Maga

“Oh, Maga, whenever I saw a woman who looked like you a clear, sharp pause would close in like a deafening silence, collapsing like a wet umbrella being closed. An umbrella, precisely.” ~ from Hopscotch by Jose Cortazar

I just started reading Hopscotch by Jose Cortazar, recommended this weekend by a friend. But I had just started Behind the Beautiful Forevers from Keatherine Boo, which won a scad of awards and deservingly so. It’s amazing. But then last night someone told me to read A Sand County Almanac, so of course, I couldn’t wait and cracked that open. So I’ll probably find quotes from each one to share here.

This outfit reminded me of Cortazar’s description in the first chapter of his mixed-up book, a lady named Maga, who accompanies him through Paris on many adventures. (If you read the book and Maga turns out to be a poop, don’t tell me. I just read the first chapter so far.) I loved his description of this woman, and I thought it suited this look, a sophisticated beauty. I have assembled a set of mesh pieces on the Belleza body to prove, once again, that is quite doable. First, a top from one dress made by Nevery Lorakeet with a sheer panel on top and a lovely blousing that leads to a belt I found in inventory from Fhara Acacia (search: “belt,” scroll). My skirt is part of a dress from GraceHaddington that she will be putting out at Designer Showcase this month. With its perfectly shaded texture and flirty shape, it’s a great piece even without its accompanying jacket and worth it at the price. A handbag from Monicuzza Babenco from The Dressing Room and heels I retrofitted to the Belleza feet from Aleida Rhode (originally meant for Slink feet but nonrigged, so I could make them work), and the outfit is complete.

I am, as I said, wearing the Belleza body. Why? Well, frankly, I love being able to switch my hands and feet at the touch of a HUD button rather than searching through my inventory for the many separate pieces that make up separate mesh hands and feet. I was able to match my body skin pretty nicely to Sawsan Secretspy’s new Lolita skin, which she recently released at her store. I got Karla Marama’s hair at the Dressing Room. The sleek, low style is very nice though the rigging still needs a little work (saw some breaks in turning my head and pieces obscuring my face). It’s not the most sophisticated mesh hair. For a discount you can get bright colors at the event but regular hair colors like this were bundled for a higher price.

Hair: pr!tty – Rae – by Karla Marama for pr!tty, available at the Dressing Room Fusion *

Skin: .::WoW Skins::. Lolita Darktan 05 with .::WoW Skins::. Lolita Black eyebrows B/DT by sawsan Secretspy for .::WoW skins::. *

Eyes: #adored – siren eyes – kelp by Constance Daehlie for #adored

Body: -Belleza- Venus by Tricky Boucher for –Belleza– *

Top: *LpD* – *Celina* Top Pure V.2 (Mesh) by Nevery Lorakeet for Les Petits Details

Belt: R.icielli – VERONICA belt /black by Fhara Acacia for R.icielli

Skirt: [LG] Boutique-Fall 2014 These Waters Skirt by Grace Haddington for LivGlam, available at Designer Showcase *

Handbag: *YS&YS* – Velletri Bag ZebraGold by Monicuzza Babenco for *YS&YS*, available at the Dressing Room Fusion

Wedges: Elysium – Mei wedge shoes – noir by Aleida Rhode for Elysium *

Poses by Olaenka Chesnokov for oOo

Donna di Mondo

“Everything you see I owe to spaghetti.” ~ Sophia Loren

My travel budget is kind of slim this year so I am relying on travel within SL to sate my needs. Addy Hax and several others from her community built a lovely little parcel based on their pretty sim in SL. You get a taste of little Italy right at SL11B (which still has the sims open). And what a taste it is!

Which brings me to Italian women. How do they manage to eat all that pasta and still stay so chic and lovely? I think it’s the lifestyle—the cobblestone streets, the pretty views, the refreshing air. (Yes, I realize this is a very imaginary Italy but I think the attitude of enjoying life, of seeing beauty, of feeling the invigoration of living is certainly an Italian way of being.)

I decided to go chic with one of GraceHaddington’s newest designs, which she is soon to release to the public for her summer line. On July 5 and 6, LivGlam is hosting a fashion show at which the entire collection will be released. Grace is terrifically excited, and I can’t blame her. This piece, with translucent top and skirt, has Grace’s signature luscious prints and her inimitable style. I can only imagine a dress this chic in Italy.

I accessorized with Erratic Rain’s new slingbacks for Summerfest. Erratic does her own mesh and she’s painstakingly meticulous about it, so when you get a pair of her shoes, it’s like buying handmade Italian shoes in Milan. Every single pixel is perfect. She offers these in a variety of classic summer colors and prints. Abraxxa Anatine’s dangling semi-precious stone earrings with a texture-change HUD allowed me to find the perfect look to match.

Shyla Diggs’ makeup for her latest skins at the Liaison Collaborative is lovely—deep and sensuous and as usual, we see Tricky Boucher’s great work on this lovely skin. My hair is a twisty ponytail from Shylah Honey from the Manga Fair, a great look for a manga style, I am guessing, with its corkscrew shape, but also chic enough for this look with wispy bangs pulled to the side.

“Sex appeal is fifty percent what you’ve got and fifty percent what people think you’ve got.” ~ Sophia Loren

Hair: *~*Damselfly*~*Campbell Rigged-Mesh Big Pack by Shylah Honey for:::Damselfly Hair:: , available at Manga Fair *

Skin: -Belleza- Nina Sk TLC 1 Br by Shyla Diggs and Tricky Boucher for –Belleza, available at The Liaison Collaborative *

Eyes: [Brixley] Spring Eyes – evergreen by Isabelle Requiem for Brixley *

Dress: [LG] Boutique-[ SUMMER14] Sliced Tomatoes by GraceHaddington for LivGlam (available July 5) *

Earrings: EarthStones Chianna Earring – Fatpack by Abraxxa Anatine for EarthStones *

Hands: Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands – Elegant and Elegant1 by Siddean Munro for Slink

Nail appliers: Nailed It – Ombre Set HUD (wear) by Giela Delpaso for Nailed It *

Feet: Slink Female Feet (AvEnhance) – Mid by Siddean Munro for Slink

Shoes: erratic / sarah – wedges / cyan by Erratic Rain for erratic, available at Summerfest *

Poses: KaTink – Chanel Runway Fat Pack 1-15 by Annemarit Jarvinen for KaTink *

Taken at A Little Dream of Italy at the SL Community Celebration (still open!)