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Mori Kei: Mistakes I Made

That You Don’t Have To
I’m not going to even remotely pretend I’m a fashion expert, for Mori Kei or
otherwise, but I’ve spent quite a few years looking at Mori Kei just from up-keeping
this blog, and I dabble in the fashion. I followed mori fashion guides and still found
that my Mori clothes just did not look… mori. Even if I could get them to look
decent (a rare achievement), they did not have the whimsical forest-girl feel I
wanted.

That was a few years ago and nowadays I have some ideas of where I went wrong.
Guides are still helpful when starting out and you should absolutely use them (this
guide is a good starting point on how to build a mori wardrobe), but maybe being
aware of these mistakes will help you start off on a strong foot so you will not find
you hate every Mori purchase you’ve ever made (like I did).

tea and trees Number One. Anchor Items.

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CO MFORTS

Cottage Core ❦ Mori Girl ❦ New England

☙welcome❧

“...and then, I have nature and art and

poetry, and if that is not enough, what is
enough?” ― Vincent Van Gogh

bg art credit

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These are the clothes that start all of your coords, a.k.a. very bottom layers. I took
the concept of anchor items extremely lightly and I paid for it.

I did not think in terms of layers and did not try to buy bottom layers that were
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versatile and comfortable for me. I bought outfits as a whole, not layer by layer. In
 doing so, I limited my wardrobe. Now I have a skirt that only looks good under one
dress, a dress that is too short as a bottom layer but too tight for a top layer, and a
petticoat that is my most versatile piece but is uncomfortable to wear.

That’s the trick with Mori Kei:  bottom layers are so important. Possibly more
important than the layers that will be seen. Look for them by themselves, not as an
accompaniment to another outfit. Anchor items are the most difficult to find, but
you need  to put in the time and effort to find good ones. “Good” means
comfortable to wear and versatile in both cut and color– “good” does not mean a
piece that you like a lot because it is pretty or unique. Save that desire for top
layers!

Top photo credit.

Number Two. Details!

tea and trees

WOODLAND
CO MFORTS

Cottage Core ❦ Mori Girl ❦ New England

☙welcome❧

“...and then, I have nature and art and

poetry, and if that is not enough, what is
enough?” ― Vincent Van Gogh

bg art credit

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I feel like these are the unspoken secrets to a good Mori coord. Maybe everyone
else has just internalized them and doesn’t even think about it? When buying for
Mori, there are subtle details that make or break a coord. It might look good in the
store, then you take it home and wear it with your other Mori clothes and it just
doesn’t seem… Mori enough.

First off: hemlines.

I have learned that v-necks are difficult to pull off in a Mori outfit. Not impossible,
but difficult, so I suggest beginners stay away from them. Look for round necklines.
Same goes for shirt collars. Try to stay away from very sharp collars and look for
rounded corners.
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 Second: patterns.

As a person with no natural fashion sense, I have a difficult time knowing when
patterns look good together. In my mind they do, then when I wear them I look like
a homeless person who had to just throw together everything I had. If you aren’t
100% certain that a pattern will look good with your other clothes, don’t buy it. I’ve
taken to wearing only a single pattern in my layers, if I wear patterned fabric at all,
and usually I cover it with another layer so it’s not too conspicuous. (But that’s my
preference.)

Third: embroidery.

Lace is easy and honestly if lace is on every layer I’m a happy camper. But I’ve
noticed I struggle with embroidery. On the one hand, it can make your coord stand
out and look unique and amazing. On the other hand, if the embroidery doesn’t
match the “feel” of the outfit or there is too much (on one piece or across several), it
can also ruin it.

Some small guidelines I’ve started following: 

`no embroidery on under-layers, especially not anchors

`have embroidery only on one piece of clothing (e.g., don’t have embroidery on a
skirt and a cardigan in one outfit)

`no machine-made embroidery unless you absolutely love it; in my opinion it’s easy
to tell it’s machine-made and it loses its unique and mori-esque look

And finally: sleeves.

tea and trees Long-sleeve under short-sleeve just isn’t a good look. If you browse coords online
you’ll notice this is by-and-large a rule that is followed (and I’m talking about shirts,
WOODLAND
CO MFORTS not long sleeves poking out of cardigans or shawls or etc). This rule is  sometimes
broken, of course, but it’s uncommon. I didn’t get the memo and had to learn this
Cottage Core ❦ Mori Girl ❦ New England
lesson the hard way. When buying top layers  I’ve started to completely disregard
☙welcome❧

any with sleeves. Sleeveless is the way to go, thin or thick straps doesn’t matter as
long as fabric isn’t extending past the armpit. That way it works with both long-
“...and then, I have nature and art and
and short-sleeved under-layers and it is easy to cover with a sweater or cardigan if I
poetry, and if that is not enough, what is
enough?” ― Vincent Van Gogh

want a warmer outfit.

bg art credit Top photo credit.

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Number three. Necessary

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Accessories.

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 tea and trees
WOODLAND
CO MFORTS

I think accessories make an outfit  ‘mori’ more than layers do. In any case, the
Cottage Core ❦ Mori Girl ❦ New England

accessories I’m talking about are the ones you can’t not wear. Shoes, handbag or
☙welcome❧

wallet, glasses if you’re blind like me. Wearing Mori and then putting on neon
orange sports sneakers and taking out a sequin purse made of plastic kind of ruins
“...and then, I have nature and art and
the entire outfit. You may as well not have put effort in to the rest.

poetry, and if that is not enough, what is

enough?” ― Vincent Van Gogh

You may want to put some time and money into these things; maybe before you
bg art credit even think about buying clothes. Shoes and glasses are often more expensive than
clothes anyway so it’s good to get them out of the way with some versatile items
that could ostensibly work with any Mori coord.
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While you likely don’t have such exaggerated accessories (like neon sequin plastic
purses), even a slightly wrong pair of shoes, handbag, glasses, etc., can throw off
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 the vibe you want and ruin the outfit entirely. So get a good-quality, comfy pair of
white sneakers and make the effort to find a versatile-but-perfect-for-mori
handbag. 

You can of course buy other shoes or handbags later, but white sneakers are a
perfect neutral default. This might be controversial for the boot-loving mori
community, but in my experience many boots do not match all coords and sandals
may limit you to one season. If you’re truly opposed to sneakers or simply can’t find
any, some other versatile options may be white, brown, or beige strap shoes, slip-
ons, or ankle shoes. 

It is 100% worth it to invest in “neutral defaults” in both anchor items and these
necessary accessories. It could honestly be the thing to save your fashion.

Top photo credit.

___________________

All of the above is only my opinion. If you disagree with something, please don’t
take it personally. Feel free to use or disregard these tips as you’d like. Fashion is,
after all, subjective and inherently a creative process that you can experiment with
as much as you want. But I hope those who have just started wearing Mori Kei but 
 are frustrated with your results find these guidelines helpful and can build a coord
you love as much as the ones you see online.

1 YEAR AGO   28 NOTES 


#m ori kei guide #m ori kei #m ori fashion #tips #m ori #fashion #m ori kei a dvice
#h ow to dress m ori kei #m ori mistakes I ma de so you don't have to #m ori kei for
beginn ers #beginnin g m ori kei #beginn er m ori #m ori kei tips #m ori tips #gosh I'm
real ba d at ta gs please forgive m e #lon g post

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