Rock Me Right

You say you haven’t been rocked in a long, long time
Oh, good, hard rockin’ is so hard to find baby
Gonna make you sweat, gonna make you shout
Oh, your homemade lovin’ done knocked me out baby

What’s a rock n roll girl to do when she wants to be rocked right? She dresses up to rock it hard. It starts with this glam coat from AvaGardner Kungler. With its wild, fiery feathers and its glam short styling, this is perfect for a girl out on the town. I wear it over a little body suit from Jungeun Vella, who is having a sale at his place on clothing and hair. Check it out!

My makeup is bold and sexy, courtesy of Nena Janus, who has come out with a fabulous new line for brunettes. I have been through the gamut of make ups and it’s a very sexy skin from top to bottom. Nena builds her own skins—no purchased templates—so this is true artistry. Next time I am going to show a softer side of this skin.

My necklace, also from AvaGardner Kungler, is just one more piece of extravagance on an already extravagant outfit. With a diamond-studded head, it loops around her neck, whispering “ss-sin” sibilantly.

Finally, the shoes, which have already walked their way all over the blogs, but I have to show my investment off as well. Maitreya has come out with this pair of socks with sandals that, under usual circumstances, would only be worn by my grandfather but in this situation look like sex in high heels. I wish they had given us the shoe without the sock—I still think they make some of the prettiest toes on the grid—but I see that in this season, socks are called for as the nights grow chilly. I will say the foot Onxy LeShelle has made here is almost as sexy as a bare foot. And I will note that the socks are color change and don’t have to be long up your leg–you can wear them down around your ankles too. Our rock girl digs this look—it keeps beer splashed during the backstage party off her toes.

Come on and rock me right…
Oh, rock me right…
Rock me right…
I’m gonna show you how to rock me right
~ “Rock Me Right” by Susan Tedeschi

Hair: BP*big bomb hair2 by BettiePage Voyager for BP

Skin: *League* Amber Br Sunkiss -Glam- by Nena Janus for *League* *

Jacket: (Kunglers Couture) Isis – feather jacket – fire by AvaGardner Kungler for Kunglers

Bodysuit: JE*REPUBLIC-MIST by Jungeun Vella for JE*REPUBLIC

Necklace: (Kunglers Extra) Serpente- necklace silver by AvaGardner Kungler for Kunglers

Shoes: Maitreya Gold * Moxie Patent Red by Onyx LeShelle for Maitreya

Late Nights in the Groups

I was up late last night chatting away about Thanksgiving and shopping and the banter flew around. The thing is, it wasn’t local chat—it was group chat. For some reason groups have gotten a lot chattier for me. While I am blogging or working or running around shopping alone, I am in group chats chatting. It’s almost a form of texting with the group chat being a mobile phone (and I have seen some chatting FROM their mobile phone in group chat). This is why it’s so important to people that LL get this fixed. It’s social glue.

I put this ensemble together while I was chatting. I love these new dresses from AvaGardner Kungler. This is AvaGardner’s forte: using complex textures in clothing—prints of various florals and abstracts run over clothing with exquisite texturing in the shadows and highlights so that the clothing seems to be made of a material with an expensive sheen. She carries it through to her jewelry as well, if you look closely at my necklace.

This is one of Truth Hawks’ new colors—quince—on one of Truth’s new hairs. I show it with Mallory Cowen’s absolutely gorgeous Julie skin, which I *love* for redheads. Originally I was a LAQ girl with red hair before I decided to transform myself daily. Mallory still does it for me with her gorgeous skins.

Thanks to Hey, Girlfriends and Fashion Emergency for making me smile:

Hair: >TRUTH< Sonya – quince by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH< *

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

Dress: (Kunglers) Tanja – green by AvaGardner Kungler for Kunglers *

Jewelry: (Kunglers Extra) Bambu – natura by AvaGardner Kungler for Kunglers *

Shoes: ::Kookie:: Vo pumps / Green grass by Kookie Lemon for ::Kookie::

Autumn Movement

I cried over beautiful things knowing no beautiful thing lasts.

The field of cornflower yellow is a scarf at the neck of the copper sunburned woman, the mother of the year, the taker of seeds.

The northwest wind comes and the yellow is torn full of holes, new beautiful things come in the first spit of snow on the northwest wind, and the old things go, not one lasts.

~ Carl Sandburg

Autumn has peaked here and all it leaves are the memories of colors and the golden sunlight scattered on the lawn. AvaGardner Kungler’s evening dress reminds me of those colors with its rich gold so beautifully rendered and dark leaves. AvaGardner understands how to highlight the sheen that might show in a fabric and does a terrific job with the system piece bodice, doing just that.

I wear this dress over one of Kira Ahn’s skins, currently at a discount at her closing sale for dekade. This African-American skin is gorgeous with great highlighting. I especially love the eyes and lips. I adjusted my facial features quite substantially on my shape to make the skin make more sense. I am curious if Kira was fitting this skin to a thinner nose because I found it hard to make a nose that made sense.

Queue Marlowe made this absolutely gorgeous updo with an optional band that can be modified to any color you choose through the old-fashioned, scriptless edit and color change. (Honestly, sometimes that’s all it takes, folks—low lag and easy peasy ;)) I wear pretty leaf earrings from Caroline Apollo for this autumn theme and a great texture change bracelet from Julia Tower.

I cried over beautiful things knowing no beautiful thing lasts.

Hair: AD – kathryn dark with hibi band by Queue Marlowe for Analog Dog *

Skin: [dekade.] SKINS BARDOT-Zuri/Ebony/Eyebrows 02/Hair/Make up 03 by Kira Ahn for [dekade.]

Dress: (Kunglers Couture) Sophia – amber by AvaGardner Kungler for Kunglers

Earrings: (Caroline’s Jewelry) Gold Leaf Earring Large by Caroline Apollo for Caroline’s Jewelry

Bracelet: [} Jasha {] Verandi Bangle – Right by Julia Tower for [} Jasha {]

Mélange

I love words that can only convey their meaning in their own language—schadenfreude, bricolage, lasagna… One such word is mélange which means a mixture, often of incongruous elements.

Not a lot of people are willing to take the risk of mélange in their own work—it’s hard to do well. AvaGardner Kungler has managed to pull it off very beautifully in this dress from her collection. When I first donned it, I was stunned by the combination of colors, textures and shapes that all came together to make this unified dress. AvaGardner pulls it off by making a very simple silhouette—an inverted triangle on top of a triangle—and echoing the audacity of the combined textures by exaggerating those shapes. The dress could be flat out wrong if AvaGardner had not had the base brown in the colorways and if she had not chosen such an elegant silhouette.

I am featuring one of aida Ewing’s newest skins with the dress. Aida’s skill has been developing as she proceeds to each skin, her experience being carefully applied. For this set, I was pleased to see more definition to the lips and eyebrows, more elegant color choices, and a lovely shape to the eyebrows and lips. Aida’s skins are not “photoreal” insofar as they have the flaws—pores, shadows, under-eye circles—that other skins have. Nevertheless it’s an attractive skin, especially for photography.

I am wearing a lovely set of jewelry from Julia Merosi, which is being sold at the Jewelry Fair. I love the deep teal of the gems on this jewelry and the unique shape of the stones. She runs the shape from the earrings to the bracelet to the ring (and the necklace, which I don’t show here). The texture on the gem is gorgeous as is most of her work.

I had a bowl of schadenfreude for breakfast, some bricolage for lunch and lasagna with a side dish of mélange for dinner. Topped it all off with an ennui nightcap ;)

Hair: Monique – Dark Copper by Calico Ingmann for Calico Ingmann Creations

Skin: -Glam Affair- SofiaV2- Natural 11 by aida Ewing for Glam Affair

Dress: (Kunglers Couture) Ellis – chocolate by AvaGardner Kungler for Kunglers *

Earrings, Bracelet and Ring: ::je::suis::mysterious::earrings, ::je::suis::mysterious::ring, and ::je::suis::mysterious::bracelet by Julia Merosi for je suis, available at the 2010 Jewelry Fair

Final Flowers

The final flowers of the season are blooming—the fall mums, the purple sedum on the side of the house, a screwy clematis who apparently didn’t get the note about the seasons changing.

AvaGardner Kungler is clinging to those final flowers for all she’s worth in her two latest offerings. First the dress, which is her Dressing Room Blue contribution this week and which I am seeing on every pretty girl on the grid. With its lovely floral pattern and great shading, it’s a great buy, as most everything at Kunglers is.

Then there is her beautiful Camelia jewelry set, fashioned from prims into gorgeous stylized flowers hanging from a chain and earrings. There is a certain joy in AvaGardner’s jewelry work. You really feel like she is sitting in her workshop, fashioning beads and wires and other findings into these necklaces—they have a human hand-crafted touch that so much SL jewelry lacks. She has this available at the 2010 Jewelry Fair in three colorways along with several other beautiful pieces she has fashioned.

Launa Fauna’s newest skin makes my face glow, especially with her deeply shadowed eyes. I am a huge fan of her eyebrows. I am of mixed feelings, sometimes. Launa’s skins have a very specific lip style that sometimes seems overblown on my shape at times–I feel too many bees got to sting me. Chatty argues the pout is the thing–what do you think?

Written while staring out my window at the sunlight on the golden birch tree leaves.

Hair: >TRUTH< Anya – chestnut by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH<

Skin: L.Fauna {Lola . Tan 1} [Whisper] by Launa Fauna for L.Fauna

Dress: (Kunglers) TDRB #9 – short dress by AvaGardner Kungler for Kunglers, available at The Dressing Room

Necklace and Earrings: (Kunglers Extra) Camelia – aluminium by AvaGardner Kungler for Kunglers, available at the 2010 Jewelry Fair *

Shoes: J’s Real Toe Wrap Front Sandals (Dark Brown) by JB Gazov for J’s

The New Yorker

I have never been to New York City. I have been many places—London, Paris, Berlin, San Francisco, Chicago—but not New York City. It’s amazing. I have several friends who are from there, many more who live there, but I just haven’t made it—not even the airport. But I will some day!

As I understand, women in New York wear a lot of black (it’s just not a pink kinda town). So I donned this jacket from AvaGardner Kungler, a double jacket—leather over a snakeskin (what luxury!). AvaGardner has done a great job of shaping the jacket with sculpties, making it wearable AND fashionable. The jacket also comes with a single layer for you ladies who don’t want to get too warm but in the fall New York City has its moments of warmth and then it can turn chilly. My jeans are from California’s prettiest girl, Callie Cline, but their blackness makes the outfit so right coast. And a pop of color is provided by Janie Marlowe in the red tank.

My hair, oh.. my hair.. I was beyond excited when I found out that Elikapeka Tiramisu has brought herself back to life in SL and is selling hair in the new SL Marketplace. I immediately grabbed all I could and I was not disappointed. This updo from Elika comes with her classic styling and perfect textures. Welcome back, Elika. We have MISSED you!

How do women in the city stay so thin and beautiful? Well they walk everywhere. These boots from JB Gazov are heels a woman can walk around the city in (and climb in and out of taxis in). My skin is one of Minnu Palen’s gifts for the lucky LeLook recipients. The flawless makeup is ideal for our New Yorker. And a statement ring makes its case on my finger, this from Cora Lu. I realize I am missing a handbag, which is a VERY important part of being a New York woman. Oh crap! I left it in the last taxi….

Someday…

Hair: [e] Rumor – Blonde 07 by Elikapeka Tiramisu for elikatira

Skin: LeLutka : LE.LOOK! la femme – Skin – Estelle Dark Brows by Minnu Palen for LeLutka (no longer available)

Jacket: (Kunglers) Soraia – black by AvaGardner Kungler for Kunglers *

Tank: **MIS** Essential Tank – Tomato by Janie Marlowe for Mischief (no longer available)

Jeans: Dark Jeans by caLLie cLine for Callie Cline

Ring: P.C; Black Pearl Ring by Cora Lu for Paper Couture

Boots: J’s Ankle Boots Round by JB Gazov for J’s

Autumn Heat

I am waiting for that little last burst of summer before autumn really kicks in, when the air is warm with a touch of chill, the sun is golden through the leaves and summer gives us her final burst of beauty before leaving. It hasn’t come but when it does, I know what to wear.

AvaGardner Kungler has just come out with this wonderful dress, a combo of abstract texture with a beautifully rendered silk top. Leave it to AvaGardner to create the top asymmetrically with two pieces of silk criss-crossing and wrapping around to the back. Her texture work is superb with shadows and puckers correctly rendered and a sheen that is there but not so overt we are conscious of it. The mini skirt moves well with the avatar and lines up PERFECTLY. (She took on a challenge with her horizontal stripes and knocked it out of the ballpark.) I was looking at some of the real life stuff from fashion week in New York and realized that drawing it in SL would not be very easy. I think AvaGardner could pull it off.

I show this dress with the smokin’ hot skin from Tuli, her latest line. (Check out my new profile photo in-world–I wear the same skin.) I love the lip colors available on the tattoo layers, but I am still worried about expecting all customers to use clients that employ alpha layers. I tried another viewer—Impudence this time—so I could get the alpha layer. I still crash in it more than Snowglobe, especially when I take photos, but I like it other than that.

The necklace is from Julia Merosi, who has set up shop on Bax Coen’s sim and is making lovely jewelry. This necklace has color changers that can change different sets of beads so the combinations are endless. The earrings are from Bella Bombast, who has quite a great collection of jewelry and fashion with African influences. And my shoes? Ms. Siddean Munro loves my feet and I love hers. This sexy pair comes with two huds—the standard one for changing skin tone (totally easy to use, even for dorks like me), nail color and shoe size and then another for changing the color of the gems.

It was Indian summer, a bluebird sort of day as we call it in the north, warm and sunny, without a breath of wind; the water was sky-blue, the shores a bank of solid gold.
-   Sigurd Olson

Hair: >TRUTH< Cindy Streaked – burgundy by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH< *

Skin: []::Tuli::[] Audrey (tone 3/br) :: 05 with []::Tuli::[] Audrey t3 – dark 8 matte by Tuli Asturias for Tuli *

Dress: (Kunglers) Sandra – apple dress by AvaGardner Kungler for Kunglers *

Necklace: ::je::suis::boheme::necklace by Julia Merosi for je suis…

Earrings:  -=UZURI=- Dalya Ear Rings by Bella Bombast for UZURI

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

Shoes: SLink Mikaela Shoes Bronze by Siddean Munro for SLink

Political Style

While the rest of you have your faces buried in Vogues and Ws, I like to keep watch on the fashion and political worlds all at once in the Huffington Post. Under their Style category, they include an unnamed series of articles where they cover first ladies, politicians and princesses showing their fashion ability for photo ops. Take for instance, what Princess Letizia of Asturias (uh in Spain, I guess) wore recently. Or Bettina Wulff’s style (the first lady of Germany).

Frankly, I think a first lady or princess could pull this look off. (Ya know, you don’t need a tiara.) AvaGardner Kungler gives us a top and skirt that would show well in photos–modern complex pattern on the top with a demure but not dowdy shape to the top, including a cleverly ruffled neckline and bow tied sleeves. The skirt is a simple system piece made prettier with a bowed waist.

I realize not all first ladies are so youthful looking, but I really think it’s the freckles making our politico seem so. The skin has lovely makeup, blue eyeshadow playing up the  gentle tone of the skin, the lips full and pretty but not overdone. I really admire how Rack Brautigan has managed to make a realistic looking lip without the heaviness of too much gloss.

A princess or a politician, she is always in style:

Hair: >TRUTH< Nadia – copper by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH< *

Skin: (IS) Irene 2.0 – Este – Cielo by Rack Brautigan for IMAGEN *

Top: (Kunglers) Hillany blouse – tropicalia by AvaGardner Kungler for Kunglers

Skirt: (Kunglers) Daisy – brown system skirt by AvaGardner Kungler for Kunglers

Shoes: #OC# Mercy – Sand by nut Barak for Orange Creations

Shimmer

I have been in SL long enough that friends can go quiet and wander off to do their thing and later IM to “catch up.” I love catching up. An old friend IM’d me, gave me the rundown on his SL, and came up with the great title for this blog. Thanks, Tristan ;)

And shimmer this dress does. The Dressing Room offering from AvaGardner Kungler, this beautiful piece is done in her typical elegant style. You can FEEL the silkiness of this dress, see the shimmer of the light playing on it. It’s a simple dress, rendered very nicely. I pair it with shoes from N-Core, a delicious pair being sold at the Shoe Fair this week. (Yes, I did a LOT of shopping!)

I am showing it with the group gift skin from Tuli Asturias for the Audrey series. You will be seeing more of that in the coming days. It is, as with all of Tuli’s work, absolutely gorgeous (and perfectly suited to me *ahem*). I mean, look at the makeup. *sigh*

Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other’s gold.

Hair: ((JUNWAVE))YUKO*D-BROWN* by LGM Jun for ((JUNWAVE))

Skin: []::Tuli::[] Audrey (tone 4/br) :: VIP group exclusive by Tuli Asturias for Tuli

Dress: (Kunglers) TDRB – Silk dress by AvaGardner Kungler for Kunglers

Earrings: Bliensen + MaiTai – Vintage Earring by Plurabelle Laszlo for Bliensen + MaiTai

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

Shoes: N-core TRESOR XtremeHeel “Brown” by Claire Messenger for N-core, and available at this year’s Shoe Fair

Summer Soiree

“In the dusk of the evening, he could see across the lake the twinkling of the lights from the gazebo rippling on the waves, and hear the laughter and murmur of relaxed voices, the susurring of frocks as ladies fluttered from one table to the next, the clink of ice in the gentlemen’s glasses. A loon cried across the lake. The band swung into upbeat.” (Imagined quote from some F. Scott Fitzgerald story.)

monica Outlander keeps putting out a steady stream of vibrant and quality content, never ceasing for holiday (as so many of my European friends) or even a bathroom break (which might sound silly, but I sometimes wonder about monica). This frock, one of four colors, arrives just in time for a summer soiree, one in the heart of the season when the heat still lingers past dusk. With its bare shoulders and low cut back, this dress might be structurally impossible in real life, but perfect in SL where a show of skin is de rigueur.

What a beautiful skin it is, too. From Hart Larsson’s newest line, this pale painterly beauty gives any woman a quality of sophisticated beauty, from its cat eyeliner to the subtle beauty mark near the eye to the matte and sumptious lips. AvaGardner Kungler’s beautiful orchid necklace, with its super-real tints of blue shell, is a perfect accompaniment—ocean and sky and blossom all in one piece.

“I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore. . . .
I hear it in the deep heart’s core.” ~ William Butler Yeats

Hair: >TRUTH< Jocelyn – seaspray by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH< *

Skin: [PXL] Candy PALE CE PaleLips LEB by Hart Larsson for [PXL] *

Dress: Miamai_Milena Blue by monica Outlander for Miamai *

Necklace and earrings: (Kunglers Extra) Orquidea – abalone by AvaGardner Kungler for Kunglers *