Go HipHop on a Budget
by Kassadee_Marie, HSM team writer
One of the many wonderful things about Home is the ability for each of us to be able to emulate our real life look or try out new styles without spending too much money doing so. A popular style at this time is HipHop, which originated in the 1970’s, and is still a favorite today.
As this fashion trend saw many changes this century (and there has even been a revitalization of some of the older fads), there are a lot of suitable items to be found on Home, from estates to tattoos and everything in between. Here are some ideas for you on how to embrace this popular style without spending too much of your scrillah.
When you’re coolin’ it, your crib should be as cool as you are, so I recommend the Tycoon Penthouse. This high-rise apartment has a rather masculine look with lots of tiled floors and gray cement, but it has dope city views through the floor-to-ceiling windows. This space comes partially furnished with items like paintings, a television, a rug and even a built-in kitchen. There’s a fire burning in the fireplace, a semi-spiral staircase to the smaller second floor and a two-story shark tank. There’s even a helipad that can be reached by way of your private elevator. This $4.99 space has enough bling for almost anyone.
You’ll need some swag furniture with a bit of a fly feel to it when you’re chillin’ there, but this doesn’t mean you need to shop in the Exclusives store for it. If you have a friend that owns the Mansion, a few visits to them should net some tight furniture pieces to use in your estate. However, using all of the gold furniture from the Mansion may be over-kill, so you should fill out the space with a few items such as one or more of the Zodiac statues from Sony originals for $.49 each, and the Zen or Oslo collection from Bigyama for $1.99 the set. To make the place a little more feminine, the ladies could pick up pieces from the Santorini, Greece set, such as the canopy bed or potted plants pack for only $.99 each.
If you want some music that’s bumpin’ in your space and don’t want to wait for RadioIO, I recommend one of the five boomboxes or the Phantom 5000 beat machine from the Music Store, available for $1.99 each. Two of the boomboxes have explicit content, so be sure of your selection if you pick up one of these items.
There are a lot of choices for a phat companion, in a variety of prices in the Sidekicks Store. But it may be hard to choose between a companion and one of the new locomotions offered by several developers. The answer to this, in my opinion, is the ride-on tiger from nDreams for $3.99, available in three color choices, or the $2.99 ride-on lion from Lockwood. For a bit more than the price of the average sidekick, you can have a locomotion that’s also a very cool companion.
Hair styles are important, particularly for women who want to look kickin’. In the past few years there has been a resurgence of the asymmetrical hair cut with a contemporary spin. If you dare to be different by going with the new trend of the half-shaved head, these styles are available in Medusa: The Cassie and The Leopardess for the girls, and The Neo Punk or The Lightning Bolt for the guys. Each of these styles are $.99 from Lockwood.
Track suits are still a def choice for the HipHop style and Threads Originals carries several very inexpensive sets in their Playground line for both males and females. Tops are $.25 and $.49 and bottoms are $.49 each. For another choice, several stores carry baggy pants for the guys. Try combining these with heavy work boots and a brightly-colored or cartoon graphic print hoodie, such as those from Lockwood. Some of them are only $.49 each. Threads also carries this style of hoodie, some for as little as $.25 each, in a sleeveless style.
Conversely, there has been a rebirth of form fitting jeans for males, if you prefer this style. You can find both jeans styles at Lockwood for only $.79, with eight color choices for each, and at Threads for $.49, with three color choices each. Please avoid wearing the the Vega mask and blue bunny ears with this style, as this look has been over-done on Home.
With regard to HipHop, it has been said that female’s styles are “revolving around that of men” in that they’ve adopted the mode of backward or sideways caps, oversized t-shirts, hoodies and baggy pants. But now we are moving away from this wack masculine alignment and “asserting feminism in creating a new sense of dress.”
We are now seeing more and more ideas of what constitutes feminine attractiveness. Short shorts or skirts, or low-slung pants, worn with tops that show a bare midriff are more likely to be seen on today’s HipHop girl. Almost any clothing store in Home will offer a variety of choices in this style. Look for shiny material, especially, and add a great color of hair, like pink or blue (think Nicki Minaj).
We ladies also love our shoes, especially high heels and boots. This has led to cross overs, such as the open toed boot, like those found in Costumes Originals, as part of the “Purple Laced Dress” bundle or the “Pop Starlet” bundle. Either pair is available for $.49 as a separate item and will add a lot to your look.
These are some of my ideas to get you started on a new look, while staying on a budget. But do splurge just a little and pick up some ice. By the way, tattoos are a large part of the HipHop scene and Heavy Water has the answer to your need for tattoos covering you from head to toe.
Peace out.
December 2nd, 2012 by Kassadee Marie | 2 comments
Home is endlessly entertaining to this California girl. Kassadee has been in Home for about four years, and loves almost everything about it (with a few notable exceptions). She spends way too much money there, and perhaps too much time... Someday she will travel the world and write about the people she meets and the places she sees.
Though Hip Hop isn’t my thing at all you always give good advice for where to look for things. Great job as always.
I agree, Kassadee always does give great advice as to what to purchase in home. I have learned a lot from her. Thanks for the great articles.