I was recently passed a couple of outfits from Riviera Couture as a thank you for some dresses I blogged awhile back. One was a lovely set of silks called Bollywood with a full bodice, but flowing silks for a skirt. It was gorgeous with a beautiful teal and royal blue brocade bodice and a gorgeous teal and cerise stola, it’s just the skirt was simply not my style. But then it occurred to me to pair it with a regular skirt and the result was better than I could have expected.

Wearing the Old Clothes skirt from Kurotsubaki – its colors are a good match and the fabric pattern is subtly complementary – converts the silks from costume finery to a chic party dress. The DeLa Stella shoes with the lovely bows echo the flowing stola and make it all seem so all of a piece.

Here’s another closer look at the skirt so you can see clearly that the patter is quite different but works because of its subtlety. Selecting prints with subtle patters that may even appear monochromatic from a distance will often offer you mix and match opportunities and work well with other prints. The wink – well I thought the combo worth a wink and a nod – and it’s also a wink of appreciation to posemaker Luth Brodie for the built-in emotes in several of her poses – by going to advanced menu and slowing the animations, it’s not diffictult to capture them for a fun shot.

I chose almost no jewelry other than the simple purple spheres earrings from Spotlight Creations. I went for a sophisticated makeup from Gala in merlot and free-flowing hair from Jolie Femme. These eyes are outstandingly realistic ones from Ryker Beck of Genesis. She’s had a package of 8 sets of eyes out as a free gift to folks visiting her exhibit at the Avatrait Gallery.

****STYLE NOTES******
Promotional Copies are denoted by a Bold R

• Poses: Reel Expression
• Skin: Gala Sundust Vixen Merlot
• Eyes: Genesis Elemental Eyes Earth light freebie
• Lashes: CyberNetic
• Hair: Jolie Femme Bubbly
• Dress Top & stola: Riviera Couture Bollywood R
• Skirt: Kurotsubaki Old Clothes Skirt
• Shoes: DeLa Stella Royal Peacock
• Earrings: Spotlight Creations Purple Sphere Earrings