An Overview of Home Fashion
by Burbie52, HSM team writer
People have been wearing clothes in the real world for a very long time. They were probably first made out of animal skins and furs. Then looms and cloth were discovered, and clothing became more than just a way to keep warm.
It is hard to say when the concept of fashion came along. The word “fashion” itself showed up in the mid to late 1200’s in England and France, and is based on the Latin word facere, which means “to make” or “to do”. So fashion is a way of doing or making something, as well as the stylish clothing we connect the word to now.
Fashion couture came about in the late 1800’s. Before that time, the clothing rage of the day was set by anonymous seamstresses, and was usually based upon whatever was being supplied to the royal families in Europe. The rich and famous led the way then, just as they seem to now. So although fashion has changed a great deal since its beginnings, it has also stayed very much the same in its influence on society.
Marie Antoinette – Fashion Plate
When it comes to fashion in Home, there are a few developers who seem to lead the way. Lockwood, with their Drey and Figment lines, is leading the pack. Their designers are keeping their collective fingers on the pulse on the real fashion world, and bringing it into Home. Lockwood is the developer who finally brought us necklaces, something that has been sorely needed for a long time. And I am sure they will continue to bring us more such items, since they are wildly popular.
Next we have nDreams. Though to many they may not seem fashion oriented, they are bringing new designs and real-world designers into Home with their nRage sales area. Though there is only one designer there at present, the Atticus line, I am sure there are plans to expand.
Sony has a lot to do with Home fashion as well. Recently, they have brought more real-life designers into the fold, like “I Luv Green” through CodeGlue and Wrangler through VEEMEE. They also have done something with the new Amethyst Necklace in Threads that I have wanted to see for a long time. This item uses the Head setting in Accessories, not Hands. This is a huge boon to women who wish to wear a bracelet or use another Hand item while wearing the necklace, and as the Head area is a rarely used (at least in my case), it is a great idea. I would love to see other developers do this, or at least produce more necklace/bracelet combos in every color in the rainbow. I am sure that women will lap them up quickly.
Global Gathering Fashion Show
Fashion is very big in Home, as is shown by the large clubs devoted to its promotion. People — men and women alike — participate in large Home fashion shows, which may take months of dedicated work to prepare. A few months ago I was involved with one put on by the Rich Girls Of Home club, called the Global Gathering, which used the runway at Lockwood Showcase. It was a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. There were 22 models, eleven males and females, walking together. Another fashion show was recently held by the same group.
These events are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Home fashion. There was a recent article here about a Home version of Project Runway. This is a very ambitious project that takes a lot of work on the part of both the contestants and the judges and people who run it. It is the one way I have seen that an actual contest with a prize at the end might work. Fashion shows with prizes don’t work well as a rule, since the judging is so subjective.
There are major Home fashion threads in the PlayStation forums, with some rather large followings. It just goes to show that there is so much demand for fashion in the Home community that it has extended beyond the realm of Home itself. And the demand grows with each new update of the stores.
July Fashion Show
You might wonder why Home has such a huge demand for fashion, especially if you are not into it yourself. For some, it is another way to express their creativity. By putting together our own styles, we can have the fun of being attractive and unique. For others, it may be an extension of their true selves into a virtual reality. For instance, tbaby2008 is a fashion model in real life and in Home.
For many Home users, it may be a way to wear things that they would never wear in real life. That is one of the reasons I like Home fashion. Since I rarely wear earrings and never wear high heels in real life, it is a wonderful meta-game to come up with my own in-Home style.
All of these reasons play into what has made Home fashion such a big money-making enterprise for developers, and an important part of user-created events. There are many super-creative people in Home, and this has given them another outlet to share their gifts. As Home grows, I hope that user-created events grow with it. And I think that fashion will play an ever-expanding role in these celebrations of the creative spark that lives in all of us.
July 22nd, 2012 by Burbie52 | 4 comments
Burbie52 is a 62 year-old published author and founder of the Grey Gamers group within Home. Born and raised in Michigan, she has lived there her entire life, with the exception of a twelve-year residency on the Big Island of Hawaii. She enjoys reading and writing, as well as video games, especially RPG's. She has one son in his twenties.
I think I do it because unlike my real world, everything fits on Home!
Nicely done, and I agree about your concept of wearing things you would never wear in real life. For example I love the tuxedo t-shirt, and I have never owned one in non-Home life mainly because I can’t find a place that sells them, on Home it’s so easy to shop!
OH Man Burbie! Thank you for writing this. What they don’t understand is that I want a choice in my period costumes… one doesn’t cut it. If I wanted to hold a French Chateau ball in 1700s wear- everyone would be wearing exactly the same thing- or close to it. What would be really great is a package of period costumes from each period. Like when you buy a book of paper dolls from a period. The doll gets several outfits that relate to a single time period.
I loved what you had to say about the long skirts. You have no idea how long I searched for a dress that looked similar to the one Rita Hayworth wore in Gilda. Terrifically hard- and the the thing you said about the necklace and the hands is right on. Then I had to choose whether or not My Gilda would wear arm length gloves or a necklace- the pearls she throws to the crowd.
You see its nice to be able to dress like a normal person on home but its so much more a virtual thing when we are able to dress in things that we cannot wear in reality
I think that the whole idea of what we wear in Home goes beyond fashion. This is a great read Burbie and I love it, but this also dribbles into the realm of not just fashion but into what we want to wear in the first place.This is the idea of wearing sci fi and fantasy clothes. It’s all about expression of one’s self. I am fully into that concept, as I have tons of clothes that fit my mood forr every given day. I love the openess of our wardrobes and fashion is a great part of that. P.S. I love that when my avi gains a little weight, i dont have to worry about tight clothes.