Vampire

“I’m betting on Alice.”
~Stephanie Meyer, Twilight

I have been reading the Twilight books and watching “True Blood” this summer. This means I know an inordinate amount about vampires—more than I ever thought I wanted to know. It’s useful information. It is certain to protect me in the eventuality that I meet a vampire.

For example, vampires CAN go out in the sun. However, they do not want to be seen in the sun because their pale skin shimmers beautifully in the sun, which makes them prone to being spotted. That’s why they prefer to live in locales like Washington State. (Don’t ask me about those fools down in Bon Temps.)

Vampires are also extremely beautiful. That’s why the new Gothic skins from Tuli got my attention. Even though I work for RFyre, I am not always Goth (which is made evident in this blog). I honestly don’t care for a white white skin. However Tuli has aced the skin tone here, making it more pearly than white with a tinge of blush and contour so the face looks pale and shimmering, rather than dead white or clownish. She has also fashioned the eye make-up and lips so it is sophisticated rather than extreme.

This sophisticated skin needs a dress of the same level, so I chose Nicky Ree’s Exotic Alexis in Black—a sleek dress with one of Nicky’s characteristically beautiful trains.

I adorned the ensemble with a jewelry set from BastChild Lotus. BastChild makes jewelry for the Lapointe and BastChild group, some of it specifically Gothic. It turns out, I discovered in my extensive reading and watching, that vampires are not affected by crosses. Therefore, this long necklace with its graceful pendant is an ironic nod by this vampire to those myths.

I completed the outfit with shoes from Morrigan Denimore. Morrigan is taking over SL with his terrific gothic, Lolita, androgynous designs. I will be showing more in the future, but these pumps are ideal for this outfit. With their lace vamp, steel heels and sweet bows at the back, they suit the wardrobe of a vampire out looking for fun.. or dinner…

How “going out for dinner” takes on new meaning:

Hair: ETD Loraine 2 – Black by Elikapeka Tiramisu for Elika Tiramisu Designs (ETD)

Eyes: Pulse-Avanti Eyes/Chagall by Lorac Farella for Pulse Skins

Skin: []::Tuli::[] HOPE gothic :: 02 by Tuli Asturias for TULI

Dress: *DNR* Exotic Alexis Collection Black by Nicky Ree for Designing Nicky Ree

Necklace and Earrings: BastChild Nocturne Decadence Silver Rouge Necklace and Earrings by BastChild Lotus for Lapointe & BastChild Designs

Shoes: ~*{TBC}*~ Harajuku Streetwalker by Morrigan Denimore for ~*{ The Black Canary }*~

Chicken Dinner

The chicken thing in SL has gotten out of hand. I found out one of the residents on my sim, Vanguard, was raising a flock of them. I stomped over to Iono’s land to see what he was up to. Chickens kind of creep me out.

Turns out Iono has not been very lucky with the chickens. There is a lot of barbecue chicken to be found at Vanguard.

Here I am noshing on some barbecue chicken that Iono has left out. I am not sure if it goes with Chianti, but I am not complaining. I am all about eating them rather than raising them.

Iono has made a beautiful space on Vanguard. I decided to wander around and take photographs of this darling outfit there. Khea Karas makes versatile and cute clothes for Malt. Here I am showing her Cargo Shorts, constructed with sculpty cargo pockets, and the matching striped tank top. She even sells the cute scarf that goes with it.

I feel I should write an ode to JB Gazov. He makes the shoes that women want. This pair of Studded Wedge Sandals is funky and fun. As usual, it comes with his great color changing hud. I have the color changing pair here—for a low price you get eight colors, all in one shoe. You have to love that. (I secretly have a huge crush on JB… shhh.)

I wore this top notch style from Aemilia Case. She gave it out in a 50L pack for her birthday, bless her heart. Her hair has great textures and very cute styles not always found at other places.

Photographed on location at Vanguard.

Mmmm! Tastes like chicken!

Hair: PE Vanora Mochachino by Aemilia Case for Philotic Energy

Skin: Pulse Skin-Valeries T: Sienna/Citrus by Lorac Farella for Pulse Skins

Top: .:MALT:. Fashions – TANK TOP – Brown by Khea Karas for .:MALT:.

Shorts: .:MALT:. Fashions CARGO SHORTS – Chocolate by Khea Karas for .:MALT:.

Scarf: .:MALT:. Twilly Necktie – Tarawera by Khea Karas for .:MALT:.

Shoes: J’s Real Toe Studded Wedge Sandals by JB Gazov for J’s

We Can Do It!

One of the fun things about being in this second life is that you can be a pin-up whenever you choose. I decided to do a modern twist on the “We Can Do It!” poster. I think the soldiers would have liked to come home to this or pin it up on their wall. (And it’s a nod to my buddy, Chrome.)

I found this sexy number at Coco. cocoro Lemon has done some interesting and marvelous things with sculpties, making the overalls zip open to reveal the top underneath. Her textures are well rendered, subtle and flow well over the sculpties and the avatar. She is a very skilled artist.

I paired this with this darling hair from Antonia Marat. Antonia has a limited collection of hair at her shop, all designed to suit her clothing. If someone asks, “Rockabilly?” I say, “Artilleri.” This red lipped skin from Pulse completes the look.

Finally, a pair of beautiful stiletto pumps from Storm Schmooz completes me. Storm has taken the standard pump and made it new with design lines and a wicked heel.

Welcome home, Soldier! (I can do your job too ;))

Hair: /artilleri/ Trixie hair *chilli* by Antonia Marat for /artilleri/

Skin: Pulse Skin – Climax/Valeries T2 Venetian Red by Lorac Farella for Pulse Skin

Outfit: *COCO*_Combinaison_Black by cocoro Lemon for *COCO*

Shoes: Storm Schmooz Supreme by Storm Schmooz for L’Atelier Storm Schmooz

Purple Passion

I love when colors work together. I love the bliss of seeing colors shimmer together in a texture, making a piece of fashion a piece of art and not just a wearable.

Miss Eshi has done it again. She sent me her newest outfit—Heather—a few days ago. I had seen a preview, and I realized that she forgot to include the skirt but I couldn’t wait to photograph it. That was just fine because the outfit is pretty fabulous with and without. The color scheme in this outfit—the purple, lavender, red, fuchsia and blue—and the mixture of textures—matte and sheen–give it a magic electricity.

We see Eshi working with her blossom prims again, using them to make lovely belted sleeves. Puffy sleeves like this could get cutesy fast, but Eshi makes them contemporary and funky with her shimmering modern textures. She accents the pieces with plastic fantastic gemstones that are not over the top (thereby retaining their elegance for the piece).

The reason Eshi’s stuff really works is because the system pieces work. They are well-rendered and carefully worked, and the shadows and highlights come from a real artist. You can see her skilled work in the close up—her edges are clean, her rendering lies on the avatar correctly. She also does incredible prim work, top to bottom.

I am wearing one of Pulse’s newest skins—Chamois/Whisper. The color combo was ideal. And gosh, I can’t seem to get this lush and funky hair from Emma Gilmour off my head. (I am wearing it in several photos out in the metaverse. Rip it off my head!)

it

I paired the outfit with Schmidt boots from Eshi, which share the same color scheme. I love these boots—they are whimsical and cutting edge all at once. She pushes the envelope on fun, always surprising me with how pretty her designs are while not being cute. (And that’s good, cuz we ain’t about cute.)

“Electric Feel”:

Hair: [SC HaiR] Georgie – Black by Emma Gilmour for . Sand Shack Surf Co.

Skin: Pulse Skin-Valeries-T:Chamois/Whisper by Lorac Farella for Pulse Skins

Outfit: Heather by Eshi Otawara for Eshi Otawara

Boots: Schmidt CHESHIRE Liquid Boots by Eshi Otawara

P.S. We’re gonna miss you, Momma Two!–

Supreme Elegance

I pulled out one of my favorite dresses today, a dress from Paper Couture. It reminds me of true elegance, high fashion—the kind that Richard Avedon photographed in the 50s and 60s. I saw his exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (and treated myself to the catalog), and I couldn’t help but see some of that high fashion in this dress.

Ava Lu’s dress for Paper Couture came out with a number of others last fall. Paper Couture releases in an interesting fashion—they follow fashion seasons. This dress was from Fall 2008—a collection based on birds. They even made bird masks and beautiful artistic photos for the release. Truly high fashion.

This dress has a unique shape with its sculpty skirt underlain with netting and its strategically placed prims off the sides and back. It’s not your run of the mill empire waist dress and it works with its regal scarf. The texture is sumptuous, rich and heavy with embroidery. This is not a dress for every woman in SL.

Paper Couture is not for every woman in general. They take chances with their fashion, using avatars as an opportunity to try out their fashion ideas and innovating with prims, sculpties, and textures. Sometimes they hit it (Cecilia, Folora Gown, Cardinal Entrance are a few I really love) and sometimes they miss (Turtle Dove.. oh dear), but they do it grandly. And they do it without arrogant pricing. Their outfits are 250-300L so you can own the whole collection for a pittance, and toss what doesn’t work for you. You can find their past collections available on XStreetSL. There are some real gems there.

I accented the outfit with tasteful earrings from Cora Lu, offered in this Spring’s collection. ETD’s elegant Anisa (also one of my favorites) tops the ensemble with Saki Galiazzo’s sophisticated Alina slingbacks finishing the outfit.

En vogue:

Hair: ETD Anisa – Elika’s Brown by Elikapeka Tiramisu for Elika Tiramisu Design (ETD)

Skin: Pulse Skin-Valeries T: Wheat/Desire by Lorac Farella for Pulse Skins

Dress: p.c; Sequin Finch by Ava Lu for Paper Couture

Earrings: P.C.; Moonlight Stud by Cora Lu for Paper Couture

Shoes: SKGShoes – Alina Slingback Pumps – Chocolate by Saki Galiazzo for SKGShoes

Mad Men

When the show Mad Men first came on, I was not able to watch it. Out of the blue, several friends told me they had seen Harper on Mad Men and sent me photos of Joan Holloway.

Well I have finally gotten around to watching Mad Men. (OK, I have only seen one episode so far so I am not quite understanding the comparison that had so many IM me with photos. I think it’s the red hair–I hope that’s all.) I thought I would try to do a little Mad Men post here for fun. It kind of spun out of control.

First there was the hairspray. Then the cigarette. Then the darn scotch. (Oh, the scotch, the scotch… where’s the aspirin?) Then I had the dress from Micah Kanto. OK, admittedly a little low cut for the 50s, but the print was so 50s and the neck scarf made it so fashionably office and after-hours. Micah’s Modern Gypsy shows the work of a young man emerging into fashion. I love how he used this print.

Then there were the long red manicured nails (by peche Bury), the obligatory charm bracelet (a beauty from Skinkie Winkler), and the hair.. oh the hair!

This magnificent piece of work has been sitting in my inventory for a bit, waiting for the perfect moment. Leetah Moxie hair makes hair no one else does—some wicked Lara Croft hair, Lucille Ball, and even Pebbles and Bam Bam. I highly recommend a trip to her store. The name—Curl Up and Dye—matches her sense of humor perfectly.

Then there were the eyes. I had to have that heavy Dior eyeliner curling out of the eye. Lorac’s new skin did the job and matched the muted tones I see on Joan Holloway (a redhead can’t do bright red as well).

Scotch on the rocks:

Hair: Natalie Auburn by Leetah Moxie for Curl Up and Dye

Skin: Pulse Skin-Valeries T Cream/Touched BRN by Lorac Farella for Pulse Skins

Dress: !Modern Gypsy! Devereaux Collection: Beaute D’or by Micah Kanto for !Modern Gypsy!

Bracelet: ~flirt~ TiffanyCharmBracelet:VINTAGEGOLD/PINK by Skinkie Winkler for ~flirt~

Nails: Candy nail #P000 Basic Prim nails : Red nails by peche Bury for Candy Nails

Shoes: (Shiny Things) Vintage Pumps, black by Fallingwater Cellardoor for Shiny Things

Desk and Chair: Classic Retro  Aluminum Desk and Classic Retro Steno Chair by Szabo Horn for Szabo

Stapler, Tape Holder and Desk Calendar all by Inkygirl Omizu for Inkygirl Omizu Office Supplies

Phone: SSB Retro Phone by Asiana Masala for Shape Skin & Beyond

Cigarette and Ashtray by Funk Schnook for FNKY

Scotch: Lagavulin Whiskey by Casandra Jackson for CAS (Yes, I know it’s not scotch. You try to find a good scotch in this world!)

Shimmy Shimmy

I have two ideas in my head today based on today’s blog topic… well actually three.

1. I look damn hot and that’s because:

2. I am wearing work from old school designers and

3. I used the option on my boots to make them look different—this time red stripes and details.

Let me get into the old school first. Evidence number one: swafette Firefly’s sexy, shimmering martine cocktail dress. With its shimmery prims, highlighted with a texture that I swear has sequins sewn to it, this dress is about movement, about fun, about hopping on that poseball and dancing all night, showing your legs up to there and your moves out to there.

swafette has been doing this stuff for years—her repertoire is extensive and her skills considerable. swafette was doing this stuff long before you kids had sculpties or flexi! She makes clothes for men and women, both genders equally well represented in her fashions. She knows what makes people in SL have fun and she’s built a business that has lasted. And she does it with enthusiasm and graciousness.

Evidence number two: the boots from Bax Coen. The new Prestige boots from Bax are to die for—I showed the black ones a few days ago. These are the white.

This is my rant—when creators like Bax think enough to put in features like changeable metal, color changing details, etc., why doesn’t anyone USE them? I have seen countless women running around SL with the chain still across the shoes, even though it looks silly, or the foot color in it’s original orange tan. Bax has made these boots with tons of features. Trying them out with different outfits is worth at least an evening’s activity—well worth the low price she charges.

Styled this with a tossed haircut from Kin Keiko and a sweet Altonia skin from Pulse. No need to be over made up when the red stands out already.

As Mae West would say, a little “Shimmy-Shawobble”:

Hair: Kin-Mairi-[Flamered] by Kin Keiko for Kin Keiko

Skin: Pulse Skin – Altonia-Far Away by Lorac Farella for Pulse Skins

Dress: sf design martine cocktail dress red by swaffette Firefly for sf designs

Jewelry: Princess Diamond Bracelt by Jordan Whittendon for Whittendon Design

Boots: BAX Prestige Boots White Leather by Bax Coen for Bax Coen Designs

Summer Break

Summer’s almost over. We could feel a chill in the air (already) this weekend when we were outside. The weather was lovely today, however, so I made sure I got outside.

Of course on a day like today—a little chilly, a little relaxed—we are not wearing evening dresses around the sim. I opted for this cute top from Acid & Mala Creations. I liked its simplicity and sexiness.

I show them with jeans from Zaara Kohime. She is known for her beautiful Indian-inspired clothing, but she also does some great jeans for women and men. These light blue jeans are worn in and fit me as if I have owned them for years.

I slipped on some shoes from Mai Runo. These kickabouts have no base shoe, they are so versatile. She has them in several colors and some really great boots. It’s a small store but well worth a visit.

Finally, I can’t say enough about Maeve Mortlock’s Ear Candy jewelry. Every purchase is a mere 59L. She makes the kind of earrings I want in RL—handmade of beads and trinkets, not too ostentatious. I am showing one of Lorac’s newest skins in the Valeries line. The subtlety of the makeup really appeals to me. Hair is from Miel—a really terrific updo I will wear again and again.

Shot on location at Avant Garde. Stream is Radio Paradise.

The livin’ is easy:

Hair: MIEL BM HAIR –red 1 by Miel Nirvana for MIEL

Skin: Pulse Skin-Valeries T: Wheat/Blueberry AUB by Lorac Farella for Pulse Skins

Top: >M<_Silky White Top by Mala Oh for .: Acid & Mala Creations:.

Bottom: Zaara : Jeans {classic} *blue* by Zaara Kohime for {Zaara}

Jewelry: Ear Candy ~ Jade Couture Earrings and Necklace by Maeve Mortlock for Ear Candy

Bracelets: Made by me. Not available ;)

Shoes: [ON] petanko cross camel by Mai Runo for [0N] ZERO NUMBER

Sea of Love

We have lingered in the chambers of the sea
By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown
Till human voices wake us, and we drown.
~ from “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot

A very nice person came up to me at SLCC and initiated an introduction—Opal Lei. I was startled—I am so often out of it, especially when I am just finishing a presentation or trying to figure out what to do next (there was a lot of that going on at SLCC for me). My brain was not functioning. We had a nice talk but didn’t really connect until she contacted me in world.

Opal IM’d me today about something else. After I spoke to Opal and had a great conversation with her, I ran over to her store. I was amazed. Opal has some incredible and fun stuff in her Mer Betta line.

This beautiful mermaid outfit comes with flowy tail fins and chest fins (which are not shown here). Opal includes system pieces that fade into the skin, making the wearer truly look like a mermaid. I used EmeraldEver Cline’s very inexpensive (150L) mermaid AO, purchased on xstreetsl.com.

I completed the look with pieces from my friend Teklili Tentalus’ collection. Nereid has a clever script that allows you to change the colors of each of the different elements of the jewelry—shells can be one color while pearls another. Each piece of jewelry is exquisitely made, in Tek’s typical fashion. You will see more in my blog from him—I am blown away by his work.

Shot on location in Night Swimming.

“I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each..”

Hair: Exile Love Song auburn by Kavar Cleanslate for Exile

Skin: Pulse Skin-Valeries T: Sienna/Citrus by Lorac Farella for Pulse Skins

Mermaid: Mer Betta Halimede Red Halfmoon v3c (v) by Opal Lei for Mer Betta

Jewelry: “Nereid” by Tekelili Tantalus for Tekeli-li!

AO: Em’s Preloaded AO Hud of Mer Animations by EmeraldEver Cline for Em’s Mermaid Shop By The Sea

Elegance in Cream

I honestly think the stars have lined up for me lately. The fashion artists across the grid are giving us some of the most beautiful and incredible work I have seen in SL.

Nicky Ree recently released her magnificent Galatea (which I am saving for another blog, once I have figured out how best to show it), and soon to come is the Goya gown. I am showing it here in cream. With its elegant creped halter and exquisite contemporary lace, this gown would feel as comfortable on a red carpet walking into an awards ceremony as it would on a red carpet walking down the aisle for an afternoon wedding. (And no, I have nothing to announce, thank you.)

Allow me to highlight the detail Nicky inevitably includes. Please note the bodice shaded under the bust, the subtle wrap of the halter around the bust, the lace on the tops of the gloves. The prim skirt has a translucency but there are no alpha clashes or misplaced pieces. This is an experienced SL artist.

I paired the dress with an updo from Adam n Eve. This sideswept style was a perfect accompaniment to Nicky’s dress—not too formal but clean and neat. The whole look makes me feel very old Hollywood.

It seems that Sachi Vixen has caught the bug for creation too. She is crankin’ ‘em out too with new hair and shoes, skins and clothing coming all the time. Both Nicky and Sachi are old school SL; we have a lot of new designers in SL, but these experienced creators are keeping up with the times and still raising the bar.

Old school elegance:

Hair: Adam n Eve – Cristina _3cherry by sachi Vixen for Adam n Eve

Skin: Pulse Skin – Blessed/Desire-Radiance by Lorac Farella for Pulse Skins

Dress: *DNR* Goya Svelte Gown in Cream by Nicky Ree for Designing Nicky Ree

Earrings: JCNY – Virginia Gardens, Pearl Drop Earrings by JD Hansen for JCNY