The Business of Stardoll, An Interview with Jailer

As of this month, I've been on Stardoll for nine years. Regardless of recent sporadic activity, that's still, in my opinion, a huge milestone, and I think is a testament to Stardoll's successes since its inception all those years ago. While we may plague Stardoll with hundreds upon hundreds of complaints each and every day, we still choose to log into both the site itself and the social scene, rather consistently I must add, to keep it up with it all. Over the years I've amassed a colossal collection {hyperbole alert, but you get the picture!} of reviews and discussion posts on this very blog, ranging from collection reviews to Stardoll project discussions, so nothing would feel more fitting than for my first real post in almost two years to be a return to what I know best. And with the ever changing Stardoll scene finally making somewhat of a comeback with new collections and blogs popping up, what better than to discuss of the most intriguing new projects on the social scene, VIS.

VIS creator, Jailer/exodus27

Somewhat of a cliche question to begin with, but first and foremost, what inspired you to create VIS? Clothing lines and magazines have all been created before but never a project quite like yours.

VIS was my breakthrough moment, for sure. You know, a few months ago I started loitering around the .swf database links (which is where people find spoilers) hunting down old links to LE collections - to my surprise, I was able to find the links to all 27 seasons (so far), and I screenshot every item in HQ high definition, saving all the collections in folders. I now call this my LE Archive. I went deeper, and I looked into the sheer essence of what makes LE so palatable to our users. The business side is what intrigued me most, and so I wanted to replicate that in my own way by selling a limited number of passes to gain access to my collection. It's the economics. After ushering in the concept of creating PNG stores 3 years ago with my original X Apparel collection, I knew it was time to change it up and create something new, considering how many others had latched onto my idea.

For those unaware, a pass to VIS costs 333 stardollars, or 111 to renew for the latest collection. How did you come up with said price point for VIS? I'm sure to some the prices would seem steep for clothing not available on the Stardoll website, but to others absurdly cheap considering the quantity of items created.

At the start, I was selling passes for random prices ranging from 200-400SD, but I decided to set the price down as 333SD. For me, it's not about the money I earn. All I know is that I want to earn some profit for my hard work. If people think it's too expensive, then that's fine, nobody is forcing them to cough up the SD. But I, and others, know that my work has a certain worth. Like I said in a previous interview also, nobody is interested in freebies nowadays, there's no appeal to getting a handout. When you pay up for something, you feel included and entitled to what you've bought.

Would you say your vision for VIS is more as an artistic venture of a business model?

It's both, definitely. The artistry behind it is a massive element, which drives the concept and makes VIS what it is. The money, on the other hand, is the fuel. When you look at LE, there can be a dress priced at 200SD with 1000 copies available, do the math and thats 200,000 Stardollars paid back into Stardolls pocket after already taking your money to buy those Stardollars in the first place. Support your communities designers and you're not feeding into that corporate greed that we're all rebelling against. My business strategy is one I pride myself on, considering I'm the first person to ever market a graphics collection like this. I'm not going to say that VIS is just a fun little venture that I'm slaving over simply for the satisfaction of the consumers, because at the end of the day it is a money making scheme, but one I can justify given my talents and commitment to the project.

On the topic of LE, a brand that evidently offers a lot of inspiration in terms of your branding structure, what was your favourite and least favourite collection? Do you have a favourite piece?

This is such a difficult question! My all time favourite collection would have to be Season 4, just because it's the collection that I find holds most of my favourite items. My least favourite collection is definitely Season 12, it was an absolute shambles. And my favourite LE piece by far is the "Wild Rabbit Ears Cap" from Season 8.

A floor from the fourth edition of LE

How do you think shows like 'RuPaul's Drag Race' have influenced both your identity and the work you produce?

This is gonna sound crazy, but back in 2012 when I started making graphics, that period overlapped with the time I started to find myself interested in Rupauls Drag Race, and in turn, becoming a drag performer myself. I studied the makeup process, and it helped me massively with my graphics technique. When you break it down, it's the same; creating layers of shadow and highlight, blending and pulling elements together to create one "big picture". I also take so much style inspiration from my favourite movies such as "Girl, Interrupted", "Thelma and Louise", "Kill Bill", and "Gummo". My identity is a mash up of every piece of media I've ever consumed and found myself to love - I am a product of my self controlled environment.

As someone who's been around since projects of yours like Drug and L'Enfer, I've watched a huge amount of your growth as an artist. You speak of your creative interests and influences in your previous answer, but what started you off in graphics? Have you always been interested in art and fashion culture?

To be honest, when you've been hanging around on Stardoll for as long as I had, you begin to get bored. I saw graphic design as a creative outlet, calling my name. Back when I started, I went through all the motions; dodge and burn, rough layers, the rookie mistake of making everything look plastic or flat, I did it all! I definitely jumped into the deep end with it. I always felt so influenced by the work of two particular designers - Alice (hunnigall) and Eliza (wooldoor), so I began to study their work and try to apply it to my own style. I never really asked for advice, or tried to "copy" anybody elses style. I am proudly self taught in my profession. Going back as well, magazines really dominated the scene, and I wanted a piece of that. X Magazine was the pinnacle of my career, and every failure I put out before that led up to it. Since then, I feel I've gone on to explore my strengths and weaknesses as a designer, and apply that to the type of projects I put out now. The culture and exclusivity of fashion has impacted my life from a very young age, rushing out the supermarket to grab my monthly issues of Vogue and Elle, practically slumming in the crevices of style.com (RIP </3), I was built for a life revolving around fashion.

X Magazine FW '13 cover

Reality television is an integral part of our society today. How do you feel about its representation for our generation?

The whole reality television takeover in media is crazy, it's all about famous for being famous. I think there's an essence of that around lately, too. That kind of concept of knowing so much about someones life plays a massive part in how we put ourselves out there, people want to be seen! The amount of Kardashian/Jenner inspired dolls I see is ridiculous - not that I have anything against that! I'm a huge Kylie Jenner fan myself. But I think fame is easy to gain now, not like it was back 4 or 5 years ago when I was chasing it. Notoriety and fame are two different things, though. Climbing up the ladder has become a task easily conquered by people with very little talents and ingenuity. So, when you finally get there, and you have what you want, the rest comes to you - and I think this ties incredibly well into a favourite quote of mine by Salvador Dali; "There are some days when I think I'm going to die from an overdose of satisfaction." When all you know is glorification and adoration, even your failures are a success in the eyes of your fanatics. Likewise, some will stop at nothing to drag you down and spit poison of your reputation. It works both ways, I suppose. There is no easy way out of the spotlight.

On a final note, what can we expect from the upcoming collection of VIS?

Expect the best, and prepare for the better. The colours are beauuuuuuuutiful! The colours... are gonna wake you up! They're gonna be like, wake up... you guys! I'm feeling so optimistic about it. The amount of excitement thats been built up is already a massive cloud hanging over me, but I'm determined for the sun to shine down on my efforts once I release the collection.

A New Stardoll.com

When we were first given a Stardoll makeover back in the early summer months of 2010 there was shock around the entire globe of Stardoll players. The typical yellow and pink that the users had grown to love had vanished off of the website, and replacing it was a sleek new look very similar to the one we know today.

Stardoll's unveiling of their makeover in 2010

Since the big makeover of 2010 we have yet to be presented with a major change on Stardoll. Throughout the years we have of course received some minor altercations to the website, but nothing as drastic as what we will be seeing in the near future. In the summer of last year, an application by Stardoll called Downtown was created and put onto the App Store. The application offered a different way of playing Stardoll with an all new design, and it seems like that may be hitting the official Stardoll.com website very soon. 

The new toolbar for Stardoll - Credit to Underneath Stardoll 

We have already seen a minor update to the toolbar of the site, with the new black theme showing a more mature and fresh side to the one previous. Personally, I'm all for the concept of a Stardoll makeover, as long as Stardoll also focuses on important updates they really need. 

After a quick browse on the Underneath Stardoll blog it became very obvious about the features people really want to see updated on Stardoll. Firstly, an updated starbazaar and storage search - Although I'm not particularly bothered about the storage, an updated starbazaar would come in very handy. At this point it's incredibly hard to narrow down your search so unless you're lucky; good luck finding the item you're looking for in the first ten minutes of hunting. 

As well as this, people seem to be interested in the return of the popular Catwalk competition, which made its sudden exit from Stardoll a few months back after being replaced by The Vote. I would also enjoy to see the demise of the starcoin, with the stardollar becoming the sole currency of the website. I think many people will agree that the starcoin is a somewhat pointless currency as it becomes increasingly challenging for non superstars to conjure up stardollars. 

Stardoll Downtown App - Starplaza

Although the Downtown app was a promising introduction into the future of Stardoll I cannot say that I was happy about every new feature given. The lack of a save button could be hazardous to the actual Stardoll website - I for one thoroughly enjoy giving my doll new looks, and not all of those I wish to save. The removal of a save button, in my opinion, would be an awful idea.

All in all I'm excited for what could be to come for the new Stardoll. It has been a while since something exciting has happened on the main website and I think it would be great for Stardoll to develop from the makeover they gave us almost four years ago. Are you excited for a Stardoll makeover? What new features would you like to see on Stardoll? 

Yes To Fall 2013

Autumn is eagerly approaching, and as everyone knows, with every new season comes a whole host of new trends for the upcoming fashion months. Care to check out some of the hottest trends from this upcoming fall? Keep reading on.

Lace & Leather (hollyoaksrocks*)
Credit to Glamour for this post

Classic Prints: Are you tired of the floral and kaleidoscope prints that were everywhere during spring? Then welcome in classic prints like houndstooth for the fall months. Houndstooth goes with almost everything, don't shy away from wearing it to the office - menswear fabrics create a chic and professional touch.

Leopard Print: One of the hottest trends of this fall is most probably already in your closet - leopard print is back again for yet another season. Play with different colours of leopard print this time around, browns and blacks will always be there so try some fun options like pink and red too. Remember not to overdo it, a bit of leopard goes a long way!

Leather pieces: Leather is back for another season of trend notoriety. Instead of a full outfit of leather, go for one staple leather piece alongside other small trends and basic pieces - or edge it up for a moto look.

Emerald Green: Hints of emerald green are perfect for fall 2013, with Pantone choosing the shade as it's top colour for the year. Try paring the colour with other jewel tones such as amethyst, sapphire and garnet. Make sure to look for different ways to incorporate the shade into your daily outfits - a bag or high heels in this beautiful hue is the exclamation of your ensemble. 

Layering: Take the hint from BCBG and add an interesting touch to your fall outfit choices by adding on a few extra pieces. Mix textures with your skirts, tops, and pants - an outfit with many components should look as streamlined as possible.

Winter White: The temperature is dropping, however that doesn't mean we have to always reach for dark colours! Why not grab some white instead? Save your floaty dresses for spring, dress for the season in chunky knits, dresses and jackets made for the Fall/Winter season. 

Military: Military was all around at the fall 2013 Fashion weeks. You heard it, khaki green is about to become a staple in every fashion lover's wardrobe. Don't be afraid to take a girly twist on the military trend by adding accents and details like lace or brocade. 

The July Update

This month at TTT we've achieved a massive milestone, and have for the first time ever on this blog's history, managed to pull in over 20,000 views purely from this month alone. None of this would have happened without the success of  TTT FW and I'm very thankful for how well the blog is doing.

The best dressed lists and lottery announcements will come later on in August, both of which I'm sorry for taking so long to get out. Other than that, a writers search will be held to hire two to three extra writers to the blog. On a final note, what would you like to see on TTT in the coming months?

P.S, make sure to check out our newest partner Mode Magazine! The spoiler is incredibly promising and with a team featuring the likes of Sevilanna94, goodgal7, martusia_144 and fashionngirl. it's bound to be a success. Check it out by clicking here.

Street Chic: Stardoll Style, NYC Fashion Editor

Who: J.ordan
What: NYC office gone stylish, simplicity is key!
Wear: Floral top, couture silver pants, chrome belt, DvF fold over purse and anklet sandals matched with minimal makeup and strong brows.

P.S, make sure to check out our newest partner Mode Magazine! The spoiler is incredibly promising and with a team featuring the likes of Sevilanna94, goodgal7, martusia_144 and fashionngirl. it's bound to be a success. Check it out by clicking here. I would also like to add that the best dressed and lottery winners will come in early August.

New Release: The Yacht

Another day, another new suite expansion. This time around Stardoll have released two new Yacht inspired rooms priced at a mere 249 stardollars. Alongside the release of the suite pack Stardoll have also released four floors of a new store Yacht Club, with the obscene prices going up to a massive 80 stardollars. Although it is a nice new edition to our suites I can't help but feel slightly angered at Stardoll for the huge prices. As years have gone on the price for stardollars/superstar has risen and the price for items has also gone up. I would be completely fine with a 30 stardollar pool or a mirrored bath tub for 20 stardollars but 80 and 42 stardollars are both too much for such insignificant things. This isn't even to mention the very regular items such as towels, lights, plants and shells which are all around 20 stardollars. Overall it's a good room with some amazing interior, however whether it's worth the huge sum of money is questionable. Will you be purchasing The Yacht?

Street Chic: Stardoll Style, Parisian Biker

Who: ChuFu

What: Biker styled chic with a Parisian touch

Wear: Mermaid Earrings, Zip Scalloped Tank, Brocade Full Skirt, Black Classic Pumps, Black Wishbone Thin Belt, Baxer Gloves, Biker Cape Jacket and a right Arm Sleeve Tattoo

Fashion Face Off - Popping Candy

What: Using one pop of colour throughout the entire outfit.

Who: ashlee_bu
Wear: Limited Edition Tonal Graphic Shift, Fallen Angel Tadpole Galaxy Necklace, Evil Panda Leather Gloves, Rio Hot Buys Purse, Sonia Rykiel Black Platforms and PPQ T-Strap Platforms.

Who: aby400
Wear: Archive Bright Coat, Jean Paul Gaultier Yellow Print Purse, Riviera Solar Eclipse Sunnies and Jean Paul Gaultier Banana Glitch Wedges, paired with a neon yellow lip.

Who wore it best?
Comment below.

On a final note do not click on the link if ashley_doggett sends it to you. It definitely does not look safe and I do not recommend going on it.
___________________________________

Summer Royalty

In recent days a new Royalty collection was released, inspired by somewhat of a family summer day out theme. Prices range from 7 stardollars, for a pair of sunglasses, to 25 stardollars for the beautiful interior.

Aside from the clothes was the release of a little girl, shown in the image above, which sparked some discussion among members due to the diverse cultures of Stardoll and only one choice of girl. I think it would have been nice to see more variety of race however either way people would probably complain.  What are your thoughts?

I must also apologise for the lack of posts - I will be posting another writer application soon. The TTT FW schedule will be released in the next week or so and the proposed dates are the 12th to 14th of July.

FASHION BATTLE #8

Black & White Luxe

Pau.Cam.Arena wears White V Blouse, PPQ Velvet Skirt, Eton Trenchcoat, Hot Buys Weekly Prada Box Purse and White Point Heels. xxemowaxx wears Miss Sixty Icon Print Minidress, Ruffle Collar Top, Antidote Newspaper Clutch, Crossover Knot Belt and DvF Gold Rimmed Stilettos.

Who looks best? You decide.

Vote in the comments. 

The Stardollogist #1

To check it out on the blog follow the link: http://stardollogist.blogspot.co.uk/
Each Stardollogist paper will be posted on here with a short overview and review as the conclusion of the post. I for one am very excited about this project and I definitely recommend for you to read it.



-Continue to read the rest after the break-

Farewell May!

As we bid farewell to May and welcome June I though it may be time to give you some updates on everything going on at Today's Top Trends.

-TTT FASHION WEEKEND
TTT FW is due to go ahead in early July, with the majority of the schedule taken up, with most fashion lines and magazines just waiting for confirmation. The schedule is due to appear sometime in June, so keep your eyes peeled for that. Alongside this we will have an add, which will be shown on the blog shortly before the schedule is released.

-FASHION SIGN UPS
Rather than scouting random people for segments such as 'What were you thinking?' and 'best dressed', we will instead be putting up sign ups to enter. This means, when signing up, you are aware of the risk of going on WWYT, but also have the chance to be featured on best dressed, which will be a fortnightly to monthly segment. The signs up will be posted in June sometime, before any other WWYT or best dressed posts.

Thank you for a wonderful May, and I hope TTT still continues its success into the month of June!

HBW #17 - Beach Trip

Another week, another set of hot buys, and this time around Stardoll have created four Beach inspired items, alongside a fair isle type knit sweater dress.

The first item of this week is the Hot Buys Sea Dress, priced at a mere 13 stardollars. The quality is surprisingly good and this dress is a steal compared to what older monthly Hot Buys were selling for. It is a very simple item, but it could be used as a simple yet staple piece in your wardrobe.

Next up we have the Hot Buys Leopard Tank Top, which you can find in the starplaza for 12 stardollars. It is slightly  expensive for what it is but the colours, reasonable quality and the wearability lured me into buying this. I can imagine using this on numerous occasions to spice up what would be simple outfits.

The Hot Buys Neon Beach Shoulder Bag (9 stardollars) is the sole accessory of this week. I like the principles and design of this bag but the quality let me down slightly. There is no real shading on it, but the interesting print and colour once again, similar to the leopard top, made me purchase this.

The Hot Buys Beach Shorts, priced at 11 stardollars, are an interesting addition to this week's selection of Hot Buys and are certainly not something I can say that I have seen on Stardoll before. Saying this I actually quite like them as they are well made, although the logos imprinted on them could make them quite hard to work into an outfit.

Finally we have the Hot Buys Tribe Dress, which is easily the most random addition to these Hot Buys. It doesn't really match the beach theme too much because of it's print and in the graphic it is just shoved into the background (it is a nice graphic however). It is priced at 15 stardollars so it is the most expensive Hot Buy of this week, even though the quality is probably the worst out of all the items, due to it's lack of shading and blurry print.

What did you think of this week's Hot Buys? Comment below.

Fashion Battle #7

KOCIARA074 VS. MERY.-

Kociara074  wears photo flower print tee, white tennis skort, walking stick purse, black hat, laced sandals, chunky gold jewellery and gold tendril belt.

Take a step into Spring with this on trend fashion ensemble, chunky jewel galore!

Mery.-  wears red turtleneck, off shoulder cardigan, metallic miniskirt, golden purse and rivet heels.

Join the dark side in this mysterious outfit, featuring the richest of colours.

Vote in the comments below!

HBW #16 - Spring Prints

"With this week´s Hot Buys we want to bring you sur la monté de marche.  Are you going to the photo call with a simple springy outfit like Audrey Tatou, or are you channeling your bling ring girl and pick a glittering combo? Which outfit will you choose for your début sur la Croisette?"

The first item of this week, which is also many people's favourite from the bunch, is the Hot Buys Disco Collar Top. With a simple and wearable design and a reasonable price of 14 stardollars, this top is a must buy. It boasts actual shading, rather than the gradient effect Stardoll have preferred to use in recent months for many of their clothes and the collar adds the fun to an otherwise simple design.

The next item is the Pleather Fringed Skirt, which I am slightly on the fence about. Although I enjoy the design and concept I find it to be ever so slightly ill fitting and it looks kind of frumpy on my doll without the correct styling. I'm also unsure about the design of the fringe, but I let the negatives slip as I also purchased this, at the price of 12 stardollars.

Next we have the Hot Buys City Lights Sequin Dress at a price of 18 stardollars. This is a very nice minidress and is, like the other Hot Buys, the first items we have seen in quite a while that are not neon or PVC. Although the quality isn't amazing it's still a strong piece and another item I can definitely see myself wearing at some point.

Penultimately is the Hot Buys Cannes Top (9 stardollars), the top half to go along with the Hot Buys Cannes Skirt (11 stardollars. Although I'm a fan of the print I was slightly reluctant to buy because of the way it sits on the doll. The top's straps are odd and put me off purchasing the item, even though they could be covered with hair or a jacket. Next is the skirt, which at first seems like a big frumpy bit of material, however, styled correctly, can look very nice. I decided to pick it up due to it's intricate print, hoping that I can one day make it look good, but I can understand anyone who does not like the item. 

I ended up purchasing 4 out of 5 items this time around, which I think is the most I've ever purchased in one collection. Many people have complained about the graphics of this HBW, but as no quality standard has yet been set and the designs and techniques are all over the place I'm purely going on the basis of the items. I quite like the way that everything this time around actually look like clothes rather than neon gradient material but each to their own. What do you think of this week's selection of Hot Buys? Hit or miss?

PMR: Glamour Magazine

*PMR - Past Magazine Reviews*
I continually find myself wondering whether the old and original magazines of Stardoll, such as Style, Eternity and Fierce, really were better than the few magazines that stand in the current day Stardoll. Today, magazines from the hey day of Stardoll will be put to the test to see if they really are that much better than the issues of today.

Glamour Magazine, owned by Dodence_bt, was a magazine that began in March 2009, with 2 issues to date. Today, the second 'Louis Vuitton' themed issue will be ranked, reviewed and rated to see if it comes up to scratch with the other magazines around of then and now.

Click the image to view the magazine

Graphic Design: 8/10 There's no denying that Mario is an incredibly talented graphic designer, and he still was back almost four years ago in July 2009. There is still room for improvement of course, and you can see quite a difference in quality between the warrior photo shoot and Louis Vuitton editorial. The shading on doll's faces is phenomenal, which is a part of graphics many forget about now. Roi World and I-dressup hairs are used in the magazine, alongside regular Stardoll poses, but this does not take away from the overall beauty of the design.  

Fashion Editorial: 10/10 Glamour Magazine has content and that somehow seems to be missing from almost every magazine around in the current day. There's an interesting article alongside the warrior styled shoot and three beautiful Louis Vuitton graphics to go with the article. The ideas are good and the theme of Louis Vuitton is prominent throughout the entire magazine. 

Trends Shown: 10/10 As well as the two articles and shoots from previously in the magazine, there is also a three page spread on current trends, including fringed clothes, jewels and and boyfriend jeans. Not only is there a spread there is also articles on each of the different trends which is an added bonus to those who enjoy content as well as pretty graphics.

Writing Style: 9/10 The writing style is great however proof reading and checking the articles wouldn't go a miss as there is some punctuation mistakes, which can easily be found in most magazines however. I particularly liked the 'Warrior In You' article and found myself continuing to read through it all, which isn't something I tend to do with current magazines. The Louis Vuitton article was also interesting but the covergirl interview lacked excitement and was based too tightly on LV.

Overall Layout: 8/10 The ratio of one graphic to one article is good as it gives an equal amount of content and graphics although I would have possibly liked a few more graphics, or an additional editorial, on the side. I also found the same colour of background continually being used slightly boring as there are other ways to keep things cohesive without using the same background.

How did this magazine score?

45 out of 50,  at 90% or A-

HBW #15 - Accessory Minimalism

Image Credit: Underneath Stardoll

This week we were presented with a set of five minimalistic accessories for the release of the latest Hot Buys Weekly, with an abundant   amount of white and silver being used.

The first items of this week are the Hot Buys Architectural Sandals which are, in my opinion, very average. I do like the concept of  the shoe, especially the clear PVC strip, but the odd heel and mediocre quality put me off. I'm once again disappointed with the quality of the shoes, and although I'm glad Stardoll did not use their overused gradient affect, I still feel that more effort could have been put into the overall design. I'm unsure if I will purchase these currently as I am still unsure if the positives outweigh the negatives.

Next up is another pair of shoes, this time being the Hot Buys Silver Shoes. I'm pleasantly surprised by these and I think they look very wearable and versatile. The quality is reasonable and the only thing possibly me off is the odd heel, which is barely noticeable when worn.

Thirdly are the the Hot Buys Sunnies, which are a rather interesting pair of sunglasses. I like the concept of these but I question their wearability as I'm finding it hard to make them look good on my doll. For now I won't be purchasing but I will go back to them for a final look before the release of the next set of Hot Buys.

The Hot Buys Aristographic Clutch is probably my least favourite of the bunch this week due to it's awful graphic quality. It genuinely looks like something a beginner could make in Gimp or Photoshop and I'm surprised that it ever made it to the window at the starplaza. It lacks real shading which is made up for by a gradient on the purse, alongside an average and blurry bevelled effect. I will definitely not be buying.

Finally the Hot Buys See Through Purse, which was my favourite of this week. It's very trendy and current and I like how Stardoll added the glasses and iPhone to it. Although the quality of the purse is mediocre and it lacks real shading and dimension, I will still be purchasing as I sort of love it... Oops!

What did you think of this week's Hot Buys?

Hot Buys Weekly #13 - Laser Cuts

Hello everyone. First of all I'd like to apologise for the absence of Hot Buy Weekly posts in the last few weeks. As Vivian has previously said, she is quite busy in real life and didn't have time. However I will be continuing to do them until she  returns.

To make a long story short however the past 3 or so collections haven't been so great.

First off, the advertisement of this week's Hot Buys is very nice. It is slightly blurry but the colour scheme is very pretty.

My least favourite item this week is the dress. At the cost of 14sd I would expect something more than a simple checked blue graphic dress. I haven't seen a nice dress in HBs in a quite a while and this appeared to continue the trend. The minimal shading makes it looks very flat and if it were to lose it's pattern, it would be thrown straight into the Basics reject bin.

The white shoes were reasonably pretty although I've been having some trouble putting them into an outfit. They are well priced at a mere 7 stardollars so if you are able to work them into your stylings I'd definitely purchase them.

The black shoes are very interesting and surprisingly versatile and wearable. I could see myself wearing these a lot so I will definitely be buying them later on. My one complaint would be the odd laces on them however they do not defer me from picking them up.

Another favourite of mine this week are the laser shorts. They are very on trend and stylish and to my surprise made reasonably well. They aren't to old hot buy shading standard but definitely a lot stronger than the ugly and boring gradient shading we were receiving.

The final item of this collection is the cropped top which reminds me of the Viktor & Rolf collection that Stardoll used in the Summer 2012 LE edition. It has rather good shading and the sleeves are very nice. The one downside I have to this item is the wearability as I'm yet to work it into a decent outfit so this will probably be the last item on my 'possibly purchases' list.

What did you think of this week's Hot Buys?

Fashion Battle, LE Spring

Alongside a Limited Edition review I decided to publish a battle of sorts between all the Spring releases of the collections. I'm not going to type out a lengthy introduction because all will be explained throughout the whole post. To summarise in a sentence however, this post will be a 'fashion battle' between all the Spring LE releases to discover which collection is best. I will probably continue to do this for the summer, fall and winter editions too.

A Stardoll advertisement for the store

The first spring edition of Limited Edition was released in the April of 2009. Prices ranged from 25 to 250 stardollars with all items having less than 1000 pieces. This was one of my favourite store layouts because Stardoll didn't try and turn it into another item to make money from. It looked like a real store backdrop and it really fit with the collection itself. The quality of the graphics were exceptional and the colours perfect for Spring.

The next Spring collection came out in the March of 2010, 11 months after the first. It was another lovely collection with cheaper prices this time around, due to the increasing amount of members playing  on Stardoll. This is another of my favourite store backgrounds as it looks very simple but cutesy with the adorable flowers printed across the floor.

My personal favourite floor from the 6th collection

I especially loved the colours of this collection and the colour themed floors. This collection was actually considered very mediocre at the time of release but looking back at the 4 floors now it is easy to appreciate the many beautiful items. The rarest items from the collection are the paper bag skirt, nude bag and Chanel coat. This was one of the first collections I had saved up hundreds of Stardollars for but I happened to be on holiday at the time of release. I came back only 2 days later and it was completely sold out aside from two items, which were both down to about 25 pieces left. I think this shows how quick, beautiful and truly limited the older collections were.

The next collection, which was the 10th, was released in April 2011. It was a crazy neon edition and I have a feeling that this was where Stardoll's complete obsession with neon colours began. It wasn't the best quality comparing to the first 9, however it was still reasonable with a few stand out pieces.

One of the two floors of 10th season LE

I think that this was one of the first collections where Stardoll really experimented with neon and although it definitely was not close to my personal taste it still managed to sell out reasonably quick, in a matter of around 4 days. I also feel that this was the first LE where graphics in many pieces could actually be described as bad. In all seasons before the collections had a few average pieces but season 10 had some very poor pieces, graphic wise and in general. The look of the store was very pretty however and there was only 2 floors, which made the store a lot less cluttered and full, making it easier to browse through the clothes.

The LE spring 2012 advertisement 

The 13th LE and 4th Spring edition of LE was released in March 2012. The graphics this season were poor comparing to previous older seasons but were stronger than those from the previous collection. This edition had some wonderful pieces and many tacky Monster High looking pieces with very simplistic shading throughout. This collection did have a few strong pieces with very good shading but most lacked the attention required to get the sought after LE graphic touch. This LE took longer to sell out than the previous Spring edition, taking a good few weeks. The backdrop for the floors was inspired by a Chanel runway background and although I did like it, I would have preferred it in a proper store layout.

The most recent season of LE and the 16th in total was released in early April 2013. It was very street style and on a while didn't seem very Limited Edition. LE used to be the opposite of street style so it was a slightly odd direction to spin off into. Although this collection was average, it was still far better than the previous two collections and had some very good items. I bought 16 items, that on a whole I thought were of very high quality. Sadly however there was only 20 items at most that were quite good, with 66 items in the store in total.

The advertisement used by Stardoll for LE Spring 2013

Overall, it's been quite sad to see the quality of LE decreasing over the seasons. The first LE Spring collection is easily the best and the last three do not even compare to the first two. I hope to see a real spring collection next time around showing real spring trends. I wish for LE to become again what it originally was with trendy, good quality, limited and expensive clothing although it seems right now we can only hope.

What was your favourite LE Spring edition?

The Critics of Stardoll

Information from the owner: Well, I've grown tired from how generic our Stardoll award system has become. No longer is excellence judged by pure talent, it has become more of a popularity contest. I've come up with a team of highly acclaimed - or controversial - members of stardoll who have established themselves into Stardoll as fashionistas, graphic geniuses and blogging sensations that together can award excellence. The blog aims at critiquing every facet of Stardoll society to weave out the ordinary, and reward the unique. Not only will the blog be critiquing regularly, but it will also set up a series of weekly and monthly events and create interactional group discussions about current controversies or drama. The blog will be multifunctional and hopefully sensationalize Stardoll society!

I for one am very excited for this project and I'm sure it's going to be a huge hit. Everything will be revealed on Saturday, including all the information on the six critics, so make sure to be there!