Mori Challenge: Day 30

Today’s prompt: Describe your perfect Mori day.

On a perfect day, I would roll out of bed early. It would be warm enough to open the windows and hear the birds chirping while I sat down to a nice cup of coffee and a simple breakfast. I could linger over my food and read a few chapters of a good novel.

Once I was fully awake, I’d put on some exercise gear and take a long walk around the neighborhood or along the river, listening to podcasts and enjoying the weather. Then I’d come home for a warm shower. As I picked out a cozy outfit, I’d remember to wear one of my favorite woodsy scents.

I’d eat lunch with a friend, relaxing over a good conversation. After that, I’d browse through a bookstore or an antique store for a while. Late in the afternoon I’d head home, stopping on the way for some fresh veggies for that night’s dinner. I’d cook something hearty, a nice stew or curry, and call Robot and the kids to dinner. After that we might play a board game.

Late in the evening, we’d all read a classic novel together for half an hour or so before sending the kids off to bed. I would stay up for another hour or two, knitting and watching a spooky movie or a couple episodes of a favorite show. Then I’d snuggle up in bed for a good night’s sleep.

Such a perfect day is pretty rare, but I try to fit a few elements into every day. And we really do read classic novels as a family.

Mori Challenge: Day 29

Today’s question: What other fashions are you interested in, if any?

I’ll always love goth fashion. Stompy black boots, Victorian mourning dresses, swirly eyeliner, I love it all. I think there will always be goth elements in my wardrobe. I’m also kind of interested historical fashions, mostly from the 1800s and early 1900s, but I rarely wear anything like that. There are other fashions I look at, like Streampunk and Lolita and Rockabilly, but they’re not for me.

Mori Challenge: Day 28

Today’s question: Has getting into mori girl changed your perspective on life or how you live at all? how so?

Yes, I think it has, even in the short course of this Mori challenge. This challenge has made me realize how much I supress my need for self care and deny myself small pleasures in some misguided quest to morally perfect myself. Often self care becomes just a checklist I run through to stave off illness. It comes from the way I was raised, I’m sure, this self-denying perfectionism. I’ve healed from and grown past a lot of unhealthy beliefs I was raised with, but so far this is the most stubborn and sneaky. I think it’s because my natural tendency is to work hard and push my way through things, and the best way to heal perfectionism and self-denial is the opposite of that, unclenching my fists and working less.

These past few weeks of exploring my Mori side have been about slowly unclenching my fists. It’s helped me tap into my softer, more dreamy side and made me realize I need to give that side a lot more room if I want self care to actually nourish me instead of just keeping the demons at bay.

On a smaller scale, Dark Mori is a bridge between my spooky stompy goth side and the side that loves sustainability and small town charm. People get confused trying to figure out which side is “the real me” but both are, and finding a name for that combination makes me feel like somebody out there understands.

Mori Challenge: Day 27

Today’s question: What’s your favorite fairy tale or myth?

My favorite myth is the story of Arachne, a brilliant weaver who lost a contest with the goddess Athena and was transformed into a spider for her efforts. In more than one version of the myth, Arachne wove scenes of the gods misbehaving, and that’s what most enraged Athena. That makes me like Arachne a lot. The Greek gods were, generally speaking, huge jerks to mortals and Arachne wasn’t afraid to say so.

My favorite fairy tale might be the Pied Piper of Hamelin. It’s quite morbid, as a lot of original fairy tales are, with the piper luring Hamelin’s children to their deaths. But what I find really mysterious is that unlike most fairy tales, this one seems to be inspired by a real tragedy that happened in Hamelin hundreds of years ago.

Mori Challenge: Day 26

Today’s question: When you’re out in nature, where do you often find yourself? (in the woods, a lake, river, etc. what’s your favorite spot? describe it for us!)

I love to walk down by the river that winds through the canyon east of here. The trees are tall and shady down there, and they grow up right to the river’s edge. There’s a long easy path that follows the river for miles. The river isn’t all that big, and there are foot bridges across it leading to parks and picnic areas. I sometimes like to just lean on the bridge railing and watch the water flow through the trees.

Mori Challenge: Day 25

Today’s question: What is your favorite animal and why?

My favorite animal is the crow. They look spooky, like the dark shadow of a bird, which is cool, but they’re also clever and tough and stay with their babies a surprisingly long time. Actually, I really like birds in general. They’re pretty cool.

I’m pretty hopeless at bird watching. I can spot a hawk or a finch or a dove, but beyond that I’m pretty hopeless. Visual details have never been my strong suit, so I’ll never be a bird expert or anything, but I still like watching them fly. There are a lot of birds in my neighborhood, and noticing them in the morning as I walk reminds me that nature is all around me even in the suburbs.

All pictures mine.

Mori Challenge: Day 24

Today’s prompt: Give us a mori girl inspired vignette! (a short, impressionistic scene that focuses on one moment or gives a particular insight into a character, idea, or setting) Don’t fret too hard over it, we’re not all writers by trade, haha.

The sun was rising behind the clouds, washing them to a lighter gray. Rain pattered down, and the breeze through the canyon shook drops from the leaves. The rain made all the colors richer, the forest scents more alive. The dawn air was cold with autumn but the leaves were still green for now.

The woman matched the forest and the sky, with her hooded gray sweater and black boots matched to the soil of the forest floor. The basket on her hip was the same deep brown as the tree she leaned against. She stood alone and silent, her keen eyes searching the scene around her. Aha! There it is! A sunny smile curved her lips as she walked forward and stooped to pick the chantarelles she’d found and tuck them in her basket. Supper would be lovely tonight.

Mori Challenge: Day 23

Today’s question: Is your hair long or short? What’s your favorite hairstyle?

Right now my hair is around shoulder length. I don’t like getting my hair cut–making small talk while people touch my head isn’t my idea of fun–so I usually let my hair get to around mid-back and then get it cut really short, around chin length. That way I only need haircuts every year or two.

My hair is pretty curly and prone to dryness, especially with all the bleaching and dying I put it through, so I rarely do elaborate hairstyles. After I shower I scrunch the curls a bit, sometimes run a wide tooth comb through it, and let it air dry. If it frizzes too much or gets in my way I make a ponytail. If I don’t have a hair elastic I do one of those elf-style braids down the back. My hair is curly enough that it usually stays braided all by itself.

I have no plans to change my hair to a more natural color or softer Mori style. I like it the way it is. Truly curly hair hasn’t been fashionable since the perm craze of the 1980s so I’m used to not matching up to what the models (even the alternative models) are doing.

Mori Challenge: Day 22

Today’s question: What trends do you see taking the mori girl community by storm soon?

I’m way too new to have a good answer to this question, but I’m guessing the new big trends won’t be called Mori. The new big trends will probably grow out of Strega. Dark Mori was sucked up into Strega fashion about 4 seconds after it was invented, and all the trends now seem to be in Strega. I like Strega. I like the simplicity of wearing “whatever you think a witch wears.” It appeals to a people who like to play with their look a lot and don’t want to be held down to just one thing. Strega also isn’t beholden to any specific brands the way original Mori Girl fashion was, and that’s nice.

While Dark Mori has almost become a substyle of Strega, original Mori Girl was much more tied to specific Japanese shops and brands, and it seems to be dying out. The idea of dressing like a country girl or forest dweller lives on, though, as Cottagecore borrows some of the old Mori ideas and Shabby Chic seems ot be coming back.

Whether it carries the Mori name or not, I do think many of the Mori themes of slowing down, appreciating nature and simple pleasures, and wearing comfortable clothes in natural fabrics are spreading and growing. The farther I get in this Mori challenge, the more I like that idea.

Cottagecore on the left looks a lot like Mori on the right.

A more classic Dark Mori look on the left and Strega on the right. Still really cool, but definitely a more urban edge to it.

Mori Challenge: Day 21

Today’s question: Where do you get most of your Mori clothes?

All over the place.

When Mori was still big in Japan there were specific clothing brands for it, but I don’t think most of them exist anymore. Even if they did, none of them were designed with tall, fat, gothy Americans in mind. And none of them were specifically dark or witch-themed.

I’m not a really huge plus size, so I sometimes find things at thrift and vintage stores, but I’m too large for a lot of famous goth and subculture brands. I wear a combination of cheaper mainstream basics and “custom” stuff from small companies and indie designers. Many designers on Etsy offer plus sizes and will adjust things to your personal measurements without charging extra, which is awesome. Places like eShakti and ModCloth offer larger sizes, and sometimes they have things that fit my style. In some ways, being quirky and alternative makes it easier to find large sizes. If I was obsessed with Adidas or Killstar I’d be totally out of luck. It takes a little patience and flexibility, but I can put together mori or lagenlook or corpgoth style outfits pretty easily from the various plus sized options out there.

Still, I’d love to get better at sewing so I can tailor my clothes and make some good ones from scratch. I’m also starting to knit and crochet more of my own sweaters, and I might even knit a skirt or two on my own. In a few years, all my knitwear might be homemade.

*Checking for fit on my current sweater project. Just need to add sleeves.*