There is a vanguard in any human endeavor, there is a vanguard that leads the way forward. They are the ones who develop new ideas. The find the new technologies and adopt new ways of communicating in music, literature and art. They are the forward shock troops in combat and in culture. It’s appropriate, then, that the store Vanguard in Second Life produces clothing that is completely á la page and then one step beyond.

I saw this dress at Chic² and just had to have it. I was drawn to this dress for two reasons in particular. The fabric makes me think of a giant faceted jewel, full of imperfections but rich in explosions of color. I also like the way  it’s so loosely nipped in at the waist, its pleats formed the inner construction of the interfacing.  I pulled out a pair of cute red wedges from Ingenue. I like the wood platform contrasting with the red leather body of the shoe – it seemed the ideas in the fabric.

Of course, being in the vanguard means taking risks and challenging convention and not all those risks are popular. For me, the challenge with Vanguard clothing is the lack of coverage with either glitch or alpha for a broad range of movement. This dress has an alpha that ends just below the waist. You definitely must wear lingerie with this – though that’s a bonus since we don’t get to show off our lovely lingerie often enough. However, in my standard AO, the skirt fabric sunk in to expose my pelvis and my butt, alternating as I shifted back and forth. This is not an oversight on the designer’s part. She fully lined the dress – paying close attention to detail. I also have talked to Rollyn about other dresses without glitch pants, so I know it is a design choice. So be warned that you may have to choose a different AO, one with less movement from front to back in order to wear the dress – unless your AO already works with it. The thing is, it’s worth the effort.

Jewelry from Donna Flora and the fabulous new Claire short cut from Wasabi Pills keep it modern and sassy. You will find the cut at faMESHed.

The skin is Lea from ploom for Skin Showcase. I love the bold shadow of the Dahlia makeup.

Store info at Blogging Second Life
****SHOPPING LIST******

• Poses: Lost Angel Display Window Modern (Chic²)
• Skin: .ploom. Lea_Cream – DB – Dahlia (Skin Showcase)
• Eyes: IKON ‘Sunrise’ Eyes – Hazel (M)
• Lashes: Miamai_NoAlpha Lashes_N03
• Mani/Pedi: Mandala Medium
• Hair: /Wasabi Pills/ Claire Mesh Hair – Rouge (faMESHed)
• Clothing: (Vanguard) Obsession Dress – M (Chic²)
• Shoes: Ingenue :: Citron :: Cherry
• Jewelry: Donna Flora Matilda Set