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I feel like it’s always something that lolitas talk about, loving old school lolita styles or missing the way things used to look. But recently I’ve seen it a lot more, and I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I like old school things. On the other hand, I think a lot of things have changed for the better. So I made myself a little list of likes and dislikes for each of the “eras” of lolita fashion to talk a little bit about what works for me and what doesn’t.

Old School:

Likes

  • Simple hair and makeup! Wigs are everywhere lately, and I like them fine, but I do miss seeing more natural hair.
  • Rocking Horse Shoes & Rectangle Headdresses. The two accessories I most miss seeing. Although RHS still, tea parties reign supreme.
  • Toile! And other simple mass-produced prints. Since custom printing became popular, things like toile and gingham fell by the way side.
  • Peeking bloomers! This is kind of a hit or miss topic, but I really like them.
  • Somewhat flatter petticoats. Shape has always been important, but there’s a lot of snaps from older bibles and things with fairly flat or even *gasp* no pettis!
  • Simpler screen prints. One or two color prints look so cute I think!
 Dislikes

  • Very hit or miss shoes. I see this most in street snaps, like black shoes with an all white outfit or just weird looking things.
  • Gross quality. Brands have been pretty good for a long time, but a lot of side brands like Visible  were really popular back then, and their quality was either awesome or horrible.
  • Mini top hats and really flat bonnets. Two of my least favorite pieces of headwear that used to be pretty popular back in the day.
  • Black with white lace. Still don’t like it.
  • Carrying stuffed animals. Stuffed animal purse? Sure. Random teddy bear? Weird.
  • Ringlet wigs.

New School:

Likes

  • Colors! Stuff like lavender and yellow and mint were non-existent in lolita up until fairly recently.
  • Crazy prints. The fact that I can own a dress that has dresses on it is ridiculous and awesome.
  • A little more variety in sizing! Always good.
  • Unnatural colored hair is considered totally cool.
  • Stuff that used to be scandalous, like going without a blouse or socks, is now pretty universally acceptable. A true blessing for lolitas who live in warmer climates!
 Dislikes

  • Those giant wigs with the pigtails. They’re cute, but I’m kind of tired of seeing them.
  • Matchy-matchy coords, although I see this more in ads and Japanese coordinates.
  • Short skirts! I like knee-length or longer, but AP especially is getting shorter and shorter D:
  • Too much jewelry! I like to wear some happy medium between old school (practically none) and new school (ALL OF IT EVER) although, this is kind of OTT specific, every print release has at least like 4 pieces of jewelry to go with these days.

As you can see, it’s roughly even! I don’t think is very common for people who have been into lolita as long as I have. I often see it as a decision to lean strongly towards the aesthetic of one or the other. But, given that my general lolita preferences are all over the place it’s not terribly surprising that my feelings on the subject are “LOVE ALL THE STYLES!”

I’m curious about you guys though, what do you like and dislike about new and older styles?

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