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When Eshi Otawara left the grid, she thought it would be permanent. It turns out it was less than permanent now that she has reassessed what she wants out of SL. (That’s a whole long story I will leave for her to tell.) However, she’s back on a limited basis, to our good fortune, participating in Avenue’s tribute to Alexander McQueen with all proceeds going to Keep A Child Alive.

Eshi presents again one of her flower fantastic skirts with this creation and includes prosthetic “feet” to take the dress from cutting-edge couture to not-quite-possible (though I can imagine someone like McQueen would almost attempt it). Topless, it includes a beautiful system piece, whimsical earrings and hairpiece. (Yeah, she made it topless, but then I can imagine McQueen trying that too, so she hit it on the head.)

I show it with Lamb Bellic’s groovy bob direct from Pulp Fiction (or so I think) and a special skin sachi Vixen released for one of her Beating the Monday Blues sales.

Welcome back, Eshi ;)

Hair: !lamb. Bang Bang Bob – Ink by Lamb Bellic for !lamb

Skin: Adam n Eve Skin – Portia – Tone 1 Dark – Beating the Blues by sachi Vixen for Adam n Eve

Ensemble: Fly Home by Eshi Otawara to be sold for For the Love of McQueen to benefit Keep a Child Alive

P.S. Shameless vanity and advertising here, but Raven Pennyfeather is also providing a dress for this show, and I modeled for it. Photo by SC Tracy.

Are You Here

There is a distinct theme running through my blogs lately. Do you get it yet?

To continue the theme, I show this glorious dress by pixivor Allen. This beautiful piece is a combination of a cabbage rose print and black lace—a provocative and elegant mix. The dress comes with a train, a larger skirt and then this thin silhouette, which I prefer as the larger pieces show alpha texture conflict. The dress comes with shoes (which are hidden but there are there are quite cute—trust me). And with that, it’s a good buy.

I write about and show Truth Hawks’ hair a lot. He sends me his new releases—I choose to use them in my blog as they suit. The thing is that they often seem to suit. The textures are really well done (check the wisps off the curls on this hair), the styles are versatile and usable (sometimes coming with color changing bows or ribbons as this one does), and they are fairly priced. I am pretty strict about not putting in my blog anything I wouldn’t consider a good value. Truth’s work suits my criteria.

And he comes to lay me down in a garden of tuberoses/ When he comes around there’s nothing more to imagine /Just tuberoses/ Tuberoses ~ “Are You Here” by Corinne Bailey Rae

Hair: >TRUTH< Nadia – burgundy by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH<

Skin: []::Tuli::[] Bella (sunkissed/br) F.Y.L.O. red by Tuli Asturias for Tuli *

Dress including Shoes: (AlaFolie) FLORALIE 1 by pixivor Allen for AlaFolie

Necklace: aluinn- Bound pearls- Rose Necklace by Bratty Slade for aluinn

Ring: (Elate!) Pink Rose Ring by Kellie Iwish for Elate

Drama

This is about all I need of it in my life, either one.

The kind of drama that Sascha Frangilli provides with her latest ensemble is my speed. Elegant and sexy, versatile and fashionable, the sleek likes of this outfit (and its many variations) make a dramatic entrance without causing trouble. It has a great set of pieces—two tops, a suit jacket, pants for shoes and boots, a belt, and a skirt.

Here is another variation of the outfit with a short little skirt and sexy ruffled white top. And who said white means innocence?

An updo by yukitan Farrjones, a sexy skin by Tuli Asturias, and I am set.

Save the drama for your momma!

Hair: W&Y HAIR New 13 “TYPEA” by yukitan Farrjones for W&Y

Skin: []::Tuli::[] Bella (sunkissed/br) F.Y.L.O. red by Tuli Asturias for Tuli *

Outfit: SAS – Tally Hoo – Black Belt by Sascha Frangilli for Sascha’s Designs

Cane: Cane Black and Silver by Sascha Frangilli for Sascha’s Designs

Boots: Bax Prestige Boots Black by Bax Coen for Bax Coen Boots *

Steampunk Sue

The whole steampunk thing.. it was a hopeful look ahead to a future where industry and invention would make our lives easier, more wonderful, more interesting. I never quite understood the aesthetic until I got to SL. Since Linden Lab has been tinkering with the innards of SL and our clients, I thought I would try tinkering myself and put on a few gears and gadgets of my own.

I met BlakOpal Galicia and Trilobyte Zanzibar at Burning Life last year. That’s the magic of BL—you end up bumping into all sorts of cool people, and BlakOpal and Trilobyte definitely qualify as cool. Their textures and building are unparalleled for steampunk. Check out this absolutely exquisite ensemble, complete in everyway from the hat on top to the beautiful boots.

There is so much here to look at, one doesn’t know where to start first. There’s the cute top hat leading to the eye piece (which itself has an incredible texture with light reflecting off the glass) to the choker with its ribbons, the bodice, the crazy belt with a riot of gears, and the richly textured skirts.

The most brilliant touch is the sleeve insets with rotating pieces. A photo can’t do it justice. There are little rings whirling inside rings, tortured toruses rotating around a central glowing… thing.. and little drills adding a vicious touch.

The great thing about this get-up is that it comes with everything but the hair. You even get the boots. A close up on the boots shows you how wonderful the textures are.

yukitan Farrjones and WAKA flow have rebuilt and reopened their store, no longer a little boutique jam packed with freebies and hidden away in an obscure sim. (I am talking about a store that proceeded the one most people know.) This new store is much more luxurious and stocked with the many new designs W&Y are making, including their new model line. Shown here is non-beaded version of a hair they gave away at their opening. It’s a great shape and really well rendered. There is a reason W&Y has this new store—they do great work.

May the dreams of your past be the reality of your future

Hair: W&Y AGATA Model  05 A by yukitan Farrjones for W&Y

Skin: []::Tuli::[] Bella (fair/br) F.Y.L.O. copper by Tuli Asturias for Tuli *

Ensemble: BlakOpal Mechanique Steampunk Outfit by blakopal Galicia and Trilobyte Zanzibar for BlakOpal

Country Girl

A fresh blanket of wet snow has fallen (are you tired of my weather reports yet?) I am dreaming of fresh air, green grass, bright bold sunshine. OK, I acknowledge the snow looks pretty, white against the gray of the branches, frosting everything in sugary softness…. But it’s stinkin’ cold!

A trip over to Looloo Beck’s store cured some cabin fever. Between her great sexy clothes and her compelling advertising, Looloo’s store is a place where SL fantasies can begin. In this case, I imagine being a country girl, cheeks glowing with fresh air, and springtime friskiness. Looloo cleverly incorporates sculpty prims with her incredible textures to make an outfit that is at once innocent and sexy with its peekaboo jeans and top.

Underneath the barely buttoned top is a sexysweet bra and panties set with a pretty red-flowered and eyelet print.

I show here a collar from SC Tracy at RFyre, a bit decontextualized (it’s really more gothic than country but heck, it’s barbed wire). SC has been making jewelry and accessories for RFyre that include his great texture and terrific eye for detail. This is being released Wednesday but, well, I get to wear it sooner. Nyah nyah.

With another one of Truth Hawks’ amazing hair styles (how does he do it, week after week?) and Tricky Boucher’s fresh Alyson skin, well I am a country girl ready for kickin’ up a little dust.

And oh my, the boots. JB Gazov has tapped into some sort of lizard brain of mine where all I want to wear are cowgirl boots and two step my way around the grid. I bought the “fatpack” boot, which is scripted to show any of ten colors available. You will be seeing these boots again. They are incredibly textured and sculpted.

“I’m a radio/ I’m a country station/ I’m a little bit corny/ I’m a wildwood flower/ Waving for you” ~ Joni Mitchell, “You Turn Me On, I’m a Radio”

Hair: >TRUTH< Melinda – burgundy by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH<

Skin: -Belleza- Alyson SK 3 by Tricky Boucher for Belleza *

Outfit: >>GothiCatz<< Time (female) by Looloo Beck for Gothicatz

Choker: !Rfyre Crown of Thorns Necklace, Womens by SC Tracy for House of RFyre *

Wheat: Wheat by Pepper Finchy sold on XStreetSL

Boots: J’s WesternBoots ( 10Colors ) by JB Gazov for J’s

(“I know you don’t like weak women/ You get bored so quick/ And you don’t like strong women /’Cause they’re hip to your tricks”)

Skinned Knees

A cute short dress, a pair of boots, I could be any number of cute girls wandering the grid.

This cute dress, excellently done, was a 50L Friday deal from Keiko Morigi. With its gray and blue and red plaid, puffy sleeves, cleverly hemmed skirt (irregular hem on the prims AND pants—brilliant), and sweet neckline, this dress would serve any girl well.

Keiko has come out with a new line of skins that I quite like. I had not always been a fan of her work—the eyebrows were oddly shaped and the coloring was too extreme and artsy in a way that didn’t turn me on. I saw a lot of them on the feeds and frankly, I just didn’t get it. However in this new set, I like the eyebrows much more this time, the lined eyes with a little tiredness underneath, the sweet freckles and great blush and glow on the skin and the sweet, sensuous kissable lips. It’s very touching and very real. This is an artistic statement, this skin, but it’s wearable. (Being art doesn’t mean it can’t be pleasing to look at.)

Speaking of art, I just showed these boots last week, but let me give you another good look at ‘em. With their realistic textures and exquisitely rendered sculpties, these boots from Kookie Lemon are the real deal.

Failures are like skinned knees, painful but superficial. ~ Ross Perot

Hair:  Cake – Dakota – Burgundy Hair by Stumbelina Ophelia for Cake

Skin: &Bean – Pillow Tan eight BB FR by Keiko Morigi for &Bean

Dress: &Bean I Love Vanity and she was never a gimp by Keiko Morigi for &Bean

Bandaids: Reek – Bandaids – Plain – Left Leg by Riq Graves for Reek

Boots: *Kookie* Armarda/ Black Wash by Kookie Lemon for *Kookie*

Orange Glow

It’s gray outside. The world needs a little color.

I put on this cute little batik fabric number from Carrie Snowpaw. It was one of the 60L weekend deals, and a good bargain with its great color and flirty skirt. Her little shop includes a number of cute dresses and outfits. Carrie is clearly a designer learning her craft.

Allow me to brag on myself for just two minutes. I made this necklace well over a year ago and now sell versions of it at RFyre under the brand Fyreworks. Each piece is hand laid (no machine existed at the time), made to fit my avatar, but it will fit yours too. No sculpties, just tortured prims (that tortured me).

A splash of color in a cold gray world:

Hair: Armidi Hair – St Moritz – Hazelberry by Lola Marquez for Armidi

Skin: []::Tuli::[] Bella (sunkissed/br) F.Y.L.O. copper by Tuli Asturias for Tuli *

Dress: Flirty Batik Dress by Carrie Snowpaw for Snowpaw Fashions

Jewelry: *Fyreworks* Diana necklace amber by Harper Beresford for * Fyreworks * *

Shoes: Maitreya Gold – Salience Brown by Onyx LeShelle for Maitreya

In Bloom

I was poking around SL (as I am wont to do) and found a great store for fuller figured female avatars. Just as in the “real world,” fuller figured women in SL are given short shrift. Prims need adjustment, shoes fit weirdly on the ankles, textures stretch. And no, those eensy little minis don’t look right on a larger woman. You would think it would be easier!

Roxy Daguerre has tried to solve that problem with her store Fluffygirl. She offers a wide variety of avatar content, all aimed at the larger avatar, including full avatars with shapes, skins, eyes, and hair, clothing with all accessories (including shoes and hair sometimes), and even larger male avatars. And it’s very inexpensive!

Roxy has designed this dress to make a girl feel sexy with it’s off-the-shoulder flexi arm puffs and the full silky bow. The skirt accompanying it is full and flirty and very wonderful for spring. Roxy has made simple jewelry to accompany the dress and I replaced the shoes with a sexy pair from Storm Schmooz.

As long as we are persistence in our pursuit of our deepest destiny, we will continue to grow. We cannot choose the day or time when we will fully bloom. It happens in its own time. ~ Denis Waitley

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

Shape: MAGGIE by Xme Xue for Ample Avi *

Skin: []::Tuli::[] Bella (fair/red) F.Y.L.O. copper by Tuli Asturias for Tuli *

Dress with Jewelry: FluffyWear BBW Fashion – bronze floral bow tied dress by Roxy Daguerre for FLUFFYGIRL

Shoes: Storm Schmooz Suomi Cognac by Storm Schmooz for L’Atelier Storm Schmooz *

More Spring Flowers

I can see more people have the same idea I do. We’re screaming for spring! (Apologies to all my friends in the Southern Hemisphere.)

Today’s visit to a springtime flower garden comes courtesy Nicky Ree. I think she’s in the same state of mind. I show here two sets actually, both using the same pattern from Nicky’s Autumn Dance collection (I bought both—I couldn’t decide.) First the shorter dance dress (which also comes in another version). With the ruffled neckline and flouncy ruffled skirt, this is at once sexy and girlish. The brilliant addition is the solid wide belt around the waistline—it makes the dress go from purely flowery to stylish.

This is the difference between a new designer and an expert—Nicky is able to wrangle her textures and prims into making the look she wants. Flowers go from proportionally small in the top to larger on the prims, the waistline shows as a solid piece even though it extends from the top to the skirt prim, prims are all perfectly placed and textured. Nicky controls what she does—she turns the “bugs” of designing in SL into “features.”

Then I show the Dance Gown. With its elegant line, full trained skirt, and detailed wrist it is a breath of fresh air—the first window open after a long winter indoors.

I found what I needed to gently compliment the dress at Maeve Mortlock’s store, Ear Candy. With every piece going for 59L, Maeve makes stocking my jewelry box inexpensive and delightful. Her earrings look like no one else’s—clearly Maeve has a great stash of beads and textures to work with and she uses them with joy. My biggest complaint? The jewelry is copy/no trans. I can’t give gifts. Otherwise Maeve would be making a lot more linden as I pass these baubles out to all my friends.

It’s spring fever.  That is what the name of it is.  And when you’ve got it, you want – oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!  ~Mark Twain

Hair: JE*REPUBLIC-Fran-Wine by Jungeun Vella for JE*REPUBLIC

Skin: -Belleza- Alyson PALE 10 by Tricky Boucher for Belleza *

Long Dress: *DNR* Autumn Dance Gown & Pants – Lavender by Nicky Ree for Designing Nicky Ree

Short Dress: *DNR* Autumn Dance Dresses – Lavender by Nicky Ree for Designing Nicky Ree

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

Necklace: Ear Candy ~ Purple Briolette Necklace by Maeve Mortlock for Ear Candy

Earrings: Ear Candy ~ Purple Briolette Earrings by Maeve Mortlock for Ear Candy

Shoes: SKGShoes – Alina Slingback Pumps – Pecan by Saki Galliazo for SKG Shoes (no longer available)

Spring!

Just. Come. Now.

After hearing about the five feet of snow in Doc Gascoigne’s back yard and looking outside at the gray sky, I have decided enough’s enough. Spring must come.

That is why I was delighted to receive this new dress from LeeZu Baxter. Available in FIVE colors, I chose to show the pink because I am so incredibly desperate for a little color after months of black and gray and white. LeeZu once again commits herself to the careful design of the dress, taking into account the movement of the avatar, the look of the sculpty prims in conveying her vision, and the use of textures over the prims to make a complete statement—this time a babydoll with pantaloons.

What makes the dress work are the details—the puffy, crinkled bodice, the straps stitched to the bodice, the sweet corsage. The entire bodice is assembled prims. They move terrifically with the avatar because LeeZu engineered them to seem very real—a little stiff, a little puffy—like a sweet pink meringue.

I wear sandals from Maris Kanto, another great SL engineer. He realized early on it wasn’t about the looks alone (though they are impressive)—it was about versatility. His sandals include a HUD that allows very clear and easy color changing across the sandal. Ah now just to be able to take them off and put my toes in the grass. Guess that won’t be for another 4 months…

In the pink:

Hair: CBC: A little lift (Red eye flight) by Bubbles Clawtooth for Clawtooth

Skin: -Belleza- Alyson PALE 6 by Tricky Boucher for Belleza *

Dress: [LeeZu!] Vienna Dress/Pink by LeeZu Baxter for LeeZu

Sandals: Kalnins Shoes – Orchid by Maris Kanto for Kalnins