09 . 05 . 2026
We celebrated my birthday a little early for a very special purpose: it was so the timing allowed me to have a get-together in Paris with dear friends I rarely get to hang out with in real life, since I live about five hours of train from the capital.
I cannot put into words how wonderful this day felt. It's only my second time "properly" celebrating my birthday- and it's my 31st.
The feelings I have towards the whole concept of inviting people to do something are very difficult, especially something so me-centric as a birthday. My 30th felt easier, because it was a double birthday, it had a circus theme, no presents the birthday aspect felt more secondary. But this time... I was so worried I'd be imposing. Making the guest list was daunting: are we close enough? Will this person be offended if I invite them, will they feel obligated out of politeness...?
But here I was, somehow, surrounded only by people I love and admire, many of them who had decided to shower me in presents despite me insisting they shouldn't worry about gifting me anything. How incredible and overwhelming it was, to be faced with a pile of lovely things clearly picked for me. None of the presents were generic, so much thought had been put into each of them, and my brain was having a hard time processing the fact people would do this for me. They were all things I did want, from people who had paid attention over time to what I liked, and remembered them. It felt surreal. I was extremely happy.
Purely for fun, I had suggested a white&ivory dress code, and it was great to see everyone adapt it to their own style: a whole chorus of pure shiro outfits, while the most goth ones layered it under black vests and JSKs, my decora friend featured shironuri facepaint of pure white under a stunning rainbow of accessories- and my fiancé handmade a nurse-inspired ivory dress for the occasion, while matching burgundy tights with me.
Thank you everyone. It might seem like a simple birthday meetup, but I've rarely felt so much like I am where I truly belong. Every person present today is very special to me in one way or another.
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30 . 04 . 2026
(Originally a Tumblr post answering an inbox ask in January of the same year)
Q. Do you think old school is still trending?
A. On one hand, I do feel like we are past the peak of old school being the big trendy thing. The novelty is wearing off, its inaccessibility has been frustrating those who prefer the convenience of immediate availability and clear sizing charts, & fellow EGLs are starting to vocalize their fatigue over seeing second hand prices skyrocketing into cartoonish numbers.
One of the major aspects of old school's "trendification" in my eyes was to see the same three dresses over and over again, being sold for thousands yet somehow seeming to be absolutely everywhere regardless of personal style. As beautiful as they are, I can tell people are starting to roll their eyes a little at such a restrictive vision of old school being constantly put in the spotlight, and this contributes to the fatigue: I'm clearly not the only one raising an eyebrow at certain dresses becoming a status symbol for which people will break the bank just to fit in and get social media attention, rather than because they like the dress at all. It was the Sugary Carnival back in the day, it's always been a thing, but it does feel particularly bizarre to see it within old school? Aren't we trying to escape those trends in the first place?...
However, even if we're starting to see its limits and the trend is starting to fade, the old school boom definitely is leaving a long lasting impact. before this phenomenon, 2000's dresses were seen as anything from frumpy, to ridiculous, to downright ita territory. "Armchair fabric" was seen as the ugliest thing in the world, simpler cuts and solid fabrics were often seen as too plain/casual/not worth the money, etc etc.
This is definitely no longer the case, and it feels like a much needed escape from the suffocation of OTT becoming so prevalent in every other sphere of the style. To echo a comment on my previous post about it, old school is also far less influencer-friendly. can't get a sponsorship for an item that came out 20 years ago, right? Not to mention the look itself, as soon as you step out of the flashy Elizabeth OP territory: good luck attracting an outsider audience with frumpy old Jane Marple protolita fits. And I love that so much, I love frumpy old Jane Marple protolita fits and I want it to remain a little secret club lol
In summary, old school EGL is now far more accepted and appreciated than it used to be, and fans of the style are going to continue wearing it, but i do think it has begun losing its status as the hot nostalgia commodity of the week for those who might have only been interested on a surface level. I'm personally very happy the old school revival ignited a new fire for EGL history and preservation overall, alongside healing my own personal relationship with the style. <:)
Obviously this is just my personal perspective and there's many spheres of EGL I do not engage with (<- polite way to say I choose to live under a rock), so this is to be taken with a grain of salt.
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07 . 04 . 2026
Last Sunday was my local EGL community's hanami picnic, and I chose to wear my Cherry Berry Bunny set by Angelic Pretty. It was my first ever dream dress, and I was lucky enough to get the full set only two years into wearing EGL, in 2011. It was a big commitment: with a jobless teenager's budget, owning a brand piece was a huge deal and a big financial investment. To this day, I still wear it regularly, I also believe this is the most expensive piece I own.
After returning home from the picnic, I had a bit of a shock when seeing this photo another member had taken: it's a shot of our group with my back turned to the camera. It immediately gave me such strong déjà vu, and I quickly figured out why. Wearing a dark brown wig, a light colored blouse, a red head accessory, and my Cherry Berry Bunny JSK, I looked exactly identical to one of the very few photographs still remaining from my early EGL days.
Like many teenagers, I loathed my appearance so much- I took very few pictures of myself, and when my friends took any, I would try to convince them to delete it all. For this reason, despite wearing EGL every single day through the entirety of highschool, I only have a handful of pictures from that time.
2012 feels like an entire lifetime away, because it sort of is. I hadn't even begun to really live back then, I was a little shut-in who only socialized once a year, in July, when I'd visit Paris for the Japan Expo convention, which was the weekend during which this photo was taken, when my online friends introduced me to Princess Crêpe. It was one of my very first social outings, ever.
And yet, the silhouettes are so identical, down to the cross-body strap from an Angelic Pretty bag, although they are different ones. It made me feel a little lightheaded, but also happy. That 14 years old Yule is still with me, in a way. I always find comfort in thinking about how 14 years old me would be positively astounded to see my life right now. How I've evolved within EGL, the big city I moved to, the many friends I made. I love this picture.
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12 . 03 . 2026
My first entry! Maybe a good place to explain why this website exists in the first place.
Other than the very much expected growing fatigue and disgust towards oversanitized overmonetized AI-polluted influencer-driven impersonal modern social platforms all my peers have also been experiencing, I have realized there is another reason. I want to archive my EGL journey in one place. I want this crucial part of my existence to be documented. It has made my life so much better. I would not be alive to write this if not for EGL.
But as excruciating as it is to admit, I will not be wearing EGL forever.
I started wearing EGL fashion at 13 years old. I am 30 years old as of writing this. I know, I know, "fashion has no age", "clothes have no gender", etc. Those are all principles I wholeheartedly agree with. But the reality is, this is far easier to apply to elegant older women, and attractive young men. I am not a woman, and I will not be young forever. I could be selfish, and delude myself into thinking no one will have a problem with an old man in a dress hanging out with young women. But this is not reality, and EGL has brought me too much joy to repay it by making the new generations uncomfortable with my presence.
As of right now, this is how I picture my future: I will continue to show my love for EGL by sewing dresses for other people, while I slowly transition into a more age-appropriate gender-appropriate wardrobe for myself. Probably more refined ouji, historically-inspired styles, and, if I can afford it, I would love to get into male kimono fashion. If I can dress like Itoshiki Nozomu in my middle-aged era, I would feel less heartbroken over having to abandon wearing frilly dresses.
⊰════════════════════════════════════════════════⊱
♫♪ Ohtsuki Kenji & Zetsubou Shoujo-tachi - あれから
We celebrated my birthday a little early for a very special purpose: it was so the timing allowed me to have a get-together in Paris with dear friends I rarely get to hang out with in real life, since I live about five hours of train from the capital.
I cannot put into words how wonderful this day felt. It's only my second time "properly" celebrating my birthday- and it's my 31st.
The feelings I have towards the whole concept of inviting people to do something are very difficult, especially something so me-centric as a birthday. My 30th felt easier, because it was a double birthday, it had a circus theme, no presents the birthday aspect felt more secondary. But this time... I was so worried I'd be imposing. Making the guest list was daunting: are we close enough? Will this person be offended if I invite them, will they feel obligated out of politeness...?
But here I was, somehow, surrounded only by people I love and admire, many of them who had decided to shower me in presents despite me insisting they shouldn't worry about gifting me anything. How incredible and overwhelming it was, to be faced with a pile of lovely things clearly picked for me. None of the presents were generic, so much thought had been put into each of them, and my brain was having a hard time processing the fact people would do this for me. They were all things I did want, from people who had paid attention over time to what I liked, and remembered them. It felt surreal. I was extremely happy.
Purely for fun, I had suggested a white&ivory dress code, and it was great to see everyone adapt it to their own style: a whole chorus of pure shiro outfits, while the most goth ones layered it under black vests and JSKs, my decora friend featured shironuri facepaint of pure white under a stunning rainbow of accessories- and my fiancé handmade a nurse-inspired ivory dress for the occasion, while matching burgundy tights with me.
Thank you everyone. It might seem like a simple birthday meetup, but I've rarely felt so much like I am where I truly belong. Every person present today is very special to me in one way or another.
⊰════════════════════════════════════════════════⊱
30 . 04 . 2026
♫♪ browny circus - タイムマシンにおねがい
(Originally a Tumblr post answering an inbox ask in January of the same year)
Q. Do you think old school is still trending?
A. On one hand, I do feel like we are past the peak of old school being the big trendy thing. The novelty is wearing off, its inaccessibility has been frustrating those who prefer the convenience of immediate availability and clear sizing charts, & fellow EGLs are starting to vocalize their fatigue over seeing second hand prices skyrocketing into cartoonish numbers.
One of the major aspects of old school's "trendification" in my eyes was to see the same three dresses over and over again, being sold for thousands yet somehow seeming to be absolutely everywhere regardless of personal style. As beautiful as they are, I can tell people are starting to roll their eyes a little at such a restrictive vision of old school being constantly put in the spotlight, and this contributes to the fatigue: I'm clearly not the only one raising an eyebrow at certain dresses becoming a status symbol for which people will break the bank just to fit in and get social media attention, rather than because they like the dress at all. It was the Sugary Carnival back in the day, it's always been a thing, but it does feel particularly bizarre to see it within old school? Aren't we trying to escape those trends in the first place?...
However, even if we're starting to see its limits and the trend is starting to fade, the old school boom definitely is leaving a long lasting impact. before this phenomenon, 2000's dresses were seen as anything from frumpy, to ridiculous, to downright ita territory. "Armchair fabric" was seen as the ugliest thing in the world, simpler cuts and solid fabrics were often seen as too plain/casual/not worth the money, etc etc.
This is definitely no longer the case, and it feels like a much needed escape from the suffocation of OTT becoming so prevalent in every other sphere of the style. To echo a comment on my previous post about it, old school is also far less influencer-friendly. can't get a sponsorship for an item that came out 20 years ago, right? Not to mention the look itself, as soon as you step out of the flashy Elizabeth OP territory: good luck attracting an outsider audience with frumpy old Jane Marple protolita fits. And I love that so much, I love frumpy old Jane Marple protolita fits and I want it to remain a little secret club lol
In summary, old school EGL is now far more accepted and appreciated than it used to be, and fans of the style are going to continue wearing it, but i do think it has begun losing its status as the hot nostalgia commodity of the week for those who might have only been interested on a surface level. I'm personally very happy the old school revival ignited a new fire for EGL history and preservation overall, alongside healing my own personal relationship with the style. <:)
Obviously this is just my personal perspective and there's many spheres of EGL I do not engage with (<- polite way to say I choose to live under a rock), so this is to be taken with a grain of salt.
⊰════════════════════════════════════════════════⊱
07 . 04 . 2026
♫♪ Strawberry Switchblade - Ecstasy
Last Sunday was my local EGL community's hanami picnic, and I chose to wear my Cherry Berry Bunny set by Angelic Pretty. It was my first ever dream dress, and I was lucky enough to get the full set only two years into wearing EGL, in 2011. It was a big commitment: with a jobless teenager's budget, owning a brand piece was a huge deal and a big financial investment. To this day, I still wear it regularly, I also believe this is the most expensive piece I own.
After returning home from the picnic, I had a bit of a shock when seeing this photo another member had taken: it's a shot of our group with my back turned to the camera. It immediately gave me such strong déjà vu, and I quickly figured out why. Wearing a dark brown wig, a light colored blouse, a red head accessory, and my Cherry Berry Bunny JSK, I looked exactly identical to one of the very few photographs still remaining from my early EGL days.
Like many teenagers, I loathed my appearance so much- I took very few pictures of myself, and when my friends took any, I would try to convince them to delete it all. For this reason, despite wearing EGL every single day through the entirety of highschool, I only have a handful of pictures from that time.
2012 feels like an entire lifetime away, because it sort of is. I hadn't even begun to really live back then, I was a little shut-in who only socialized once a year, in July, when I'd visit Paris for the Japan Expo convention, which was the weekend during which this photo was taken, when my online friends introduced me to Princess Crêpe. It was one of my very first social outings, ever.
And yet, the silhouettes are so identical, down to the cross-body strap from an Angelic Pretty bag, although they are different ones. It made me feel a little lightheaded, but also happy. That 14 years old Yule is still with me, in a way. I always find comfort in thinking about how 14 years old me would be positively astounded to see my life right now. How I've evolved within EGL, the big city I moved to, the many friends I made. I love this picture.
⊰════════════════════════════════════════════════⊱
12 . 03 . 2026
♫♪ GLAY - サバイバル
My first entry! Maybe a good place to explain why this website exists in the first place.
Other than the very much expected growing fatigue and disgust towards oversanitized overmonetized AI-polluted influencer-driven impersonal modern social platforms all my peers have also been experiencing, I have realized there is another reason. I want to archive my EGL journey in one place. I want this crucial part of my existence to be documented. It has made my life so much better. I would not be alive to write this if not for EGL.
But as excruciating as it is to admit, I will not be wearing EGL forever.
I started wearing EGL fashion at 13 years old. I am 30 years old as of writing this. I know, I know, "fashion has no age", "clothes have no gender", etc. Those are all principles I wholeheartedly agree with. But the reality is, this is far easier to apply to elegant older women, and attractive young men. I am not a woman, and I will not be young forever. I could be selfish, and delude myself into thinking no one will have a problem with an old man in a dress hanging out with young women. But this is not reality, and EGL has brought me too much joy to repay it by making the new generations uncomfortable with my presence.
As of right now, this is how I picture my future: I will continue to show my love for EGL by sewing dresses for other people, while I slowly transition into a more age-appropriate gender-appropriate wardrobe for myself. Probably more refined ouji, historically-inspired styles, and, if I can afford it, I would love to get into male kimono fashion. If I can dress like Itoshiki Nozomu in my middle-aged era, I would feel less heartbroken over having to abandon wearing frilly dresses.
⊰════════════════════════════════════════════════⊱
