Feeling Nostalgic

Day #220 of Lace a la Mode's Lifestyle Lolita Challenge asked to share a dress you no longer own and why, and it got me going back to my old photobucket page (I have no idea why I still have this account) where I rediscovered dozens of items I used to own. It's a little bittersweet seeing how far I've come as a lolita, starting with off-brand loliables, to pieces from Bodyline and defunct indie brands, to owning mostly from the major lolita brands. It's also quite bittersweet remembering how much smaller I once was. When I was starting to collect Japanese brand pieces, I was small enough to wear Beth pieces which didn't go bigger than 26" around the waist (by the way, if you're new and reading this, Beth is a defunct sister brand of Victorian Maiden which makes classic lolita).

The piece I had in mind is Angelic Pretty's Glitter Trump JSK in sax which came from a set from Rose Chocolat, a defunct Korean brand that was infamous for their Rocking Horse Shoes replicas, but also sold some second hand Japanese lolita brands and a few original pieces.

I'm so relieved I had saved this image

Proof (is in the poof)
The set also came with some free goodies: a mini-top hat with plush "candies" glued onto it and a chain necklace with a plush bear and more of those candies. It was a nice gesture, but did not match at all.

This set weren't my first lolita brand pieces, but it certainly marked the year I finally got the grasp of the fashion and really felt like a lolita. I had saved up for this set for several months at a part time job so I could get it in time for Anime Central 2011, which featured H.Naoto and Gashicon, the character designer of Hangry and Angry (my only disbelief is that the year after was when Angelic Pretty first came to ACen and I couldn't go that year). I happened to be out of the house when it was delivered to my house, and my neighbor had taken it to her place because the delivery person plopped it in front of the door even though it was pouring out. It's funny remembering that it was delivered in a flat screen tv box.

I remember trying to coordinate it for the first time and as I was smoothing down my skirt, I accidentally stuck my hands in hidden pockets! I believe this was before Hello Lace was made, and so I also discovered that it was made with a built in petticoat. Every lolita skirt should come with pockets and built in pettis. I think my only complaint was how awkwardly small the head-bow was, but pretty much from that point on, I understood the hype surrounding Angelic Pretty. I used to give this brand and Metamorphose shit for their bad stock photos (and I sometimes still do, to be fair).

I'm kind of bummed that I couldn't find any other coordinate photos except from when I wore it to ACen that year, but even without them, I still remember the joy and times of wearing it. Unfortunately, I had to let it go because I was no longer able to fit in it comfortably, and I thought it was best to move onto more mature styles.

When I made the decision to sell the set, I've come to realize what my needs are in terms of creating a "complete" lolita wardrobe, in which I'd have to avoid any main piece without shirring, even if I wanted it very badly. Although that shade of sax wasn't particularly unflattering, it was probably the last time I was willing to purchase pastels. Being a more discerning consumer isn't fun, but it's definitely helped my wardrobe be more cohesive and I'm not selling pieces as much as I used to. My hope is that I'll be able to get to a point where I'm more satisfied with it, and that I would be better about taking photos of my coords to look back on!

What pieces did you used to own and why did you sell it? Did you also make any drastic changes? Did you have any fond memories wearing said pieces?