Moonlight Chic Kit: Hot or Flop?

Moonlight Chic Kit: An Overview

The Sims team kicked off their freshest season of summer content with the announcement of two new kits: Moonlight Chic, a Create-a-Sim kit, and Little Campers, a Build/Buy kit.  Both kits, released May 26th, harnessed the "embrace the night" theme curated by Sims developers. Moonlight Chic, in particular, is a kit that aims to represent the sleek, romantic fashion of Parisian nightlife. Does this 32-piece clothing kit meet the mark? Is it worth the 4.99 USD cost? Let's get into it. 

Feminine Create-a-Sim

Inspired by the effortless style of French fashion influencer Paola Locatelli, the feminine pieces included in the Moonlight Chic Kit are easy winners. The salmon-pink sweater crop is flirty and fashion-forward.  The texture appears soft and simple, with a cute turtleneck neckline.

Also, the knitted thigh-length jacket with a tube top comes with beautiful braided detailing and little buttons along the sleeves.

The button up top with an almost applique collar finish is also a show-stopper.  The long, loose sleeves end in romantic flower petal like way.  All three tops pair well with high-waisted bottoms which, admittedly, are few and far between in the Sims 4.  It can also be said that, despite the beauty of each piece, that there is no dearth of crop-tops which already exist in the game.  These beautiful additions to Create-a-Sim simply add to the mounting supply of tummy-bearing tops already vastly abundant in Sims 4. 

Luckily, this is not the end of Moonlight Chic's feminine offerings. A long-sleeved, disco ball like top offers the kind of curve-hugging glitter that I love seeing in my Create-a-Sim options. When paired with high-waisted bottoms, this top literally shines as a stand-out piece. Similarly, the V-neck soft sweater comes in head-turning colors such as lemonade yellow. It ends in a figure-complimenting cinch, and looks good on many bodies. 

Perhaps the two stars of this kit are the slinky silk dress with spaghetti strap shoulders and the snappy trenchcoat-like short jacket. Both are eye-catching and available in pleasing colors. In fact, the silk dress comes in several ombre swatches that make it an interesting addition to any discerning Sim's closet. 

The feminine bottoms leave a little to be desired.  The kit boasts a pair of shorts that are acceptably suitable. The looped belting appears painted on and thus flatter than what I'd like.  Similarly, the sequined skirt, also appears a little flatter than what I'd expect, but it still manages to be a pretty piece, perhaps a relic of the past Carnaval Kit. 

There is another piece included in the feminine CAS selection, a suit jacket with a crop top blouse, which is a stunning addition to this kit but... more on that later. 

Masculine Create-a-Sim

Personally, Create-a-Sim kits live and die for me according to their masculine offerings. I almost exclusively create masculine Sims with traditionally masculine frames, so any and all additions to their admittedly slim Sim wardrobe is always welcome for me. Eager to slide my men into fresh threads, I jumped immediately into CAS on May 26th. 

The masculine tops offer the same sort of ease and simple sensuousness that characterizes this kit as a whole. A crisp, color-blocked racing jacket, a loose-fitting and half-tucked in button up, and a daring denim jacket in a variety of colors are stars of the pack. They are joined by a simple sweater with three-quarter sleeves, which comes with a long, nearly bohemian hemp necklace. 

The flowery button up was a real winner for me: its straight-lined, traditionally masculine silhouette paired with the traditionally feminine floral print is really appealing.  When worn with bottoms from the Modern Menswear kit, this shirt is a must-have.  

​Speaking of bottoms... 

The kit has five bottoms for masculine Sims, and they all offer the same loose, cargo-like fit and texture. While they may vary according to number of pockets, the bottoms are all lackluster.  None of them particularly push the fashionable envelope, and I daresay that the Sims already enjoys a near endless supply of cargo pants, especially for men. Beyond being fashionably backward, the inclusion of so many items of the same design is just plain disappointing.

This is not to say that the trousers look badly in-game. They are simple additions, particularly the shorts and slacks, that are well-rendered. The belt and seams on the long shorts look nice. The slacks are available in a variety of interesting colors and sit comfortably on the masculine frame. There are beautiful folds in all trouser selections, a definite plus in the texture department. They are good pants. Acceptable. But a bit boring.

But perhaps I'm overly salty about the menswear. After all, when I saw the initial advertisements for Moonlight Chic, I was over-the-moon excited to slip my men into what I believed was a boundary-pushing masculine suit. In fact, it appeared that this suit - the full-body option with a cropped blouse and high neckline - was indeed for masculine Sims.

In official game renders, the suit boasted broad shoulders that tapered into a narrow waist, a fashionably baggy fit reminiscent of the late 80's, a high neckline, deep pockets, and large lapel that reminded me a little of Yusuke's fits from Yu Yu Hakusho, one of the my favorite animes of all time. (Yeah, I am unfortunately that old.)

But when I entered the game and frantically searched the masculine wear for this top, I was sorely disappointed. 

Despite its branding, the top was unavailable for masculine Sims, even when I removed the "masculine" tag.  To find it for my men, I had to completely change their "fashion choice" to "feminine." 

Naturally, when I placed the desired top on my masculine framed Sim, the game distorted his body. The trench coat top gave Julian sizable breasts, while the famed crop-top suit gave him fuller hips. In fact, I found that the suit that I'd wanted so badly did not have a tapered waist as was advertised. Instead, it made Julian look larger than he actually was.  I was thoroughly disappointed. 

The Verdict: Flop

Moonlight Chic has some wonderful pieces for which Create-a-Sim fanatics will find some semblance of use. The feminine CAS pieces are beautiful and flirty; the masculine CAS is acceptable, but limited.  This pack will in no way challenge you or make you rethink fashion; it will not offer many additions that are unlike anything your Sim already owns. The mis-marketing of the suit jacket also, personally, left me with a sour taste in my mouth. 

Is this pack a must-have? Absolutely not. Is it worth 4.99 if you have it to spare? Perhaps. But maybe wait to win it in a giveaway or something. 

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