Mademoiselle Agnès

I stumbled upon “Girl on the Run” (“Habillées pour…” in France for Canal+) and devoured every translated episode I can find. The host, Mademoiselle Agnès, is incredible—fashionable, fun, down-to-earth, knowledgeable, and beautiful in a very natural way. In “Girl on the Run—10 Year Anniversary,” Mademoiselle Agnès hosts pieces between historical reviews of the major fashion shows of the decade. She brings the humanity of designers like Karl Lagerfeld, Sonia Rykiel, John Galliano, Alber Elbaz and others out in her interviews and has no problem making fun of herself or fashion despite her front row seat. (And she lobbies HARD for France to take care of their young designers.) I am a huge fan.

She almost nods off next to Suzy Menkes at the Issey Miyake show. She feigns being Anna Wintour to get into the front row of a show (and it works). She drops her pants in front of a pantless John Galliano. And tangles with Frédéric Mitterrand, the French Minister of Culture and Communication. And she comes to tears when she meets young designer Maxime Simoens, touched by his passion and earnestness. Thus this homage to Mademoiselle Agnès, who is my style counsel.

This is a look Mademoiselle Agnès would wear as she prefers elegance and understatement to provocation. That is why this stylish dress from Applonia Criss is perfect. With its puffed sleeves, tied neckline (open) and straight skirt, this silhouette would be ideal for running from show to show.

I altered my shape to look like her. She has beautiful brown eyes, and her hair is wavy and long like this style from Queue Marlowe, though she has more brunette or golden hair than this reddish shade. Her skin is flawless, and her makeup always subtle and complimentary, so this skin from Tuli Asturias fit the bill. She is not perfect but she is absolutely beautiful (and about my age—mature and graceful while being untypically outgoing, assertive and funny).

The shoes would be hers as well—timely, elegant and expensive. I chose Sissy Pessoa’s work for my representation as she provides classy couture footwear rather than more prurient heels.

Girl on the run….

Hair: lua brown sugar by Queue Marlowe for Analog Dog

Shape: Made by me to look like Mademoiselle Agnès

Skin: []::Tuli::[] Eva (tone 5/bl) 01a by Tuli Asturias for Tuli *

Dress: {CHANTKARE}VIKTOR FALLBACK DRESS (PREFALL) by Applonia Criss for Chantkare

Shoes: * Baiastice__Querelle_black by Sissy Pessoa for Baiastice

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

Couture as Art

“Fashion is only the attempt to realize art in living forms and social intercourse.” ~ Francis Bacon, Sr.

I saw an amazing fashion show a few afternoons ago done by Avenue on behalf of monica Outlander for her new Black Label line, which is edgy and artistic and certainly not for everyone. It’s no secret that I am not a big fan of fashion shows, but this one was ingeniously done. The set, built by Pill Kanto, was incredible—futuristic and . I am positive it will be covered in other blogs, and I hope they are able to incorporate the set into a more permanent build as it was magnificent. (I think that is what most bothers me about fashion shows—all the work and organization put into them for one hour of “show” with few benefitting.)

That being said, the feature of the show—the fashions—will be available on the grid. I show here one of the dresses from the set, which is rendered dramatically. Monica starts with a Hokusai-type wave on the bodice that flows down into a sculpty skirt, puffing around the legs in a dramatic fashion. Monica has always been a designer in SL who pushes to meet her customers’ needs as well as her creative needs. She brings art to the world of commerce in a pragmatic way—doing her art and making money while she does it. That’s my kind of artist!

I styled this with the gift skin from minnu Palen that was available at the Modavia Fashion Show. It’s the make-up of choice of many models in SL and has a clean palette for showing fashion. I liked Lamb Bellic’s edgy hair for this look.

“Fashion is architecture: it is a matter of proportions.” ~ Coco Chanel

Hair: !lamb. Say Redux – Ink by Lamb Bellic for !lamb

Skin: [LeLutka]-LOLA_skissed-MFW2010(D Brows) by minnu Palen for LeLutka

Dress: Miamai_[BlackLabel]_Undine by monica Outlander for Miamai

Blood and Sand

Everyone’s a romantic, especially the tough girl with the heavy eyeliner and shirt sleeves rolled up. She’s romantic because she believes wearing one’s toughness on the outside makes a difference.

That’s why our girl wears a romantic film t-shirt made by Darling Monday—Valentino’s “Blood and Sand.” I love this series of t-shirts. Usually you find them with silly sayings or bold and rather cliched graphic artwork. This set has movie poster artwork, “silkscreened” on with a distressed worn appearance. The art is compelling, the titles are fun, and the shape is great. I like the rolled up sleeve, though it doesn’t work well with AOs—something about that attachment point—the shoulder–just messes things up and attaching it to the pec didn’t help. I wish the t-shirt itself had a cleaner edge so the prims could just not be worn.

Smokey eyes are provided by Hart Larsson, who has given us a much edgier set of skins with his Dafne set. I had a hard time climbing into this skin but once I got it, I got it and really loved it. (And you’ll probably see more of this skin very soon because I am really getting into it.) He provides a very plain eye or a very smokey—almost raccoon eye–with this set, and a very sparse eyebrow, so the skin seems naked either way—either in its minimalism or its exaggeration—which makes our girl even more romantic. Hart’s work is, as always, a piece of art.

I love this hair from Mirja Mills. It’s well shaped, cute, coy, and youthful. Mirja pays attention to the details on this one, making little curled strands out of prims around the nape and ears, running dark to the roots. I fell in love when I put it on.

Wears her heart on her sleeve—rolled up:

Hair: .:EMO-tions:. * ANCHA * / flames by Mirja Mills for Emo-tions *

Skin: [PXL] Dafne PA EX PaleLips MEB by Hart Larsson for [PXL] *

Top: fri. – Film.Crew (Valentino) by Darling Monday for fri.day

Jeans: * Ibizarre Lolo Jeans – blue-black used by Anyusha Lilienthal for Ibizarre

Shirt around waist: DYN Brown Check Shirt (Tied) by Fred Kenorland for DYN (no longer available)

Earrings: TSS – Looped Multi Earring by SweetThing Baker for The Sweetest Sin

Eyebrow Ring: Aitui – 1 Captive Bead Eyebrow Ring /surgical steel/ by KiKi Miranda for Aitui

Cuff: Aitui – Plain Wrist Cuffs (R) -Small- by Jesseaitui Petion for Aitui

Nail polish: Symphony Skins- Fingernail Polish Gloves by Claire Harford for Symphony Skins

Shoes: z [mm] Sneakers Hunter special by Magnifico Miggins for Magnifico Exclusive *

Silver Lining

“Too many people miss the silver lining because they’re expecting gold.” ~ Maurice Setter

It bears repeating that SL definitely has its problems, but there are many wonderful things about it. I would say now my biggest gripe about it is everyone else griping. I am tired of the complaints. Considering how the larger world is having problems, the death of Avatars United or a few crashes seems really not a big deal. For example, I log into SL and see this beautiful dress from Nicky Ree and the day is made more lovely all of a sudden.

Nicky exercises all her best skills with this dress. For example, she makes a gorgeous, translucent system piece on top with a lovely flower motif to cover the critical parts. She echoes those flowers in the system skirt (showing also her skill in lining up two pieces like this—no small task). The system pieces, incidentally, have razor sharp edges—no ghosting, no pixelation. Then she paints it with a glistening silver texture, translucent and shimmering all at once. And the dress has her characteristic silhouette—sleek and elegant.

My hair is up in a pretty hairstyle from Britnee Hadlee, who has been on the grid for quite a while, making gorgeous hairstyles of all kinds for ladies. Skin is Tuli Asterias’ newest offering for The Dressing Room. Once again Tuli gives us a pink eyeshadow, this time echoed in glossy pink lips. And instead of prim lashes, I opted for monica Outlander’s tattoo layer lashes. Finally, a pretty necklace from Hibiscus Flossberg from her new gacha machine. Go pump some lindens in—some pretty things to be gotten.

Sail on, Silver girl,
Sail on by
Your time has come to shine
All your dreams are on their way
See how they shine
~ Paul Simon

Hair: Ava/Stinky by Britnee Hadlee for Simply Britnee *

Skin: []::Tuli::[] The Dressing Room :: Helena 03 by Tuli Asturias for Tuli, exclusive to The Dressing Room *

Makeup: Miamai_LesMakeups_Lashes 11 by monica Outlander for Miamai *

Dress: *DNR* Stacy Gown Collection Silver Grey by Nicky Ree for Designing Nicky Ree *

Necklace: PD Orchid in Amphora Necklace Exotic Pink Sil by Hibiscus Flossberg for Puarangi Designs *

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

Ontology is Sexy!

Every campus has one: the sexy male professor, the one that make the women (and men) suddenly become serious about postmodern theory because it’s just so delicious to hear him say “ontology” or “zeitgeist” or “paradigm.” (Can you say Indiana Jones..?)

The really sexy professor is the earnest one, the one who is so oblivious to girls’ and boys’ admiring glances as he eagerly buries his head in another issue of The American Journal of Semiotics. He wears a jacket (this from Yaszi Mornington) and khakis (thrifted at Floatie Hocks’) to school so he looks older than the kids and wears practical and handsome oxfords for walking to class from his apartment nearby (these being the newest from Eponymous Trenchmouth) and designer glasses—his one indulgence (from Kalnins). He carries his books in his beaten messenger bag from grad school (suitably battered by Guu Nishi) and flings a scarf he picked up in India over his shoulders for a touch of flair (embroidered by Zaara Kohime). (He may seem like an absent-minded professor, but he understands beautiful bricolage just fine, thanks.)

Thank you to Hart Larsson, I have brought my sexy professor to life with his newest men’s skin. Hart has built in so many options with these skins—whiskers, hair bases, emo eyeliners, and an optional scripted cock that he sculpted himself. I will not comment upon the cock, except to say that Hart is an excellent programmer and has made it to have 6 positions. When I wore this skin, I literally gasped. Hart’s artistry is readily apparent with his talents at drawing and illustrating clear. The eyebrows are well-shaped and masculine without being those of a primate, his eyes are simply drawn and mature, and his face is handsome without being dainty. I think this will soon become the skin men flock to.

Seduction is always more singular and sublime than sex and it commands the higher price. ~ Jean Baudrillard

Hair: Bryce ~ Cooper – Blacks – Tuxedo by Bryce Tully for Bryce

Skin: [ PXL] Daniel NAT Face01 Dark H by Hart Larsson for [ PXL ]

Jacket: Meriken Co. “Rhett” -black- by Yaszi Mornington for Meriken

T-Shirt: *TSM* Equilizer V-neck Tee in Steely Rust by Helena Stringer for The Stringer Mausoleum *

Pants: HB – Quin – Khaki – with belt by Floatie Hock for Hell Bop *

Glasses: Kalnins Optics Glasses – Faust #1 v1.45 from Kalnins Optics

Scarf: ZC : pashmina scarf  *rust* by Zaara Kohime for Zaara

Messenger Bag: HOC – Leather messenger bag – Brown by Guu Nishi for HOC

Shoes: DB – Russet by Eponymous Trenchmouth for Jeepers Creepers *

Twiggy

Lauded for being an icon of the 60s, Twiggy was one of the first supermodels. Naturally thin (the wiki about her says she was 5’6” and 91 pounds), she had a beautiful face with big eyes and the gawky appearance of an adolescent.

I show my version of Twiggy in a retired dress from Cora Lu. With it’s empire waistline and ballooning skirt, it is one the few in SL that so well exemplifies this retro shape. What makes the dress even better are the exaggerated roses at the shoulder and great textured red tights.

I constructed the whole look around a skin from Julliette Westerburg, which is being featured at the Designers United 19. With its dark heavy makeup and painted on eyelashes (similar to Twiggy’s famous make up), I thought it was a perfect match. I modified my shape quite radically (of course) to create this look—making my eyes much larger, pushing them together, changing the shape of the head and the nose, and making my eyes quite a bit larger. And of course, I made the body very thin and without breasts or hips (though you can’t see it under the dress).

It’s not what you’d call a figure, is it? ~ Twiggy

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

Skin: -tb- {Pale} Space Mod – Light Winged Brows by Julliette Westerburg for tres blah, featured at DU19

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

Shape: Made by me :) (With Eshi’s help)

Dress: P.C; Red Baby Roses by Cora Lu for Paper Couture (but not available)

Shoes: *GF* Square-toe Shoes “Sophie” -grape- by Cerberus Noel for G Field

The Person Behind the Screen

Supposedly, all of us in SL are old, balding paunchy men. Every single one of us. (Now having met and seen photos of quite a few people from SL, I can tell you that is SO not true. In fact, some people in SL look better than their avatars. You know who you are, Callie….) Let’s indulge that fantasy, though, and show you the *supposed* man behind the screen (again, this is not me!!!!).

Our guy occupies a certain character named Speedlvr458 Seymour in SL. “Speed,” as he prefers to be calls, runs a club called “Trancepositive,” where the playlist includes trance and psytrance. He likes to dress up like a big bear furry and dance with big colorful particles while iming with his partner, Haruhi Spitfire, a darling little fox furry, who is a 25 year-old female automotive repair student from Fenny Stratford, UK (whom he constantly exhorts to “Stay in school!”). His staff loves him; they think he is the coolest thing since paperclips. They engage enthusiastically, working their patrons into a frenzy of particle- and music-induced mania every Tuesday evening, Saturday night, and Sunday afternoons during the school year for tips to spend on their furry goodness. SL is his favorite hobby and his “family” is his touchstone for the kindness and the openness of people around the world.

In real life, Speed is named Frank, and Frank is the Building Superintendant of a 8-apartment building in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He doesn’t need to dress up—he’s behind the computer or attending to his work in the building. He’s neither famous nor infamous. He’s just a guy. But in SL he’s a big furry warm bear.

Thanks to the incredible work of Lorac Farella, I can bring Frank to life. Her artistry goes beyond the simple pretty to skins with character and skins that tell stories. Lorac made this as a gift for her husband on his 1000 day in SL. (This, supposedly, is what 1000 days in SL looks on a person.) The shirt is from Rob1977 Moonites, SL’s resident friendly Irishman and male clothier extraordinaire. Pants were thrifted at Floatie Hock, where clothing for the retro set can be found. Shoes are from the amazing Eponymous Trenchmouth, who is even cooler than you imagined. Glasses were found dropped off the elevator at Svarga but appear to be made by Guu Nishi.

Today’s show has been brought to you by the letter B.

Hair: Bryce ~ Nicholas – Whitewash – Chalk by Bryce Tully for Bryce Designs

Skin and Shape:  Pulse Gift-1000 Days in SL/Male by Lorac Farella for Pulse Skins * (no longer available)

Shirt: *FIR* White Wife Beater by Rob1977 Moonites for Fir *

Pants: HB – Leonard – Golf shorts and pants by Floatie Hock for Hell Bop

Tattoo: /artilleri/ maggie tattoo (no chest) (ushirt) by Antonia Marat for /artilleri/

Glasses: HOC – Aviator Style Glasses – Unisex #003 by Guu Nishi for HOC

Shoes: Scratch – Sand by Eponymous Trenchmouth for Jeepers Creepers

Stranger in a Strange Land

If you’re wondering if I know this good looking guy, I sure do. Bram Ellison has been a friend of mine for quite a while, and while his avatar’s attractive, it has more to do with his personality than how is avatar looks. Generous, kind, intelligent, and gentlemanly to a fault, Bram is the kind of guy you are honored to have in your friends list. It doesn’t hurt that he’s easy on the eye ;)

“I pretended to be somebody I wanted to be until finally I became that person. Or he became me.” ~ Archibald Alexander Leach, aka Cary Grant

On September 19^th, 2006, I logged in to Second Life for the very first time. Until the exact moment my avatar appeared I had never heard of a virtual world and had no idea I had just entered one. I thought I was signing up for an online class. Surprise!

Since part of the purpose of the guest blog is to talk about how we developed our persona, I thought you might want to know just how embryonic I began. I had never even been in a chat room! So the realization that all around me were 3D representations of real people talking and interacting in real time was a bit overwhelming. “Dude. You are sooo not in Kansas,” pretty much summed it up. But I decided to stick around to figure out where the heck I had landed and if there were flying monkeys involved. Turns out there were, and one of them was me.

 

My first take on the place was that you weren’t supposed to be yourself at all, and I was shocked when people kept asking personal questions. I mean look at the name: “Second Life.” It practically screams, “Try something new!” So I set out to define who I wanted to be in my second life. That was too lofty a goal, so I settled for WHAT I wanted: a boat, and to not look like I was begging for bananas.

I got a small boat to live on and was a happy lil’ Jimmy Buffett-blaring simian for a while until I began to get handy with the shape tools. There are 77 selections in 9 categories and there’s a bit of work involved in getting to know and use them well. But you have to start someplace, and the person I picked to emulate for physical cues was Cary Grant. The man just oozed style, and the better I got at shaping the more I appreciated his taste and grace. I started paying more attention to clothes, skins, accessories, and hair. (I also found out you could buy shapes! Oh well.) But through all the Cary channeling, I always came home to the boat, beach, and Buffett.

What you are seeing in these pictures is my culmination of the two styles. Flick Carlucci took these photos at very cool sim called “Virtual Decay.” She’s got a great eye and is fun to work with. No matter what I wear from tux to tennis shoes, I’m all about the best possible design and texture. (Read, picky as hell.) I like simple classic colors and styles with a casual slant and the shirt/jacket combo and the jeans from AOHARU fit the bill nicely. The boots are my favorites from Jeepers Creepers. The shape is still my own creation and I think the Redgrave skin suits it well. The hair is from Truth and I totally dig it. Oh, the sweet Rickenbacker M330 guitar is from Nortique Guitars. Now here we are four years in. I’m still on a boat and I know who I am. Jimmy Cary Grant Buffett, aka Bram Ellison. Or maybe he’s me. ;)

We are the people our parents warned us about. ~ Jimmy Buffett

Hair: Elysium, espresso by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH<

Skin: Cruz, deep tan by Emilia Redgrave for Redgrave

Eyes: Rainy Day by Pompeja Rossini for Damiani

Shape: Bram Ellison for Bram Ellison

Jacket with Shirt: Black with white shirt by machang Pichot for AOHARU

Jeans: Vintage dark by machang Pichot for AOHARU

Necklace: Stone Cross by JesseAitui Petion for AITUI

Tattoo: Northwest Spirit by JesseAitui Petion for AITUI

Boots: Oslo, black by Eponymous Trenchmouth for Jeepers Creepers

Guitar: Rickenbacker 330 Guitar by K1TTY Munro for Nortique Guitars

Photography by Flick Carlucci.

Photos taken at Virtual Decay.

Brokeded

My desktop computer is brokeded. No idea what’s wrong. It’s safely nestled among other sick and brokeded ‘puters at the Computer Gallery, awaiting the gentle hands of a computer surgeon. Meanwhile I am using the laptop I first purchased so I could view Windlight in all its glory. Man, this thing is slow!

I was able to sneak into the Designers United 19 last night before I decided (badly) to shut down my computer. My wonderful partner, Callie, was participating and she made this beautiful little dress for it. First let me point out the seamless seams. Betcha can’t tell where the front ends and the back begins. Then there is the pretty prim work Callie has put on the hem and chest and then round the arms. I have worn all the layers on this dress (for propriety’s sake), but you can wear them one at a time and have a sheerer, sexier look.

I opted to show the dress on a beautiful darker skin from sanalyildiz Yalin to highlight the dress’ lightness. Sanalyildiz renders a dark skin more beautifully than most skin makers—the color is not ashy or orange, and the features are bold and gorgeous. Little gold slingbacks from Cerberus Noel and a sexy hair from Truth Hawks complete the look.

Computer repairperson: I’ll call you in a couple days…
Me: But, but…
Repairperson (firmly): A couple days.

Hair: >TRUTH< Micah – coffee by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH< *

Skin: *Sawode* Ada Umber Skin Makeup 6 by sanalyildiz Yalin for *Sawode*

Dress: METAMORPHOSIS – caLLie cLine for DU19 by Callie Cline for caLLie cLine, available at DU19 *

Shoes: *GF* Ribbon Slingback Shoes by Cerberus Noel for G Field