Ways to spruce up an oldschool coord

Oldschool lolita has had a rebirth a while ago, and a lot of new faces have started to wear it. After all, it's an easy style to get started in, all you need is a white blouse and socks, black or white shoes and you're pretty much set for any dress you might pick up afterwards, be it blue, pink, red, black or green with orange polkadots. It's cheap and convenient, but it can also lead to some very samey coords! Of course there's nothing wrong with that, but if you wear oldschool a lot, you might end up wanting some new ways to make a simple coord more interesting. If you do, then this post is for you!

 An unusual headpiece/Unusual hair 

What's the first place peoples eyes go when they see you? If you're a lolita, probably the petticoat. But the second place if your face. If you do something interesting with your hair, it'll immediately make a coord seem more interesting as a whole. You can simply go for a more intricate hairstyle like tight ringlets, but you can also go nuts. Poofy little pigtails/buns like Ophelia Moon wears look delightful! If you prefer loose hair, you can try something like straightening it out and making little braids in it before adding your headpiece. Be creative! Or, if you're not so good at styling hair, you can go for a compelling headpiece instead. They might be a bit harder to find, but if you can find one in an unusual shape (for example oval or teardrop-shaped) or material (I have one fur and one reed headdress!), they will add an intriguing detail to your outfit.

A piece with attention-grabbing lace

This one works best with black and white coords. Nearly all oldschool pieces will have a lot of lace on them, but few have lace that really pops out. Personally I love intricate wide lace (bonus points for floral!), it immediately enriches a piece and makes it look very fancy. You can choose a dress with some flashy lace, but I think the better choice would be something like socks or a blouse so you can use it to enhance other simple coords as well.

Heavy makeup

Red lipstick or smokey eyes might not be the first thing you think of when you say 'oldschool sweet', but they can work wonderfully! Some harsher makeup makes for a great contrast to a very sweet outfit, it can give the coord as a whole a creepy doll vibe rather than just a dolly one. I think harsh makeup pairs well with frizzy or then overstyled hair, to give it the vibe of a doll that has been played with too much. 

A modern element 

This feels like blasphemy, but truth be told, I love modern elements in oldschool. Things like printed socks, tea parties or cutesy matchy bags can look great, and the oldschool vibe doesn't need to be lost! I think as long as it is kept to one element, it can give a coord new character. I especially like cutesy shoes with oldschool, they remind me of coords from around 2008, when Angelic Pretty was coming out with all these new and flashy things and people weren't quite sure what to do with them. If you're afraid your coord won't look 'properly' oldschool anymore, you can try to compensate in another part of the coord. Cutesy matching bag? Extra ruffly lacy blouse. Tea party shoes? Switch your headbow for a rectangle headdress.

An apron 

A quick and easy way to make a coord stand out! Aprons aren't worn that much anymore except for BTSSB's heart apron (which is more of a dress than an actual apron anyways) which I think is a shame. They can make a coord look very Alice or maid-ish very quickly, so pulling them off can be a bit tricky, but when well done they're adorable.

Chunky jewellery 

An often overlooked part of an oldschool outfit is jewellery and accessories. Truth be told, oldschool doesn't need that much bedazzling, the simplicity is part of its charm. Bare wrists? Not a problem! That being said, some extra accessories can make an outfit pop out more. The most used piece for this is a necklace with a chunky pendant or cross on it, but you can use other jewellery too of course. Some cotton lace wristcuffs or a bunch of chunky rings look darling! I do this one myself a lot, as I have a cluster of rings (nine of them!) that I never take off.

Vintage pieces

If you love the old porcelain doll look, this one is perfect for you! Some old gloves or a corsage are perfect for that vintage look that can be found on some old street snaps. I especially love them with ivory or floral coords and nice ringlets, for that "porcelain doll in a glass cabinet"-look.

Do you have any own tricks of making an outfit more interesting? Please tell me in a comment!