Delhi Girl

A certain kind of chic girl can be found on the streets of New Delhi. Young, educated, chic, a bit materialistic, a little spoiled but definitely motivated and driven—she is the future.

This is our girl on her day off. With her cropped top from Daihn Gutter (which is omg- inexpensive), designer jean shorts, rolled up, from LeeZu Baxter, and her killer shoes from nut Barak, our girl rushes from one appointment to another—lunch, library, friends, shopping.

She still likes a little traditional touch, so she wears beads and bracelets with beautiful patterns, these made by Zaara Kohime. Her bag has her stuff—iPad, Vogue, water, sunscreen. (I have to pause to thank Erehwon Yoshikawa for the tip. She and I both have iPads in RL so she had to clue me in on this great gift for Coco group members.)

Her skin is the luscious new Ada by sanalyildiz Yalin. It’s great to see a dark skin so contemporarily made with a modern woman’s sensibilities, sexy highlighting, strong eyebrows and luscious lips. Her hair was styled by Truth Hawks, a new casually messy style just up in his store.

The shoes? She got these when she was in Europe, made by Nut Barak. They are perfect for a girl like her—beautifully made of the finest materials, high heeled to make her more statuesque, and perfect for showing off her fresh pedicure. Her father rolled his eyes when he saw the bills but he knows she has been studying hard.

I refuse to be a doormat to any man. I will never allow anyone to push me around. I am my own mistress. ~ Manisha Koirala (Nepalese-Indian Actress)

Hair: >TRUTH< Lourdes – crow by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH<

Skin: *Sawode* Ada Umber Skin Makeup 1 by sanalyildiz Yalin for SaWoDe

Top: :S: Readily Tank – Orange by Daihn Gutter for :S:ycophancy

Shorts: [LeeZu!] FEMME Desert Jeans /blue denim by LeeZu Baxter for LeeZu! *

Necklace: ZC : Karmuka necklace *colored gold* by Zaara Kohime for Zaara

Bangles: ZC : Indra painted stacked bangles *gold* R by Zaara Kohime for Zaara

Bag: *COCO*_Gift_ClearToteBag-Black by cocoro Lemon for COCO

Shoes:  #OC# Mercy – Bistre Brown by nut Barak for Orange Creations

Book Signing

I got an IM the other day from my friend Mitch Wagner, the host of Copper Robot, a weekly interview show in SL that goes out to the web and is later podcast. Mitch asked if I had ever read Jonathan Lethem. I thought he wanted to chat about books. I had read Jonathan Lethem before—Motherless Brooklyn a long time ago and then articles in Harper’s Magazine (the RL one).

Mitch told me that Copper Robot will be having Jonathan Lethem as its guest and would I like to meet Jonathan in world and show him a few things in SL. Well you know, I nearly fell out of my chair. Of course! What was my NEXT question? “OMG, Mitch, what will I wear?!?”

I opted to wear the safe bet—pretty, sexy, and some of the best fashion in SL—Zaara Kohime and Onyx LeShelle. I donned an older dress from Zaara that has stood the test of time with its beautiful textures and brilliant belt decoration.

I accessorized with Zaara jewelry, beautifully textured, matching the dress (of course). I wanted to have that soft jangle of bangles shifting and moving as I gesture and talk. (Now you get the secret of bangles ;))

Finally, sexy and artistic heels from Onxy LeShelle. I have shown these before but I can’t help myself. It all goes so well.

(And yes, I gave him a brief tour of SL. He was impressed and very gracious and easy going. A very nice man. I think you will love hearing him speak.)

Come hear the Copper Robot ask Jonathan Lethem about Pincus Tooth, Sunday, January 17 at 6 pm slt at Seaside Theater!

Hair: Maitreya Bo – Copper by Onyx LeShelle for Maitreya

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

Dress: Zaara : Calangute *chocolate* by Zaara Kohime for Zaara

Earrings: Zaara : Sarayi hoops *color* by Zaara Kohime for Zaara

Bangles: Zaara : Indra painted stacked bangles by Zaara Kohime for Zaara

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

Tandoori and Naan

I get a craving once in a while for a really good piece of naan—hot out of the oven, golden with brown freckles, soft and flavorful, buttery and chewy. And I want to eat it with a spicy tandoori and a cool tangy raita. The beautiful post-processing that my friend Ikon Innovia did for this photo reminds me of that craving.

This outfit also reminds me of that craving. Zaara Kohime has brought in elements of Indian and the West to create beautiful fusion clothing in SL. Using the motifs of beautiful Indian fabrics and making them the essential elements in her clothing, Zaara has rocketed to the top of the design world in SL.

Consider the satiny texture in the skirt, the deep rich color, the clever use of the system pieces to portray a belt and a bow at the collar, the excellently built skirt (Zaara builds a skirt and then builds the texture to fit the prims on the skirt—she doesn’t just slap a texture on—she makes the prims and textures work for her).

Then consider the jewelry. Zaara made the hair jewelry, earrings and bracelet I wear. She combines absolutely gorgeous textures with great prim building and wonderfully imaginative fashion that any female would look wonderful in.

I accompany it with pieces by Onyx LeShelle. I have already given my two cents about the shoes. Let me speak quickly about the hair. This style, while not extravagant, is simply beautiful. The textures are exquisite and the style speaks to most women nowadays with its casually pinned up ponytail. The hair frames the face and makes one think that if it were let down, it would be thick and gorgeous. That’s a lot to convey in a few prims and sculpties. But Onyx LeShelle has cornered the market on elegant and evocative in SL, top to bottom.

Dreams of India:

Hair: Maitreya Aisha II (jewelry fit) – Autumn by Onyx LeShelle for Maitreya

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

Top: Zaara : Kavi top *charcoal* by Zaara Kohime for Zaara

Skirt: Zaara : Larin Skirt *copper-rust* by Zaara Kohime for Zaara

Hair jewelry: Zaara : Nizam Jhoomar+Tikka (head jewel)  *white* by Zaara Kohime for Zaara

Earrings: ZC : Anaya Onyx Earrings by Zaara Kohime for Zaara

Bracelet: Zaara : Vyomini chained bracelet *onyx* by Zaara Kohime for Zaara

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

Coriander and Nutmeg

One of my favorite Indian spices is Garam Masala. A mix of spices which varies by recipe and by region in India, it is always blended in a manner in which one spice never predominates.

I am reminded of it because of the fashions of Aradhana Voight. Aradhana is Indio-European—a lady who grew up in Europe in an Indian family, speaking the same language as her classmates but coming from a distinctively different racial and cultural background. The clothing she makes in SL shows that blending of east and west, as it were. She combines elements of sarees with more traditional European or American styles.

Take this evening dress from Aradhana. She visited the bazaars of the market to find the fabric for this dress with its golden patterns and sheer sensuous folds. However, she also cut the skirt up the thigh, added a distinctively Western bow to the hip and a decidedly sexy cut.

I have included Aradhana’s exquisite jewelry with this outfit. Aradhana’s textures contribute to the designs, providing the color and intricacy the jewelry needs. Add to that the pure pleasure of the jewelry. Oftentimes when I wear a necklace, earrings seem redundant or it seems excessive. With this jewelry, there is never too much—each piece is designed with a separate shape but following a similar motif, so piling it on adds layers of complexity rather than overabundance. This is harder to achieve than the average consumer realizes.

I compliment this ensemble with a luscious skin from Monicuzza Babenco and hair from Alexiander Biedermann. (I modified the front curl and pushed it in to let the head jewels show.) Finally, a most luscious pair of Onxy LeShelle’s shoes complete this look, making me sexy from top to bottom.

Garam Masala:

Hair: #AB# Rocio charcoal hair by Aleixandre Biedermann (slightly modified) for Biedermanns Q Hair

Skin: *YS&YS* Adriana Lust 04 Fall EB Dark Hairbase by Monicuzza Babenco for YS & YS*

Dress: :Mashooka: Hope gown {metalred} by Aradhana Voight for Mashooka Designs*

Jewelry: :Mashooka: Aradhana Jewels {gold} by Aradhana Voight for Mashooka Designs*

Shoes: Maitreya Gold – Esprit Wine by Onyx LeShelle for Maitreya

Art Deco Elegance

In the past week, I have made a few new friends, which is the whole purpose of SL, isn’t it? I mean, besides dressing up, making my perfect home, shopping like mad, making friends is what it’s all about. Shilow sent me over to one of *her* favorite dressmakers and I came home with bags full.

This beautiful dress by Loreney Klees caught my eye instantly. With the beautiful hand-drawn gold bodice, embroidered with gold buttons and stitches, the dress flows down into a translucent assymetrical skirt with lushly textured prims. It’s simple and elegant—just my style.

I styled the dress with one of my favorite new hair pieces, a full bob from toraji Voom. With its flowy subtle messiness, it goes one step past the straight to-the-head bob that girls wear when they have thin fine hair to a bob for a woman with full lush locks. Imagine running your fingers through this soft hair.

I accompanied the dress with jewelry from Zaara Kohime. She has cornered the SL fashion world with her beautiful exotic Indian textures in her clothing. Don’t forget her jewelry, though. She proves she has the chops to texture AND build with these gorgeous pieces.

And finally these delicious toes from Onyx LeShelle. Maitreya did not jump into the toe shoe market until they had refined their tootsies to perfection, and that was a wise move. You know you are wearing a beautiful shoe when all you want to do is stare at your OWN toes. (OMG, I LOVE my toes! I stumble around because all I am doing is looking at my own feet!) And at a price reasonable relative to others’ toe shoes, I can’t imagine why you would want to get anyone else’s sandals.

Shimmy, shimmy

Hair: *barberyumyum*16/black by toraji Voom for yumyum

Skin: Pulse Skin – Altonia-Do It Again by Lorac Farella for Pulse Skins*

Dress: Lo-D Xerine dress red by Loreney Klees for Lo Designs

Jewelry: Zaara : Suvarna *FAT PACK* (WHITE) by Zaara Kohime for Zaara

Shoes: Maitreya Gold – IXkin Champagne by Onyx LeShelle for Maitreya