Shiryu Musashi of Musashi-Do is one of those people my mother would have called a stickler – someone whose attention to detail and passion for perfection produces consistently high quality work. This Brocade Princess gown is an example of that pixel perfection at work. Like all of Shiryu’s creations, this is made with lovingly hand textures that meld into skillfully aligned seams and create a graceful and elegant classic addition to your wardrobe.

Another hallmark of Shiryu’s design is restraint. While the strapless bodice is certainly sexy and exposes lovely shoulders and provides a frame for elegant jewelry, the lines are restrained and elegant – no swooping too low and too provocatively. These are gowns that would be as fashionable in a decade as today – not designs that flare brightly and fizzle out and join the what-was-I-thinking collection of faddish horrors that will embarrass our future selves.  Yes, I have burned photos of my younger self in some of those pieces. The Brocade Princess gown comes in six vibrant jewel-like colors.

Lovely classic gowns with the gracefully exposed shoulders and decolletage lend themselves to framing and displaying extraordinary jewelry beautifully and demand outstanding accessories. For this dress, I chose to add the gorgeous pheasant hat from Elegance Hats and the Midnight Fire jewelry by Gwen Carillon of Elements in Design. This is one of my most expensive sets of jewelry, but it’s been well worth it. I have had it for two years or so and every time I wear it, it takes my breath away.

It is, however, the holiday season and another exciting option is the lovely Dahlinks jewelry set from last year, Christmas Liberty 2008. Normally I would not wear a crown, but the Zoe hair style from Truth was just crying out for something after I took the hat off.

The makeup is the always elegant PXL Creations July. This closeup also gives you a good look at the extraordinary detail on the pheasant feathers. For more shots of this lovely gown, check here.

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

• Poses: Reel Expression
• Skin: PXL July Nat SE Passion R
• Eyes: PXL Creations Glow Yellow Green R
• Lashes: Lelutka Diva Prim Lashes
• Hair: Truth Zoe
• Dress: Musashi-Do Brocade Princess R
• Shoes: HaysUriza Sayuri
• Jewelry: Gwen Carillon Designs Midnight Fire Necklace (Elements in Design)
• or Dahlink’s Christmas Liberty 2008