Around this time in last year, I wrote a blog post about “oldschool” and the perceptions of “early lolita'' within sections of the community. The hunger for history and nostalgic aesthetics seems to have only advanced since, as I’ve noticed a significant increase in demand for dresses and accessories that embody the stereotypical “oldschool” look.
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| Photoshoot for the Nostalgia Collection by Summer Tales Boutique, featuring model Rosalynn (@lolitawonderland on Instagram). Taken from the Summer Tales Boutique webshop. |
But what is this look, and how should it be achieved? Oldschool seems to mean different things to different people. Many associate it with solid pieces with stark, relatively simple colour palettes; although floral and patterned fabrics, like tartans and gobelin, are equally popular. The designs of the dresses themselves are usually considered simpler and “more wearable” than modern lolita, perhaps reflecting the notion that the fashion was more “authentic” in its early years. Some believe that only pieces produced within a certain period of time (usually from the 1990s to early 2000s) can be counted as "true" oldschool, though I personally think overall design is more important than the age of the garment (please read my previous post on the subject if you want to know why!).
To contribute to these debates, I will be exploring some common perceptions about oldschool and early lolita, and comparing them to photographs and streetsnaps we have from the early to mid 2000s. This is not to argue that any particular definition of oldschool or lolita history is wrong, but rather to push the boundaries of the substyle, and challenge what we consider “authentic” in current lolita fashion. So, whether you agree or disagree with me on what oldschool is (or isn’t), I hope we can enjoy finding inspiration from these images, and what they can tell us about our fashion and our community – past, present, and future.
