“I think I’m going to be sad. I think it’s today, yeah. That girl that’s driving me mad is going away. She’s got a ticket to ride and she don’t care.” I thought of this classic song from The Beatles when I was shooting this outfit. My mental soundtrack wavered between it and Leaving On a Jet Plane, but really, the shirt made all the difference in settling the duel between the songs. Continue reading
The Elie dress from Sundaara for fashionart – a celebration of the nexus of art and fashion – is as sweet and lovely as a summer cloud.
I just noticed that Akismet has protected us from 1,671,953 spam comments so far since we migrated over here about two years ago. 1,671,953! Imagine that. Such a big number It reminds me of my 7th and 8th grade math teacher, a vicious and physically abusive bully I still hate to this day even though he reserved most of his physical abuse for the boys. Before Christmas vacation, he challenged one of my classmates to write out from one to a million in long hand – telling him if he completed it by the end of the school year, he would pay him $1000. Of course, Phillip had no concept of how much a million really was, so he tried. He wrote out the numbers day in and day out for months, neglecting his homework, not paying attention in class, getting in trouble at home and on the wrestling team and generally making a mess of his 7th grade year. All seeking that $1000 and realizing far too late and after far too much damage to his school year that he would never make it. A million is a vast sum in human terms and we all certainly learned that lesson quite thoroughly though at the cost of a classmate’s education and reputation. Continue reading
I am ready to bop in these delightful flats from Ingenue. They’re from a few months back, but still as chic as ever.
Oop-scooby-dooby-lena, go-gal-go
bop-a-lena, bop-a-lena, she’s my gal
Oh, bop-a-lena, bop-a-lena, yeah she’s my gal
She’s my gal and I love her so
Oop-scooby-dooby-lena, go-gal-go
Rockabilly is ascendant at Collabor88 and that makes me happy. Of course, rockabilly is a music genre – but it has its own fashion aesthetic just a punk, hiphop and grunge do. Music and fashion are forever entwined.
I thought you might enjoy this neo-rockabilly song from Imelda May, Johnny Got a Boom Boom. If you listen, you will learn he also has a bam.
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I grew up in the country and live in a city. I have enjoyed the benefits and put up with the inconveniences of both rural and urban life and in the end, I choose the city. Still, there are times I miss the country. Listening to some neighbor’s car alarm last night, random noises from vehicles, police alarms and a band practicing loud enough to disturb but too quietly to be enjoyed – I longed for the rhythmic lapping of the waves on the shore with the hum of crickets punctuated by frogs and the laughter of loons. So, I went to the country in SL today – with a romper from Peqe (at the Liaison Collaborative) and a cozy jacket from sheep door that I picked up at Japan Fair.
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MiaMai’s Monica Outlander has just released her Luxe collection for spring. It includes a dress, top, pants, jumpsuit and long skirt with items coordinated to mix and match. Items include a HUD that allows you to choose the belts, ribbons and other embellishments so you can coordinate tops with skirts and pants easily. I am wearing the Kalia top with the Anya skirt and chose the ribbon to coordinate with the skirt’s print. Each item comes in solids in cotton and silk and in a range of prints. I love the thought that went into the print and color coordination. Speaking of color coordination, check out the gorgeous gold-tip mani/pedis from FLAIR for Cosmetics Fair.
I sometimes joke that my love of art began while playing Masterpiece, the art auction board game. But, that was purely superficial. My lifelong deep appreciation for art came from my art teacher.You can also check out Teacherhow.com to avail the best teaching classes. I actually had two art teachers, a husband and wife, Mr. and Mrs. S. She taught 7th and 8th grade art and he taught 9th-12th. Since our entire class took art in 7th & 8th grade, her classes were larger and much more basic. She was a good teacher and I liked her, but her husband was a great teacher, a master teacher and I loved him. Not only did I learn a lot about art from him, but I also learned about teaching and humanity.
He was a preternaturally calm teacher, steering his way through life on such an even keel that even a hurricane could not twist him about. He may have grown up on a farm and taught in a small farming town and lived on a farm himself, but he brought an urbane sophistication to life – sharing with us his appreciation of modern culture, music, books, movies and artists that were often unheard of. He was active in the community, persuading the town council to fund a city-owned art gallery that brought art into our town. Imagine a town of 1400 people with an arts center with revolving exhibitions, musical theatre, art classes, writing workshops, music lessons and even a recording studio all funded by the city and the grants that he helped pursue. During these years of retrenchment and austerity, that such a small town continues to support the arts – well, if only there were more teachers like him in towns across America.
Intrigue Co has a fun little watercolor pose prop for the budding watercolorists of Second Life – a fitting contribution to the watercolor theme for April’s Collabor88. It even comes with framed and ready to hang copies of the finished work. I didn’t actually use the poses because they are made for painting on the floor or in the grass, not on an artist’s work table, but since I just moved and put in a place to paint in a corner of my kitchen, I decided to use it there.
The thing about Mr. S was that he encouraged us to draw outside the lines, but not just on paper. As he saw it, the rules were there as a guide – to make sure we rubbed along comfortably in life, but that they were not a limit. That when it made sense and it was worth it, it was okay to break the rules and that sometimes the rules needed to be broken. Civil disobedience was, in his eyes, was drawing outside the lines to realize a better world just as drawing outside the lines often realizes a better painting.
Monica Outlander made this stunning gown with the peacock print insets, releasing them at the Fashion Pride event in March. She produced it in several colors, but my favorite is this gorgeous royal blue.
I admit I am an SL hoarder. I have items in my inventory from 2007. In fact, I am wearing items from 2007 in this picture. Now, I am not the worst. I do throw things out. Pose stands, landmarks, notecards are ruthlessly trashed. All my shoes with invisiprims have been deleted. Pants with sculpted bottoms and prim flap skirts – gone! Full bright hair – done! Bling – get outta here! But then, I falter.
I think Monica Outlander makes more use of materials than any other fashion designer. You can see her fascination with its possibilities in almost everything she makes.
But how could anyone delete something as gorgeous as this gown? Even if I never wear it again, I might. You never know, right?
Three very good things are coming to an end. The quarterly gacha festival at The Arcade ends today. The annual Skin Fair has ended and the March cycle of Collabor88 is nearing its end as well. If you have been waiting for the crowds to thin before going in for your mad shopping spree – today’s the day. This post features a little from all of them. The lovely skirt suit is from u.f.o. for Collabor88. It’s the quintessential suit for the modern professional woman. Continue reading
I stopped by League the other day, looking for some appliers for my Slink hands and almost forgot to buy them, I was so distracted by this gorgeous skirt and mohair sweater. I wanted to buy fat packs, but I was disciplined and settled on this gorgeous fuchsia. The sweater comes with a solid color or a gradient. I am wearing the gradient in this photo.
A lot of life’s answers are blowing in the wind, as the Bob Dylan song asserts. But what does that mean? Some people think it means the answers are right in front of our faces – answers we could pluck from the air if we only chose to do so. Myself, I think it means that the answers are unknowable, as imperceptible as the molecules on the wind. Of course, Bob Dylan’s explanation is as ambiguous as the song.
There ain’t too much I can say about this song except that the answer is blowing in the wind. It ain’t in no book or movie or TV show or discussion group. Man, it’s in the wind – and it’s blowing in the wind. Too many of these hip people are telling me where the answer is but oh I won’t believe that. I still say it’s in the wind and just like a restless piece of paper it’s got to come down some …But the only trouble is that no one picks up the answer when it comes down so not too many people get to see and know . . . and then it flies away. I still say that some of the biggest criminals are those that turn their heads away when they see wrong and know it’s wrong. I’m only 21 years old and I know that there’s been too many . . . You people over 21, you’re older and smarter.[*]