The Fabulous Fashionistas!
by Keara22HI, HSM team writer
Is there anyone in Home who never played ‘dress-up’ in their Mom’s clothes, dressed their dollies, and loved to shop for girly clothes? If so, they definitely were not reading the Ladies’ Fashion Runway in the Sony Forum, a very prolific thread in the Sony forum (which at one point was accidentally deleted and then promptly restored by the Sony forum moderation team). One of the big treats in Home is shopping for clothes. Yes, virtual clothes – clothes we cannot (and probably would not) wear in real life.
Here’s the chance to go out the door of your home wearing the clothes that your parents would have sent you back upstairs to change. Here’s the opportunity to be as sexy, cute, adorable – and fashionable – as you want on a shoestring. And you are doing it to raves and encouragement from friends who share your ‘passion for fashion’.
If you are interested in seeing what I am talking about, the fun of ‘virtual’ fashions, I recommend to you Joanna Dark’s “Ladies Fashion Runway” on the Sony forum. You can also contribute to HSM’s own forum, which has no regional restrictions with regard to content discussions.
Any developer wanting to make money is well aware of the thread on the Sony forum – if something is good, viewers will see it from every possible angle with comments. And if it is bad…. viewers will see it from every possible angle with comments. Plus the previews of what is coming at the next update make sure the market is aware and excited.
I posted this survey in the Forum 10 days ago and asked everyone to please send me their responses. To make it easy to follow the responses, I am abbreviating the IDs as follows and putting them in alphabetical order for easy reference:
DiamondDust DD
Hibana H
Joanna_Dark_ JD
Keara22HI K
Xx_SLYF3R_ Xx SL
StephieRawks SR
1. Your favorite stores in Home for clothes shopping: top 3 choices in order of preference:
DD: Lockwood, Threads…hmmm lol I can’t think of a third…it really depends who has what during updates monthly
H: Threads, Diesel, Lockwood
JD: Lockwood, Threads, Costumes
K: Costumes, Threads, Lockwood
SL: Lockwood, Threads, Costumes
SR: Costumes, Threads,Lockwood
2. Are the clothes you wear in Home similar to the ones you wear in real life?
DD: Some are, but definitely not all of it. I like to wear t-shirts and blouses and tank tops, not crazy bikinis or costumes though lol, nothing extremely revealing. If anything, what I wear on Home is mainly things I think go nice together.
H: Yes, most it anyway. Not these wacky fantasy fiction ones, haha
JD: Some, but many are not. I love being able to be different in the way I dress in this little wonderful Fantasy World of ours. I am much more conservative in the way I dress in real life although I really love feminine clothes.
K: In real life, I am far too old for most of the clothes offered in Home. But I love playing dress-up in Home and pretending to be a cute young girl again.
SL: I tried finding something that matches what I wear in real life BUT it’s the wedding top with black shorts (lol, I’m not getting married) that is one close outfit that I do have.
SR: Sometimes I do dress like my real self, but what I like about Home fashion is that it’s cheap and easy to rock a new look that’s completely different than my own. In real life I wear jeans most of the time. Either jeans with a hoodie and sneakers or dark jeans dressed up with a nice top and fabulous purse! Of course, I do dress up for special occasions, but everyday life in So Cal is very casual.
3. If you could find these clothes in retail stores in your home-town, would you buy them? which ones?
DD: I love some of the jackets (such as the Diesel denim jacket). I would love to have that in real life. I honestly wouldn’t buy revealing things in real life, but I don’t just wear them on Home because I can get away with it.
H: I would find the exact pieces from the Diesel store since they are already based on actual clothes they made in the past.
JD: Good question. I love many of the Lockwood shoes. I love the bathing suits as well. I’d certainly get those. I love the cute feminine clothes – skirts etc. from Lockwood and especially from IREM. I’m not sure about some of the costumes given they are just a bit too game related for me to actually wear in real life.
K: Some of the formal wear is quite pretty and could be flattering even on an old lady
SL: Definitely. The Lockwood tops with the bead necklace, Lockwood skirts, Lockwood Stillettos. :D…If I was to choose from EU, I’d buy that little black dress instantly.
SR: Hmmm…that’s a tough call. There are very few things on Home that I’d wear enough in real life to justify the purchase. The items that would make the cut would probably be considered pretty boring by Home standards. There’s a long- sleeve, low cut, V-neck, button down top from Threads that I really like and I’d probably buy the Save the Ta-Tas black hoodie if I came across it in real life. I’d probably want to buy a few of the heels and boots too…but in real life, purses are my passion, not shoes.
4. Do you encourage others to get involved in this thread by adding their own comments and pics?
DD: Well, I don’t advertise for the thread really. Whoever sees it or goes there seems to be attracted to it on their own. Personally, I don’t go advocating for it, but I ‘m definitely not against it.
H: Sure. Why not. Spread the creativity around.
JD: I certainly do. I would love as many to contribute as possible. This isn’t an exclusive club. The Runway is a community thread and does not belong to any one person or group, Everyone has their own ideas or what is fashionable and should feel free to show off what they like. They don’t have to be mall purchased items either – free items are more than welcome as well.
K: The Fashion Runway is my daily ‘go to first’ place in the Forum. Always interesting – and a lot of fun to post my own nutso ideas
SL: Of course. More the Merrier 
SR: Hmm…not that I recall, but those who do find LFR are met with a warm welcome and supportive comments!
5. Are there any clothing items in Home that you would buy if the prices were better?
DD: Maybe the Lockwood purses
H: I would buy it regardless of price. Anything that interests me gets immediately bought..
JD: I might have purchased the Lockwood handbags here in NA if they were 99 cents like they are in Japan and EU. Most items, though, are fairly reasonable although in Japan, I wish IREM would learn about bundle pricing. It’s getting very expensive to dress over in the Land of the Rising Sun.
K: More accessories, but only if competitively priced.
SL: Yes, some costumes are quite expensive. So I never buy it unless there’s some kind of discount or sale. Nothing wrong with trying to save a little money…Hee Hee
SR: Totally! I would buy the IREM stuff in much greater quantities if they weren’t so expensive, As it stands now, I usually just pick my favorite color (or 3), but I love them all! Also, I’m annoyed that the Lockwood purses in NA cost 5 ties more than the EU, JP, and HK counterparts. I love, Love. LOVE purses in real life, but a purse like that is more like $5 at Target in real life than $5 in Home. I’d probably buy a lot more costume bundles, also.
6. Are you hoping for ‘after Christmas’ sales?
DD: Not really. I don’t think Home has any sales. If so, then they are extremely rare. As for real life, I’m not sure yet. I’m pretty low on funds as it is.
H: Would be fabulous! Think of all the revenue Sony can get from rushing sales.
JD: Would be nice although I am not holding my breath
K: Sony really needs some marketing advice if they want to increase revenues.
SL: OMG, YES! Where is Magnus…LOKL…They definitely need an after Christmas sale.
SR: Hoping, yes. Expecting, No. There have been 3 threads addressed to Magnus Keynes recently including mine. Sadly, he’s been a no-show on the Forums.
7. Is there help for new people who are trying to learn how to post pics to this thread?
OK, this was a dumb question. Everyone said the same thing:
In page 1 of the Ladies’ Fashion Runway, Joanna has posted a guide explaining how to post your text and pics. Following the latest massive change in the Forum format, she has worked diligently to post new procedures. And, there are a lot of friendly forum regulars who will help you get started if you have questions.
8. For your contributions to this thread, do you concentrate primarily on new additions to the stores?
DD: Most of the time now I get any new additions from updates. I am constantly checking the Central Plaza Kiosk every Thursday.
H: Before, most of the time. However, I decided not to contribute mush to the thread anymore as most outfits are being recycled over and over by other users. I tend to use very old outdated or obscure pieces mixed in with current trends on occasion just to show that they don’t need to collect dust in your wardrobe because you can still use it.
JD: I love the new additions the most but using older wardrobe items as separates as well sure make getting dressed a lot more fun. This is what fashion is all about!
K: I take the new items and see how many ways I can mix and match with what’s already on the wardrobe to make lots of new outfits.
SL: No, I add whatever I wish. Mostly something I never posted before, LOL, rr if someone posted a similar one, I’ll try and make a different look.
SR: Not always. Sometimes I’ll post a new item or two and combine it with stuff I already have, but usually I just post whatever inspires me in that vast wardrobe of mine.
9. Is there a style of clothes you prefer to model in here (formal wear, costumes, bathing suits, mix and match?)
DD: Casual and mix and match
H: Anything that clicks in my mind
JD: I love to model everything I think is fun and stylish and what I can afford to purchase. I think the men followers of the runway love the bathing suits the best judging by the page views on the individual posts and on my Flickr account.
K: Street wear – jackets and skirts, slacks and tops
SL: Mix & Match
SR: My creations are always mix and match but not limited to one style or category. I hardly ever wear entire costume bundles the way they were meant to be worn. I’d rather be innovative and stand out!
10. Comments: What would you like our readers to know about the Ladies Fashion Runway?
DD: It is a place to express yourself and show your tastes without being severely judged. All the ladies are very nice there.
H: Show your creativity and share it.
JD: I think it is a great place to share and experience Home fashion on a worldwide basis. We obviously cater to NA first but we enjoy posting and showing content that is available everywhere. That has been a hallmark of the LFR since its inception. Hopefully, the new Forum rules will not be putting an end to that type of content.
K: This is one of the best fun features of being a part of Home
SL: Participate….Join in the great fun and one of the most successful threads in the Forums
SR: LFR is a great place to show off your style and creativity, be inspired by others, see what those new items actually look like on an avatar, or even get ideas on what to wear with that awful skirt you wish you never bought. A fashionista couldn’t ask for a more positive, supportive environment.
If you are reading this article and would like to add your own fashion photos, please do so! Plus any comments, suggestions, and observations. We appreciate the feedback.
January 6th, 2011 by keara22hi | 5 comments
Keara is also known in Home as DarthGranny. She is a wicked little old lady with a wild sense of humor.
HURRAY! The Ladies Fashion Runway has been restored! http://community.us.playstation.com/community/general_home awaits you.
Don’t miss out on this treat.
It was so uplifting to see the overwhelming support for the Ladies Fashion Runway by the forum community after it’s removal from the forum listing early this morning. I’m sure that support played a major role in it’s return to Home General later in the day.
The Runway is a Community Thread and does not belong to any one person let alone Joanna!
Thank you so much for featuring the Runway in your Magazine! It means a lot to me and to everyone who is a part of making it what it is.
Joanna
The LFR is a major thread in the Sony forum, and HSM is immensely flattered that you and the other high-profile fashionistas consented to be interviewed for Keara’s feature. Mahalo nui loa, Joanna — and keep the fashion coming!
Nicely done Keara.
Omg I just read this see how humble Joanna is? thats why I support her thanks girl for being true to fashion and yourself your awesome maybe I’ll join the runway keep going you make us so proud:)