I actually feel the same way. Some of her styles are rather similar to Charlotte Olympia in terms of being super cute and super whimsical, though Sophia's are even more cute/whimsical which I love - but I am sticking to CO rather than trying SW because I have perceived these same things re: quality.
I prefer SW designs rather than CO but I totally agree that CO is of much better quality, maybe because it's Made in Italy. IMO, one thing that wins SW over CO are the thin heels that she makes.