculture called Mucha Girl (ミュシャガール)? I could imagine some very pretty outfits in that style (almost a spinoff of etherial mori girl clothes)! 

Thanks for reading!☆

Okoroire

On Sunday my family and I went on a day trip to Okoroire Pub and Springs. The pub (and adjoining hotel) has been around since the late 1800s, but the springs have were there at least 100 years before the pub. Before the springs became popular with Victorians, local Maori used the springs for healing.

To get to the springs, you have to go on a little bush walk alongside one of the most terrifying streams that I know of. The picture below right is one of the calmer spots, and definitely does not do justice to the water's force just a few meters up stream!

The spring itself can be seen below left and it's situated in the middle of the bush. At night you can see glow worms! It was so magnificent, even in the rain, I just can't even describe it! It's quite a big pool too (and it was the first concrete pool in all of New Zealand I hear!). 

Skirt; Thrifted & altered・ Shirt; PostiePlus (altered) ・ Vest; Lepsim Lowrys Farm・ Cardigan; Thrifted・ Shoes; Thrifted・Socks; CottonOn

One of my favourite parts of the whole day was peeking in on one of the pools that hasn't been used for over 15 years. I really love abandoned buildings and such, so it was kind of neat to see the changing sheds 'sprouting'. 

The Okoroire springs are very basic, but that's how they should be. It's a place that not many people (even those who live close) know about, and even the pub and hotel don't do much to promote it. Which is fine with me because it remains a little hidden gem in the New Zealand countryside (・ω・)

It's a place that hasn't changed all that much over 200 years, and so you can really imagine what a curious place this would be for the Victorians. In fact, in the hotel dining room there was a photo of two ladies from 1887 standing on the edge of the exact same pool I had been swimming in. It kind of amazed me (and almost freaked me out a bit) to be honest! ◕_◕

Anyway, I hope I didn't bore you with my rambling! Okoroire is definitely one of my favourite places in New Zealand. If you ever get to visit NZ, you should make the time to come here, even if it is just to peer at the abandoned pool! ◠‿◠

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On tumblr I saw these awesome hair pins posted by uwenna! They're made by Woodland Belle, which is definitely as place to look if you want some inspiration for mori-style jewelry! 

all photos from Woodland Belle

Thank you for reading! ★

Bits and Bobs

Haven't done one of these for a while! Here's a few things that have caught my eye recently!

MY CLOSET

Although it's (supposedly) summer here, I can't get enough of My Closet's cozy woolen and knitted clothing. Plus there's a lot of lace collars, so that really sealed the deal for me. Although there's not much of a colour range (one of my pet peeves when it comes to the mori style), I really love the praire influence that a lot of the outfits carry!  ﾟ∀ﾟ

earth music & ecology Natural Label

Earth music & ecology Natural Label's Winter 2011/12 collection is titled "Natural Nostalgia" and it really focuses in on one of my favourite features of the mori girl style; Nordic and Northern European folk-ish style.  My favourite pieces are the dress and wool-trim booties!

Tabio 2012 Spring Collection

The bright colours really caught my attention! My favourite pairs are the bottom two- they somehow manage to make socks and sandals look good!

SEDA January 2012

Here's just a few pages from the issue, but it has a really good feature on different hairstyles! It's especially good as there's lots of different options for different length hair. I only wish they had these kind of guides for curly hair! (Also in this issue is a very adorable fashion and love photo story! ´・ω・)

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I hope that you something in this post! 

What has caught your eye recently?

Thank you for reading! ★

24°C!

Phew, even though it's only the start of December, it's already pretty hot here! („#ﾟДﾟ)

Whilst running some errands I found my local Giant Sylvanian Family critter had become adapted to the holiday season!

I've also been spending a lot of time just lying on the grass, looking at the sky~

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Here's something I wore the other day, but didn't get around to uploading!

 Dress; Sussans・ Shirt; Glassons ・ Tights; Gift ・ Socks; CottonOn・ Shoes; Thrifted・ Bag; MarbleSud・ Scarf; Gift

Although it's been quite hot here, there's been quite a breeze about which takes off a lot of the harsh heat!

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Day 5 – 10 items from your wish list.

To be honest, I don't even have 10 things on a 'wishlist' or anything, but I do have a few things that are lovely (and wouldn't mind having if the chance to get them arose!)

1. Another issue of Pocheé magazine. The patterns in these are so easy to use, and they make lovely pieces of clothing. I really wish I had a few more of these, as they are well worth the price (An issue contains about 40 pieces of clothing for only 1000 yen, compare that to the price of a single pattern!). The patterns mostly use linen or cotton fabrics too.
2. A Bambi image skirt from &sloe. To be honest, I didn't grow up watching Disney movies, so I don't really have a childhood connection to Bambi. However, these skirts are quite different and are a very cute statement item!
3. Tabio socks and tights. I am a total sucker for tights and socks- I'm not going to lie. I wear them all year round. To me, Tabio is the king of socks and tights; their designs and quality (from what I've heard) are really good!
4. Some cute sandals. With summer rapidly approaching (or is it already here? ヾ( ﾟДﾟ)ﾉ ), I still don't have any good summer footwear! I refuse to wear flip-flops (Jandals for you non-NZ folks), but I've yet to find any really nice proper sandals. If anyone knows of any, please send them my way haha!

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

1. Lacey scarf.
2. Socks! The more socks the better!
3. Lace vest. Instantly adds a little extra to an outfit.
4. My trusty, comfy brown shoes (which are currently looking very sickly because I wear them too often!).
5. Peter-pan collared blouse. 
6. The recently made dress- It's proven to be very versatile.
7. Floral rucksack. I used it all year at school and have gotten many compliments on it!
8. Straw boater hat. Cute final touch!
9. Baggy cardigan
10. My 'bear' dress. Simple and comfy!

Day 7 – 10 people who inspire your mori style.

Ah! This is going to be difficult because there are so many inspirations for me! I'll just put down the first 10 that come to mind, but there are many, many more than ten!

1. Gabrielle of Fern & Fawn. She's super creative, and always surprises me with all the things she makes, and her attention to detail!
2. Anya of Fawn & Doll. She was one of the first mori blogs I followed, and I'm so happy I did! Like Gabrielle, she's also very creative and I always look forward to her posts!
3. Kairii of La Petite Princesse. Although she's not always dressed in the mori style, her ability to coordinate an outfit and her eye for style is amazing! She seems to be a pro at finding awesome second hand clothes, and she always posts really delicious looking food! °Д°
4. Myakiin. Sadly, she doesn't blog anymore (I think!), but I really, really loved her blog and photos.
5. SugarPlumMilk. She was one of the first mori blogs I found, and she probably is one of the reasons I decided to actually dress in the mori style!
6. Chelsea Maika. She models in many magazines such as Spoon, Fudge, Zipper and many mori mooks! I really like the shape of her face (●´ω｀●)ゞ
7. Merii. Like Chelsea, she's in many magazines. She's also the main model for the brand Mother. I suggest you take a look at this tumblr; OhYesMerii !
8. Kodama Masumi. She's a model for SEDA magazine, and is usually seen promoting the brand Crisp. She has the most adorable, child like face! She always makes me want to wear what she's wearing!
9. Popoyans. They inspire me for both their music and their simple style.
10. Aoi Miyazaki. Although she probably usually wouldn't be considered a mori girl, she pulls off the style very well, and she seems to have a very light and friendly air about her!

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Droplets ・ MEG

Wah! Lots of typing! I hope you have a good weekend!

Thanks for reading! ❀

Mori Meme Day Two

Day 2 – 10 things you love in mori.

All images from various magazine scans

1. Detachable Collars
2. Clogs/Sabots
3. Pinafore and Jumper Dresses
4. Rucksacks
5. Check Fabric
6. Socks- many patterns, colours and layers!
7. Delicate hair accessories 
8. The hairstyles!
9. The idea of exploring forests and your own environment. 
10. Journaling and keeping track of your day through diaries, photos and illustrations.

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Also I'm currently in the process of sewing this dress from a Pochee magazine!  It's hasn't taken very long so far (only about 2 hours) to do most of it!

I'll probably have it finished by tomorrow! ...probably....

Thanks for reading  ♥

( ﾟ-ﾟ)( ﾟﾛﾟ)(( ﾛﾟ)ﾟ((( ﾛ)~ﾟ ﾟ

With one day blurring into the next...


Either that or I'm complete dork.
Sorry for the disappearing act I've pulled on all of you lovely readers! I'm in the midst of my final high school term and so the weeks have been just zipping by (as have school project deadlines °Д°)

As well as a super quick update, this is a more formal method of announcing a further hiatus of my blog. Yes you can shake your fist at me now!

Exams are coming up real fast, but after that I'm free to blog for the next 4 months! °ω°
Plus I have some real exciting news about life events (well... exciting for me at least, but I hope you'll get some smiles out of it)

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One thing that I have done of recent was make a floral headband. I found bunches of fake flowers (such as the ones on the left below), a headband, and with a sprinkling (more like a dousing) of hot glue I produced a Mucha-esque wreath. 

In total, the entire thing only cost $3 and about half an hour of my time.

It's really simple, so everyone should try it!

Also, my bestest best friend purchased this absolutely adorable Little Prince diary for me! ≧◡≦ It's so cute and even has itty bitty stamps! Thank you so much Cat~ <3<3

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A rakuten store I've had my eyes on of recent is soulberry.

Even if I can't purchase the clothing, the images alone are enough to inspire a range of outfits. Especially with the summer months coming up (I always feel like the odd one out being in the southern hemisphere!), I've been really interested in how to incorporate mori style in a way which is suitable for heat and humidity. Thankfully a lot of the clothing style focuses on natural fibres such as linen, so that has been an area of interest! 

There's a lot of other blogs that have suggestions for summer mori style, but do any of you have your own tips or tricks? ◠‿◠

Anyway, here's a few of my favourite images from soulberry!

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Matryoshka - Anesthetic

This is hardly a post that makes up for all the time away, but I'll be blogging like a mad man in the months to come!

Keep hands inside the vehicle at all times. Hehe ♥

Inspiration Deux

Things that have caught my eye recently~

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Manapyon

all photos from manapyon tag on tumblr

Although her style is more cult party than mori, I can't stop looking at her doll-like features and impeccable coordination.

Syrup's "Queenly Closet" Collection

images from the Syrup blog

The simple silhouettes, pastel tones and nifty applique has got me all inspired for the (rapidly) approaching spring!

Par Avion

images from Par Avion Online

I've been a big fan of Par Avion's clothing since I discovered the mori girls, and it's remained one of my favourites. I'm always looking at their online store, and just hoping that it's possible to find a way to get some of them or make them 

Winter evening sky

Nothing like pretty storm clouds rolling in...

The Giant Of Illinois - Andrew Bird


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Thanks for reading ♥