my go-to local brand (part 1): maven/ abbeytale

you might have heard of maven, i bet it's a rising star right now. i heard of maven when the muse was keth agustine. at that time, i like their classic design, but i didn't buy any as i think the designs are not my cup of tea. then they christina brennan as their next muse. at that time, i was tempted to buy to see what the hype is about. some of the designs i do like but again, at that time, the price was getting higher than the previous collection, and i was hesitant to buy at that price, so no buy either.

then i heard they had a sister brand, abbeytale. abbeytale is a much cheaper brand since they're using local materials while maven usually uses imported stuff. at that time, abbeytale didn't have any muses yet. then they have one, i forgot the name of the muse. the design is similar with maven, so i decided if i would try, then i would get abbeytale first. at their next launch, i bought a top from them. the fit and cut is okay for me. the material is linen, and not super soft, but it's still okay. it was a set actually, but i don't like the set so i just bought the top. then maven came out with the owner as their muse and they joined basha market as well. i decided to drop by and looked at it first. i saw the material and i deemed the price point was okay, so i bought a dress and a jumper dress (this was when they have christina as their muse, but they restocked it at basha). then at the next collection, i started to buy what i like, but not on shopping spree like other people. i've seen hardcore fans of maven, and they would buy all designs in all colors. though i'm tempted, but i keep remembering what i told my kids. just buy what you need. so i keep buying stuff that i think i can use it now and later, and i don't have anything like it in my collection, or i can mix and match it with my other collection.

enough rumbling i guess. let's jump into some thoughts after buying several of their items.

what i like:

- their design is a bit classical in a way. it's not super trendy, but it still has its uniqueness. 

- their designs are a bit conservative as well, that's why i was attracted to their dresses at first, because they always come out with midi length dress. and i've proven that it's safe to use even though you're running around toddlers. most of their dresses are either pregnant or breastfeeding friendly as well. 

- talking about dress, i like their dresses because they have pockets! i know, dresses with pockets are rare, so that's why i like their dresses. anyway, their pants and skirts usually come with pockets too, so if you can't live without pocket, you should see their collection. 

- they only have all size sizing. this might be a good thing and a bad thing. so let's talk about the good thing. good thing is, though it's all size, they usually come with rubbers and some tricks so it would fit busty ladies, ladies who want to hide their belly, ladies with big bum and thigh, and so on. for me, it's practical in a way. it's troublesome when you have to measure every time you want to buy clothing online, that's why i like uniqlo because their sizing is constant for different designs, so i can buy their clothes without having to try them every time. that also applies to maven. once i know i can fit their tops and pants, i can buy them again without thinking twice. for me, i have to make sure i fit the bust and waist and the length of the dress. and maven collection ticks them all.

- the colours in their collection are a bit safe as well. though it might not be monochrome, but it was not a neon pink or anything ridiculous. though i have to say, they came up with some yellow and orange back then, and it wasn't look cheap or cheesy. 

- their materials are worth the money. if you've bought their dresses, you can feel the fabric is heavy. i have to say, their linens are soft, their haywire are stretchy and soft, even their tweed are good. i guess that's why their price is getting higher each time. the quality of their fabrics are really good.

what i don't like:

- though i have said that their fabric is a good material, if it comes in a dress, they use quite a lot of fabric. thus making it heavy. i have their madeline dress and i rarely use it because it's quite heavy. i have sensitive shoulders. back in my school days, my new uniform would irritate my shoulders for several uses. and that happens with the madeline dress. it's heavy that it would burden my shoulder. so as long as i don't use it for a long time, i should be fine. the heavy fabric and delicate fabric also give problem when washing it. it would be too heavy for the machine and it would be troublesome to hand wash it. also their scuba/haywire isn't supposed to iron. but it's not wrinkled easily. so i guess their fabric is a good/bad situation.

- as i've said that they only all size sizing. again, this could be a good/bad thing. though they usually come with rubber so you can keep using it even though you have big waist or bust, but still, it might not be enough, or look weird if you're too petite. as well as the midi length dress. for me, the length is suitable and decent for me. but for petite ladies, the dress might drown them. that also applies to their crop top. if you have long torso, and don't want to show off some skin, you might not like their design. 

- the design is somewhat repeated. they might repeat the whole designs some time, only in different colours and materials. but they might also revamp the design but still look similar. if you're familiar with their items, their bianc top is similar to their famous helena top and bianca top. and since they're getting famous now, they repeated their old items and renewed it in new materials and colours. it's not a bad thing, but if you're already have their old collections, it would be repetitive to buy similar things only in different materials and colour. 

- personally, i like their dresses and pants better. but i don't have many luck with their tops. some of the reasons are crop top length, their design is not practical with having to use pin so you won't show cleavage or it has long tie that might unpractical if you're running around little kids. aside from abbeytale top that i've bought before, i only have one top from maven, which is their hansel grettel set. and i don't quite like it either. it has this design on its bust area which makes my bust looks bigger. but it's still okay. i can still use is, though sometimes i don't like how it makes my bust look fuller.

for now, that's my pro and cons if you're considering to buy your first maven. for now, it's best to buy from their website, but their website crashes often when they are launching new collection. i hope they would improve their website so it won't be pain to buy just one item. though you can be patient and wait for their stock to be available in several stockist, but it won't be as complete as their website. as for me, if they keep repeating similar designs, i don't think i would buy them again. though if you asked me, i would definitely recommend them as local fashion brand to try. you would get your money worth when you buy their collection. and talking about abbeytale, if you like maven but won't like to spend the money, then try their abbeytale. though the material might be local, it's not that bad. it's still good quality fabric. their designs are being copied by other online shops, so that speaks something.