I love anti-hauls, so I decided to do one of my own! Lolita is a hobby that revolves around conspicuous consumerism and brand loyalty as a form of self-expression, so it's only natural that FOMO and overspending are common problems for a lot of us. On the whole lolita is still a slow fashion that promotes using durable materials, buying secondhand, crafting and DIY, and so on...but that can't last forever. it's starting to adopt more and more practices from fast fashion. Microtrends, super limited releases, buying cheap throwaway items, hyper-specific items or themes that can't be reused easily... I think the rise of tiny fly-by-night brands and social media is helping to contribute to this, and I don't like it at all.
I'm certainly not immune to this myself. I didn't need to buy all 3 colourways of Iron Gate, but I did because I was worried I'd never get the opportunity again. I had the money set aside for it so it wasn't a financial hardship, but then what happens when the next coveted, limited release comes out in a few weeks? Will I get FOMO and buy that too? And then the next? Keeping up with new releases is like jumping on a treadmill that you can't get off. I'm not frugal, but I'm not a spendthrift either. My income is pretty modest and I have a few big expenses like tuition and licensing fees, so I can't go too crazy...but it's very tempting, and that's the problem. How many people do you see "joking" about shopping addictions and eating ramen so that they can afford the latest release? Yeah.
Oh, and I've since sold one of the Iron Gate OPs, so there you go.
One tip that helps me is putting an item in my cart and waiting for a week to see if I'm still in love. Of course this is hard because it can be a total crapshoot trying to find an item after it's already sold out. But a lot of the time, I realize that I liked the piece, but it wasn't necessarily a must-have...or that I was more interested in getting a good deal than I was in the piece itself. Hell, I even took a few items out of this list as I was writing the post, because I'd already lost interest in them. It's a very useful exercise. I actually haven't purchased anything new in months.
Instead, I've been trying to focus more on playing around with items I already own and clearing my closet of things I haven't worn. Simply liking a piece isn't a good enough reason to keep it, in my opinion. So, onto the list of pieces that didn't make the cut for me this year!
Royal Princess Alice Butterfly Church JSK
I was obsessed with this dress when I saw it on RPA's Twitter a while back and basically checked every single day until they announced the release date. I love butterflies but there are so few gothic prints that feature them, so I get really excited when I can find butterfly-print anything. But I'm not sold on the white lace trim. It's weirdly distracting, especially on on the bodice. And it doesn't make sense to pay full retail price for something I'm not totally in love with, right? Especially because RPA's quality is questionable at best.
Physical Drop Rose Romantica OP
I've been wanting a frilly, solid red main piece for a while now, and I (foolishly) passed on the red Nonette JSK that came out a few months ago. This one looks gorgeous and comfortable, and I've also wanted to try Physical Drop out...but I already know that this cut is going to look awful on me. Pass.
Sheglit Sleeping Forest Tulle Skirt
Sheglit has really been coming for my wallet over these past few months, especially with their purple releases. I've had to skip on so many gorgeous releases; Holy OP, Edelweiss OP...honestly, the only reason I didn't buy it at the time is that I had already reached my spending quota for the month, but in retrospect I'm glad - I don't have enough purple accessories to match with it right now anyway.
Sheglit Adelheid Cape JSK
I just desperately want to look like a vampire governess, and now that Atelier Boz is gone (RIP) Sheglit is the only brand that can really scratch that itch for me. However, I'm also aware that I'm short with linebacker shoulders so this would look ridiculous on me.
Sheglit Beatrice Blouse
I really, really hate that dark purple has become a microtrend among Japanese gothic lolitas. Not because I hate purple (on the contrary, dark purple is my favourite colour) but because it is incredibly hard for me to resist the urge to add a new colour to my wardrobe. I think I'll settle by buying purple blouses and accessories to wear with black solid main pieces. That being said, I need to pass on this one because it's a bit pricey for such a simple piece. Colour alone isn't a good reason to buy something.
Moi-même-Moitié M+Cross Rose Forest OP
Yet another dress where the cut just isn't going to work for me. I had the original Rose Forest Lace OP and it was so unflattering on me that I immediately sold it. I'm a little bit bummed because I really like simple nonprint OPs like this, and I adore the fabric. I hope they continue to use this lace in the future! It's beautiful and has such a nice texture.
Atelier Pierrot Noble Over Dress
Okay, this one hurts me because I actually 100% love the piece and don't have any nitpicks about the design or concerns about the fit. I just straight up don't need any more velveteen in my closet. It's beautiful, but it's hard to care for and can only be worn a few months out of the year...it's easily damaged, too. The idea of cleaning red velveteen is just...bleh.
So, that finishes up this year's round-up of things I didn't buy! I definitely want to do this again next year, so I'll try to keep careful track of all the releases I skipped on. It's kind of fun to go back and see what I still like and what I'm glad I passed on.
Thank you for reading!
