Final Fantasy 14 has an entire sub-community devoted to trend. There are those that simply don new garments to attain factors on the Trend Report, whereas different gamers have a glamour plate for every day of the week and garments spilling out of their armoury chests. Whether or not you absolutely embrace it or ignore it, you possibly can’t escape trend on the subject of Eorzea.
A choose few venues cater to fashionista Warriors of Gentle. I used to be just lately invited to The Catwalk on Phoenix to look at their newest trend present, the theme of which was Candyland. Because it was one of many uncommon events I may attend a group occasion as my principal character, I made positive I dressed the half in a pink Songbird costume, however I saved my Nier hooker boots on.
Earlier than watching the fashions strut their stuff, Laraya Tashyk, the venue proprietor, confirmed me across the place, together with a backstage peek on the attractive dressing room for the fashions to make use of. Some of the thrilling areas of the venue was the brand-new Le Chique Boutique, which provides a spread of glamour outfits that gamers can buy to get their WoL’s some shiny new threads.
“It’s the primary time we’re providing this type of service, and I’ve seen a couple of individuals cease by and have a look at the outfits. That is already a hit to me,” Laraya says. “For the time being, designing the outfits was a job for [co-manager] Amaya and myself. We’re nonetheless on the lookout for a boutique supervisor to deal with issues and do issues regularly. It’s deliberate to vary the outfits regularly, however we will not guarantee this in the mean time, sadly. Rome wasn’t in-built at some point, so we’ll hold engaged on issues.”
Fashions for the Candyland trend present had been requested to create glamour outfits for 3 completely different classes. One for fight, one for informal put on, and one which was a secret till the tip of the present — the pleasures of life, the place every mannequin needed to make a glamour that suited what made them pleased. The entire present additionally had the fantastic music of DJ Prima Ballerina all through to maintain issues energetic.
Glamour outfits included all the gorgeous pink and pastel-coloured dyes you may dream of. A few of my favourites had been the candy-themed costumes, such because the Sweet Corn, peppermint, and pudding-inspired costumes. As fashions showcased their favorite hobbies or job roles within the closing class, one took the Candyland theme to the following stage by showcasing their love of sweet with an outstanding Willy Wonka-inspired glam.
Judges then weighed in with opinions because the fashions walked the runway, with all fashions returning to the stage after every class so votes might be solid. Laraya encourages viewers participation, preferring this technique to having the employees determine who wins every time. Votes are solid utilizing Google kinds, with every participant leaving their character identify so Laraya will be positive of no humorous enterprise.
Prizes on supply had been the Fats Moogle Mount for the primary place winner, a Mog Station glamour outfit of alternative for second place, and 1,000,000 gil for third place. With such beneficiant prizes to be gained, you possibly can see why Laraya has to make sure that voting is kosher. The general winner can even be part of The Catwalk’s corridor of fame and be given the choice of returning to future trend exhibits as a choose.
Anybody can register as a mannequin for occasions, with Laraya sharing a sign-up sheet earlier than every occasion on Discord. The one exceptions are earlier winners, who usually are not allowed to take part once more to make sure others have an opportunity of taking residence the crown. In conditions the place extra fashions apply than there can be found slots, randomisers are used to make sure all the pieces stays honest.
The Catwalk first opened on March 18, 2022 and provides two kinds of occasions — trend exhibits and date auctions. “Ultimately, it’s all about having idea and one thing new and refreshing to get occasions going,” Laraya explains. “That is why I made a decision we wouldn’t open weekly or twice every week. We open Fridays bi-weekly and change between two occasions — the style present and the date public sale.
“The second is individuals providing their providers on our stage, and folks can bid on them. The number of providers they provide is getting greater and larger. We began with individuals solely providing RP providers. Now, now we have individuals providing to attract somebody’s character. The idea is easy. The ‘ware’ provides their service, and the viewers can bid on them. We take ten % of the best bid as a membership minimize however to not enrich ourselves, extra to finance membership adjustments.”
Laraya needed to reinvigorate the roleplaying scene in FF14, particularly as she felt like many venues had been preventing to be the primary membership and all competing for the perfect DJ units. Although Laraya acknowledges that not all venues had been falling into the identical lure, she needed to create one thing completely different for gamers to get entangled with.
“The Catwalk has been a breath of recent air in an RP scene that misplaced itself within the DJ competitors,”Schulenina Kurae, The Catwalk’s receptionist, tells me. “I’m all the time wanting ahead to the following opening, both to look at fashions put an unbelievable quantity of effort of their glam or to see which new providers might be supplied.”
The Catwalk employees all volunteer their time to assist out and make the venue one thing to be pleased with. The earnings from the date public sale is cut up between all employees, however apart from that, they work unpaid. The staff could be very devoted to the venue and applauds The Catwalk for bringing one thing new to the desk on the subject of the RP group, in addition to appreciating Laraya’s arduous work.
“What makes The Catwalk particular to me, whatever the visually attractive aesthetic of the inside and the complete theme, is that the venue thought of The Catwalk is just distinctive and refreshing,” bartender Zuhmhe’li Mhilfimi tells me. “It’s not one thing you see day-after-day, and the ambiance is extraordinarily welcoming and heat. When you step into The Catwalk, you will be positive you’ll be greeted with vivid smiles and open arms. The Catwalk alternates between occasions, which all the time convey a myriad of vibrant patrons and members to the stage. The proprietor is certainly the jewel and coronary heart of The Catwalk, all the time placing essentially the most effort and time into making issues enjoyable and thrilling for everybody, not simply the guests.”
“In The Catwalk, it’s doable to empathise with the roleplayers,” Amaya Lyn provides. “It’s a spot to admire and have a good time the creativity of the gamers. Every present is individually designed, and the employees sticks collectively like a household, and that’s precisely what makes The Catwalk so distinctive.”
You may go to The Catwalk in Battle 2, Plot 15 of the Mist on Phoenix, or be part of their dedicated Discord to maintain up with information and occasions.
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