Never be intimidated by a girl who likes books.
You never know what kind of tricks she’s learned in them. Continue reading
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Tag Archives: Donna Flora
In AVENUE this month
I was asked to write an article remembering Squinternet. It is illustrated with her own photos. In Absence Is Physical, I wrote about what her absence feels like in contrast with how very present she was while she lived.
The Object of a Proposition spotlights The Chamber – a social club in Second Life for those who want to spice their life up considerably. It’s a far cry from the sex clubs of noobery.
It is a little intimidating to profile Bryn Oh. She’s well-known and has been written about in the New York Times and Vogue of France and many other places. The challenge was to find something new to say. I hope I succeeded in Oh, the Places You’ll Go.
In the Singularity of Imogen, I wrote about Bryn Oh’s current installation Imogen and the Pigeons and how it explores one of the vital questions of today’s society – the singularity and what it means for our world.
Remembering Squinternet – 9.14.13 at 9am SLT
This isn’t a fashion post today. It’s an announcement, a sharing of information. It’s an invitation to gather, to remember, maybe to mourn, maybe to celebrate a life.
On Saturday, September 14th everyone is warmly welcomed to come to Florencia where the Donna Flora main store is located and take the teleport down to the ground level. A memorial garden has been graciously constructed by the amazing Saiyge Lotus, for us all to gather at remember our friend.
At 9 am SLT we will hold a gathering and all are welcome to come, share stories, and feel the warmth and friendship of being with other people who also cared about Squintenet.
Saiyge has also created a special memorial tree, for everyone to take a copy of and plant at your own home, if you so wish.
The garden will remain open during the rest of September and anyone is welcome to use it for your own memorial or to come visit, at any time.
See you Saturday, Sept 14 at 9am SLT.
Winter Boots and Sweater Dresses
Sascha Frangilli released a cozy casual dress perfect for boots and tights in white, and I decided it’s Winter White so that makes it ok. Continue reading
The End of the Journey
I have done very little since I received that e-mail early Wednesday morning telling me that Squinternet had reached the end of her journey. I posted an announcement in her groups and on the Love Donna Flora blog and crawled into bed for a good cry. Crying can be so cleansing. Unfortunately, it upset my cat who proceeded to demonstrate loudly and longly that he can cry harder and louder than me. This touch of the ridiculous made me laugh.
Grief is like a cloud, fogging my brain. But one thing I know, I am not alone in my grief. Squinternet (Giulia) was widely admired and literally hundreds of people have been touched by her artistry and her kindness and they all feel her absence. I hope those who loved her find comfort in the knowledge that she was well and widely loved and that thanks to the generosity and openhearted spirit of the Second Life community, she got to see that before she died. In many ways, Love Donna Flora! was a memorial – one that she attended. People shared their hopes, best wishes and their love for her at the event and on the blog with blog posts, messages and open-hearted generosity. And she got to see it for herself.
Even When You Cannot See Them
The shoes you choose are important. Even when you cannot see them, they are important. They tie your outfit together by unifying the different elements or they can add ironic punctuation by introducing a disparate element to your look. They express the mood of your outfit without saying a word. The Pickford heels from Ingenue say a lot. They are classic, restrained and yet have some exquisite details such as the way the strap splits into two and the tiny, neat bow. In most views of my outfit today, you cannot even see them, but I know they are there and that is all that matters.
Today I am wearing a gorgeous formal gown from Liziaah, an amazing designer who migrated to SL from IMVU and who I predict you will hear more of as more and more people become familiar with her designs. This is a lush formal gown with minimal fuss in the structure and maximal attention to details in the print – a gorgeous of flowers and lace that would have made Marie Antoinette giddy with delight.
Marcopol Oh Puts Some Skin in the Game
Marcopol Oh is probably best known for his stunning photography but over the past year, he has been quietly building a reputation as a clothing designer, producing modern, minimalist designs for his label La Penderie de Nicole. He recently jumped into the deep end, producing a line of male skins called Julian. I have been a long time fan of his sense of style and design, so I was thrilled when he recently released a female skin called Julia. The slide show above shows the five skin tones, each of which comes not only different colors of eyebrows, but with different thickness and density to the brows. Incidentally, these photos are all raw Second Life shots. I set the snapshot to 1000 by 1000, so they have not even been cropped. The Julia skin was released for The 24 Event and is only available there for now. It’s a bit tricky because his store is in The 24 Menswear section, but it is right by the landing point.
Obligatory Rainbow Fence Photo Included
I was out doing my Saturday morning farmer’s market shopping when I spied it. A Rainbow Fence! I quickly ran over, struck a pose and snapped. Now I can get that piece on my fashionista punch card punched out and I can trade it in for a free gift! I hope it’s a toaster! Continue reading
I Am Ready to Collabor88
My computer is back with a new hard drive, so it’s kind of like starting with a blank slate. It is certainly the cleanest clean install of Second Life I have done as it was the first application I installed. So there I was in-world again after my short hiatus and ready to Collabor88. But first, I had to log in as the LoveDonnaFlora avatar and transfer all the funds to Squinternet after the Love Donna Flora event. All in all, the event raised $12,619.45 to help support Squinternet’s struggle with cancer. There may be some more coming in after the event, but it is likely to be small and will, of course, be transferred to Squint regularly.
Speaking of Donna Flora, the dress I am wearing is a perfect Collabor88tion of MiaMai’s Monica Outlander and Donna Flora’s Squinternet. Again, Monica executed Squint’s vision, marrying her skills and sensibilities with Squint’s exuberant love of vintage. The result is a dress that seems to have a third collabor88tor in the mix, Gustav Klimt. The blend of fabrics were surely chosen by Squint after consulting with Klimt. And who could be a better collabor88tor for the 1920s. It’s not well known, but Klimt designed some dresses with his lover Emilie Flöge, the couturier. His dresses hung from the shoulders, without a defined and corseted waist and were very bohemian in their aesthetic.
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A Sea of Sirens Tears
When I first heard and then read about the Donna Flora event, I cried, I really did. I don’t do it often, but it really hit me. I cried a little again, when I realized I missed the cutoff date for applications for designers.
So I shopped instead.
I have never had the opportunity to talk with Squinternet. I’d sometimes see her setting up vendors in the shop, or out and about at events. I do however know her store line personally, as I have acquired many pieces from it over the years.
Some of you may know me, or of me, some of you may not, but one thing that can be universally seen in many of my posts is my love of colour. I also love period and retro styles. Donna Flora was one of those places I could go, get a Purple/Orange/Red patterned dress, grab gold, like real looking gold jewelry(so hard to find) and come out not looking like a clashy mess.