As a disclaimer - the old JSK I have was bought secondhand several years ago and is slightly faded. The old release is a warmer pink and has some damage around the armpits from the previous owner. I only wore it about 2-3 times myself. It has mostly been kept in my closet after I noticed it had a fading problem.
The old release is on left while the new release is on right! Photos have not been edited except for cropping.
The most obvious change is in the fabric of the bows. The new release is a lighter pink and made out of cotton, while the old release is satin (polyester). This is to be expected because it may be difficult to source specific fabrics from 10 years ago.
Although it looks like there is a colour difference in the photo, in real life I wasn't able to tell if there were any significant differences in the Angelic Pretty cameo brooch.
There are added pearls to the waist bow and the top detachable bow of the new release. Normally, the pearls are only on waist bow of the OP cut. This is a change I don't mind because I liked this pearl placement on the OP cut.
I did not manage to buy the new headbow, but I still have my old one. While it is a different shade of pink and different fabric than the bows on the new release, it still matches well.
The most shocking change is probably in the lace quality. The new release is more sparse and thin, compared to the soft and thick lace of the old release. When worn, many people will not look that closely at the lace. It's mostly a detail that is obvious when admiring the item in your wardrobe.
The colour is also different, but it's not unexpected. It's likely that the old lace has yellowed over time.
It just doesn't have the same feeling anymore...
But here's the print comparison:
There is a noticeable difference in the print colours of the old versus new when it comes to the blue parts, but it's difficult to tell if it's because of fading.
The blues appear to be more vibrant and closer to what I saw on the old black colourway I used to own.
Anyone who buys rereleased items knows that they never have tulle on the lining anymore. This is also true of the Dolly Cat rerelease.
I never looked at it until now, but my old release was made in Vietnam. The new release is made in China. The new release washtag matches the format of newer Angelic Pretty releases.
There is one fewer material listed on the tag of the new release because of the missing tulle.
The button quality appears to be pretty much the same too. I noticed there is a line across the pearl of the buttons but this is present on both the old and new releases.
Besides the disappointing lace quality, I am generally pretty happy with this rerelease. It feels faithful to the original with some changes to improve it.
Now that this is done, what will I do with two of the same dress? Well, I will likely just keep both of them because I love this series so much. ^_^