Changing Into Warmth and Vanity

I have known Erehwon Yoshikawa for a while now. She and I met after dancing week after week at Tiphares. I became in awe of her incredible music collection and calm and classy style. I met Erehwon face to face (to my surprise) at SLCC last year. It was so surprising I didn’t recognize who she said she was til later. I am glad she wasn’t put off my by weird expression. I have since met her wonderful partner (they are two incredibly cool people), and I have found out what a loyal and warm friend she truly is. And intelligent—unbelievably intelligent.

Erehwon has her own style, one that usually finds itself comfortable with steampunk or middle-Eastern or Indian attire or sometimes East Asian (since she has a recent obsession with Crunchyroll). She is comfortable in her shape, which is slightly rounded with an exquisitely pretty face. She is never ordinary, never cliched. I think this is another reason why I am so glad she’s a friend.

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Things never were the same.
Change is… it’s what we get
– Ramona Flowers, Scott Pilgrim‘s Finest Hour

When I started in Second Life, I favored black and grey. They are dramatic, statement colors, and I wanted to play at steampunk (even if, as my RL partner, The Chemist, points out that the Victorian era was when aniline-based dyes were developed.) I’m playing with color in my wardrobe now.

I’m wearing Vanidad, by Indyra Seigo. Indyra has been making casual dresses and outfits with a dramatic flare in Second Life for several years. Vanidad means vanity, but you would had guessed that from the peacock plume print on the silk skirt. The highlights on the print pop out beautifully against the rich, dark brown silk of the skirt which almost tricks the eye into perceiving it as a dark burgundy. Printing the feathers on black silk would had been dramatic, but would rob the skirt of it’s warmth. While the skirt is both warm, and dramatic the top glows. Indyra takes care to add highlighting to the trim pieces, and shadows to the folds and sleeves.

The portrait of Ada Lovelace I’m standing next to was one the first things I made inworld, uploading her image from her wikipedia page. I still love having a victorian-esque garret to work in.

As I always do, I wear Mallory Cowen’s LAQ Carina skin in peach, and a modified version of the Marta shape by Melanie774 Kidd for Mela’s. The round soft face, dimpled chin, and sturdy hips are the body I feel most comfortable wearing inworld. Both skin and shape flow together with the top and skirt. And as a non-standard sized avatar, I appreciated how easy it was to tailor Vanidad to fit me: the skirt just had to go a touch larger, the ribbon tie pulled out of my chest, and the sleeve tops resized and recentered on my narrower shoulders. The glasses are PrimOptic’s Celeste. I have had these glasses since my first day in Second Life. I remember asking the first well dressed person I saw where I could find a nice pair of cat’s eye frames. They suggested Prim Optic and I’ve worn them ever since. (Also, you can shift the glasses to the top of your head with a click, for when you’re reading, or raising your cute factor.) The hair is Truth Hawks, because I must have big hair with bangs to feel like me, and the artful messiness of the hair is perfect for the outfit.

The shoes are Zaara Kohime’s Ilaida Mojri slippers. These are not as fanciful as the ornate slippers by Moon Ling that I usually wear, but they are elegant and perfect for standing on the balcony, and visiting with friends from sunset to the early hours of a summer morning.

Hey you’ll get it.
It just takes practice.
– Scott Pilgrim, Scott Pilgrim‘s Finest Hour

Hair: Melinda by Truth Hawks for Truth

Skin: LAQ Carina in Peach by Mallory Cowen for LAQ

Shape: Marta by Melanie774 Kidd for  Mela’s Shapes

Dress: Vanidad by Indyra Seigo for  Indyra Originals

Glasses: Celeste by Nibb Tardis for PrimOptic

Earrings: Genie Bottle Earrings by Erehwon Yoshikawa for Yoshikawa Aetheric Engineering (gift)

Shoes: Ilaida Mojri by Zaara Kohime for Zaara

Polka Dot Princess

The princess, the girl who has everything, who can wear anything, who will wear anything and wear it as she pleases… that’s what I want to be sometimes.

It’s easy to be a princess in this dress from Kimmera Madison. With its sculpty puffs and bows, it’s not something just any woman can wear. Kimmera has always managed to make her textures so real with the right highlights and shadows and a richness in the material that is not easy to replicate. Our princess is definitely not wearing off-the-rack.

I show it with a lovely skin from Lorac Farella that I spotted in her remodeled store/sim. I love the subtlety of the skin, which could serve a blonde as well as a brunette. The lips are luscious, the eye makeups subtle and sophisticated, and especially nice is the collarbone, which is not a “stain” as I see on so many skins, but a drawn beautiful feature.

“Being a princess isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.” ~ Princess Diana

Hair: MIEL SUN HAIR – brown 5 by Mika Nieuport for MIEL

Skin: Pulse Skin Trinity/M 2 by Lorac Farella for Pulse Skins *

Dress: Tres Beau “Polka Spot” Brown by Kimmera Madison for Tres Beau *

Nails: [ Love Soul ] Posing nail*Oval-Natural* by BlueStarRUI Villota for [ Love Soul ]

Jewelry: Ear Candy ~ Chocolate Diamond Necklace and Earrings by Maeve Mortlock for Ear Candy

Shoes: [Armidi Gisaci] Barcelona Slingback  – Bole w/Gold by Nicole David for Armidi

Foot Fetish

Feet in SL are … well the system feet are so so bad but really, can you expect them to be perfect? I can’t imagine it would make sense to have little separate toes and all that on avatars and making more graphics complications than is necessary.

But.. that causes a problem when you want to walk in the pixel grass with your bare feet. So the answer is prim feet, but honestly? Most bare prim feet don’t do anything for me. But.. oh… these feet changed my mind. Siddean Munro, one of the sponsors for this year’s Shoe Fair, has made these lovely tootsies and is selling them at the fair (which should be called Foot Fair, imho). Check these lovelies out: pretty little toes, actual real veins and not that putty look, ankles (!!) and even the creases around the achilles tendon. These feet are the next best thing to real.

Let me add that I STINK at matching feet in SL. I lack the patience to make it just right. But Siddean makes it pretty easy with her hud, which includes base foot textures over which you can color the foot. That makes a world of difference in matching the feet, frankly. The texture and variation in the foot appearance make much more sense, especially when you are matching to high end skins that also pay attention to realism down at the ankles. And her resizer is awesome. As my friend SC would say, “Love love love!”

Of course, the whole outfit is an homage to bare feet so it’s appropriately casual. I start a tank top from Janie Marlowe, who I believe is still having a sale over at Mischief before she clears the place out. I wear it with cutoffs from mappy Handrick and a cute little anklet from Leilani Siamendes.

Then we have the baseball hat that tops darling ponytails from Ageha Albatros. The cap has over 1000 variations, once you change the colors, the rivets, the button on top, etc. And it has that lovely.. foamy feeling. And a ring of dirt around the inside of the cap but that’s just in my imagination. I wear a fresh and young skin from Mallory Cowen, who has the corner on “glow” in SL.

Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. ~ Kahlil Gibran

Hair (with hat): ((JUNWAVE))MESH CAP*Rio*D-BROWN by Ageha Albatros for *JUNWAVE*

Skin: LAQ ~ Julie – 01 [Peach] Glow skin (red hairbase) by Mallory Cowen for Laqroki *

Top: **MIS** Afternoon Tank – Cherry by Janie Marlowe for Mischief

Shorts: Vacation denim_baige by mappy Handrick for *ARAI*

Necklace: Bliensen + MaiTai – Necklace Sleeping Flower by Plurabelle Laszlo for .Bliensen + MaiTai

Anklet: hula anklet red bronze left by Leilani Siamendes for Hula

Feet: SLink Jolie Pied Barefeet Low by Siddean Munro for SLink, and available at this year’s Shoe Fair

Muscle

Is it wrong for a woman to confess that once in a while she likes a man with a little muscle?

I walked around in this guy at the Shoe Fair and goodness, there are a few ladies who like muscle (you know who I am talking about, Delora, Solange, and Phoenix). Well it didn’t hurt that I had this tank from Dick Wiesel and leather pants from Avrele Guisse. Crocodile boots from swaffette Firefly made the look complete.

 

Part of the sexiness and a lot of the muscle comes from this outstanding skin from Emilia Redgrave. Not sure how she shows the veins in the arms so well or got the sheen on his skin so well, but goodness, he’s hot. And it’s all supported by a fine shape from Sophia Rossen (which I modified in the face to make it a little more structurally right).

Finally, the hair.. goodness, the hair. This hair is made by Mirja Mills, the queen of wild fantasy hair. I realize this is panther hair, but dang it looks so fine on this man with the feathers and the beads. Then he gets the sunglasses from Guu Nishi, set on opaque, the toothpick from Aletta Milena and the obligatory gold chain, this one from my pal, SC Tracy.

“Men should be like coffee, hot sweet and strong” ~ Dutch Proverb quotes

Hair: SCHATTENREITER hair by Mirja Mills for Emo-tions *

Skin: 04   Dark-Tan Skin -Tyson-/goatee+base+chesthair  *REDGRAVE* by Emilia Redgrave for Redgrave

Shape: Sophistishapes – LLOYD bodyshape by Sophia Rossen for Sophistishapes (modified from original)

Top: :. WoE .: Dragon Tank (Grey) by Dick Wiesel for :. WoE .: *

Pants: Avrele Reble Mens Low Waist Leather Pants 121809 by Avrele Guisse for Avrele*

Sunglasses: HOC – Aviator style glasses #003 Male by Guu Nishi for HOC Industries

Tattoo: Dragon Wing by Ctarr Huszar for Beyond Tattoo

Chain: !Rfyre Roman Eagle Amulet Necklace by SC Tracy for RFyre *

Earring: Made by me :)

Toothpick: toothpick by Aletta Milena for Somethin’ in Your Mouth

Boots: sf design crocodile boots black – mens by swaffette Firefly for SF Design

Easy

It’s only love
It’s only love
You know how it feels
Feeling is easy
I know

~ Easy by Anoushka Shankar and Karsh Kale, sung by Norah Jones

We’re deep in the middle of summer when things just need to be cool and easy—a tank top, a short skirt, wedge sandals. The tank top is from Dick Wiesel, who knows about making it easy, with this rich green color and great rendering of wrinkles and lace. The short skirt is a Japanese sim find with two tiers of skirt (and two more to switch out to change the look) from kinbo Akina.

Finally the wedge sandals with the pretty toes from JB Gazov, one of his newest offerings. I get the fat pack immediately—denial about my need for every color is fruitless. These shoes are available at the Shoe Fair, which opens today noon slt and goes til Sunday, August 22. I got a tour of the four sims, which are cuter’n heck (designed and build by Delora Starbrook all by her own self and amazingly done), and there are a wide variety of shoe makers offering some tasty pieces. It’s a budget breaker, but worth it as proceeds benefit Soles4Souls.

Finally this lovely summery skin from Lorac Farella, who has just reopened the Pulse store, remodeled and revitalized. Look at the glow on these lips, the soft vulnerable lips, the smokey and sensual eyes. And this beautiful jewelry set from Tiffy Vella, who is herself in the deep dark of winter on the other side of the earth and happily assembling pretty tiny prims while she waits for her own summer.

I’ve been shown
The other side
And now I see the way
Things are

Hair: >TRUTH< Sylvia Streaked – almond by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH< *

Skin: Pulse Skin Dance With Me-M2 by Lorac Farella for Pulse *

Top: :. WoE .: Madison Lace Cami (Mustard) by Dick Wiesel for :. WoE .: *

Skirt: oyakin*fril-miniskirt(used*flower) by kinbo Akina for oyakin

Jewelry: Eclectica Nouveau Rose-moccha set by Tiffy Vella for Eclectica *

Shoes: J’s Real Toe Wrap Front Sandals—Olive Green by JB Gazov for J’s, and available at this year’s Shoe Fair

Love Letter to Japan

From the west to the east I have flown to be near you
I have come all this way to be close, to be here with you
And now, all my heart I will lay down precisely at your feet
~ Love Letter to Japan by The Bird and the Bee

My love letter to Japan involves, as one would expect, a kimono, but this one is inspired by my recent new thing, watching drama on Crunchyroll on my iPad (thanks so very much, Erehwon). Watching the funky fashions on these shows, I am reminded that the kimono is probably a little fanciful, especially this gorgeous one from Sequanna Kidd, even with it’s short skirt and sweetly tied stockings. Nevertheless, the cute granny boots from Cerberus Noel would fit right in. (I have been watching Prince Hours. The star, Se7en, is cute.)

I show one of Truth Hawks’ new hair pieces, with the hairband set to red and the streaks set to red. It’s gotta all be red. Especially to match the lipstick from this beautiful skin from Fergie Finesmith. I have shown Fergie’s work before, which is an amalgamation of purchased and open source pieces. The faces are lovely with bold makeups.

My beloved, oh my sweet
All the gifts you have given me
The patience and the peace,
Cherry blossoms and the candy,
I am yours, I am yours
For as long, for as long as you will have me

Hair: >TRUTH< Frankie Streaked – crow by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH< *

Skin: Razzanova Skins Vanity – Alizee – Mademoiselle by Fergie Finesmith for Razzanova *

Outfit: *Milky Kimono Shungei-Josho B&R Mini* by Sequanna Kidd for Milky House

Boots: *GF* Short Lace-Up Boots –black by Cerberus Noel for G Field

Cinderella Revisited

Today’s Cinderella doesn’t always need a Prince Charming to save her. Sometimes she just needs herself.

Today’s Cinderella has been outfitted by Kendall Dagger. With its silky sheen and lovely brocade texture, this dress is too pretty for a Cinderella who toils for her stepmother. Our liberated Cinderella has purchased this lovely piece herself because she was impressed by the two tier skirt construction, the lovely waist and arm ties and ruffles, and the attention to detail.

Cinderella is plainly beautiful in this skin from Kira Ahn, which was a special offering at the Dressing Room. Kira has rebranded and pared back to her best skins, and this is a good representation of her work. The luminosity of the skin and the detail around the eyes and lips are lovely touches. The face is very reminiscent of Scarlett Johansson(though it might be that mole that makes me think so).

The key around Cinderella’s neck, from LawnDart Curtiss, is really a key to her treasure box.. and her heart. She keeps it close, as a smart woman should.

“The modern fairy tale ending is the reverse of the traditional one: A woman does not wait for Prince Charming to bring her happiness; she lives happily ever after only by refusing to wait for him…” ~ Susan Faludi

Hair: fri. – Jasmine – Anxious Blond by Parvarti Monday for fri.day *

Skin: [dekade.] SKINS -Brooke 2- Sunkissed/Hair/L Brows/TDR by Kira Ahn for [dekade], available at The Dressing Room

Dress: [SB] Heidi – Cream by Kendall Dagger for SpellBound

Choker: KeyToMyHeartNecklace by LawnDart Curtiss for Liquid Dreams Creations

Shoot to Thrill

My second guest blogger is Raven Haalan, scripter, builder, artist, thinker. I met Raven initially through the fashion bloggers’ group and then got to know him at Burning Life. Raven and I clicked pretty quickly—we’re both very task-oriented people; hanging out and doing nothing in SL is not for us. As I got to know Raven, I found out that he was pretty public about his alter-egos, Jaime, a beautiful redhead with looks that kill, and Bin, a brainy coder.

Raven is a very experienced and prolific photographer and blogger in SL himself. You can find his work in the pages of Prim Perfect or on his personal blog, Raven’s Roost.  This month, you can view his great photography at a joint exhibit with GM Nikolaidis at Tricia Aferdita’s Gallery.

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AC DC’s Shoot to Thrill was in the headphones as I was sending a friend the LM for a fabulous trench coat… at that precise instant Harper’s invite to guest blog arrived. It seemed fitting that great looking coats and guns should be the theme of this post.

Shoot to thrill, play to kill
I got my gun at the ready, gonna fire at will.

The coat mentioned above was Laine Markova’s stunning Red Trench. The secret is to combine it with rust Caela Jeans by Dick Wiesel – they fit in perfectly as the flexies show leg. A white basic cami from Heather Connolly and the red Bax suede boots round out Jaime’s ensemble.

It was time for Raven to catch up, building a look around the Redemption coat by Arken Soothsayer. Add in a Cowboy Hat from Whenever Timeless and Western Boots by JB Gazov. Include a black checked shirt by Yelmer Pfeffer and Zaara’s Classic black jeans (tinted darker than purchased) and we’re ready for a gunfight.

Classic weapons equip our intrepid protagonists for elegant action. Dual Colt 1860 Army revolvers by Vegoth Munro suit the Blackbird’s taste. Red gets nasty with an ornately styled 1864 side by side, double barreled shotgun by JoMilla Gears.

I’m gonna take you down – yeah, down, down, down
So don’t you fool around, I’m gonna pull it, pull it, pull the trigger

With the gunfight over, our heroes depart, stepping gingerly over the corpses. The victims might be lucky and live long enough to catch the rear view of these outfits as a final visual treat to aid their passing.

Jaime:

Hair: Valerie (Sangria) by Truth Hawks for Truth Hair

Skin: Sundust Vixen by Gala Phoenix for Curio

Eyes: Jaime Kenin Blue Skies Calm by Kitten Krakauer of Kitten Designs

Mascara (Natural) by amandine Arai for Pixelfashion

Coat: Trench Coat – Red Female by Laine Markova for LAINE’s

Basic Cami: Blanche by Heather Connolly for astraia

Jeans: Caela Jeans – Rust by Dick Wiesel for WoE

Necklace: Aubade (Silver/Blue) by Felicity Winslet for Mariposa

Nails: Manipedis – Ruby by Ryker Beck for Exodi

Ring: Celtic Knot Femme Wedding Ring by BastChild Lotus of Lapointe and Bastchild

Boots: Bax Prestige Boots: Red (Black Cherry) by Bax Coen for Bax Coen Designs

Weaponry: 1864 Side by Side Shotgun by JoMilla Gears for Gears Trading Co.

Raven:

Skin: Miguel Tan (with hairbase) by Tricky Boucher of Belleza

Eyes: Zbilja (Brown) by Ryker Beck for Exodi

Coat: Redemption Coat by Arken Soothsayer of Super Possessed

Shirt: Checkered Shirt – Black by Yelmer Pfeffer of Alphamale

Jeans: ZC Classic Jeans (Black) by Zaara Kohime for Zaara

Tattoo: Huxley by Hatzfeld Runo for Tiki Tattoo

Hat: Timeless Cowboy Hat by Whenever Timeless of Timeless Hats

Gloves: Narcisse Black by Paul Lapointe of Lapointe and Bastchild

Boots: Western Boots (Black) by JB Gazov for J’s

Pistols and Gunbelt: Colt 1860 Army Revolver by Vegoth Munro for V&N Creations

Just Won’t Burn

Oh but I know I’m gonna be alright
If these blues are hangin’ around
Hangin’ ’round…
Oh… hangin’ ’round
~ “Just Won’t Burn” by Susan Tedeschi

I want to know something. I want to know why women in blues get such short shrift. I go to blues clubs in SL, and I have to have a female DJ playing to hear women doing the blues (unless I request from the male DJs, and even then I get some resistance—“Never heard of her”).

Women can’t feel blues? Have you ever HEARD Susan Tedeschi?! (I also want to know why her Wikipedia entry is so much shorter than her husband’s, even though she is more academically and musically accomplished than he is. And I won’t even comment on how the two wikis frame their marriage differently. Bah!)

With that being said, when I am stepping out to hear a DJ like BluJns Benoir (who plays lots of women blues artists, thank you), I want to look hot but classy. An outfit, like this one from Sascha Frangilli, fits the bill. With the capris (made for boots, but I wear them with high heels), three top choices (including the corset I chose here), the clever jacket belt layer, and a sculpty bolero jacket, this offering from Sascha makes me feel sexy and bluesy.

Monicuzza Babenco’s skin, as shown here, was offered at the Dressing Room but is a clear indication of the quality of Monicuzza’s work. She clearly photosources but blends her details in a manner that is beautiful and believable. And these heavily-lined eyes are perfect for a night out at a blues club.

Finally my shoes from Maris Kanto complete the look. His work gets better with each progressive shoe he releases. The best part, however, is the HUD, which allows you to color the skin in progressive notches of 5% with a PICTURE of the color change before it goes. For the toe-coloring deficient like myself, this is a huge advantage. Maris’ shoes also come with color and metal-changing capabilities as well as the standard toenail color-changing. And if you join the Kalnin’s group (which doesn’t require a slot), you get all sorts of tasty discounts.

Oh… they just won’t burn…

Hair: >TRUTH< Tilly – espresso by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH< *

Skin: *YS & YS* Marilu Mask – Hair  – TDR by Monicuzza Babenco for *YS & YS*

Outfit: SAS – Rock Chic by Sascha Frangilli for Sascha’s Designs

Earrings: [ glow ] studio – Glamour Earring Silver by Jocelyn Anatine for [ glow ] studio

Bangles: fri. – Loop Bangles (Silver) by Viva Monday for fri.day

Nails: [ Love Soul ] Posing nail*Oval-Metallic* by BlueStarRUI Villota for [ Love Soul ]

Shoes: Kalnins Shoes – Dante by Maris Kanto for Kalnins

Lover, You Should’ve Come Over

So I’ll wait for you… And I’ll burn
Will I ever see your sweet return?
Oh, will I ever learn?

~  Jeff Buckley’s gorgeous “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over.” (Think a 21st century Robert Plant, here.)

Something about a soulful passionate love song that brings it out in me. That and sexy lingerie from swaffette Firefly. After a much-deserved holiday, swaffette is back from the beach with this lacey number, complete with teal satin and seamed thigh highs. When wearing an sf design piece, you are wearing five years of experience—great seams, versatile pieces, and brilliant details (like the laced-up back—that ribbon begs to be tugged).

Accompany it with a model-grade skin from minnu Palen, this one the offering for 50L Friday, and the seduction is complete. My favorite part of her skins are the eyes—so sexy and expressive with carefully tweezed brows and gorgeous eye make-up. The hair, from Natsumikan Checchinato, is deliberately messy and perfect for this look.

Oh, Lover, you should’ve come over
Cause it’s not too late.

Hair: *mikan_hair_Gille_espresso_M by Natsumikan Checchinato for mikan

Skin: [LeLutka]-SunKissed_Friday(D Brows)hairbase by minnu Palen for [LeLutka]

Lingerie: sf design diva corset ensemble teal by swaffette Firefly for sf design *

Earrings: Ear Candy ~ Blue Almond Topaz Earrings by Maeve Mortlock for Ear Candy

Shoes: Maitreya Verve Pumps – Black by Onyx LeShelle for Maitreya