Best Commons
 

HEAD:
A good head item that's versatile is good to have. The hat you have is good, as it can be used in multiple avatars. The steampunk top hats are also good, IMHO.
Glasses, if you like them, can be used for multiple looks.
I think that the Harem set's "Silver Crown Veil" (or gold, or bronze) are good, as you can equip the tiara and the veil separately or together, which can get you several interesting looks.
Earrings that are of a good color like gold or silver are good and can be used a lot.
I have every face tattoo as they can be a good face accessory if you need to bring a spot of color or interest to the head area.


TOPS:
Bustiers (of any sort) are nice and versatile. They can layer over or under other items, giving you different looks.
Basic singlets in colors you use often are good. They can add a nice layered look or bring a color up/down to ground a theme.
I also like the harem shirts (the ones that have sleeves and end under the bust - would be worn under a sari in real life) for layering.
The steampunk "Ladies Blouse" series is good for adding formality to a look and with layering can look really good.
I also like the Flight Jackets, though I currently only have two. They give a nice modern, angular feel.

SKIRTS:
The steampunk, harem and space skirts are all three nice skirts for layering.

PANTS:
I don't use pants in my avatars a lot. I have a nice selection of them, though.... I suppose the ones that will be most useful in multiple styles would be the "Pageboy" pants.
I also got all of the plain bloomers from the special event store and one or two of the ones with trim. They should be very versatile. XD

SHOES:
....get what you like.... I often only buy shoes when I'm going for a particular look and the shoes I have don't do what I want. XD;

LEGWEAR:
Socks and stockings can add a great touch to your avatar. I'm slowly working on getting more. I always buy striped/patterned socks first as it's a good way to "cheat" and spread out colors more evenly. XD

ARM & WAIST & NECK ACCESSORIES:
I always get as many of these as I can. You never really know where you'll need an extra spot of color or how you can change a look by adding the right corset or belt.
Rambling Roses is a great thing to have, as you can equip it in so many places and use them for so many looks.

HANDHELDS:
I also collect as many of these as I can.

PROPS, BACKGROUNDS, FLOATIES:
As many as I can...

FULL BODY ITEMS:
I like the cat suits. I don't use them much, but they're good full-body items. The Odyssey suits would also be good. I got all of the Lovey Sleeveless dresses for layering purposes. The Tribal dresses are good tube dresses for layering if you don't mind the neck part or the odd slit. The chocolate dresses are pretty versatile as they're short and good for layering.

Hope this helps any. :B

The more you have in your wardrobe, the more options you have. So I don't really recommend selling back anything unless you really hate it or you're like me and stick to one avatar base look and the colors your base is don't work right with the items. (ex: Some of my favorite earrings don't show up well in my hair, so I can't use them as I never intend to change my hair color.)

wow! CK that was really thorough! i think im going to use that...
im not sure if CK covered this, but i find that a lot of times one item is mixed with gold, silver, or bronze so when i go shopping i try to combine gold, silver, or bronze in with my avatar aso its a bit easier.

You're welcome. :3 I'm glad to have helped. XD;

CK, you also helped me out with this. 8DD;; You're so thorough in your explanation. ^^ <3

Not a problem. :3

Of course, these are just my opinions/observations... >_>; I've only ever come in second or third in an avatar contest once, that I recall - so it's not like I've a habit of making avatars that people go, "Wow!" to a lot. XD;

But in the end, anything that you can use for multiple styles of avatar (casual to formal or sci-fi to fantasy - whatever) is good to pick up before that one item that may be really cool, but it limits you. (ie: the Carnival hairpin is cute, but you do have to put together a colorful avatar to really use it to its fullest. And that gorgeous gown may indeed be gorgeous, but it's really difficult to "make it your own" sometimes...)

I personally try to avoid big items such as large gowns and dresses since you can't really individualize it. But if you just want to dress yourself, dresses are a quick way to appease that since they cover the entire avatar. The bloomers are nice, as are many of the corset-like items in the stores since they offer a ton of options and can really finish a look. I tend to stay with basic, full color items, since they can be used to form patterns and don't have random accent colors that can only be used with other certain items.

i might subscribe to this! its very helpful
i agree with Hatake Ayumi, big dresses are hard to do

I'm going to move this thread to the main Avatar Chat forum as that way it won't disappear in a few days. ^^; It could be useful to several people and you might get more recommendations if it's in the main forum.

Also remember that when items are half-price in the special event store, you lose nothing by purchasing them. You can try them out for a few days and decide if you have any use for them and if you decide you don't, you can sell them back to the sell-back store after the event for exactly what you paid for them. (Remember after the event is over, not during the event.)

Cherry's post made my eyes hurt from all the chunks of bright pink. @[email protected] Lolz~ xDD;; <3<3

Wow, this thread is really helpful! Thanks guys!

Cherry, it's fine, EXCEPT for in long posts. Then it just melts into a solid block of bright color for me.
xD;

@ Cherry : Yeah, normally I don't find it painful, but it was just because of the long paragraphs. xDD;; It's a pretty font color though. =P It was just because of the huge chunks of it. 8DD;; <3

I'd deffinately say the newer converse style shoes <3 I can use these things in LOADS of ways. o3o

Cherry- Deep pink is my fav font color! I just am usually too lazy to use it.....

Scotch-I find that the harem space skirts are a wonderful layering peice in most outfits and are therefore very versitle to have. I also think the bandana's are great for adding that last minute splotch of color around your neck.

Alright, I'm going to try to provide some advice too, and I hope it's helpful. Some of this may have already been suggested by CK, but I'm lazy, so I'm not going to go back and reread. I've been meaning to post here for a bit now, but haven't gotten around to it. XP

Tops:
• Basic singlets -- these are great for layering, since you can put short and long-sleeved shirts under them, and some shorter shirts also go over them. Very versatile, and they come in a lot of colors. :D
• Space Tops -- Again, good for layering, as you can see bras and whatnot underneath them. Also, they come in a range of colors.
• Harem Shirts -- layer over lots of tops, come in a bunch of colors
• Odyssey Space Suits -- good for getting just that small touch of black or white on thighs, arms and neck.

Bottoms:
• Space Skirts -- by far my favorite layering piece. They come in a ton of colors and can be layered over most skirts and pants.
• Basic Shorts/Jeans -- These are always good basics. The shorts can also provide a little bit of color under a shorter skirt.
• Short Steampunk Skirts -- another good skirt for layering because they're short in the front to show off a good deal of leg.
• Harem Skirts with the slit -- Even though they cover a good deal, you can still see the legs, so you can get in more colors.
• Bloomers -- also provide a hint of color under skirts.

Hats/Hairpins:
• Fairy Tiaras -- this is a good head item for girls, as it comes in many colors and you can use it with pretty much everything.
• Baker Boy Caps -- versatile hats that can go with most outfits. Unfortunately, they cover a lot of the head, so you'll have to be careful with these and add other head accessories/hairpins to balance out the large chunk of color they'll give you.
• Laurels -- I find I use these quite regularly, as they provide a good deal of color, but allow you to use several other head items with them.
• As many hairpins as you can collect! Since hairpins have their own slot, I use different hairpins for each of my outfits to spice up boring hair. Even when I've got other stuff on my head, I've always got a hairpin of some sort on -- generally.

Shoes/Socks:
• Basic Stockings!! -- I love our stockings because a. they're cheap, b. they come in a ton of colors and c. because you can layer fishnets over them, and then layer on several socks. Very versatile!
• Artemis Shoes -- These come in gold, green and light blue, and I tend to get a lot of use out of them compared to other shoes I own. They're also cheap, which is a bonus.
• Roman Sandals -- Have enough color on them so you know they're there, but don't interfere with sock/stocking layering too much. In basic, usable colors.
• New Converse sneakers -- they're just cool and come in a ton of colors. These will be great for all kinds of outfits.

Accessories:
• Belts/Sashes -- I love belts and I try to collect as many as I can. There are several belt layers, so you'll have to experiment with which belts layer over/under other belts. My favorite are the plain belts, the buckled corsets, belted pouches, rock star/moonchild/galaxy sashes, nightstalker sashes
• Gloves -- the Dragon gloves are the bottom glove layer, so you can put short gloves over them. :D I also really like the punked gloves, the winter night/candy apple/evergreen gloves, gloves of light/darkness and amarande gloves.

Items, hand-held or otherwise:
• Sparklers -- these are some of my favorite handhelds ever. XD I dunno why, but I use them all the time.
• Floaties and Backgrounds -- add something special to an avatar when it needs just "something more"
• Canes and weapons -- I just use them frequently for whatever reason.

CIs:
• Dove/Raven anklewings and headwings -- again, these have a lot of versatility and I use them with a lot of outfits.