Customisation: A Look Into the Best and the Worst

Since the introduction of customisation four years ago, wearables have become an ever-growing and extravagant part of the life of Neopians. Customisation has swept Neopia and looks are now everything; the growing pressure to look good is mounting...

Some unfortunate pets, however, are having difficulty selecting the correct items to wear – this article should hopefully give an insight into what to wear and what not to wear so that you’ll soon be the swankiest dresser there is!

Note: All items listed are multi-species, so a pet of any species can wear them! Sadly, some pets such as babies, mutants, Maraquans, and all UC pets are unable to wear anything other than backgrounds, background items, higher foreground items, foregrounds, lower foreground items, and speech bubbles.

Firstly, we’ll start with the best items available; it is highly recommended you own these items as they are versatile, and most importantly, look fabulous! All items are conveniently listed with the zones that they affect.

Wearables to Use (in our opinion):

Shrubbery

Zone affected: Foreground

Shrubbery -- one of the most useful foregrounds that has ever been introduced in to the world of customisation. Although it might seem like such a simple item at first glance, it is VERY useful for adding that great nature feel to any pet's customisation. It goes with just about any scenic background, too! Most foregrounds are useful in this sense, though, but shrubbery is, hands down, one of the best foregrounds and items to use in a customisation. Plus, even pets that can't wear most clothes can wear foregrounds!

Carved Walking Stick

Zone affected: Right hand or left hand item

Ah, another very useful wearable that can be used in a pet's customisation is the carved walking stick. This item was introduced through a Key Quest beta testing a couple years back, and has increased dramatically in price. But why, you might ask? It is an amazing item to use when customising your pet. The easy brown tint gives your pet that extra edge, and increases the effect that your outfit gives off to other users. This item is simple, but it can make a large difference in your pet's look. Whether your pet is a daring adventurer or an elderly pet with a walking stick, this wearable is the perfect addition!

Friendly Glowing Lantern

Zone affected: left hand item

The Friendly Glowing Lantern is one of those wearables that isn't given enough credit. Although it is a relatively cheap clothing item, this lantern is awesome because it is an exception to the usual restrictions on hand-held items. Most people aren't aware of this, but you can actually combine a walking stick (or sometimes a sword) with this lantern. That way, your pet can be exploring with one item in its left hand and one in its right. This can prove to be very interesting and useful when you want to have more than one item in your pet's hands!

Steam Jacket

Zone affected: Jacket

The Steam Jacket was released through the Atlas of the Ancients plot. It is a fairly rare wearable, and is priced at a few million neopoints on the trading post! Regardless of the price, it is probably one of our personal favorite wearables. Why? Because the steam jacket looks fantastic on almost every pet species, regardless of their body type or their gender. It is very well-drawn, and it is a very fun wearable to combine with other clothes. Your options are pretty much endless with this jacket!

Shenkuu-Inspired Paper Parasol

Zone affected: Right-hand item

This gorgeous parasol has a lovely motif of the Shenkuu cherry blossom trees that are so synonymous with the area. The soft colours can improve almost any customisation featuring the same serene colours. Although pricey, (around 500k – though prices fluctuate massively) it is definitely a staple item and can be used in many customisations - definitely worth buying!

Spectacles of Perception

Zone affected: Glasses

Spectacles of Perception were released from the Journey to the Lost Isle plot. These spectacles are a favorite wearable for many customisers because, like other common wearables, these can be used in so many customisations. Pretty much any theme can be conveyed with these interesting spectacles. Although they're a fairly rare and expensive item, they are pretty much a must-have when you are an active customiser!

Wearables to Avoid (in our opinion):

Any thought bubble

Zone affected:Thought bubble

Although some people might find the thought bubble to be an interesting and fun item to use, we found it to be one of the most hated wearables in customisation. But what is so wrong with them, you ask? The answer is simple: they just don't go with anything! Thought bubbles just fill in space and they make pets look cluttered. Why do you need to see what a pet is thinking about anyway? Shouldn't their theme and customisation in general be enough for you to know what they're thinking? Maybe this wearable was a good idea on paper; it just doesn't seem to be a favorite for anyone.

Pile of Dung and Molten Pile of Dung

Zone affected: Lower Foreground

Honestly, even the name of this wearable should be enough to scare anyone off! Who, in their right mind, would want their pet to have a pile of dung in their customisation? They just take up space, and look gross and unusable. These dung items were definitely one of the biggest mistakes in customisation!

Any Floating Faerie Doll

Zone affected: Higher Foreground

Gah - More space fillers! Just like the thought bubbles mentioned previously, these dolls add nothing to the overall customisation and needlessly clutter it up. Less is more in customisation, and adding floating faerie dolls just doesn’t look good! The animation of these dolls also adds to the overall tackiness of the item.

Tin Foil Hat

Zone affected: Hat

Tin foil... hat?! Would you seriously let your pet go out in public knowing its wearing tin foil on its head? It just looks tacky and cheap; please, for the love of Fyora, get rid of/discard/feed to a hungry Skeith this hideous wearable!

Ultra Fashionable Potato Sack

Zone affected: Jacket

Despite its name, this jacket is nowhere near fashionable. This “fashionable” item can be found in the Newbie Pack given to you when first starting Neopets, or drifting around the Thrift Shop in Neopia Central. The sack is baggy, has a hideous texture, and just doesn’t look good; there are many items that you could use instead of this – Spare your pet the shame!

Wax Lips/Vampire Wax Lips

Zone affected: Glasses

Why you would want to give your pets large red wax lips is beyond us. And adding vampire fangs to an already tacky item just worsens the problem! These items are too big and too gaudy to look nice in any customisation – just leave them out, please!

Any Birthday Cake Hat

Zone affected: Hat

Cake is for eating, not for wearing on your head! This hat is pretty much useless in all customisations due to the fact it is not at all versatile. Even though the hat comes in four different colours, they’re all pretty much the same; not adaptable enough and just not worth buying!

Well, there you have it, the best and worst wearables to use. It is recommended, if you seriously want to make customisation a big part of your life, that you buy the items considered the best and keep them in your closet. On top of this, try not to use the items that are listed in the wearables to avoid category! You don’t want others laughing at your poor pet, do you?

Of course, do remember this is entirely subjective, with the help of the kind folks on the customisation chat, we have made this list – but everybody is entitled to their own opinion!

We hope this article has helped, and Happy Customising!