#god i shouldn't have picked up lolita fashion AND figure collecting as a hobby. shits expensive

[piplup-mafia]

do you have a photo of your metamorphose ive been tempted to get one but i don't want to spend the money since i haven't seen one in the flesh would you reccomend going for one

I'm gonna apologise in advance for the shitty photo; my main light is dim and I have an orange lampshade so the colours are off. I'd say it is true to colour to how it looks on lolibrary IRL

As for if I would recommend meta; for quality, yes. This JSK is very well made and is probably the highest quality lolita piece I own (and I own a few big burando pieces, including AP, AATP and BTSSB as well as a few pieces from Lady Sloth). The print is super crisp, and the lace is cute and soft. I kinda wish I had the opportunity to wear it out more often, but lockdown is lockdown.

However, I am literally at the top end of being able to fit into this and I'm a UK 8/10 who is flat chested. I am broad shouldered and on the taller side (5'8), but I mean it when I say I have to fight the zipper a little to get it all the way up and breathing is not as as easy as it is without it on. It's not as bad as my BTSSB oldschool JSK which I had to extend the straps on by 3 1/2 inches to have it sit on me right, but I am fond of breathing. I know meta's store has a plus size section nowadays but if you're looking at the 2nd hand market that's something to keep in mind. I think lolibrary suggests a max bust of 92cm and they ain't kidding. They ain't. It also doesn't fall anywhere near my knees because, yeah, 5'8, 33" inseam.

I, uh, am unwilling to attempt to wash this myself too; I don't trust the red to stay where it is, so you should also probably take into account dry cleaning costs too if you're looking at bright coloured pieces. I probably wouldn't want to wear it out in the rain either.

If you're a cheapskate like me I'd recommend checking out 2nd hand Japanese sellers, the big one being Closet Child. I've regularly seen big brand pieces, including JSKs and OPs, go for less than 3000yen (about £20) on there if you time it right; I've gotten a brand blouse for 100yen on there before. Closet Child (and Wunderwelt, though I prefer Closet Child cos it's cheaper and restocks more stuff on a daily basis) vet their stock so you won't get any fakes. Lacemarket is also a good shout, although during the pandemic a lot of people aren't shipping outside their continent or country and if they do it's very expensive. Popular prints are also highly inflated in price on there IMHO.

If you're fancying playing it a bit riskier, yahoo auction jp, rakuten, fril and mercari also have brand go stupid cheap - I got this JSK in mint condition from a rakuten store called Tokyo Alice for about 7500yen. You will need to use a shopping service to purchase from these sites but I find it comes out cheaper than the western secondhand market even with shipping and fees. I personally use Zenmarket for yahoo auctions and rakuten and Japan Shopping Service (JSS) for fril and mercari as both allow you to reduce the declared value of goods (fuck HMRC), but I can also vouch for Buyee and I've heard good things about White Rabbit.

So yeah TL;DR buy yourself some meta. Shop smart and get CHEAP meta. But not Night Carnival in navy. If you see that tell me about it instead lol