~pour la fille de la forêt~ mori specific shop list

YAY IT'S AUTUMN?!

...she said, wandering around the leaf-strewn grass and bumping into trees

and

giant

rabbits.

I haven't written all summer long! I am terrible at doing things unless I have a need to procrastinate! I have studying to avoid for a mid-term Chinese oral exam, which means NOW IS THE TIME!

These past few months I've been having a love affair with layers and unstructured, loose-fitting clothing, which is intensifying as it gets colder.


I have really been wanting to share some Taobao shops I've been enjoying on my natural/mori kick this early fall (I'll add them to my favorite shops master list at some point as well. Haha, 'at some point,' she says...) I'm looking forward to posting some outfit snaps as well for posterity, as I'm trying to track my fashion evolution. I'm still feeling out the little red riding hood forest gamine aesthetic while trying to steer clear of the vaguely Pentacostal cult bag lady look. It's umm... hard to articulate, but it's definitely an ongoing issue I have.

Forest Girl Fans

Very embellished clothing, shoes, and occasionally some accessories. A lot of cutie-pie Little House on The Prairie-ness is at work here. They seem to have a stock overlap on some items with Platinum Angel and some other shops I have visited, but I really like that they model, coordinate, and accessorize all their items. Even though some styles delve too far into the realm of grandma-tastic for me, they have so much available you're bound to find something you like.

Right now you can also peruse these tags --

 L to R: 

原创设计 Original designs

夏末清仓 Summer Clearance Warehouse　

每日新款 New Styles Daily

人气爆款 Popular Styles

Platinum Angel

WOW they have a dazzling amount of merchandise. A lot, a LOT, and there are a variety of styles available, though the general theme seems to be learning toward a vintage-y, comfy, shabby-chic type of feel. Lots of sweaters and DIY/ re-purposed cutsew sweatshirt knit hybrid creatures. Stock is updated very, very often and they have a small selection of cheap zakka and accessories like cute brooches and pins available to mix things up a bit. I am dumbfounded by the sheer number of trousers they have on sale....

M. babyruy

Very cute stuff! A smaller stock than the previous two shops, but as far as I can tell all items are from the in-house brand. Somewhat basic, for the most part, and well made, too. I regretfully haven't had the chance to give their new Autumn clothing a shot, but I ordered a few more breezy pieces from them earlier in the year (including the color blocked OP on the lower right) and have been very happy with them --  I found they leave you with an effortlessly cute kind of look, and at lot of strangers, mainly women, have reacted positively to my coords and complimented me when I have worn this brand out. The items are unique enough to be sufficiently eye-catchy, but not OTT enough to draw them hairy eyeballs, etc.

 

 This photo is from TB shop Maggie-Z -- I haven't had the pleasure of ordering from there, but her bike reminds me of mine!!

taobao retro girly and otome shop list -- revised!!

Sporadic updates a-go-go!

I've put together this listing for others who might be interested -- & also for my own reference / selfish benefit -- of Taobao shops who carry clothes or accessories that I like and have had favorable experience ordering from (with the help of Taobaonow -- I promise I'll write a review of you guys someday!!) The trend here is pretty self-evident with its retro girly leanings, so let's get on with the list. Any suggestions of shops in a similar vein are so welcome!!

Basic list criteria:

• Good presentation
• Active store (currently in business with consistent stock/updates)
• Clothing, accessories, or other fashionable goods
• Satisfactory item quality
• Positive customer reviews
• Exemplifies some tenet of retro girly stylishness -- 'natural-kei' or 'natural style,' otome-kei or 'maiden style', 'mori-kei' or 'forest girl style,' gamine cuteness, or any other romantic feminine looks

Click on the links or photos in the left column to visit each shop! 

**last revised and simplified 13 October, 2013!

SHOP	COMMENTS
artka	very… I want to say, ‘avant-garde’? you never quite know what to expect from artka, but there’s always something interesting to see. it’s an online shopping mall in itself filled with category-defying items from the bizarre to the mundane. definitely on the more expensive side. natural-kei, mori, feminine silhouettes, nomad(??) style, hoodies that will make you look like an escaped lawn gnome… it’s all here.
bobon21	gyaru, hime, sweet. pleats, flowers, plaids, florals, lace. excellent if you enjoy looks featured by yumetenbo or liz lisa.
cicishop	retro vintage, 1960's, british collegiate (think japan's take on "british style" à la vivi magazine), mod cuts, plaids, peacoats; coherent collections with stylish presentation.
coconut	soft and sweet. still carries romantic looking otome and retro girly items, but is heading in a more streetstyle-y gyaru/ kawaii-kei direction as of late. note: double check measurements as everything tends to run small.
dearli	mori, otome, natural-kei. muted colors. romantic, fairy tale-esque dresses, outerwear, tops bottoms, and accessories. fantastic photography, and I cannot emphasize enough how great the shop's website design is! it always has me coming back, even if i'm not looking to purchase anything, just to search for inspiration and take everything in.
forestgirlfans	offers a huge variety of very embellished (and great quality) mori girl clothing, shoes, and occasionally accessories. seems to be one of the most popular purveyors of mori style on TB, and not without reason!
love pinky	mori, natural-kei, otome, lolita, hand bags, accessories. the clothing selection isn’t really tailored to one specific point of view, but they really shine with their array of "zakka," popular character goods and housewares. stocks japanese replicas from brands like Q-POT, Axes Femme, Liz Lisa, snidel, etc.
luckyhouse	otome, ‘natural-kei’, onee-gyaru, sweet, vintage silhouettes. casual OL clothing, shoes, accessories.
m.babyruy	mori, natural. all items are from the in-house brand, and are tagged as such. somewhat basic pieces that can be mixed and matched for an effortlessly cute kind of look.
maggie-z	small stock, but carefully selected bright, soft, cute, and casual pieces. mori/natural. nice shoes, too.
magic39	lots of blouses and dresses with sweet and modest details, lace collars, breezy skirts, soft colors, flower motifs. natural and mori-able items.
maomaohome	s. korea inspired casual, comfy-cute, natural-kei items, shoes, and accessories, layerable with feminine accents.
mm angel	romantic, delicate, billowy. lace, ruffles, chiffon, light fabrics. skirts, blouses, cardigans, cutsews, layerable sets.
mmbq	a small stock of beautiful mori pieces, supposedly made from all-natural cottons and linens.
platinum angel	vintage-y, comfy, shabby-chic. Lots of sweaters and DIY/ repurposed cutsew sweatshirt knit hybrids. stock is updated often and they have a small selection of cheap zakka and accessories. great for mori and natural look, and let me just note that everything i've ordered from here immediately has that special vintage-wash softness...
sunny house	great selection of natural-kei clothing! tartan, denim and fairisle that makes you want to go camping. yes, you too can look fashionable while doing outdoor activities.
guinea pig house	youthful & nostaglic s. korea women's "college" style. nautical/sailor tops, pleated skirts, school-uniform inspired cuteness, piped blazers and plenty of tartan.
vivian!	super cute mori and natural-kei collection.