POP CUTIE! Street Fashion Simulation to strut its stuff on DS

Normally we would consider fashion victims to be two or three steps below pocket fluff on the evolutionary scale (what is it with those dinner plate sized sun glasses at the moment?) but as soon as you add the 'daft as an ironing board made out of jam' phenomenon that is cosplay – dressing up in your favourite game or manga/anime character – the whole fashion thing starts to get a bit more interesting.

Which is why the just-announced POP CUTIE! Street Fashion Simulation sounds like it could be a winner. The game mixes Tokyo street style, cosplay, fashion design and trend hunting into a retail management simulation with style exploration overtones.

You'll be responsible for the day-to-day happenings of your own fashion boutique, hiring models and assistants, designing the look and sound of the shop, placing ads and making sure the books balance. You will also get to go parading down the high street in search of the latest up-and-coming trends so that your business stays relevant in the fickle blink-and-you'll-miss-it fashion world.

You can also attempt to set trends yourself by creating your own clothes, accessories and hairstyles in an industry where everyone is continually trying to out-stupid out do each other. It certainly sounds like a good fit for the DS and could well be fun provided there's plenty of scope for completely over the top and outrageous designs.

It's all driven by a simple touch interface where you can consider colour and shape combinations on the bottom screen while reviewing the actual design on the top screen. There is also a wireless multiplayer mode where you can pit your sense of style against a friend to see who can create the most exclusive boutique.

The game has already had a Japanese release but is due for release in North America in September. If it does well there, then you could say it's still in the running to be Europe's next top model game.