Lazy Sunday

It’s a lazy Sunday—nowhere to go, a cup of coffee, a newspaper, NPR on my iPad.

On a morning like this, you can’t help but be happy for all you have. Swaffette Firefly sure makes me happy with this cozy but sexy robe. She has combined sculpty prims and system pieces in a skilled manner. Instead of giving us a frumpy torso prim, she uses the skirt layer to make the bottom of the robe and puts a sculpty belt on. She uses prims to make the cozy wrinkled sleeves.

My guy (read: me as a boy) likes his cozy robe too. Swaffette manages what many don’t—she provides beautiful and useful fashions for both men and women. And a men’s robe looks like a man would wear it—it’s just as sexy on him as on her. These robes are no copy/transfer, so I can see buying a set and giving one to your sweetheart. Valentine’s is just around the corner ;)

I got my skin from Al Vulo after seeing a similar on another avatar. I have gone back and forth about Al Vulo. There is something a little too much about it and I can’t put my finger on it—too much sheen, too much makeup, too much color? I chose this skin for its more subtle makeup and great eyebrows. Al Vulo’s almost there for me—almost.

An American of the present day reading his Sunday newspaper in a state of lazy collapse is one of the most perfect symbols of the triumph of quantity over quality that the world has yet seen. ~ Irving Babbitt

On her:

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

Skin: al vulo- berta* natural 2 tan by Hlin Bluebird for al vulo

Robe with Slippers: sf design bathrobe red – hers by swaffette Firefly for sf design *

Newspaper: ILLClan Prop Shop – Newspaper by illclan Kristan for ILLClan Prop Shop

Coffee: Coffee with Steam by Dan Medici

On him (who Raven calls “the Old Spice guy”):

Skin: 04b Dark-Tan Skin -Tyson-/goatee+base+nobodyhair  *REDGRAVE* by Emilia Redgrave for REDGRAVE

Shape: Sophistishapes – LLOYD bodyshape by Sophia Rossen for Sophistishapes (modified)

Robe with Slippers: sf design bathrobe teal  his by swaffette Firefly for sf design *

Go Packers!!!

Muscle

Is it wrong for a woman to confess that once in a while she likes a man with a little muscle?

I walked around in this guy at the Shoe Fair and goodness, there are a few ladies who like muscle (you know who I am talking about, Delora, Solange, and Phoenix). Well it didn’t hurt that I had this tank from Dick Wiesel and leather pants from Avrele Guisse. Crocodile boots from swaffette Firefly made the look complete.

 

Part of the sexiness and a lot of the muscle comes from this outstanding skin from Emilia Redgrave. Not sure how she shows the veins in the arms so well or got the sheen on his skin so well, but goodness, he’s hot. And it’s all supported by a fine shape from Sophia Rossen (which I modified in the face to make it a little more structurally right).

Finally, the hair.. goodness, the hair. This hair is made by Mirja Mills, the queen of wild fantasy hair. I realize this is panther hair, but dang it looks so fine on this man with the feathers and the beads. Then he gets the sunglasses from Guu Nishi, set on opaque, the toothpick from Aletta Milena and the obligatory gold chain, this one from my pal, SC Tracy.

“Men should be like coffee, hot sweet and strong” ~ Dutch Proverb quotes

Hair: SCHATTENREITER hair by Mirja Mills for Emo-tions *

Skin: 04   Dark-Tan Skin -Tyson-/goatee+base+chesthair  *REDGRAVE* by Emilia Redgrave for Redgrave

Shape: Sophistishapes – LLOYD bodyshape by Sophia Rossen for Sophistishapes (modified from original)

Top: :. WoE .: Dragon Tank (Grey) by Dick Wiesel for :. WoE .: *

Pants: Avrele Reble Mens Low Waist Leather Pants 121809 by Avrele Guisse for Avrele*

Sunglasses: HOC – Aviator style glasses #003 Male by Guu Nishi for HOC Industries

Tattoo: Dragon Wing by Ctarr Huszar for Beyond Tattoo

Chain: !Rfyre Roman Eagle Amulet Necklace by SC Tracy for RFyre *

Earring: Made by me :)

Toothpick: toothpick by Aletta Milena for Somethin’ in Your Mouth

Boots: sf design crocodile boots black – mens by swaffette Firefly for SF Design

Lover, You Should’ve Come Over

So I’ll wait for you… And I’ll burn
Will I ever see your sweet return?
Oh, will I ever learn?

~  Jeff Buckley’s gorgeous “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over.” (Think a 21st century Robert Plant, here.)

Something about a soulful passionate love song that brings it out in me. That and sexy lingerie from swaffette Firefly. After a much-deserved holiday, swaffette is back from the beach with this lacey number, complete with teal satin and seamed thigh highs. When wearing an sf design piece, you are wearing five years of experience—great seams, versatile pieces, and brilliant details (like the laced-up back—that ribbon begs to be tugged).

Accompany it with a model-grade skin from minnu Palen, this one the offering for 50L Friday, and the seduction is complete. My favorite part of her skins are the eyes—so sexy and expressive with carefully tweezed brows and gorgeous eye make-up. The hair, from Natsumikan Checchinato, is deliberately messy and perfect for this look.

Oh, Lover, you should’ve come over
Cause it’s not too late.

Hair: *mikan_hair_Gille_espresso_M by Natsumikan Checchinato for mikan

Skin: [LeLutka]-SunKissed_Friday(D Brows)hairbase by minnu Palen for [LeLutka]

Lingerie: sf design diva corset ensemble teal by swaffette Firefly for sf design *

Earrings: Ear Candy ~ Blue Almond Topaz Earrings by Maeve Mortlock for Ear Candy

Shoes: Maitreya Verve Pumps – Black by Onyx LeShelle for Maitreya

New Yorker Passerby

There is an artist I have enjoyed following over the past few years since I found out about him. Jorge Colombo, who has since become famous for his iPhone New Yorker covers, was doing daily sketches of the people he saw out on the sidewalks of New York City every day that he called “The Dailies.” I was absolutely entranced because he seemed to capture their character so vividly in each sketch, from the tone of their skin to their expression, stance and details. You can see a few of them here but he has been doing them for 10 years. (He used to date stamp each one before it got put on his website.)

I realize that my foray into avatars that look substantially different me is a sort of Jorge Colombo deal where I want to honor the people who would inhabit these bodies, perhaps spark a bit of imagination about their lives, perhaps lend empathy. They are “character sketches” in a very virtual sense. And many of them are my fellow residents in SL.

In this character sketch we see this gentleman, waiting to cross the street. His name could be Jorge.. or Dwayne.. or Hussein, depending on who his mother is and how she felt when she first saw his face. His sweater, made by potato beanster, shows a certain hipness. His drawstring cargo pants from swaffette firefly show practicality. His hi tops from Coke Dreadlow show a certain quirkiness (since they are orange) and his messenger bag from onakagoo Waco shows an artistic bent. He’s definitely a native New Yorker.

You have to wonder what’s in the bag.. art supplies? School books? Graphic novels? As he gazes out from behind his sunglasses at the traffic, you can see he’s quite a handsome man. Perhaps it’s his modeling portfolio in that bag. Certainly the skin Emilia Redgrave has provided shows off his best attributes. He is a delicious man of color.

Kavar Cleanslate completes the look for our handsome city man with dreadlocks perfect for this man about town.

“Every day I am a spy for two minutes – and every day I am after a different person.” ~ Jorge Colombo

Hair: Exile Andre cheyanne by Kavar Cleanslate for Exile

Skin: 04   Dark-Tan Skin -Tyson-/goatee+base+chesthair  *REDGRAVE* by Emilia Redgrave for Redgrave

Shape: Sophistishapes – LLOYD bodyshape by Sophia Rossen for Sophistishapes (modified from original)

Sweater: Ducknipple Tom Sweater by beanster Potato for Ducknipple

Pants: sf design cargo cutoffs stone mens by swaffette Firefly for SF Designs

Sunglasses: ROLE OPTIC SG-77 Escuda (male) by Rohal Schnyder for Role Optic *

Messenger Bag: ::: ArtMeter ::: bag S Orange by onakagoo Waco for ArtMeter(no longer available)

Earring: Made by me :)

Shoes: PornStar Hi-Tops MultiColor v2 by Coke Dreadlow for Urban Bomb Unit

Poses by Diesel Rogan of Diesel Works Animations *

Cowboy

I found this guy lurking in my subconscious. He’s a little country and a little bit rock n roll. I also think he’s the kind of guy who throws things on in that sort of seeming nonchalant manner (which is really very studied).

Let’s start with the sexy shirt from MarilynMonroe Munro. Marilyn’s business is putting out separates for casual wear—shirts, accessories, headphones, and outfits for women and men. This shirt is sexy—well textured with wrinkles in all the right places and a great versatile color.

The shorts are from Paco Pooley, inexpensive and very well done with a great camouflage texture and cargo bags and ties on the side. A lot of guys complain that there is a lack of manly clothes in SL—these shorts should keep you guys quiet for a day or two. They are just right with a nice uh.. shadowed feature in front.

One important part of completing the look is accessorizing. I think I work harder on accessorizing my male looks than my female looks. I found this brilliant hat on XStreetSL and ended up running over to Jon Ree’s for some great bracelets (do you guys call them that or are they like “European Wrist Decorations”). The wheat I fished out of my inventory.

The handsome face is courtesy of KaoZ Koba. I have noticed more and more men walking around with this devastating look. I am not sure how Pompeja can stand it, looking at this on KaoZ and not jumping through the monitor.

The final accessory are the boots from swaffette Firefly. These are boots for the cowboy who likes his crocodiles on his feet and his buckles around his ankles (and do not ask me about the multiple strange meanings that sentence might spawn). swaffette makes these for both men and women but they seemed more appropriate for my cowboy here.

“Talk low, talk slow, and don’t say too much.” ~ John Wayne

Hair: >TRUTH< Noah – auburn by Truth Hawks for >TRUTH< *

Skin: LaVie Mark Full Beard Normal by KaoZ Koba for LaVie *

Hat: Tidzsi Design stained brown cowboy hat black band copy by Tidzsi Raymaker for Tidzsi Design

Shirt: *Action Mens Slouchy V-Neck – Cocoa by MarilynMonroe Munro for *Action *

Shorts: 22769 Shopping Bag_CamuShorts by Paco Pooley for 22769

Bracelets: Bracelet — Men’s knotted leather and Bracelet — Men’s Domingo silver links by Jon Ree for Mustang Trading Post

Wheat: Wheat by Pepper Finchy sold on XStreetSL

Boots: sf design crocodile dk brown boots by swaffette Firefly for SF Designs *

Written while listening to “Concheperla” by Novalima.

Happy Birthday, Dad!!!! ;) (Yes, my RL dad reads my blog because he’s in Second Life. He follows NONE of my fashion advice, however.)

The Fashionable Gentleman

SC put together a look this week that I insisted he blog. Based on what is walking down today’s real life runways, the look is composed of elements found on SL—all adding up to one great-looking man. ~ Harper

As Harper knows,  I’m interested in RL fashion that translates to SL. The RL menswear Spring/Summer 2010 shows are history, and next summer mens accessories seem to be reaching their golden age. There were more than a few interesting belts trucking down the menswear runways à Milano. And more interesting ways to wear them. I pinged on how Raf Simones is styling with belts cinching or snaking around classic suits, blazers and, well, everything else.

Running to my inventory, I threw my Rfyre* black double belt over SF Design’s new Westminster Suit. The shape and layers are great to style up with different accessories. Opting out of a tie, I added the scripted Afghan stole from :sey, creating a layer of tamed-down John Galliano. The shoes are an elegant, classic, Hermes Men’s Formal Shoes in black leather from Styles of Edo. I love anything with the name Hermes in it.

A wardrobe should be curated a mix of a lot of elements that work together. I got good advice from a RL fashionista friend from a major brand–“…anyone who wears head-to-toe anything looks like a Sales Associate at the store.”

“Hot” off the runway:

Hair: “Petrelli” Hair by Krius Misfit for Sinistyle

Skin: Noah Stubble Tan by KaoZ Koba for Damiani

Suit: SF Westminster Suit and Coat by Swaffette Firefly for SF Design

Scarf: :sey, Afghan Stole, Paisley by Risey Araifor for :sey:

Belt: Rfyre, Men’s Double-Wrap Belt, Black by SC Tracy for RFyre

Shoes: Hermes Men’s Formal Shoes Black Leather by Edo Tone for Styles of Edo

City Casual

It’s about to dump about 20 million tons of snow here where I am but in many parts of the northern hemisphere, they maybe get some flurries, but mostly damp, rainy, and cold.

Lots of SL residents live in such a place, so they are familiar with this outfit—the pea coat and scarf. swaffette Firefly has rendered it with such loving familiarity, you have to know she’s from the UK. With its excellently textured wool coat and pants, the outfit is a beautifully engineered mix of sculpties and flexi prims.

This outfit is also available for gentlemen. AND it’s transferable so it’s terrific for GIFT GIVING this holiday!

I wore Lorac’s warm Life skin with the outfit—something’s gotta be warm and this skin sure is. I just love how I look in Lorac’s skins. Earrings from Maeve Mortlock make a casual tomboy look more feminine, especially with a casual ponytail.

Finally, some groovy boots from Emma Gilmour. When Emma makes things, she makes them right, with very nuanced textures. These boots also have a top that shows a legwarmer over the boot. However, because of the sculpty cuffs on swaffette’s pants, I skipped wearing them. They still look good.

A walk by the sea:

Hair: *Dark Mouse* Cyntra (Dark Brown) by Mouse Mimistrobell for Dark Mouse *

Skin: Pulse Skin-Life/Tone 4 Warm m1 by Lorac Farella for Pulse Skins *

Outfit: sf design pea coat set for women by swaffette Firefly for sf designs *

Earrings: Ear Candy ~ Copper Bell Earrings by Maeve Mortlock for Ear Candy

Boots: [SC] Surf Couture – Elsa Boots – Black by Emma Gilmour for Surf Co.

Shimmy Shimmy

I have two ideas in my head today based on today’s blog topic… well actually three.

1. I look damn hot and that’s because:

2. I am wearing work from old school designers and

3. I used the option on my boots to make them look different—this time red stripes and details.

Let me get into the old school first. Evidence number one: swafette Firefly’s sexy, shimmering martine cocktail dress. With its shimmery prims, highlighted with a texture that I swear has sequins sewn to it, this dress is about movement, about fun, about hopping on that poseball and dancing all night, showing your legs up to there and your moves out to there.

swafette has been doing this stuff for years—her repertoire is extensive and her skills considerable. swafette was doing this stuff long before you kids had sculpties or flexi! She makes clothes for men and women, both genders equally well represented in her fashions. She knows what makes people in SL have fun and she’s built a business that has lasted. And she does it with enthusiasm and graciousness.

Evidence number two: the boots from Bax Coen. The new Prestige boots from Bax are to die for—I showed the black ones a few days ago. These are the white.

This is my rant—when creators like Bax think enough to put in features like changeable metal, color changing details, etc., why doesn’t anyone USE them? I have seen countless women running around SL with the chain still across the shoes, even though it looks silly, or the foot color in it’s original orange tan. Bax has made these boots with tons of features. Trying them out with different outfits is worth at least an evening’s activity—well worth the low price she charges.

Styled this with a tossed haircut from Kin Keiko and a sweet Altonia skin from Pulse. No need to be over made up when the red stands out already.

As Mae West would say, a little “Shimmy-Shawobble”:

Hair: Kin-Mairi-[Flamered] by Kin Keiko for Kin Keiko

Skin: Pulse Skin – Altonia-Far Away by Lorac Farella for Pulse Skins

Dress: sf design martine cocktail dress red by swaffette Firefly for sf designs

Jewelry: Princess Diamond Bracelt by Jordan Whittendon for Whittendon Design

Boots: BAX Prestige Boots White Leather by Bax Coen for Bax Coen Designs