Red and Re-read

Insomniatic Pop Star

So I was up late the other night — late enough that MTV was actually playing music videos.  After that early-morning insomnia-induced TV hypnosis, I pulled together this look.

Ok, so I kinda failed at looking like a badass — the skin combined with my shape still retains a certain sweetness.  Maybe my av is just getting into the music business and isn’t all hardened and cynical and jaded yet?  Whatever.  Also, I also find it interesting that that while the look is sexy, very little skin is actually showing.

Anyway, about the look.  › Continue reading

Tags: Bijou, Bryce Designs, Dark Mouse, Detour, MichaMi, Sheer, [LAP]

LOTD and Ch-ch-changes

I’ve been spending quite a bit of time lately contemplating the content of my blog.  What differentiates it from other fashion blogs?  What do I have to offer that’s special and unique, or at least not done better by others?  Sure, I enjoy my LOTDs and such, but others do them better.

I’ve finally hit upon my solution: Compare&Contrast posts.  (Yes, it’s a terrible name for the category.  Suggestions are welcome.)  One of my favorite posts was Freckleface.  It was fairly thorough, and I’m really interested in how similar products compare when placed next to one another.  I’ve been meaning to do a jeans comparison post for ages, and when I saw GoGo’s plurk linking to Fashionphiles’ Who Designed It Better blog post, I realized I’d been sitting on my answer.  (One thing this will NOT be: a who-ripped-who type of blog post.  I’ll focus on genres, like holey jeans, hair in curlers, littleblackdresses, and the like.)

Edit for clarity: The post linked above is not a who-ripped-who post, and I’m sorry if that caused any confusion.  I wanted to reference a blog that cemented my idea, and also to say that finger-pointing would not be part of what I do here.  The two ideas are completely separate.

I’ve also been wanting to do more in-depth features of specific products/designers, with more pics showing more angles of the product.  It means I won’t be able to turn out a blog quite as quickly, but I think I’ll be doing better work, and showing what I would want to see from a blog.  In feature posts, I may also be doing a bit more reviewing, sometimes pointing out flaws as well as features of a product.

So, from here on out, What? Another Fashion Blog?  posts will fall into three categories: Compare&Contrast, Feature, and LOTD.  I could probably drop the LOTDs, but, damnit, I like them.  After all, showing off cute outfits is why I got into this whole blogging thing.  I’ve got a big skin feature coming up next, and then it’s on like Donkey Kong with the Compare&Contrasts!

Credits:
Hair: Philotic Energy – Eira in Clinker
Skin: Blowpop N2 Elizabeth -tone C- 2.2 Cherry Blossom 2
Earrings: Dark Mouse Platinum Bling Earrings (previous group gift)
Necklace: Chuculet Ava – silver – necklace – pearly white
Blouse: Icing – Puma Jie in White
Dress: Vanitas Vesture – Flute Scribbly Dress – Red
Bracelet (R): Dark Mouse Silver Blue Bangles
Bracelet (L): Earthstones Bangle Set – Red/White/Blue (previous gift)
Jeans: Zaara Jeans – Classic – Indigo
Shoes: ETD Starley Pumps in Ostrich Pewter

Tags: Blowpop, Chuculet, Dark Mouse, Earthstones, ETD, Icing, Philotic Energy, Vanitas Vesture, Zaara

IDK

idk is a new store, a collaboration between veteran designers Esme Michigan of Uncle Wiggly and Chav Paderborn of Steamstress.  They describe the general aesthetic of their clothing as “kind of scene style like ish.”  Now, neither me nor my av is particularly “scene,” but many of the offerings are versatile, and suit a variety of looks.

I love love love the Drape Tops.  They’re a bit of a cross between a graphic tee and a dressier blouse.  The drapery around the neckline is very flattering, and the wrinkles on the midsection and shoulders lend a comfy feeling to the shirt.  The graphics are simple, elegant, and not overdone.

In the top pic, I’m wearing the idk Bubble Skirt.  The charcoal and black stripes are deliciously moody, while the shape of the skirt is playful and fun. The combination of those qualities make the skirt delightfully quirky and wearable.

Also worn is Tiny Bird hair.  I’ve been really digging on all the hairstyles Tiny Bird has been releasing, and the name coordinates nicely with the graphics on the shirts. There are sleeker, more polished styles at Tiny Bird, but my favorites are the hairstyles that are very RL-wearable: a bit messy, with wavy bits flying out, but totally chic.

Other things I’m wearing: my two favorite tattoos, from Tramp Stamp and Aitui.  Skin from Imagen, with great freckles and makeups that coordinate with the outfits.  Miriel eyes — get them now; the store is closing soon.  Jewelry from VG Republic (currently closed) and Dark Mouse.  Dark Mouse has the best everyday costume jewelry, and I wear their stuff all the time.  Stockings from Sheer — love ‘em.  One of my own skirts, the Dovely Linen Skirt from Vanitas Vesture.  Shoes from Detour and GL Designs.  The ruching on the Detour London Flats adds just the right amount of detail, and the GL Designs wedges are color-change; gotta love color-change.  Finally, poses from one of the masters, Reel Expression.

Outfit 1 Credits:
Hair: Tiny Bird Olivia in Wheat
Skin: Imagen Irene skin, Este tone, Humo makeup (lucky chair)
Eyes: Miriel Standard Eyes in Gilded Plum
Tattoo: Tramp Stamp Rowan
Shirt: idk Drape Top Black Bird
Skirt: idk Bubble Skirt (Horizontal Stripe) Charcoal
Bracelets: VG Republic Color-Change Resin Bangles (store closed)
Stockings: Sheer Stockings 04: Torn Fishnet Black
Shoes: Detour London Flats – Black

Outfit 2 Credits:
Hair: Tiny Bird WillowC in Ginger
Skin: Imagen Irene Skin, Este Tone, Patricia makeup (previous hunt)
Eyes: Miriel Standard Eyes in Champagne
Tattoo: Aitui Tattoo – Fire Fish Sleeves – method – worn
Shirt: idk Drape Top Silver Birdbranch
Skirt: Vanitas Vesture Dovely Linen Skirt – Green
Jewelry: Dark Mouse Charming Set in Sliver
Shoes: GL Designs Hips Wedges
Poses: Reel Expression  – from Movement and Vintage sets
photo layout inspired by juicybomb.com

Tags: Aitui, Dark Mouse, Detour, GL Designs, idk, Imagen, Miriel, Reel Expression, Sheer, Tiny Bird, Tramp Stamp, Vanitas Vesture, VG Republic

Sweet Dreads

Discord Designs just released new dreadlocked hairstyles!

I’m in love with the Yannick style, shown above.  It’s a playful, natural everyday style.  I think it’s meant to be for men, but as you can see, it looks adorable on girls too.  The shape of the style is great, and the dreads have good movement.  For me, it has a very chic city-girl feel to it, perfect for going from the office to a night out with the girls.  I love the Licorice shade  – rich dark brown with a hint of red.

The lovely chocolate skin is the one of  Genesis’ Eden Juniper skins, and I have to say, every time I put on one of the Juniper skins, I feel beautiful.  Keeping with the casual city-girl look, I paired the intricately patterned Beauty Avatar Janessa top in a neutral shade with the classic well-worn New School jeans from Kari & TW.  The stunning necklace is from Dark Mouse’s Tarnished Copper and Red Opal Set; it’s a beautiful antique-and-chic piece.  The shoes are my favorite Starley pumps from ETD, in the creamy Ostrich shade.  I wear the Starley shoes, in one color or another, with damn near everything, it seems.

Credits:
Hair: Discord Designs Yannick in Licorice
Skin: Genesis Eden, Juniper tone, Au Naturel (freckled)
Eyes: Miriel Realistic Eyes in Basic Brown
Top: Beauty Avatar Couture Janess in Brown
Jeans: Kari & TW New School Jeans, blue
Necklace: part of Dark Mouse ‘Tarnished’ Copper and Red Opal Set
Shoes: ETD Starley Pumps in Ostrich

Tags: Beauty Avatar Couture, Dark Mouse, Discord Designs, ETD, Genesis, Kari & TW, Miriel

LOTD – April 7th

Hair: ETD Aiiyanna (retextured)
Skin: Rockberry Megan Bunny Hop Hunt Natural FRX
Eyes: Kunstkammer Surrealist Eyes  in Olive Green
Tattoo: Aitui Tattoo Fire Fish Sleeves Method in Faded
Shirt: unreleased blouse from Vanitas Vesture (opening soon)
Shorts: VG Republic Twill Shorts in Brown (store closed until further notice)
Earrings: +plus Circles Earrings in Dark Gold (previous hunt gift)
Bracelets: Dark Mouse Paint Splashed Gold Bangle
Tights: Insolence Carmen Shiny Heavy Tan Pantyhose
Shoes: Detour Glamour Metallic Pumps in Gold
Poses from Sugar Mill

Tags: +Plus, Dark Mouse, Detour, ETD, Insolence, Kunstkammer, Rockberry, Sugar Mill, Vanitas Vesture, VG Republic

RFL eLDee Parle Dress

So, this is the eLDee Parle dress, one of the dresses to benefit the Relay for Life.  I picked up the Parle dress as soon as I got the subscribo notice — I love the piratey-inspired playfulness.  I have a special place in my heart for eLDee — it’s where my noob self first discovered sculpty sleeve goodness.  I remember saving up my first camping lindens to buy an eLDee outfit.  So, I like to keep an eye out for new eLDee releases that tickle my fancy.  The Parle outfit?  Had to have.  It’s adorable, and  it’s a wonderful set for mixing and matching.

The Parle outfit is an RFL exclusive, so be sure to pick one up while they last, and support a good cause.  To supplement the outfit, eLDee has recently released a set of Parle blouse/corset sets in a variety of colors.

 Keeping with the piratey theme, the jewelry had to be gold and richly detailed.  I chose the Miriel secret necklace, an old favorite.  I used to have a similar necklace in RL, with an antique key pendant, and my SL version is gorgeous.  The stacked bangle bracelets are from one of my favorite jewelers, Dark Mouse.  All her stuff is well-textured, with lots of attention paid to delicate prim work.  These bracelets come with a pair of matching earrings, not shown here but awesome. 

The stockings are from Sheer.  I enjoy the intricate vine pattern, and the holes are beautifully and accurately detailed.  Also beautiful and detailed are the Biker Boots from Redgrave.  The worn-in texture and open buckles add a gritty, tough element to the mix.

The hair and skin were gifts I received just as I was pulling things together for pictures, and they’re perfect for the outfit.  Now, I’ve said before that Kallisti Burns, the creator behind Discord Designs, is cooler than I am.  So, when she dropped a folder on me recently, I knew that whatever was inside would be awesome, and I was right.  The Lydia hairstyle is edgy and sexy, with the sharply angled, piecey bob and loose strands in front of the eyes.  The skin is [42]‘s recent release, part of the Angel Kisses II set.  Imandra Wycliffe has taken her freckled Angel Kisses skins and given them richly saturated eyeshadows perfect for a wild night out. 

Eyes: Kunstkammer Surrealist Eyes – Olive Green
Hair: Discord Designs Lydia in Bronze
Tattoo: Aitui Fire Fish Sleeves – Method – faded
Skin: [42] Angel Kisses, neutral tone, makeup 8
Dress: eLDee Parle RFL CF Exclusive
Necklace: Miriel Secret Necklace in Jet/Gold
Bracelets: Dark Mouse Paint Splashed Gold Bangles
Shoes: Redgrave Girls Biker Boots in Black
Tights: Sheer Tights 12: Torn Vines
Poses from Elisa

Tags: 42, Aitui, Dark Mouse, Discord Designs, eLDee, Elisa, Kunstkammer, Miriel, Redgrave, Sheer

Posemaker Challenge: Dove Love

So, Achariya challenged bloggers, and Dove motivated bloggers — to do what we should be doing anyway.  I admit, I haven’t been the best about crediting posemakers.  All my poses are all jammed into a single posestand, and I have a tendency to flip through them all in one photoshoot.  But I’m trying to be better about being aware of whose poses I’m using, and crediting that person’s work.  And I’m starting with the posemaker who takes up the most space in said posestand, for good reason.

Achariya gave specific parameters for the challenge: choose FIVE poses from ONE posemaker to feature.  Well, I’m not the best at following directions.  This is part one of two, and I’ll feature as many poses as I please!  So without further ado, I present the poses of Dove Swanson, the posemaker for [LAP] – Long Awkward Poses.

I probably use [LAP] poses more than any other posemaker.  What initially attracted me to [LAP] was the attitude.   You know that girl that’s so sure of herself that she doesn’t give a damn what other people think?  That’s Dove’s poses, at first glance.

As I collected more [LAP] and spent more time with these poses, I discovered layers of depth, beyond that surface attitude.  These poses are who we are, who we want to be.  Sometimes confident and self-assured, sometimes terribly alone and vulnerable.  Sometimes glamorous, sometimes everyday ordinary.

Poses are one of the most expressive tools we have in SL.  And it’s thanks to posemakers like Dove Swanson that we make use of these tools.  Hell, Dove makes me look good, and helps me to communicate with the body language of my avatar, even when I’m just standing still.

Credits:
Hair: Artilleri Chrissy in Red (discontinued)
Skin: Adam n Eve Bliss T1 in Freckly makeup
Earrings: part of Dark Mouse True Metal Cross set in copper
Shirt: Armidi Sheer Ribbed Tank Top in Black (worn on multiple layers for opacity)
Paint Spattered Arms: part of MUWU Painting Madness outfit
Belt: Manna Boutique Montmartre (Ladies)
Pants: Frozen Turquoise Valentine Wide Leg Jeans
and of course, all poses from [LAP] Long Awkward Poses
Store names shown in bold; for locations please visit http://slurls.wordpress.com

Tags: Adam n Eve, Armidi, Artilleri, Dark Mouse, Frozen Turquoise Valentine, Long Awkward Poses, Manna Boutique, MUWU