So Gidge is participating in the Greatest Love hunt – hiding a box at her store Don’t Ask with special freebies for the hunt from some of the designers she features in her store. Among the offerings are skins and lingerie such as I am wearing here.
I will only borrow the title of Edward Bellamy’s book since the main predictions of his 1888 book missed by a mile, though he did sort of predict debit cards, Wal-Mart, and Itunes. Somehow, though, I think if Edward Bellamy were alive today he would live in Second Life even more than most of us. However, in looking backwards, I am focusing more on the delightful attention to the back displayed in this top from Spice and Sugar and pants from Naive. Since so much of us spend a lot of SL looking at our backs, isn’t it nice to see designers taking pains to make the back interesting.
May I introduce to you Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Pants?
It was twenty years ago today,
Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play
They’ve been going in and out of style
But they’re guaranteed to raise a smile.
So may I introduce to you
The act you’ve known for all these years,
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
While shooting the new Efe skin from PXL Creations, I decided to feature one of the bolder pair of pants in my inventory. From Stitch by Stitch, these Valeska pants come with a sweater as well, but I opted for a blouse and sweater vest instead. If you are feeling sad and weary, if the world’s troubles are getting you down, go to Stitch by Stitch. It’s such a happy store with bright vibrant colors and patterns that will lift even the mood of such a notorious grouch as Ebenezer Scrooge.
Hart Larsson from PXL Creations has made a lovely skin for black avatars. One of my real-life friends that I brought into Second Life is African-American and has lamented the state of black skins in Second Life many, many times. It’s not that black skins don’t exist or that no effort was made to create beautiful skin. She described it as the skin having the wrong undertone so that it looks flat. She also said it was often too light or too gray. When Hart sent me a bundle of promotional copies of this new Efe skin I tried them out and think they are what she was looking for. If she weren’t pregnant and a few days overdue I bet she would be camping outside his store waiting for their release.
Normally I would not wear a black skin because putting on a skin does not bring with it the experience and culture that it projects. A white person role-playing a black person could easily transgress with inappropriate stereotypes, cultural appropriation and even blatantly racist role-playing. I think nearly all of us have seen this happening in SL with some of the “gangsta” avatars. However, I did want to highlight this fabulous skin and shot it in a few outfits inside my photosphere.
We are so used to seeing gingham in table cloths and children’s clothes we forget how sophisticated it can look. The designer of Anuenue has no such preconceptions though and boldly produced several pair of ginghams for grownups including this magnificent blue and brown gingham milled-cotton pair of pants. Adding a baby blue camisole from Celestial Studios and a lovely cashmere jacket from Casa del Shai makes a casual, but fashionable outfit for shopping and girls’ night out.
The snow leopard coat from Endeavor seems to have been made for the new At Last dress from A-Bomb. Even the attachment points are different so the coat does not knock off the fur trim on the dress.
At last, my love has come along
My lonely days are over
And life is like a song
Sascha Frangelli of Sascha’s Designs is very generous with her skirt options, providing you with everything from mini, to opera, to full length and then from narrow to expansive silhouettes. Did I say expansive? Make that explosive, at least with this exquisitely regal gown.
Well, I am just mad about this high-waisted plaid skirt from Cube Sugar – a mustard yellow plaid with a waist band on the jacket layer that makes a perfect frame for the ruffled blouse from mocca.
Cube Sugar is new to me and what a find it was for me. I definitely will be going back again and again. These pink and teal plaid pants came from there and I could not be happier. I love the look. I am delighted that they are mod, allowing me to widen the bottom just enough to go over the tops of my ankle boots. I love everything about them, including the way the seams meet – a challenge with plaids.