I’m Like a Rare B-Side

“I’m just making you mixtapes with homemade covers, analog to show we’re lovers
And here under the jacket folds inside, I’ve taped my heart for you to find…”

Sometimes my SL is a kind of.. uh.. interesting. I mean, where else could I turn into a tiny, live in a huge Tuscan villa, or be interviewed on TV? Today I had the privilege of being on Designing Worlds with Saffia Widdershins and Elrik Merlin. Thank you for inviting me to speak.

Of course I had a quandary.. the ever-important problem popped up. What to wear? I chose to go casual. I had finally gotten out shopping and wanted to show off some of my pretties. Take, for example, this cute top Zaara Kohime featured as a Dressing Room item. I have the whole outfit in another color, but this alone is an ideal piece.

I wear it without the bikini top option here. These terrific jeans are from Janie Marlowe, who is sadly closing her store, Mischief, soon but only to open something new and more exciting, she says. A veteran of fashion in SL, Janie made some of the first and best casuals in the grid. Now she has it all on sale at great prices. Get over to Mischief as soon as possible to pick up the deals, including these great jeans.

This hair is one of those OMGs. Made by Kin Keiko (who has made a few of my other favorite short hairstyles), this pixie is ideal. I had to do a little adjusting to the hair, but I am not concerned. When you place the prims this close to a head, all those sliders on a shape can make a huge difference. (That’s why there is not more MEN’s hair, guys. You all want to be eggheads or blockheads or chin-heavy and then suddenly the tolerances for the prims gets out of whack.) Kin has lovely textures, a real sense of body and style to this hair. A def fat pack for me.

Earrings are from Jon Ree from his great Cowboy and Cowgirl shop. Get over there already and check out his amazing work, especially his turquoise jewelry.

Written while listening to “Mixtape” from Tift Merritt. (Some lyrics at the title and in the header of this post.)

Hair: Kin-Cricket-[Red] by Kin Keiko for Kin

Skin: []::Tuli::[] Jade (tone 4/br) :: 04a by Tuli Asturias for Tuli *

Top: Zaara : xacuti wrap top *lilac turquoise* by Zaara Kohime for Zaara, available at the Dressing Room Blue

Jeans: **MIS** EveryDay Jeans – wash 1 (dark) by Janie Marlowe for Mischief

Earrings: Earrings — Tradition Turquoise by Jon Ree for Mustang Trading Post

Sandals: Maitreya Gold – Aequus Blue by Onyx LeShelle for Maitreya

Everything in Its Right Place

The thing about Eshi’s work is she makes it look so easy and you kind of say, “Oh yeah. That makes sense.” (Even if it looks funky, which it usually does.) Kind of reminds me of a song where someone sings “Yesterday I woke up sucking a lemon.” It’s crazy yet it all works.

Eshi passed this to me a couple weeks ago. She sends photos and then passes folders. I usually throw them right on wherever I am standing but at the time I think I was on treet.tv or something and couldn’t. She passed me this lovely outfit, which includes a system top with glimmering jewels and sexy striped pants. She crafted a beautiful belt, choker, and head piece which echo the jewels in the top. And she weighed it all with handless gloves.

I show the outfit with one of Eshi’s hairs because it fits so well with the headpiece. I chose this kind of overbloomed make up from rebeca Dembo. I would not wear this for every day wear, but its boldness suits Eshi’s ensemble. I chose boots from Fashionboi Landar that I purchased a few weeks ago. I am having a hard time finding his store (not listed in his profile or in search), so if it can be found again, I recommend these boots.

“What, what is that you try to say?” ~ “Everything in Its Right Place” by Radiohead

Hair: CROWN hair (ash blonde) by Eshi Otawara for Eshi Otawara *

Skin: Christina  Sun Pale by rebeca Dembo for CandyDoll *

Eyelashes: Detour – Klee Dot Lashes by Keri Clip for Detour

Ensemble: Black Gems Are Forever by Eshi Otawara for Eshi Otawara *

Boots: HouseofFox – [AngynessHeels – Black] by Fashionboi Landar for House of Fox

Gratitude

I read a great post by Raul Crimson the other day and had to comment on it myself. It really had to do about stepping back and taking a look at what SL offers us and finding the positive rather than the negative. At the beginning of the year, I had stated having empathy for others as one of my goals; I am still working on that. In the meantime I chose another focus: gratitude. We need to be grateful that SL is still here, that we can find some satisfaction in it, despite all the ravages of the times right now, which are pretty difficult to face in sum total. It’s a beautiful world.

I celebrate this beautiful world with a gorgeous new dress from Neferia Abel’s summer collection for L’Abel. Neferia is well known for her lush and gorgeous textures, this a floral theme on a beautiful flirty summer dress with a luscious satiny finish. The abundant summer rain has made me flowers so beautiful—this dress reinforces that beauty.

I am wearing a beautiful shape by Xme Xue that has an exquisite face and body shape, full, lush and ripe for a gorgeous summer like this. My necklace is an exquisite piece by AvaGardner Kungler made of gold and beautiful orchids, laying against my gorgeous soft skin from Tuli Asturias. Thank you, wonderful creators, for making me feel beautiful.

“People deal too much with the negative, with what is wrong…Why not try and see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom?” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Hair: >TRUTH< Hannah – cherry by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH< *

Skin: []::Tuli::[] Eva (tone 5/bl) 06a by Tuli Asturias for Tuli *

Shape: MAGGIE by Xme Xue for Ample Avi *

Dress: -L`Abel- Nin purple dress by Neferia Abel for L’Abel *

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

Shoes: Lola shoe – lavender by Fallingwater Cellardoor for Shiny Things *

Mystique

The feminine mystique I am talking about is not what Betty Friedan wrote about, rather the mystery and inner knowledge some women seem to have.

This dress is perfect for a woman like that. Siyu Suen’s new Corvus dress with its “raven” theme comes with a raven’s head and wings, though I opted not to purchase those (as beautiful as they are). I was all about the dress and gloves, their elegant feathers doing something less cute and whispy like many feathers shows in SL and more sharp and rigid like a raven’s wings. The win is in the system bodice with its beautiful feathers slipping up the skin. The outfit comes with two prim skirts: the regular skirt shape is very normal—nothing exciting and rather oversized on my thin avatar. The skirt with the train suits the elegance of the silhouette much more.

I show with a beautiful skin from Tuli Asturias, one I don’t get out frequently. Tuli does “dark” better than many, understanding that it doesn’t need to be dark black against pasty white. I wear a wispy romantic updo from Serenity Stransky to soften the look and add the romance it needs.

Heart of darkness:

Hair: [!SyDS! Hair] Kyrie – Espresso by Serenite Stransky for !SyDS!

Skin: []::Tuli::[] Jade (tone 3/bl) :: 10b by Tuli Asturias for Tuli *

Dress: *~*Corvus Formal Gown by Siyu Suen for *~*Illusions*~*

Gloves: *~*Corvus Wrist Cuff by Siyu Suen for *~*Illusions*~*

Necklace and Earrings: (WW by RC) Mama Harper – Black by Random Calliope for Worthwhile *

Shoes: Black Stiletto Slingback Pumps by Saki Galiazzo (no longer available)

Summer Dancing

Last night found me “stuck” (yeah.. stuck because the music was so good) at SL7B listening to the infamous Bradley Gazov doing his great blues set, away from Hotlanta.

I wore a cute outfit for my night out. First a top from Delora Starbrook, pretty and sexy all at once, very well drawn in a beautiful color. Then shorts from Barbra Kungler with cute little sculpty cuffs. And pretty bangles from kikunosuke Eel.

Finally new hair AGAIN from Truth Hawks. This one has streaks—I am totally digging these streaks! (They are subtle today—I used dark blonde.) And the shape of this hair is sexy! Finally wedges from J’s. I can’t day enough about these shoes and their pretty toes. They are so versatile, so chic and up-to-the-moment, and so sexy. Thanks to all these great creators, I looked great at SL7B!

“There are short-cuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them.”  ~Vicki Baum

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

Skin: []::Tuli::[] The Dressing Room LE :: Gina 02 by Tuli Asturias for Tuli (exclusive for The Dressing Room) *

Tops: *HD* Sunny TankTop – TerraCotta by Delora Starbrook for Haven Designs *

Shorts: (Kunglers) Short Jeans Blue by Barbra Kungler for Kunglers

Bracelets: [MANDARA] Takara Bangle Dark wood by kikunosuke Eel for Mandala

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

Vacay!

Oh man. It’s getting hot out! I am SO ready for vacation.

I have outfitted this whole look with new items available on the grid. First, let’s start with this sexy set from LeeZu Baxter. From the luscious textures in the sarong to the bikini top to the pretty flowers under the bust, this swimsuit is for the perfect vacation. Add to it the new prim foot shoes from Oct Oakleaf (more on these in another post—they are incredibly versatile), and I have the ideal vacation ensemble.

My windblow, wind-tangled hair is from Kavar Cleanslate, a new style in his store. Finally I am wearing a sunkissed skin from Lion Jonesford’s new line. The tones of the skin, the subtle freckles over the clavicle and decollatage are perfect for summer showing. I received this skin as part of a small blogger pack, and I would not say it is the best of the collection but it is representative of Lion’s work.

Summertime, summertime, sum sum summertime…

Hair: Exile Leslie/blackcherry by Kavar Cleanslate for Exile *

Skin: NOVA sun2nh gloss-LionSkins by Lion Jonesford for LionSkins *

Outfit: [LeeZu!] Boho Bikini /black by LeeZu Baxter for LeeZu! *

Shoes: +ADDiCTIA+ Tropica Flip Flops – PInk Stripes by Oct Oakleaf for +ADDICTIA+ *

Short but Sweet

That’s what this outfit is: short but sweet.

Take the top from AvaGardner Kungler, which has gotten me tons of raves (compliments AND dance parties). With its classy silky texture, abstract and contemporary design, this blouse is a loose and sexy accompaniment to the short snakeskin skirt from sexy Moxie Polano.

I have been walking around in variations of this ensemble for a whole day now (which is a long time for me) and this fresh skin from Mallory Cowen is the ideal makeup. With the deep burgundy luscious lips and expressive eyes, it gives a young but classy look to the ensemble. Big hoop earrings from adria Joubert bring attention to this pretty face and a radical new ‘do from Truth Hawks roughs it up just a little.

Legs up to there:

Hair: >TRUTH< Tilly – cherry by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH<

Skin: LAQ ~ Aline 03 [Peach] Glow skin (brown hairbase) by Mallory Cowen for Laqroki *

Top: (Kunglers) Catherine – floral shirt by AvaGardner Kungler for Kunglers

Skirt: MP Snake Skin Skirt Raven Black by Moxie Polano for Haute Couture

Earrings: :Fusion: beaded Hooped Earrings by adria Joubert for Fusion Jewelry

Shoes: Maitreya Gold – Aequus Red by Onyx LeShelle for Maitreya

Summer’s Here!

Hearing the tornado siren last night, seeing 88 on the car thermometer, and feeling the splash of pool water while the kids at the local pool took turns doing cannonballs, it finally sunk in that summer is here! The impatiens in my window boxes are flourishing, the tomato plant in the Topsy Turvy is already prehistorically huge, and everyone smells like sunscreen. Yay!

I wear a top as bright as the bright blue sunny sky and cute Madras shorts from Magen Jigsaw. I threw on a bunch of turquoise jewelry—it seems to fit. I absolutely love this necklace and earring set from Abraxxa Anatine. The textures are spot on—the mottled turquoise and shiny tigers eye with onyx spacers and hand worked metal links.

A glowing skin from Tuli Asturius, high ponytail from Truth Hawks (with color-change barrettes), and flip flops from Emma Gilmour and all’s good.

Pass me the sweet tea, please….

Hair: >TRUTH< Patrice – cranberry by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH< *

Skin: []::Tuli::[] Jade (tone 4/bl) :: 03b by Tuli Asturias for Tuli *

Top: ::EmJay:: Tank Top-Teal by Magen Jigsaw for ::EmJay::

Shorts: ::EmJay:: Patchwork Shorts- Teal by Magen Jigsaw for ::EmJay::

Necklace and Earrings: EarthStones Ti’ana Necklace and Earrings – Turquoise by Abraxxa Anatine for Earthstones *

Ring: > alaMood < Shine Ring – Turquoise by Jori Watler for alaMood

Flipflops: [SC] Surf Couture – Freedom Flops – White by Emma Gilmour for Sand Shack Surf Co.

Old School

You know, if you pull out older content, you find out that the designers of the past were pretty darn good.

Take this dress from Blaze Columbia. Blaze starts with rock solid system pieces in a sexy champagne color with wrinkles and seductive shadowing, showing a satin moving against soft skin. Then he adds beautiful diaphanous prims with draped satin running through them, for the skirt and a slit up to there side. No seams, no disjunctures, just sexiness from top to bottom. Many dress makers that have followed him have not quite hit his formula but they sure want to try.

Then Elikapeka Tiramisu’s beautifully constructed and textured hair, one of my all time favorites. How many hair makers have pulled apart her hair to see how she did it and took tips and ideas from her brilliant work? I wear a group gift from Tuli Asturias, the tan and luscious Tanya, which is available at her store. Tuli is another one of those classic designers in SL who sets the mark.

They built this city…

Hair: ETD Loraine 2 – Crimson by Elikapeka Tiramisu for ETD (no longer available)

Skin: []::Tuli::[] Tanya (tone 1/bl) :: preview by Tuli Asturias for Tuli (group gift)

Dress: Blaze* Lush Dress/Gown – Champagne by Blaze Columbia for Blaze Fashions

Earrings: Ear Candy ~ Black Oblong Earrings by Maeve Mortlock for Ear Candy

Shoes: Blaze* Classic Pumps – Champagne by Blaze Columbia for Blaze Fashions

Bodies in Motion

I love you with all my heart.
You have my devotion.
I loved you from the start.
We’re bodies in motion.
We embody the spirit of motion.
~ Laurie Anderson, Bodies in Motion

I just have to share these lyrics with you. They are so touching when I think about Laurie Anderson singing them for Lou Reed with her little dog barking in the background.

The song has nothing to do with the outfit, except both are beautiful and artistic. This little dress from LeeZu Baxter shows off all LeeZu’s skills and talents. From the original design to the great textures to the excellent use of prims, LeeZu does it all with this flirty little almost-flapper number. Note how she puts the eensy skirt prims on the thighs so they work with the system skirt. She connects the ruffled top to the bow so it all stays in place. Nice work!

I show with a new hair from the prolific Truth Hawks. He is the desire of women all over the grid—for his hair. (What a reason!) Tuli dresses me up with a skin from her new Jade line and Onyx LeShelle’s blue sandals end this outfit on the right note.

We’re bodies in motion…

Hair: >TRUTH< Bethany – treacle by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH<

Skin: []::Tuli::[] Jade (tone 4/bl) :: 04b by Tuli Asturias for Tuli *

Dress: [LeeZu!] LouLita Dress /blue by LeeZu Baxter for LeeZu!

Earrings: Dark Mouse Reversal of Fortune Earring – Gold by Mouse Mimistrobell for Dark Mouse

Bracelets: :+*R*+: Gondoliera Bracelet Gold by Ruriko Jewell for U&R Dogs

Shoes: Maitreya Gold – Aequus Blue by Onyx LeShelle for Maitreya