By Becky Shamen
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Taupo/113/201/42
Having just recently published an article about a new mall, owned by an old friend, I was hesitant to go on an assignment to a store that I had never shopped or even heard about. As I arrived at the landing point in front of *Goddess Apparel*, thoughts raced through my head. I am adept at finding the silver lining in every cloud. Surely, if need be, this petite journalist with stars in her eyes, could make this shop glow in the dark. As I began to explore, it did not take long to realize that I would not have to dig for gold here. I had entered a dragon's lair, surrounded by treasures in every direction I looked.
*Goddess Apparel* is owned by Athene Forder. Within, you'll find 14 departments on three floors. The departments include: Bridal, Costumes, Formal Gowns, Lingerie, Silks, Swimwear, Vintage Clothing, Club Styles, Fairy Items, Holiday Attire, Phantom of the Opera, Sportswear, Togas, and More Formal Gowns, including Mesh. And those 14 departments do not even include the wall of masks, perhaps because they are just within the front doors. Although mostly women's wear, GA does offer a number of men's outfits, so you can accessorize your ball-and-chain, when wearing that new outfit. In the center of the store, you'll find the Goddess Lounge, used for socials and fashion shows. Posters announce an upcoming event there.
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Goddess Apparel, Ana's TNT Shapes, & Renaissance modeling and photography
Present
Halloween Costume Fashion Show
Sat. Oct. 19, at 2pm SLT
Opening with the vocal talents of Athene Forder
Followed by dance, with DJ Machiavelli Zanzibar
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*Goddess Apparel* seems to be a store that specializes in special events and period clothing. By special events I mean weddings, formals, holiday and theme parties, although it also has sports and some casual clothing. You need not worry about buying an outfit from Goddess that will only be used once and then sit in your closet forever after. One thing I quickly noticed was *Goddess Apparel* styles are timeless and will stay in style for decades, even centuries. I had promised myself that I would just look and not buy this trip, especially because, last shopping article I purchased implants. However, I was wearing black for an upcoming theme, when I spotted the "Halloween Nymph Black" gown and just had to have it. It looked like it would be easy to adapt it to work with the implants and only took a short time to do so. One of many positives of purchasing from GA is the customer support that the owner/designer provides. Athene not only does custom work for a new design, but will also help work with a customer on fit or work on a custom color of an existing design.
The Nymph gown was not the only item to catch my eye. I flipped my notebook to a fresh page and started a wish list with items like Toga, Guinevere gown, Marie Antoinette gown, Initiate's tunic, and from the Phantom collection,the Think of Me gown and Masquerade gown. These all come in a variety of colors.
I was especially impressed by the quality and detail of the textures used in all the clothing at *Goddess Apparel*. As a clothing designer, good textures rate high with me.
On the second floor, there is a surprise: a door opens to a neighboring store called JB Just Because. owned by Annie Melson, one of Athene's good friends. While the *Goddess Apparel* store features clothing for special events, JB's has more for every day wear for both men and women.
As if all these quality outfits weren't enough to make you a regular shopper, both stores also have welcome gifts, Hunts, group gifts, discounts, and Midnight Madness boards. I could say way more about *Goddess Apparel*, but, as always, I like to allow you to have the fun of finding a new adventure for yourself.. Be sure to join their groups, so you can keep up with all the latest additions. I may not have heard of *Goddess Apparel* before my assignment, but I can certainly say that I will make sure I spread the word: this store is worth sharing!
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Taupo/95/224/42
Becky "Sha" Shamen
