I absolutely, totally and completely get why you might not want to. And having seen what the sweet boom is doing to the second hand market, there is no way that I could blame you because people are pulling some utterly ridiculous shit. However, as someone who really loves lolita legwear and doesn’t have an issue with buying used OTKs - let me at least put this out there in defence of myself and anyone else who does so. It remains up to you whether you want to be convinced.
Fewer sock designs being released
Despite how quickly and easily socks and tights wear out, even with the utmost care, brands aren’t releasing them to the extent that they used to. There was genuinely a time (around 2017-2019) when we noticed AP releasing lots of new dresses, but not really keeping up with those smaller pieces and with the new series hardly ever having matching socks. And even though they’ve bounced back since that, the truth is that all brands have scaled down their sock production, keeping to simpler patterns that would be more versatile rather than going mad with novelty designs. Add to this how quickly some of the cuter ones can sell out and that not all of them are size inclusive. This applies to some of the Chinese brands too, which have stepped up to fill the niche, but you will notice the same 3-4 designs over and over again because they’re neutral and size inclusive, while everything else - not so much. This leaves the second hand market to look for things, since appropriately patterned legwear isn’t that common amongst mainstream companies.
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| Check Lolibrary for legwear entries from 2020 and you'll get 6 pages of results (at the time of writing). For 2012 there are 11 pages, 13 pages for 2013, and 14 pages for 2014, with 2018 being the year that number dips back to single digits after a steady decline. It says something about what happened within our fashion then, doesn't it? |
Some designs are only available second hand
Linking with the point above, socks don’t always get re-releases. For example, for all the various re-releases of Misty Sky, not every one of them came with legwear or with the specific design that one might want (there were ankle socks, OTKs and tights, the latter of which got the most re-releases). Whether you are a collector looking to complete a set or simply found a design that you have absolutely fallen in love with, in cases like this shopping second hand is the only option left.
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| Candy Fun Fair OTKs in this exact colourway were already a 4-year-old design by the time I'd managed to get them. But I was set on this particular pattern and colourway, passing up on a handful of similar ones because what I wanted was this. And the only way to get that was second hand. |
The hit-and-miss quality of socks
I wrote about that in more detail two years ago now, focusing specifically on Angelic Pretty. Have they improved since then? I only had one opportunity to test, which I don’t feel is a fair shot, though from what I’ve observed and heard, it seems to still be quite hit-and-miss, erring on the side of miss. Other brands appear to have remained more consistent - Innocent World is still my personal favourite for OTKs - but then they aren’t necessarily always releasing tonnes of new designs, which brings us back to point no 1. Back when socks were a necessary staple for lolita, they were made pretty sturdy, made to withstand repeated wear and washing, whereas I feel like with the inflation sacrifices were made to the quality of materials in order to keep the price point of lolita socks roughly where it had been. I’d last worn Odekake Ribbon in April and despite being 8 years old now since release, they are holding up very well. Meanwhile, Lovely Ribbon OTKs, at only 2 years old, still fills me with worry that I will accidentally put a hole through it just by putting them on, they feel flimsy and thin, the only thing still keeping them in such good shape being that I don’t use them that much (though still more than Odekake Ribbon, purely due to the colour palette). The fact is that if you want good quality, durable OTKs, particularly of the knit variety, then you are likely to find more options second hand than brand new.
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| On photos they both look as well as each other, but while I suspect Odekake Ribbon (right) have a good several more years left in them, I am less certain of Lovely Ribbon (left). |
Not everything is actually used…
Especially when you shop via reputable websites like Closet Child or Wunderwelt, you know that they wouldn’t sell socks or tights unless they were still unworn or in absolute tip top shape. And Mercari and Frill used to have plenty of listings for unused legwear - lookout for phrases such as 未使用 (mishiyou, literally: unused), 新品 (shinpin, literally: new product) and タグ付き (tagu-tsuki, literally: tag attached), as well as various combinations thereof e.g. 新品未使用 is a common one. Lacemarket and the Western market generally always seemed to me like people were there to make their money back, whereas the Japanese second hand market had more people getting rid of things. Despite these being broad generalisations and me being quite out of touch as I shop much less than I used to, it seems that Japanese websites still have more of that mentality than Western ones.
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| Whilst Fril/Rakuma definitely has more scalpers and scammers on it than it used to, there's still plenty to be had there. Whilst we'd likely agree this is a used clothing marketplace, look how many of these are still visibly unused. |
...but used doesn’t have to mean bad
This may be the most controversial point here. I have bought genuinely used socks - some from people in my comm, others from Japanese second hand sellers. An honest seller will show you photos of all the damage and socks show damage like little else, so you can be sure that if something is stretched out, dirty, worn, whatever - you will see it. Hygiene concerns are valid, but also consider how we culturally view feet as dirty when they are not the only item of clothing directly touching one’s skin. Blouses will too, yet I don’t see people have the same issue buying used blouses as long as they're visibly clean and in good condition. Even though people sweat, people might not wash (themselves or their clothing), they might use products that will transfer onto the fabric. And even though underarm stains and pulled buttons are just as noticeable of a damage if photographed properly and just as easy to not disclose. Still, people are generally more comfortable buying a heavily used blouse than even a lightly worn pair of socks. Things can be washed, several times even if you need it for your own peace of mind, or you can wear tights underneath them for an extra layer between them and your skin. And if you buy cotton blend patterned OTKs and have thicker legs, then getting used socks can be even better as they arrive pre-stretched and thus more comfortable.
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| Of the branded socks pictured here only one pair was purchased direct and brand new. Of the rest - I can only confidently recall three being unworn when I received them. And it's some of those actually used ones that are my most comfortable pairs to wear. |
Final thoughts
I realise that I’m unlikely to change anyone’s mind on the matter. This is something that people tend to have a set view and not budge on. And as I already said, I’ve seen what bullshit people are pulling off on places like Lacemarket, reaping the sweet boom extra hard. But I narcissistically figured that if anyone might stand a chance of getting someone to at least think about it first, then it might be me: a person with a collection of 51 pairs of lolita-specific socks, of which 27 were bought second hand and of those 27 - at least 17 were genuinely used when I bought them. My feet are fine, they have never come to any harm as a result of wearing any of these, so I am confident that as long as you shop sensibly and stick to basic hygiene, yours will be too.
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