/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

I was feeling pretty nostalgic and trying to find the original online guide I used when I first got into the fashion in 2008. While I was able to remember the name, unfortunately it looks like the site isn't the same anymore, and in fact, seems to not even be functioning (https://www.lolitafashion.org/).).

However, I was able to find it on the Wayback Machine! I downloaded screen captures of the old website that I'd be happy to dump here, if anyone is interested. I just spent an hour going down memory lane exploring the old website. This was my first real introduction to Lolita before I discovered the EGL Community on livejournal. (https://web.archive.org/web/20080907183857/http://www.lolitafashion.org/index.php))

I miss how connected LJ made me feel to other Lolitas, not just around my country but around the world. I think I miss daily_lolita most of all, though. There were so many inspirational girls posting all the time. Casual outfits that weren't really up to "Lolita standards" or whatever, but were comfy and wearable; groundbreaking OTT sweet Lolitas wearing coveted prints and split-colored wigs; and really, just a bunch of cool girls wearing cool clothes who I felt like I could be friends with.

Maybe I'm remembering this all through rose-tinted glasses, but I do get a bit misty eyed when I think about what Lolita was to me and how I experienced it those first few years. I really hope we can try to conserve and archive some of this history.