Best Shopping?

Best Shopping?

Best shopping district I said..that’ll be a good idea for an award. After all, we all know there are thousands of malls across the grid, some good, some bad and some are so utterly terrible it makes you wonder who shops there…oh come on, be honest- you’ve so been to places like that..and it’ll be really easy to sort out the wheat from the chaff! WRONG!! This has been so tough to judge and that’s been my own fault entirely because I decided to award the prize for the place with the best ambiance, the best range of shops and the best landscaping/build. Each entrant more than fulfills the criteria, but the problem is, they’re all so different that it’s hard to compare them although each of these amazing places serves it’s target audience extremely well.  

Put simply I have no problem saying for your next shopping excursion you have to try these; problem is, which one is the best? Crush Row is more compact than the others but looks great and allows for easy access to each store. The Starlust Motel on the other hand is crackers, in fact the whole area is just so imaginative and so quirky that it’s less about the shopping and completely about the experience;the shopping is almost secondary to the actual experience of exploring the place.

The winner however combines all of these elements to great success. It’s easy to shop around, yet looks fresh and funky and has an originality all of it’s own with an exciting array of stores to behold and activities and freebies galore Aimed mainly at the Neko market, there’s lots to be found here so don’t be put off assuming it’ll be all kitty-cat related merchandise, it’s not:)

I’m a proud and happy shopper of each of these locations, but my absolute favorite has to be ‘The Pounded Flounder’. Congratulations Lawra and co, and keep up the great work!

Best Newcomer? That’ll be ‘RunoRuno’ then…

Best Newcomer? That’ll be ‘RunoRuno’ then…

My choices for Best Newcomer were simple; these were the designers that have appeared over the past year and just left me astonished with their ingenuity, approach and body of work.  Let’s start with Malt Fashions; a superb fashion house in a great build which houses some of the neatest off the peg essentials I’ve seen in a while. If you like dresses and swishy fabrics Malt is an excellent choice, but the range extends to jackets and separates that no virtual wardrobe should fail to be without.  I was lucky enough to attend a fashion show held at the HQ, and I must confess that it was one of the best that I have ever attended.  The clothes on display were a real treat, and I think that Khea Karas really has hit on a winner with her choice of colour palette..Malt is bright, funky and absolutely essential viewing, so good that it even got me wearing a babydoll! 2008 also saw the arrival of Street Magic and blimey did this one drop a serious amount of fresh funky design and then some on the grid! The outfits I tried and tested left me so hyper that I basically had to go and buy practically the entire store…and this was December, which meant I was supposed to be saving my pennies for pressies! The ‘Black Sunday Red Set’ is an absolute must for your wardrobe, and Street Magic also produce amazing hair, jewellery, footwear and poses too..a veritable one-stop shop if you will!
It’s a team effort and it’s working folks; they’re producing above standard fashion at great prices and may well give the more established brands a serious scare during 2009!
But my winner is Runo Runo. What can I say about this label that I haven’t already? Nothing;it’s just the most amazing place. The dogs cogs. If you haven’t found your fashion nirvana, you may well just find it in these designs, but don’t expect reams of them. This is a capsule wardrobe and then some, but it’s quality at an amazing price. The pieces are quite simply head and shoulders above anything else that’s out there right now. The dresses alone are sublime..some are amazingly simple, such as the beautiful silk dress ( perfect for Valentines Day if you ask me), others such as the linen dress and the glorious Hyperkinetic dress are more complicated, a tad avant garde and just bloody wonderful. I need more from Runo Runo..more shirts, more pullovers, more skirts and stockings and above all else more fantastic dresses please…
Congratulations Runo Runo, you’re my ‘Newcomer of the Year!’  Please make some new nicies soon!!

Look of the week – ‘Goth Casual Kitty’

Look of the week – ‘Goth Casual Kitty’

As featured on ‘The Kittywitchin Podcast’ I’m wearing a rather glorious ensemble featuring clothing and hair by Fanny Finney, the name behind ‘FG Underground’ The skin is stunning isn’t it? It’s ‘Marla’ by Milk Motion, which costs L$800 but it’s defo worth it.

I’ve called the look ‘Goth Casual’ (Snigger, lack of imagination or what?!) and I think it’s a great image, and a relatively cheap one too, the tattoo is free and the top is a bargain at L$100 from FG. Oh, and I’m not just being arty-farty by shooting this in black and white…look how well the camisole details show up…all that creasing and a belly button to boot..cute huh?

Listen to the podcast for more details..and don’t laugh at my accent!

A break from the Kitties…Happy Chinese New Year!

A break from the Kitties…Happy Chinese New Year!

Welcome to the Chinese New Year of the Ox!
Well, I was born in 1973, so that makes me an ox by birth…I was going to say a cow but you’d have taken that completely the wrong way. The year of the Ox is usually a year of hard work and endeavour with new challenges for all. Sounds familiar huh? Oxen are,and I quote: “Born leaders who will work hard to achieve their aims. Dependable, good organisers and not easily influenced by others. Patient, loyal to their friends and expect loyalty in return. Tend to have lasting relationships.” (Actually that all rings true;not being big headed or owt, but yes that does kind of sum me up! I’m a Virgo as well which has similar traits to boot..) I’ve celebrated by enjoying a rather scrummy Chinese meal tonight, and I wish all of my readers a very prosperous year!

(Incidentally, if you’re wondering that’s quite an old picture above, but I had to share it again with you because I’m wearing the beautiful, timeless Tang Dynasty Gown by Nicky Ree…perfect, huh?)