I have always like vintage clothing, particular that from the 40s and 50s when clothing was structured and fitted with sophisticated glamour the aesthetic goal designers had in mind. The Vintage and Cool event currently going on seems made for me. People were coming out of the austerity of the Thirties and the World War and the expanding economy and growing middle class allowed for a real explosion of fashion. This lovely dress from AVALE fits firmly in that tradition.
Today I am wearing a versatile dress from Tee*fy. I love that it has options for the bodice. You
can wear the dress with the spaghetti straps alone or, as I did, add the optional harness. There are also lace cap sleeves you can add that slide right under the straps for a touch of romance. It has a fitted bodice with a mesh midriff. Christian Siriano says mesh is “done” but not if it looks as good as this. It is a great take on the Hotel Spoopy theme for October’s Collabor88.
Baiastice turns on the heat with these too hot to handle caged bra top and colorful belted miniskirt. In several colors and solids, it’s heating up the joint at Collablor88.
The heat is on, on the street
Inside your head, on every beat
And the beat’s so loud, deep inside
The pressure’s high, just to stay alive
‘Cause the heat is on
Trinity Yazimoto of Petit Chat is doing something intriguing with her textiles in her Fashion Week collection. She is texturing her clothing with fabrics created from Second Life® photos that she took. In Sweet Mnemosyne, the outfit I am wearing, she using a picture of a woman in a giant bird cage in a field of flowers. I am excited to see someone using Second Life to create clothing textures as it is something new that I have not seen before.
There’s only a few designers with the confidence in their design aesthetic and creative skills to resist the tides of change while simultaneously surfing the waves. Monica Outlander is one of those artists. Her new MiaMai Black Label collection is the perfect exemplar of that duality of leading and trailing edge design.
What do I mean by that? Well, she is using appliers for Slink Mesh attachments to enhance her clothing. Meanwhile, she provides system layers for people who use the default avatar. She is using mesh in many creative ways. Meanwhile, she will use flexi-prims when they suit the design better. It is that flexibility that leads her to use whatever method best suits the design – not just the newest method, that shows confidence and commitment to her own vision.
Queen Elizabeth I had it right some 450 years ago when she said “I would not open windows into men’s souls.” We all have opinions and we have a right to them — even if they are stupid, destructive and wrong. I think most of agree on that. Where we diverge is when our opinions move to actions that impinge on other people. That happens all the time in society. Much of politics is about building enough political power to be able to take our opinions and move them into actions that impinge on others whether it’s trying to prevent others from marrying whom they love or blocking companies from polluting our groundwater – it is about making our opinions trump those of others.
But there are places where moving from thought to action has no place. The particular circumstance I am thinking of is the effort people make to discourage others from giving to or supporting community efforts to help others in Second Life®. We all may have opinions about the relative merits of one fundraiser over another and we certainly should make no effort to support anything we disagree with. We might think this person is not doing enough to help herself or that person’s need is frivolous or distrust the circumstances or even doubt there is a real need. That’s fine. Skepticism is a healthy quality to have.
However, there is no Selective Service Administration drafting designers and ordering them to produce for this tour. Shoppers are not herded into venues to spend money against their will. Moreover, if you are a shopper and buy a pair of shoes for 250L at a fundraiser, you get a pair of shoes that would cost 250L or more at the store since designers often discount for fundraisers. You’re not donating, you’re shopping. You might spend a little more because you think it’s for a good cause, but you get a fair return for your money.You lose nothing. The only people who risk are the creators and if they have made the decision to contribute, that’s their prerogative.
There are a couple of fundraisers right now to help individuals with urgent family needs. The hair, dress, shoes, mani/pedi and necklace in today’s outfit come from one of those events, <3Ulaa. <3Ulaa is raising funds to help Ulaa Coronet to take her son to meet his grandmother for the first and final time. His grandmother is dying of cancer. For me, this is a compelling need and one that I think is worthy of my time and my lindens – and that’s my prerogative. If you don’t agree, don’t shop there. You will miss out on all sorts of adorability, but that’s your prerogative Continue reading
I love this new Deviant skirt from Peqe. I wanted to style it a bit differently and remembered this top from Shi. I think they work great together. Continue reading
Store info at Blogging Second Life
****SHOPPING LIST******
Poses: Ma Vie
Skin: [PXL] MIA Jazz NAT ~ Makeup 02 REB C2
Eyes: [UMEBOSHI] Eon eyes light Green (med)
Lashes: [LeLutka]-DIVA lashes
Mesh Attachments:
Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands – Casual
Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands – Relaxed
Slink AvEnhance Feet High
Slink Physique Mesh Figure
Mani/Pedi: FLAIR
Clothing: .Shi Fur Pullover {RedSet}
Peqe – Deviant Skirt
Shoes: MIAMAI_Regan pumps – Black Skin
Jewelry: [MANDALA]LEGACY-Maasai Earrings – Collabor88
The Real Housewives of New York traveled to Missoula, Montana, because nothing pumps up the drama like making a bunch of women who can barely tolerate each other travel together and be in each other’s company for days on end. Normally the women of New York are impeccably dressed for wherever they go, but with a few exceptions, the RHONY crew did not pack well for Montana. They were more Ralph Lauren New West than the real West. When they went to the rodeo, more than one wore a white prairie skirt. Rodeos are dusty and dirty events — and let’s not forget port-a-potties — where white skirts are downright silly. Watching, I realized I was seeing what city people think country folk wear. Either that or they all wanted to be Laura Ingalls once upon a time.
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I am always excited when a blogger becomes a clothing designer. I think of Milla Michanaga who formed MichaMi and Elysium Elide who started elymode and recognize that both of them focused long and hard on construction quality. I think that, being bloggers, they had this pre-formed set of standards that created a daunting hurdle to overcome before they began to release. Having noted construction flaws in other work, they felt an obligation to do as they say and held themselves to higher standards. So, when Thalia Heckroth™ told me she was moving into clothing design, I was excited. This is her first release and I am pleased to say she continues the tradition.
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