Maitreya
Gray
So, I’m going to jump on the bandwagon and take part in this week’s 52 Weeks of Color Challenge.
I’m such a sucker for a monochromatic palette. Perhaps it’s the influence of the color theory class I took back in the day, but I love value scales; here we transition from white to black as we work our way down the outfit.
I opted for gold-tone jewelry with silver and black accents here. While silver-tone would have been truer to the gray challenge, I like the warmth that the gold brings to the look.
Credits: › Continue reading
Bloggers’ Challenge: Closet Clean-Out
I’m doing some much-needed inventory sorting today, and as I kept finding cute things, I thought I’d do Luna’s challenge.
Frecklefaces like makeup!
We talk a lot about shading, about the qualities that make a skin “good.” And then we get to the makeups. My face is the part of the av I spend the most time looking at, and I usually pick skins for blog posts based on the “look” — usually, that’s achieved through makeup. If you don’t buy fatpacks of skins, it’s the makeup that determines which skin in a particular line we want to buy. If a skin creator doesn’t have the makeup we’re looking for, we’ll often walk away.
Above, you can see three makeups each from three different creators. The first row is › Continue reading
Feature/Tutorial: Mechanized Life FilterCam
The FilterCam, from Mechanized Life. Version 2.0 was just released, and it adds a more user-friendly menu and more filters to the last version. This tool — it’s amazingly awesome. You want one. It’s easy to use right out of the box, and it’s also easily customizable with a bit of effort. This will be a rather long post, so make yourself comfortable.
Getting started, the HUD attaches to your center HUD attachment point. You’ll then want to go to File>Take Snapshot and check the “Show HUD objects in snapshot” box. You’ll also want to remove any other HUDs, as they too will end up in your picture if you don’t do so. (If you look at the pictures below, you’ll see HUDs I should have removed, but I forgot. Don’t look silly like me.)
Initially, you’ll also want to run through three basic chat commands: “/5normal” “/5widescreen” and “/5ultrawide”. These set the aspect ratio of the HUD to fit with your monitor aspect ratio. I find the “Wanted” filter useful for determining which aspect ratio looks best. Once you’ve found the correct setting for you, you’ll never have to fuss with this again.
To get started using the FilterCam, there are only two things you need to know. First, a long click on the HUD will bring up your blue-box menu, from which you can choose from a large selection of filters. Your blue box menu first presents several categories: Scatter, TV, Frames, Holidays, Horror, Artsy, Basic, and Custom (more on custom later). Each category, when clicked, will show you several preset filters, all ready for you to use and take pretty pictures.
Second, a short click on the HUD will minimize it, allowing you to set up your composition, camming and alt-clicking and so on. Clicking on the minimized HUD will › Continue reading
Footwear Expo: Work Boots
The Footwear Expo ends today — it’s your last chance to see so many talented virtual cobblers in one place!
Work boots, by themselves, may not seem very girly. However, They add an edge to an outfit that can’t be achieved any other way. Oh, and they’re terribly stylish right now, in both worlds.
Compare: High Waisted Pants, Part 1
Okay, so we’re going to look at high-waisted pants in a 3-post series. First, if you haven’t read Denim One, go check it out; it discusses factors to be considered in a pair of jeans (or any pair of pants), and I’ll be building on it.
Now, let’s talk about the yoke, the high-waistedness of the pants. How high is the waistline? There are several different approaches to designing a high-waisted pant. Long line of buttons? Long zipper, with a few buttons? Double set of buttons, sailor-style? What do the buttons look like, compared to one another? The last pair has in interesting approach, with a double set of regular jeans waistbands. The seaming of these pants also becomes both more important and more interesting — take a good look at how each jean has done their seams. It’s especially interesting, I think, to look at how the rear view has been handled.
Let’s also compare the pants in general. The first major difference I see in these jeans is the texture — › Continue reading
Celebrating July 4th with NO H8
We interrupt your regular fashion programming for a rare political message.
Today, the United States of America celebrates its Independence Day. While our customs and culture are not the only way, or the right way for everyone, they are mine. And I’m proud today to exercise my freedom of speech to remind Americans of our separation of church and state. Specifically regarding gay marriage. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what you believe to be right in God’s eyes — so long as marriage is a legal governmental institution, religious beliefs are irrelevant. Separation of church and state. The end. (For more information about the NO H8 campaign, please visit their website.)
I also have a few notes about my fashion credits today. Yes, I’m featuring an international group of designers, rather than an All-American lineup. That was totally accidental — I simply chose the items in my inventory that I was in the mood to wear. For a moment, I felt guilty. Why not feature US designers? There are certainly enough talented US designers to choose from. But, after a moment of thought, it seemed appropriate. Today I celebrate my country’s independence, but not to the point of excluding acknowledgement of the fact that we are a part of a larger global community, particularly within in Second Life — OUR global community.
Credits:
Hair: Maitreya Aisha in Ginger
Skin: Adam n Eve Bliss skin, T1 tone, Freckly makeup
Eyes: Exodi Zbilja Eyes in Hazel
Lashes: LeLutka Seductress Volume Scripted Lashes
Shirt: Zaara Isis Shirt in White
Jeans: Zaara Classic Jeans in Indigo
Pose from Long Awkward Poses
NO H8 Face Paint and Duct Tape: Exodi
LOTD: Wearing Purple
Purple things at Vanitas Vesture on sale today.
Credits:
Hair: Truth Kensei in Lagoon (tinted)
Skin: lessthanthree Sugar skin, Light tone, Nerds F makeup
Eyes: Miriel Realistic Eyes in Watercolor
Lashes: LeLutka Seductress Volume Sculpted Lashes
Dress: Vanitas Vesture Belldandy Dress in Purple
Tights: Insolence Carmen Shiny Heavy Tan Pantyhose
Tattoos: Tramp Stamp Rowan Stars
Bracelet, left: +Plus Summer Essence Bangle in Gray
Bracelet, right: Pretties by JB Moxie – Hues of Purple Bangles
Shoes: Maitreya Group Gift Pumps in Violet-Blue
Poses: Reel Expressions
Fashion Relay Challenge: Post 11
Ah, so it’s my turn in the Fashion Relay Challenge, organized by the lovely Sasy Scarborough. I’m excited to be part of this, and even more excited to be following Kallisti Burns of Discord Designs. I admit it — Kallisti is way more bad-ass than I am. And I’ve been looking foward to stealing a bit of her edginess and making it my own.
I chose the Needful Things Death Raven Armor Bracers from Kallisti’s appearance as her boy George. For me, they feel like futuristic, post-apocalyptic bangle bracelets, and I have a weakness for bangles! The hand straps and included fishnet gloves really help to integrate the bracer into the outfit as a whole.
For the bulk of this outfit — the shirt, skirt, and boots — I chose pieces with easy-wearing, everyday versatility. The shirt I’m wearing is MichaMi’s Fearne in Black. Its higher neckline keeps things from being too flashy with the short skirt, and the rich texture of the shirt is reminiscent of a favorite old t-shirt, worn and deliciously soft from years of wear and washing. It includes the belted sash, and is sold on all layers for versatility.
The Jules Jeanskirt, shown here in Dark, is one of Maitreya’s newest releases. While the denim miniskirt is just as iconic in its own way as cigarette pants or a classic white buttondown shirt, it brings its own its own personality. The short length and denim fabric give the outfit a playfulness that would otherwise be lacking. It includes several options for the prim attachment, including a belted version not shown here.
I love a knee-high boot — they lend both formal structure and a bit of toughness to any outfit. These are the Maitreya Billow Boots in Black. Maitreya’s shoes always have the most exquisite textures, and these boots are no exception. They’ve become a staple in many a fashionista’s wardrobe, with their slouchy, casual, boho-style. I also think part of their appeal is their RL impracticality — I don’t know about you, but I’d be forever tugging at them to keep them from slipping, and the leather would quickly wrinkle and look worn, losing its suppleness. The boots come with three sizes, and a pair with resize scripts, so they’re guaranteed to fit you, with minimum effort.
Now, on to the accessories. First are the Celeste glasses from PrimOptic. These were my first glasses in-world, and they remain a favorite. The shape of these frames is retro without being vintage, and I like that. The glasses include an awesome script that allows you to change the color of the frame, the tint of the glass, and the position of the glasses on the head — on the nose or pushed back on top of your head.
Black Pearl earrings from +Plus, shown here in Silver, are one of my current obsessions. I love a big earring in-world, the kind that would be so heavy in RL that your earlobes would ache after a few minutes. However, I do not care for the giant SLut earrings. This pair is the perfect balance in size and class, in my opinion, and the shape and texturing are lovely.
The Broken Long Strand Pearl Necklace from Caroline’s has been around a while, but it’s still a playful twist on a classic, and I still like it. I like the goody-two-shoes aspect of the pearls, combined with the bohemian recklessness of wearing a broken necklace. I’d like to point out that while the necklace is no-mod and the long length almost guarantees a poor fit, the designer Caroline Apollo offers free resizing. She’s very professional to work with, and I had resized pearls in less than 24 hours.
Last but not least, we arrive at hair and skin. I’m wearing Truth’s Victoria style in Auburn. Proceeds from sale of this style benefit the Australian Red Cross, to help with Victorian bushfire relief. And, it’s my absolute favoritest style on the grid. I love the careless curls piled on top of the head, with that artfully-messy-yet-elegant feel. Works equally well with jeans or a gown.
It’s no secret that I have a huge crush on Adam n Eve’s recently released Bliss skin. There’s such a naturalism to it, without looking overly photosourced. This makeup, one of the four freckly skins in the line, is FrecklyCat, and features almost-black tipped cat-eye eyeliner and rosy red lips.
I’ve had a great time with this challenge, keeping with the spirit of things and pushing the boundaries of my usual wardrobe choices thanks to Kallisti Burns. I now pass the baton to Arcadia Nightfire of Fashion 360, and hope she enjoys the challenge as much as I have!
Credits:
Hair: Truth Victoria in Auburn (tinted)
Skin: Adam n Eve Bliss T2 makeup FrecklyCat
Glasses: PrimOptic Celeste Glasses
Earrings: +Plus Black Pearl Earrings in Silver
Necklace: Caroline’s Broken Long Strand Black Pearl Necklace
Top: MichaMi Fearne in Black
Tattoo: Aitui Fire Fish Tattoo, worn
Wrist Gear: Needful Things death raven armor bracers (punk ninja gothic style)
Skirt: Maitreya Jules JeanSkirt Dark
Boots: Maitreya Billow Boots – Black
All poses in the post are by Dove Swanson of [LAP] Long Awkward Poses
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