Future Club

“Turn me on with your electric feel…”

First I start with an outfit from Sascha Frangilli. Her outfit is for a lady who wants to go out to the clubs but isn’t a cute little young thing. In fact, I find her outfits perfect for a fully matured woman (not old.. just not young). They are sexy without being slutty, pretty without being twee. Sascha often uses this bolero-sculpty combo to its best advantage and in this outfit, it matches up with several different bodice choices. I have chosen to style the outfit in a more futuristic look.

I got the look with a great hair from lat Oh. I have blogged her work before but Tatum Perenti convinced me to go back and get yet another hair from her, and I chose this porcupine-looking do to push this elegant club look into another century. Add to it this almost ethereal skin from Lion Jonesford and we no longer have your run-of-the-mill dressed-up-in-a-spangly bolero look.

Finally, these boots from ono Zinner. With this super fantastic needle-thin heel and zippers running all the way up the back, you can’t get much sexier or impossibly futuristic. (Yes, someday technology will let us balance on needles.)

Do what you feel now
Electric feel now
~ “Electric Feel” by MGMT

Hair: MIRROR / CB Class 4 / Black (r) by lat Oh for MIRROR

Skin: NOVA pale 10  -LionSkins by Lion Jonesford for LionSkins

Outfit: SAS – Dark Candy by Sascha Frangilli for Sascha’s Designs *

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

Belt: !Rfyre Ank Belt. Black, Womens by SC Tracy for House of RFyre *

Boots: :)(: Ultimate Boots black 2.0.x by ono Zinner for [Neurolab Inc.], also available at PixelFashion

Retraction: I credited the Ultimate Boots to both onoZinner and amandine Arai. In actuality, ono Zinner is the sole creator of these fabulous boots.

Black Friday

This is it, the day of all days for shoppers—Black Friday. In the US, it’s the day after our Thanksgiving, when supposedly all retailers see so much shopping their accounts finally turn to black from being in the red all year. (Gosh, I don’t know if I could run a company that runs in the red for 11 months and only gets its profit in the last month. Would drive me crazy.) By the time you read this, I will still be in bed, having completely forgone the whole business of going to the midnight and 3 am sales—everyone is getting iTunes gift cards this year. (Actually, I DID go to Kohl’s at 3 am. You would have thought it was 7 pm. The parking lot was packed; the store was hoppin’.)

If I WERE going shopping, however, I would put on an outfit like this one—practical, pretty and price-conscious. First with a top from Cerberus Noel, who is one of the few designers in SL who can do clothing AND shoes (it’s not an easy thing). I am wearing it sleeveless, but it also comes with a full sleeve. As always, Cerberus pays attention to the details. Her seams are incredibly done, her sleeve is not simply made by adjusting a slider but has a finished edge (with stitching along it), her bow is beautifully shaped and textured. (I know it’s a simple black top but it’s so well done!) Versatile and great slacks by Rob Moonites gets me around practically and comfortably. My shoes and handbag are the real bargains here—make sure you get over to Renee Harvy’s shop and pack your closet with cheap chic. No one knows this handbag is not Fendi ;)

My skin is a new offering from Tuli Asturias, one I grabbed by being in the Skin Addiction group. For a pretty reasonable price, you get six eyeshadow skins and eight lipsticks and then all the accessories like freckles, cleavage, etc. How can you beat that? This new skin from Tuli is another one of her wondrous creations with beautiful eyebrows, luscious lips, and beautifully shaped face.

A bargain is something you can’t use at a price you can’t resist.  ~ Franklin P. Jones

Hair: [e] Melody – Black 04 by Elikapeka Tiramisu for Elikatira

Skin: []::Tuli::[] Claire (tone 3/dk) :: 05 with []::Tuli::[] Claire (tone 3) red lips by Tuli Asturias for Tuli, available for the Black Friday sale for the Skin Addiction group

Top: *GF* Bow Neck Tops -black- by Cerberus Noel for G Field *

Pants: *FIR & MNA* Carter Pants Black by Rob1977 Moonites for *FIR & MNA* *

Handbag: ::Duh!:: Big Tote – Black by Renee Harvy for ::Duh!::

Shoes: ::Duh!:: Woman’s Black Moccasin by Renee Harvy for ::Duh!::

Power Point

Shenlei Winkler of the Fashion Research Institute has asked me to speak for a series they are doing in SL. I will be presenting at 3 pm slt today at their location to speak about “’Fashion’ Marketing in Virtual Worlds.” It’s nothing earth shattering but you are welcome to come see my pedestrian slides and hear my dulcet tones.

That being said, the obvious question will be what will I wear?! If I were smart, I would keep you in suspense, but I am even smarter because I need to show an outfit in today’s blog, and I struck upon the perfect one. This suit and skirt set is a new offering from Nicky Ree and done up in her typical cosmopolitan and elegant style. As usual, Nicky combines the skillful use of prims with great textures. Classy pumps from Tya Fallingbridge (with black accents) complete the ensemble.

I wear a dark red lipstick over my skin from Minnu Palen. This set was the first I found that offered the lipsticks on the tattoo layer. Now many skin makers are offering such an option, and it’s a welcome. My one twist from conventional is Truth Hawks’ hair with a streak, further echoing the black and red color theme.

“Power corrupts and PowerPoint corrupts absolutely.” ~ Vint Cerf

Hair: >TRUTH< Bonnie Streaked – crow by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH< *

Skin: [LeLutka]-LOLA_stan-makeup5(D Brows) with [LeLutka]-LOLA -Lipstic_Deep Red by Minnu Palen for [LeLutka]

Suit: *DNR* Trixie V1 Sweater Set in Black Red by Nicky Ree for Designing Nicky Ree

Nails: Armidi – (True Enhance) Painted Nails – Cherry III by Nicole David for Armidi

Shoes: PM Kavika : Red by Tya Fallingbridge for Pixel Mode

Feel Good

SLCC is over but I didn’t miss it all. I heard from many friends who are in Boston and got to see Philip’s speech (from the horse’s mouth rather than through everyone’s analysis). I even got to do a presentation, though this time it was from THIS side of the screen rather than from the dias as last year.

I feel a bit better about SL after hearing Philip speak. I think I needed to know they were actually setting down a list of priorities and goals for those priorities. Some people are not going to be happy, but as the old adage goes, you can’t make everyone happy all the time. I feel pretty good about things just knowing something is being done, so I “feel good.”

That being said, have you been to Pixel Dolls lately? Pixel Dolls was one of my first indulgences in SL, and it proves the test of time. I got this dress yesterday and love it. Dolce Blackflag  reuses and reconsiders her beautifully drawn system pieces in different combinations and with a variety of prims. Her pieces are sexy and Victorian all at once with an abundance of romantic laces, brocades, pearls and buttons. Whereas true Victorian would have the body cinched and covered, Dolce shows off the sexiness of skin and femininity with her fashions. In this dress, she combines a beautifully rendered system piece with black pearls that hold the top barely shut. Lacy sleeve prims are echoed in the skirt,  netting dripping down in an almost ragged fashion. It’s much like a RL fashion collection–she has a definite vision and voice in her work and she uses a set of motifs and styles throughout her work.

I wear with the dress leggings from LeeZu Baxter, who delights us with the same sense of sexiness and fashion. These burlesque tights include chains around the knees (!) and garters that stretch from the thigh to the calf. Boots from Eshi Otawara complete the outfit—one of her own sculpties. She’s selling colored versions of these at the Shoe Fair for an unbeatable price. Can you beat a boot with such a pretty flower and such a whimsical (and structurally unsound) heel? I’d kill myself wearing these in RL but in SL? No problem! It’s all good ;)

Love forever love is free
Let’s turn forever you and me
~Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz (Rhythms Del Mundo remix)

Hair: Luxi – Black (skull) by Rosie Lavochkin for Deviant Designs

Skin: :: DUTCH TOUCH ::kEIra:: Olive – Delight CL1 EBblack by Iki Ikarus for Dutch Touch

Dress: (PixelDolls) Duchess Pearl .  White by Dolce Blackflag for PixelDolls

Leggings: [LeeZu!] Burleske Tights /black by LeeZu Baxter for LeeZu!

Earrings: *kraftika jewelry No 130 Earrings by Anuitka Barthelmess for *kraftika

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

Boots: Lady Silverer Boots by Eshi Otawara for Eshi Otawara, other colors available at the Shoe Fair * (I asked her to make silver custom for me :P)

Just Won’t Burn

Oh but I know I’m gonna be alright
If these blues are hangin’ around
Hangin’ ’round…
Oh… hangin’ ’round
~ “Just Won’t Burn” by Susan Tedeschi

I want to know something. I want to know why women in blues get such short shrift. I go to blues clubs in SL, and I have to have a female DJ playing to hear women doing the blues (unless I request from the male DJs, and even then I get some resistance—“Never heard of her”).

Women can’t feel blues? Have you ever HEARD Susan Tedeschi?! (I also want to know why her Wikipedia entry is so much shorter than her husband’s, even though she is more academically and musically accomplished than he is. And I won’t even comment on how the two wikis frame their marriage differently. Bah!)

With that being said, when I am stepping out to hear a DJ like BluJns Benoir (who plays lots of women blues artists, thank you), I want to look hot but classy. An outfit, like this one from Sascha Frangilli, fits the bill. With the capris (made for boots, but I wear them with high heels), three top choices (including the corset I chose here), the clever jacket belt layer, and a sculpty bolero jacket, this offering from Sascha makes me feel sexy and bluesy.

Monicuzza Babenco’s skin, as shown here, was offered at the Dressing Room but is a clear indication of the quality of Monicuzza’s work. She clearly photosources but blends her details in a manner that is beautiful and believable. And these heavily-lined eyes are perfect for a night out at a blues club.

Finally my shoes from Maris Kanto complete the look. His work gets better with each progressive shoe he releases. The best part, however, is the HUD, which allows you to color the skin in progressive notches of 5% with a PICTURE of the color change before it goes. For the toe-coloring deficient like myself, this is a huge advantage. Maris’ shoes also come with color and metal-changing capabilities as well as the standard toenail color-changing. And if you join the Kalnin’s group (which doesn’t require a slot), you get all sorts of tasty discounts.

Oh… they just won’t burn…

Hair: >TRUTH< Tilly – espresso by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH< *

Skin: *YS & YS* Marilu Mask – Hair  – TDR by Monicuzza Babenco for *YS & YS*

Outfit: SAS – Rock Chic by Sascha Frangilli for Sascha’s Designs

Earrings: [ glow ] studio – Glamour Earring Silver by Jocelyn Anatine for [ glow ] studio

Bangles: fri. – Loop Bangles (Silver) by Viva Monday for fri.day

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

Shoes: Kalnins Shoes – Dante by Maris Kanto for Kalnins

Brick House

She’s a brick—-house
Mighty mighty, just lettin’ it all hang out
She’s a brick—-house
The lady’s stacked and that’s a fact,
ain’t holding nothing back.

~ Brick House by the Commodores

One of the fantasies of SL is being drop dead sexy. But what IS sexy. Some think it’s waif thin, some think it’s emo, some think it’s being model-like (tall, thin and strangely proportioned). Well I think it’s being “mighty mighty.” It’s easy to do in this amazingly-built corset from Khai Sinister. Between the sculpties on top and bottom (shaping the body) and the system pieces in the middle, this corset visually cinches the body in as a good corset should. I am particularly amazed at the details shown including the well-drawn buckles, the ribbon bows and the way the textures on the sculpties match seamlessly with the body. (I will note that I changed my shape for this. The sliders all got upped a bit.)

I am wearing Tuli Asturias’ new skin for the Gina series from The Dressing Room, which completes this smokin’ look. Tuli has come upon a clever idea here—sell the collection one by one to keep them coming back. The skins are beautiful and such a great deal—how can you beat 65L for something that looks THIS good? In the end, if she releases 10 of them a whole fat pack will be only 650L! It’s a no-brainer—go get the skins!

Shake it down, shake it down now

Hair: Sky Everett Designs-Lady Sophia-black WO/lights by Sky Everett for Sky Everett Designs *

Skin: []::Tuli::[] The Dressing Room :: Gina 04 by Tuli Asturias for Tuli, sold exclusively at The Dressing Room

Corset: <TheAbyss> F_Gear//[Black]Pruriency_Corset by Khai Sinister for <TheAbyss>

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

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

Tragedy

Some days I am convinced we come to SL to create the tragedy and drama we don’t have in our own lives. This doesn’t diminish the pain people truly experience—the pain of the death of a loved one or lost hopes or the pain of physical illness. Rather, we come to SL to make stories that are human-based rather than based on natural causes. That’s why drama has such a good hold here—it’s what propels the narratives in our minds.

Sascha Frangilli’s newest creation—Wicked Swan—is a perfect accessory for your tragic moments. With its huge full skirt, subtly glittering brocade texture, elegant bodice and opera-length gloves, this beauty will fill all your nights with the drama you desire.

Add to the drama Hart Larsson’s newest skin, Candy. These have been several months in development and Hart, who enjoys painting in his other life, has crafted beautiful and evocative skins. This make up in particular, matches the drama ideal. I especially appreciate the subtlety of the pushup option (which I wear here). It’s perfectly appropriate for a bodice such as this to show more lift and this option is not crass or overdone.

“Tragedy is a tool for the living to gain wisdom, not a guide by which to live.” ~ Robert Francis Kennedy

Hair: Tukinowaguma Jelena ebony by KateForster Akina for Tukinowaguma

Skin: [PXL] Candy NAT Drama DEB with [PXL] Candy NAT PushUp by Hart Larsson for PXL Creations *

Dress: SAS – Wicked Swan Formal Version by Sascha Frangilli for Sascha’s Designs *

Jewelry: Donna Flora ASIA black set by Squinternet Larnia for Donna Flora