Long answer: Picking a favourite lolita brand is hard. I don't own much brand, and I don't like stores like Bodyline enough to declare them my favourite. Aesthetically there are lots of pieces from all the main brands that I adore and in my limited experience quality is relatively comparable across the board. So from what I've experienced there is no clear best brand in my books; every brand has stuff I'd love to own and I love all the brand I do own, as well as all my indie, Bodyline, F+F, handmade and toabao.
Dim Light is one of my favourite Meta prints.
Then why is Meta my favourite brand? This is going to sound really vague but the brand just has a friendly, welcoming feeling that I don't get from any of the other brands. Meta always seems to enjoy this fashion and playing around with it. Sometimes this results in some... odd... pieces, but to me Meta has a spirit that other brands don't come close to matching.
Their kimono prints are always gorgeous!
They also seem to want to make lolita accessible. Their lucky packs and special sets are both cheap and frequent, and recently they even added a plus-size section to their website where you can easily browse their larger clothes all in one place. In my experience their customer service has been fantastic; it's a very limited experience, but still. Their clothes also don't tend to sell out immediately like popular Angelic Pretty releases, which also makes them easier to get. They also often extend reservation periods and restock popular items, which I think is really good.
The most recent special set, which came in three colours.
Aesthetically, as I said before, there are pieces from every brand that I like, and if I had to rank things purely on that level Meta would probably come in third behind Innocent World and Angelic Pretty. But picking a favourite brand isn't just about aesthetics. It's about how the brand makes me feel and Meta always makes me feel excited and happy about lolita.
I love Metamorphose! You're right about accessibility, but I also adore their variety. They have everything from sugary sweet prints to traditional "old school" lolita, goblin floral fabrics and their well known raschel lace dresses. Though some prints are wacky and strange, their ability to create new ideas and push the boundaries of lolita is admirable.
ReplyDeleteI did neglect to mention their great variety, didn't I? Glad I'm not the only Meta fan out there!
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