Favourite Brands I Don't Own Yet

In the spirit of ‘catch them all’, I’ve always been inclined to want to collect something from every lolita brand (within reason, of course, given how many there are). And since Bibliotheca decided that this month's theme would be favourites, the time is as good as any to update that particular list of mine. Because it certainly has been changing a lot over the years.

1. Physical Drop

Kato-san’s designs have been praised by so many for their comfort, durability, and practicality, as well as aesthetic value. I admit that it’s taken me a while to truly appreciate that, but now that I have, the urge is real. Truth is, if money wasn’t an object, I would’ve already owned something from Physical Drop by now as their pieces are just perfect for daily wear. It’s not like it’s an expensive brand, for what they deliver in terms of quality their pricing seems more than fair. However, without a standout feature or design to tip the scales for me, I am yet to find the item that I want to drop money on. And the second hand market isn’t exactly coming to the rescue as Physical Drop buyers buy for keeps. One day though, one day…

I know that I just praised Physical Drop's wearability and daily wear pieces, but this iteration of the nurse set will forever live rent free inside my head.

2. Lief

For a good few years now Lief and I have been playing this game of “is this it?”. Every design that they come up with is beautiful, perfect for dressing up or down as required, and in absolutely stunning cuts. The non-printed pieces strike me as incredibly versatile and whenever I see one ‘in the wild’, I am in awe at the quality of construction. But let’s be honest here, it’s the prints that are drawing me in. Lief manages to find the right balance between classy and cute, elegant and fun. Whilst my preference skews towards their classic prints, the sweeter ones are also a total hit too. I’m sure there’s a countdown above my head when it comes to Lief for when something of theirs will find its way to me, there simply has to be.

I'm still not fully sure why I didn't go for this at the latest rerelease...
Photo from Lolibrary.org

3. Royal Princess Alice

Not unlike my relationship with Metamorphose temps de fille, at some point RPA has gone from “Whoa, this is a bit too wild and out there” to “Hang on, when did they get this cute?!”. The answer is probably somewhere around this year, 2022, because several times now they’ve come within an inch of tempting me out of my money. Some of their prints still have that maximalist feel that is a bit too much for my taste (though mostly within their darker prints, which wouldn’t have tempted me anyway), but the designs that come out of the pauses when they take a breath are more than up my alley. The last three or so prints avoided landing in my lap because of truly miniscule and subjective design choices: colourways that don’t match my wardrobe, cuts that wouldn’t fit my size or style preference etc. If 2022 releases and how much I liked them are any indication of what’s to come, then I better start saving up because 2023 could very well be the year when it happens.

Wrapping Ribbon Cat was such a close call for me!
Photo from RPA's official website.

4. Atelier Pierrot

To be honest, I’ve admired Atelier Pierrot for a long while now, maybe 5 or 6 years? There were definitely hurdles to overcome: first accepting that I do sometimes wear gothic, then a minor struggle with fabrics (stock photo lighting is not kind to fabrics with an inherent sheen), then a misalignment between what I want vs what they were releasing… Currently we are at the stage of me knowing, being actually committed to getting an AtePie main piece, but engaging in a waiting game for them to release something that fits my unhelpfully vague descriptions (ivory JSK that’s fancy, but not too ruffly and that can take on various themes). Because I know that if anyone is going to release something like that, it will be them. It could just be the slow indoctrination by all my goth friends who can’t seem to stop raving about Atelier Pierrot. Even if it is - I don’t care, I love what this brand does and want some of that action for myself.

Me: I don't want anything too frilly.
Also me: Get the very extra skirt and be very extra!
Photo from Lolibrary.org

5. Eat Me Ink Me

Without meaning for EMIM to feel like a token European indie brand, this is another one that’s been growing on me - probably from as far back as my modelling for them in Dublin. Unlike the other brands featured here, this admiration grew from the cuts alone. Eat Me Ink Me has some of the most flattering cuts that I’ve seen a brand release, they really work well on Western bodies and having gone on a ride towards better fit and cuts, this is really important to me. Though what I think truly drove the point home was seeing the various custom pieces they’ve done for @myrreli, that is pure magic! So whilst I don’t know yet what exactly I might want from Eat Me Ink Me, I know that I’m looking for that feeling and one day it shall be mine.

It's been 4 years now and even though this particular print is not my cup of tea, I still think about how this OP cut fit me. I think about that a lot, actually.
Photo from Lolibrary.org

The list of favourite brands I don’t own yet is obviously very limited since it’s not quite a favourite if you don’t have direct experience of it. At the same time, the above are only the highlights, I could’ve come up with more if I let myself go on. There are also plenty of other brands within this category that aren’t as interesting to talk about since they specialise in accessories as opposed to main pieces (or are even entirely not lolita related), so they may feel a little bit more attainable and less like a waiting game. The magpie brain obviously wants to throw all my money at the pretty things to have them faster, so in an effort to do the sensible thing, I will refrain from stalking these more than I already do. Whenever they release something that catches my attention enough to make me part with my cash, I will undoubtedly find it anyway.

As mentioned at the beginning, this post is part of Bibliotheca’s monthly theme for bloggers. Others will also be writing about all kinds of favourites that they have, which might be more tangible than what I’ve decided to talk about, so make sure you check out their posts too, as well as subscribe to the Bibliotheca mailing list.