Ladies Fashion: Aoi Miyazaki

Featured Brand: Earth Music & Ecology

Posted by admin Posted on 8:57 AM with No comments

It seems to me that there are two types of fashion labels catered to mori girl tastes.

The first type of fashion label is liberal in its use of whimsical designs and bright, cute, often intricate details. Q-pot comes to mind as one such brand.

The second type is characterised by a laid back, organic-looking style. An example of such a brand would be SM2.

Earth Music & Ecology falls into the latter category. Simple, casual tops and comfy boyfriend jeans make up much of their summer collection. It's interesting to see mori girl interpretations of summer this season. Instead of the bright colours and taut, tanned, beach-ready bodies that usually adorn summer collections, Earth Music & Ecology's promotional photographs feature a dreamy, misty-eyed seaside scene and a contemplative Aoi Miyazaki.

Birkenstock-like sandals are featuring very strongly in this season's collections as mori girls trade in their boots for more summery footwear.

I love the dress she's wearing in the top picture. Light and airy, it's perfect for the beach and an alternative to the tanktops and daisy dukes usually seen on the beach.

Summer is here, but it's somehow looking as gentle as spring....

Image source: Earth Music & Ecology

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Featured Mori Girl: Shizuru Shitonaka in Heavenly Forest

Posted by admin Posted on 12:41 PM with No comments

I just watched Heavenly Forest (ただ、君を愛してる ), a film that has received attention from the mori girl community for its protagonist, Shizuru Shitonaka. Aoi Miyazaki (宮崎あおい), who portrays Shizuru in the film, was also voted second on a poll identifying celebrity mori girls.

Heavenly Forest is very much a character-driven film. Its plot, like many films falling under the "pure love" sub-genre, is fairly formulaic. However, it has been well-received by critics and viewers alike thanks to its quirky and well-played lead characters. Aoi Miyazaki carries the movie, makes the eccentric character Shizuru her own and turns Heavenly Forest into a memorable, moving and quite special little film. The film also contains many gorgeous forest scenes that will surely inspire many a mori girl.

Shizuru is an eccentric university student from the French department whose life remains a mystery for much of the film. She is usually seen wearing long-sleeved, patterned tops under loose dresses and tops, matched with pants and booties. Her fringed bob is also a typical mori girl hairstyle.

A large part of the film's charm comes from Shizuru's quirks and the surprising things she says.

Shizuru is aware that others may consider her weird, and this resonates with the individualistic values of many mori girls.

Photography is a central motif in the film as it is what strengthens the bond between Shizuru and Makoto Segawa, played by a sweetly awkward Hiroshi Tamaki (玉木宏). The Canon analogue SLRs used by both characters will strike a chord with many mori girls.

One reason this film is so enjoyable is that Aoi Miyazaki is so darn cute.

I didn't have high expectations of the film but ended up finding it quite enchanting in its own way. A great way to spend a quiet night in. If you want to watch Heavenly Forest too, you may want to get it from my affiliate link.

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Posted by admin Posted on 3:46 AM with No comments

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!