15 Minutes of Fame: I do my little turn on the catwalk
15 Minutes of Fame is our look at World of Warcraft players of all shapes and sizes – both the renowned and the relatively anonymous.If you want to hear a sad song about a lack of bag space, just talk to a hybrid or tank-capable class. Those guys are lugging around three or more sets of gear, plus variations – it's enough to bust a Foror's Crate of Endless Resist Gear Storage wide open. (Yeah, we know you wish you had one of those; we do, too.) We talked with a player who definitely has storage issues, but from a little different perspective: Rattleshirt of Uldaman, who displays her finery not in raid instances or battlegrounds but on the catwalk.
Some players think vanity gear is a ridiculous waste of bank and bag space. Not Rattleshirt. When Rattleshirt decided to transfer realms not too long ago, she had to pare down to five full packs – yes, that's five full packs – from her existing 90-something ensembles. She had so many outfits that she began giving impromptu fashion shows in Orgrimmar every night before logging out, complete with audience requests for particular rare robes. We snagged a backstage visit with Rattleshirt to find out, well, what all the rattle is behind her many shirts.
15 Minutes of Fame: Where does all this passion for fashion come from?Rattleshirt: I believe my collecting days started back when I was playing Asheron's Call and I had a fetish for color-coordinated Amuli armor. I think I had about 12 to 14 sets by the time I left. I come from an artistic background, so I enjoy the different textures/colors that WoW armor provides: bone, silk, feathers ... the works. I counted them up and have about 78 robes/dresses and three two-piece outfits on my main. I have several duplicates and grey dresses on a mule, but I forgot to tally them in since they're not part of my usual stock.
Are you a member of a roleplaying guild, or are you on an RP server?
I have characters on RP servers, but they were more of an experiment. Most of my friends don't think much of RP, unfortunately, so we're on a regular server.
Is your passion for fashion a solitary pursuit, or do you get an opportunity to share it with others?
I haven't been able to dance as much as I'd like lately. A lot of my free time has gotten eaten up by getting my second shaman to 70 and helping others in the guild prepare for Kara. I still try to dance several times a week, even if it's just at a meeting stone.
Other than tiered set armor for which you must raid or PvP, what pieces in the game have you found inaccessible due to level, faction or other restrictions?
I've always wanted some of the set dresses for Priests and Warlocks; I think the designs are fantastic, but I can't get them because of the class restriction. I was excited to see that tier look-alike sets are available, so I at least have a chance at getting something close (hopefully). There have been a few dresses I've had to pass up during leveling in favor of gear upgrades, but none outside of the Harlequin Robes that I remember regretting specifically. The Aldor Exalted robe is out of reach because I'm Scryer, and the idea of working all the way back the other direction for a dress is a little beyond my level of crazy. I'm also not a tailor – strange, considering my obsession, but I took Blacksmithing to help my guild and I don't think I could stomach starting over from scratch. (Plus, the Thorium Brotherhood can kiss my blue ass if they think I'm giving them any more turn-ins, lazy jerks.)
What of your current pieces has been the most difficult piece to obtain?
Out of the ones I have now? Probably the Robe of Oblivion. There always seemed to be a Warlock or other clothie in the group that needed it. I won't roll against someone who can use a dropped dress as an upgrade -- I'd be pissed if someone rolled on shaman gear for their hobby. As for ones I haven't gotten? Drakk is still taunting me about my Dreadmist Robe =(.
We know you surely must have a pirate outfit and a ninja outfit. Have you assembled any other special outfits for holidays, costumes or themes?I have a full Defias Leather set on an alt, but I didn't have enough bank room on my collector sham. A guildmate sent me a pirate hat, but I think a mailer daemon ate it. I had a brimmed hat and fishing pole that went with my Overalls but had to sacrifice them to space necessities. I've been calculating the costs of getting 20-slot bags, but I've already gone almost broke supporting all my alts. I think the Murloc costume is adorable, but I didn't make it to BlizzCon =(.
Players who love to put together fashionable outfits often get stuck looking for the finishing touches -- the right shirt, gloves, boots. Do you have any particular favorites that you've found work especially well?
Since I have so many dresses, I actually don't have enough room for accessories. There are a number of coordinating outfits that lend themselves to additional tweaks like shields and staves, but I haven't been able to indulge in them. I've had to make a conscious decision to focus on the highest-impact item (chest) because of the space limitations.
What kind of storage space do you have devoted strictly to non-utilitarian fashion?
Practically every possible bank slot, a full pack worth on my character at all times and overflow of the non-soulbound on a mule (I can send you a screenie of my inventory if you like =P. When Blizz expanded the bank size a little, it was like taking a belt out a notch or two -- I loved it! I'd love it even more if they expanded the default player backpack, too.
At one point, you even had a special web site devoted to WoW fashion. What was that all about?
I built the website actually for the guild I ran on Zul'jin, but I saw an opportunity to help others by providing a fashion guide so they could see what robes were out there and what they looked like (this was back before the dressing room feature). Now there are sites like Thott and Wowhead that show the stats of each dress, so the screenshots I made are good for just a fashion catalog. My site quickly became out of date; I kept having to shuffle newer dresses into my collection and phase out uglier/older ones. I've gotten a bit more skillful in image manipulation since then, so I've been really tempted to rebuild the site.
Ok, time to 'fess up: What are your favorites?Prettiest outfit I think I'd have to say it's a tie between the Mooncloth Robe and the Aurora Robe – I like them better for game weddings than the Wedding Dress pattern.
Funniest outfit Overalls -- lots of RP opportunities there, from redneck to Huck Finn.
Ugliest outfit Sadly, there are several that fit this category. The Royal Dangui is probably the most wretched thing I've bought. I used to show it to people as a warning not to spend the 29g cost. As for drops, the Bloody Apron and Brightcloth Robe are pretty horrible-looking, too.
Most expensive outfit The most I spent on a dress was probably 50g in materials for a Mooncloth Robe.
Most difficult to obtain Dreadmist Robe -- still haven't been able to get it =(.
Sexiest outfit I have two two-piece sets, one of which I wore as armor for a while. The metal set is essentially a steel bra and assless chaps; the leather set is a beaded halter and bikini bottoms.
Favorite outfit In terms of looks, it's a little plain-ish, but I love the look of the Nightsky Robe. The color goes great with my Troll's skin, and the side slits are a bit of sexy woven into the tribal cloth. Outside of that dress, the black and white Runecloth Robe is very formal, and the Imbued Netherweave Robe has a neat halter/skirt setup (I like showing skin, haha).
Do you know a player who you'd consider the hardest of the hardcore? Are you on the bleeding edge of raid content? Is your Arena rating teh secks? We're interested in talking to players who live and breathe WoW achievement. Shoot us a note at 15minutesoffame AT wowinsider DOT com and show us your WoW-fu.
Filed under: Features, RP, Interviews, 15 Minutes of Fame






Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Zeplar Mar 13th 2008 8:13PM
This one's unique. Being a male night elf, I really can't show off fashion :(
Myself, I collect rare grays (the extremely rare, .001% drops from junkboxes). The neat ones, like Romantic Novel and Rogue's Diary and To Serve Man (twilight zone!), and also the less-well-known ones like Humanoid Skull and Gnome Effigy.
I have 4 rogues working for me :p
Milktub Mar 13th 2008 10:07PM
I still remember the first time I got a "Steamy Romance Novel" ... it made the mail rounds in my guild.
But I wouldn't call Gnome Effigy, or really any of the others you mentioned, rare or even uncommon.
Zuldritch Mar 14th 2008 2:01AM
I play a Rogue, those are not rare at all actually, assuming of course that one does a decent amount of pickpocketing.
Here's what you do though, find a Rogue friend that is grinding Humanoids, like for consortium rep for example, and make sure they have a macro like this for their opening move:
#showtooltip Cheap Shot
/cast Pick Pocket
/cast Cheap Shot
They also need to make sure auto-loot is enabled and in no time they will have pickpocket trash coming out their ears. Of course it is really great though, ALL Rogues should use these macros. You find plenty locked boxes to practice on as you level and you also get other great stuff like Potions.
While Blinding Powder was still in the game, had the stuff coming out my ears (as I ground Consortium and the Mag'har to exalted). Sold each stack for 10 gold, was awesome.
Nymbryxion Mar 13th 2008 8:32PM
Costume gets fun on RP servers. I plan to get my RP warrior (story includes being an ex-scarlet crusade paladin) full lightforge and valor. Its also fun to get full greys. I once had a GM who showed up to ZG in full Twill. I myself have bags of old clothes I know will appear again, but I dont wanna let go of. Theres some pretty wicked stuff out there when you find a set that matches your favorite weapon or whatever. My personal favorites are green sets like Ornate (mail), Jade (plate), and Tanned (leather).
Rock on Rattleshirt, show the world some good costume.
-Nym-
Slaign Mar 13th 2008 8:53PM
Can someone tell me what she's wearing (Chest) in the third picture?
Stewart Mar 13th 2008 9:18PM
Imbuded Netherweave
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=21861#screenshots
Stewart Mar 13th 2008 9:20PM
opps sorry that's the fourth. Is it one of these? http://www.wowhead.com/?search=harness
blackwolf675 Mar 14th 2008 1:22AM
I had to go look it up - I couldn't remember:
Witch Doctor's Beads (chest)
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=31470
Pants of the Naaru (bottoms)
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=30256
The first dress is the Nightsky, the second is the Overalls, and the last is the Imbued like Stuart said.
Thanks!
~Rattleshirt
Snailking Mar 13th 2008 10:53PM
This is the kind of stuff blizz just doesn't get. EQ2 has separate slots for stat gear/visible gear. Let me choose how I look.
PeeWee Mar 14th 2008 12:26AM
Blizz doesn't understand role-players at all, period. There are tons and tons and more tons of exceptionally good suggestions for how to improve the role-playing part of World of Warcraft in the official forums.
How much of that has made it into the game? Dare to guess? That's right. Not a single one. And none of it effects game balance in any way. They just don't care. How hard would it be to add a family name string to the character database? I can do that with my eyes shut (almost literally). Implementing the functions found in FlagRSP and/or MyRolePlay and whatevahitsnameis would be a cakewalk compared to the crap ports they've done of Scrolling Combat Text, CT_RA and the totem timers. And they have the tools to make it proper, so that it doesn't have to use in-game chat channels to distribute the text. But nothing of it ever makes it into the game. Because Blizzard doesn't care.
It's taken them more than three years to allow for haircuts. How hard is that? It's two variables you need to edit to change hairstyle and color. They could add that with a hotfix. But noooo, they add it as a "major feature" of an expansion. >.<
And don't forget about how they killed off the spectral wolf pet.
The World of Warcraft lore and setting is a treasure chest for role-players to create fantastic characters in. And there is so much that could be implemented to improve that aspect of the game. But none of it is.
Because Blizzard doesn't care.
Quigley Mar 14th 2008 2:21AM
I have several costumes in the bank, in fact have a Dresser Alt just to hold the majority. I enjoy putting something unique on instead of just the usual armor. Also gets a laugh out of folks, so it's nice to know you've put a smile on someones face :)
I come from a graphic design background, so much like our interviewee, enjoy the challenge of matching odd pieces.
(so far; Ship's Captain; Miner; Engineer & Deepsea Diver)
~ Quig
Opala Mar 14th 2008 1:28AM
Igotta say im the same, my guildies laugh at some of the crap i still have sitting in my bank, my rogue even has tranq shot manual, ancient petrified leaf and mature black dragon sinew just for fun
got some old rare stuff to like human bone chip http://www.wowhead.com/?item=18144 and Severed Night Elf head http://www.wowhead.com/?item=18142 on my Night elf rogue
Tenchan Mar 14th 2008 3:29AM
The idea -not- to have at least one vanity outfit seems absurd to me. Is there anything as boring as looking at exactly the same thing day in and day out after lvl 70?
Urdla Mar 14th 2008 4:39AM
What more can I say: I hate it, when my characters look ugly in their gear. So, sometimes I choose the looks over substance and go to the instances a bit underpowered. Yes, it is not that fair, but hey, I pass blues and never ninja-loot an item. To be honest: I would prefer to see more fine clothed characters than off-logging need-this-blue-clioth-drop-for-my-warrior-kiddos. But maybe they are also out for the style thing...never thought about that :)
[Sorry for bad spelling...I'm not an english native]
fealubryne Mar 14th 2008 6:54AM
I can totally see RP servers stashing away neat clothing to roleplay in, but I'm on a PvP server and I'd love to do it as well. I just don't have space.
My biggest problem right now is that my boyfriend and I have been farming 60 instances for the sake of gold, and in the process getting pieces from old raiding sets. And guess what. We've been keeping them. As a female orc I look darn good in the old stuff! So far I've got most/all of druid, shaman, mage, and priest sets. The latter two we argue over when pieces drop -- he's a warlock, so he can only wear the cloth stuff.
And as much as this seems like a "girly" thing to do, he's actually got more "vanity clothes" than I do. In fact, half the time he'll dress up in something that's not his S3 gear, run around lowbie Alliance zones on his slow demon pony, and see how many little Allies actually attack him. The number of people who do is shocking, all because they either think he's a lowbie as well, or because they think they stand a chance when he's under-geared. So granted, he's got an extra reason to "dress up" at times, but he still has a habit of running around Shattrath/Orgrimmar/Undercity in his "street clothes."
Cynra Mar 14th 2008 7:41AM
There used to be a roleplaying, all-female toons guild on Feathermoon US (and they very well might still be around!) that used to hold weekly fashion shows in the park in Stormwind proper. I want to say that they were called Gambit, but my memory is sometimes sketchy. It was always interesting to see the outfits that they would show.
As an avid roelplayer, I've got a couple of outfits for each of my girls. Armor is nice and great, but not every person would continue wearing them after leaving the battlefield. For those times, the outfits do come in handy.
Krick Mar 14th 2008 12:09PM
There's a level 1 grey necklace that you can get from Zul'Farrak by looting the graves. Every fashionable bank alt should be wearing one.
Tarnished Silver Necklace
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=9333
...
Krick
http://www.tankadin.com
Krick Mar 14th 2008 12:15PM
Looking on Wowhead, it seems there's also a level 1 grey ring to match...
Tarnished Silver Ring
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=33855
It looks like you get it from the Crate of Meat that you get from the daily cooking quests.
thebvp Mar 14th 2008 12:53PM
My favorite piece of gear has to be… the cobalt leggings I picked up on my Pally. If you’ve seen them, you know what I’m talking about.
Nothing quite like finishing a quest in Ashenvale and picking them up, slapping them on, and “LOL!!!” I still bust them out every now and then in BGs, because there’s nothing quite like getting owned by a male blood elf ret pally in little blue biker shorts.
PS they match the warsong gauntlets.
Theserene Mar 14th 2008 1:34PM
I have the New Year dress on all my characters for posing in :)