It occurred to me recently that I’ve been actively wearing lolita fashion for almost 7 years. It feels a little surreal to think about it that way but, it also still hasn’t quite hit me that I’ll soon be 30. The last few years feel like a blur, but many of the happy memories I have that shine through the fog are all thanks to this fashion I love so much. In that time, I’ve had two major life changes in particular that threatened our financial situation and spurred me to sell some pieces out of my wardrobe that I now dearly miss. None of them are particularly rare and I haven’t been very diligent in watching for them to pop up secondhand, but I am starting to feel that urge a little more strongly every day. I don’t have any Dream Dresses I’m currently pursuing, so I feel like now is a good time for me to think back on the pieces I’ve sold that I’d like to put back on my wishlist (and which ones I’m okay with saying goodbye to forever).
#1: Drosselmeyer’s Wonder Box Mary JSK in Canaria by Alice and the Pirates
While scrolling through closetchild one night, I found myself attracted to this JSK for several reasons:
- I love tartan
- I wanted to tackle the challenge of coordinating the unique yellow colorway
- Christmas was coming up it and seemed like the perfect choice
After I received it, I fell in love with the details in both the print and the construction of the JSK itself. I also felt a huge amount of pride when I was able to coordinate it with items matching the deep plum in the print – yellow and purple are so risky to work with (especially in lolita) and I know my final coordinates weren’t to everyone’s taste, but I really loved it back then and I’m still happy with the results to this day. Even after selling the JSK I held on to the matching necklace in hopes of being able to buy this print again someday.
Why I sold it: Financial stress
Do I want it back? Yes, I would love to own this dress again in either JSK cut or colorway.
#2: Tea Time JSK in Chocolat/Black by Innocent World
This was one of the most light, airy, and comfortable JSKs I’ve ever owned, and again I loved the challenge of the unusual colorway. My only criticism was the cut of the bodice, which after a little bit of weight gain gave me the dreaded boobloaf and I felt a bit constricted in it. At the time I owned it, I was quite a bit heavier than I am now and today I think this dress would fit me much better than it did back then.
Why I sold it: Financial stress, Sizing issues
Do I want it back? Yes, I would happily own this JSK in any colorway (but this one is my favorite).
#3: Tartan Shirring JSK in Green by Metamorphose temps de Fille
I fell in love with this dress the moment I saw it coordinated by the beautiful Nokecha, and the only reason I sold it was because I was expecting a far greater financial hit from my cancer diagnosis than we got. Letting it go was extremely hard for me because it was so comfortable and versatile, and I regularly find myself reaching into my closet to find it and feeling that pit in my gut when I remember it’s gone.
Why I sold it: Financial stress
Do I want it back? Yes please, for the love of God!
#4 Kitty Kitty Rhapsody Paris JSK in Brown by Baby the Stars Shine Bright
Ahhh, that infamous leopard print – a fashion concept that repelled me before I took the dive into lolita fashion and now for some reason it just sings to my soul. Not to mention, this particular print regales the adventures of two adorable cats as they go about their day. It’s also peppered with pawprints and precious Parisian motifs, so what’s not to love? It was also extremely comfortable and fun to coordinate in a lot of different ways, so I miss it quite a bit.
Why I sold it: Financial stress
Do I want it back? Definitely. I prefer the Paris cut, but I would also be happy with the Dyna cut as well (even though there’s no leopard print on Dyna). The only colorway I’m not interested in is the mint, but the brown and pink versions are my favorite.
#5: Cendrillon Scallope JSK in Brown Floral by Innocent World
This was the very first lolita dress I ever purchased and I clung to it with immense nostalgia for a long time. Looking at it always made me remember the nervous excitement of buying it and the first spark of love I felt for lolita fashion as a whole. I still love this piece for many reasons (like its namesake scalloped skirt and the beautiful neckline), but unfortunately I found the resolve to let it go during the time that it didn’t fit me anymore and it was a bittersweet sale for me.
Why I sold it: Sizing Issues
Do I want it back? I would definitely own this JSK again in either the milk tea, brown floral, or the solid brown colorways, but I’d probably still feel sad for a while about it not being -the- original JSK I owned. I know I’m probably being overly sentimental, but it’s a feeling I don’t want to fight.
#6: Biscuits and Chocolates Sleeveless OP in Blue by Emily Temple Cute
This was one of the very first Jfashion pieces I fell in love with after seeing photos of it online. I really, REALLY love pretzels as a motif in fashion and after I received this dress and realized it had tiny deer on it too (I couldn’t see them in the stock photos), I fell even deeper in love. My preferred colorway was ivory, but the blue became available first and I bought it to tide me over until I could get my hands on my favorite colorway. During that time, the blue really grew on my and I happily wore it a few times without feeling like I had settled for something less…but that eventually faded and I let go of the blue colorway after a couple of years. I still own the ivory though and I love it just as much as the day I bought it.
Why I sold it: Fell out of love with the colorway
Do I want it back? If someone gave this dress to me as a gift (or any of the other versions in other available colorways), I would happily wear it again…but I’m not actively hunting to buy this piece again because I am very satisfied with the ivory version.
#7: Angel Chiffon JSK in Ivory by Baby the Stars Shine Bright
This piece really wasn’t on my radar at all until it was offered to me as a trade, and when I saw it in person I was much more impressed with it than I expected to be after looking at the stock photos. It’s really a gorgeous and comfortable JSK; the only hesitance I ever had about wearing it was the fear of staining or otherwise damaging it. Looking back, I wish I’d worn it more and taken the time to coordinate it in different ways, but it doesn’t bother me too much because I have my heart set on owning the pink and/or lavender colorways someday.
Why I sold it: Financial stress, Not my preferred colorway
Do I want it back? In pink or lavender, yes.
#8: Rose Stained Glass Skirts in Bordeaux and Blue by Innocent World
I’m going to combine these two into one entry because I had the same issues with both. The blue was my original preferred colorway but I bought the bordeaux in my early lolita days when I saw it for sale secondhand. The sale included a perfectly matching vintage blouse, which removed my only hesitation regarding coordination. I wore the bordeaux version during my very first convention fashion show at San Japan 2014 and I held on to it for a long time after that for nostalgia’s sake, but during the time that I gained a bit of weight it was one of the first pieces I could no longer fit into. Not long after I said goodbye to the bordeaux, I bought the blue version knowing it probably wouldn’t fit but I wanted to see it in person and decide if I loved it enough to keep it until I lost weight again. In truth I really did and I wanted to hold on to it, but this was during the time of the second major financial strain and it was one of the first pieces I let go of. I regret not at least laying out more coordinates with it, it’s a stunning print and blue roses are one of my all-time favorite motifs.
Why I sold them: Sizing issues, financial stress
Do I want them back? To be honest, I would be happy to own this print in any cut or colorway again, but I’m not actively searching for them right now because I own the Theresia Rose JSK in blue and it soothes my soul in the same way Rose Stained Glass does.
#9: Matcha Dessert in Green by Milu Forest
I bought this JSK during the preorder period with a friend and spent a lot of time worrying about how I was going to coordinate it beyond something super basic because I had no idea if anything green in my wardrobe would’ve matched. By the time it arrived, I was disappointed to find that it ran smaller than they had advertised…and I made the mistake of not ordering a size up just in case because I thought I was going to have plenty of room in the size M (and that was not the case). I was also not extremely impressed with the quality of it; the print was adorable and I loved the ruffle at the bottom but the overall quality wasn’t what I was hoping for and I wasn’t super sad to see it go.
Why I sold it: Sizing and quality issues
Do I want it back? Not particularly, I think I might’ve enjoyed owning it more if I had more creative ways to coordinate it because the print itself was absolutely precious, but I’m not going to be actively hunting it any time soon.
#10: Gargoyles of Notre Dame JSK in Pink(?!) by Innocent World
I originally bought this JSK to wear to the Innocent World Tea Party at San Japan 2016, not because of a lack of Innocent World items in my closet but more on a whim because I wanted to wear something new for the con (and I had my eye on this piece for quite a while). I love almost everything about this JSK, except for the very minor boobloaf I dealt with back then, but that’s the only nitpick I can muster because honestly it’s an amazing piece and it was really hard to let go of it.
Why I sold it: Financial stress
Do I want it back? Definitely, in any colorway!
#11: Creamy Scallop JSK in Black by Angelic Pretty
I have owned a very small amount of nonprint pieces over the years, and it’s honestly something I’m a little embarrassed about because there are SO MANY out there with beautiful detailing – Creamy Scallop is no exception to that and it’s an all around very charming and versatile piece. I feel like I didn’t get to experiment with it nearly enough so my regret for selling this piece is two-fold.
Why I sold it: Financial stress
Do I want it
back? Yes, and any colorway will do but I prefer the black.
#12: Teddy Chocolatier Pinafore JSK in Ivory by Crown Label (Metamorphose temps de Fille)
Teddy Chocolatier is one of those prints that literally makes me laugh out loud sometimes because it’s so busy and ridiculous, but I love it so much. Chocolate? Tiny shoes and hats? Tiny pianos??? Sign. Me. UP.
When I bought this JSK, it arrived with quite a bit of undisclosed staining from the original seller and I had a heck of a time trying to clean it. In the end I feel like I did a fairly good job, but it was a little disappointing and the remnants of the damage bothered me more and more as time wore on. I was able to find it a home with someone who didn’t mind the faint staining and this print is definitely on my wishlist to bring home again someday.
Why I sold it: Damage, Financial stress
Do I want it back? For sure, in either ivory or navy and preferably the same cut I had before!