Stardoll Hotbuys: What Happened Here?

Checking out the latest HotBuys, I found it hard to get excited. Which felt confusing.

On one hand, these are some of the nicer hotbuys we've had lately, and as far as a collection goes, these clearly look like a bunch of clothes that are properly put together. They're coordinated, and make sense for the season - whether Spring or Autumn.

But I couldn't help but be underwhelmed. To me, these just look incredibly basic and I can't help but feel like we've had these items several times over already, just in a slightly different print, without a cut-out, or with a different stripe. They're just so utterly simple that from the look of them, I couldn't possibly guess which store they'll appear in.

So I decided to compare them with a couple of previous September hotbuys:

 Left - 2017  / Middle  - 2016  / Right - 2014

The difference is pretty startling.

2017's items are largely flat and minimally textured. There's only one printed item, and I don't really count the white stripe on the Tailored Track Pants as anything but lame and overdone.

2016's items have much more texture, a mix of pleats, two lace items, denim, knit, velvet, and "vegan leather". There's an item here for anyone and everyone. They're all super trend of the time, and still are for the most part. The major weak links here are the really ugly shaped shoes, which are all kinds of ugly.

2014's are in a league of their own, with a pose, knits, pleats, dresses, prints, and items that are acceptable items whether Spring OR Autumn, with floral prints and cold weather wear alike. The "worst" part is that it doesn't look like a perfectly matching wardrobe all round, but rather link two separate outfits and their dress-shopping haul, which is fine by me.

But what about other months?

June 2014's hotbuys, above, is about as far from coordinated as you can get. But luckily, they didn't try to market it as such, making this and a couple of other quirky campaign layouts as opposed to their usual "outfit" layouts. I'm not overly fond of this release myself, but I can see the appeal of it, with such a large range of styles - from the ball gown, to the chick crop, the summer over-shirt and the all-important glittery shoes. There's no question that there's something to suit every doll.

February 2015's collection was an odd selection of items, but again, it's a wonderful mix of tribute items with textures galore. From sheer shirts to ball gowns, edgy leather pants and crazy shoes, it's hard to to love something here. It's all very neat and unusual.

How about Hot Buys Weekly?

Back when that was a thing, each week of HotBuys bought a new theme - and it's obvious from the pictures what the theme is of each. From geometric nets, to festival friends, and gothic Lolita, there's a week for any doll to enjoy. For me, the Geo week wasn't the best, with such a weird lot of textures thrown together, but some dolls really loved it, which proves the point that Weekly hotbuys were simply more directed than the regular monthly versions.

My Personal HotBuys Picks:

Since HotBuys are only available for a month - or a week - I decided to pick out my favourite ones out of those I already own.

Left to right:

Vintage Star Crossed Jeans + No 5 Purse

Chrissie Jacket

High Waist Slim Mom Jeans + Gucci CatEye Glasses

Pleat Midi Skirt

What's your favourite hotbuys collection?