Second Life’s 9th birthday celebration opens on June 18th, just a week away. Gidge and I, along with some of our friends are working our pixel fingers to the bone preparing all sorts of fun tutorials about SL photography and blogging. Just to give you a preview of what’s to come, the pictures in this post are all unedited, raw shots direct from Second Life. The only thing that has been done is that they have been cropped.
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.
Azure Electricteeth of the brand Tee*fy has created an adorable babydoll that is so cute it triumphed over my usual preference for a more tailored fit with snug, body-hugging waists. Part of its deliciousness comes from the tiny spaghetti straps that are sliding off the shoulders – a bit of cheeky fun. She adds a strapless alternative to the folder in case you want to layer or something, but who would want to cover up that charming detail? But even more, it’s the color! She made this dress in enough colors for two rainbows. Yes, 15 different colors from rich, vibrant primary colors to tender, romantic pastels, there’s a color for everyone.
My post title mojo has disappeared, lost in a long nap I accidentally took this afternoon. I was chilly and just crawled under the blanket to warm up and six hours later, I am rested but my synapses are firing at half-speed. This skirt from Nyu for faMESHed is not just running full-speed, it’s full-speed in the awesome lane. I love everything about it from the texture details on the front of the skirt, the tuxedo bow belt, the zipper up the back, the lining on the bottom inside to eliminate the alpha inside issue. the bodysuit from Milk Motion for Dressing Room Blue seemed made for it with its sexy but refined styling.
The pictures are shot at Memento Mori though I turned glow off in the debug settings. It’s so well done that I hate losing the details in the glow. I was excited to use Di’s Opera poses for the first time in a long time. I was sad when she closed her store awhile back, but she says she has more free time again to indulge in Second Life so she has just re-opened with a new release aptly named Redux.
I was not excited about the advent of mesh, fearful that new technology would mean new reasons to crash and new problems to solve. In part that is true, there are new fitting problems. In order to fit the mesh to your shape, you do have to make the central core of your shape conform to a range of standard sizes. In exchange, though, you do not have to fit five separate sculpts to your shape, then edit them every time you change your pose. FaMESHed is a monthly sales event that has formed to celebrate the glory of mesh and this second month is even more exciting than the first. By the way, look at the wide sleeve of the top, lines so it does not disappear, it is far superior to the melting flesh that lines a bell-shaped system sleeve.
Are you hungry for mesh? Then you should run, not walk, to faMESHed. And yes, I still privately call it Fame Shed because that’s how we roll here. There’s lots of delights there and with some of the other events going on this weekend. There’s so much going on, that I put together this post with an item or two from three different events.
The dress, however, is even more special because it is not associated with an event. Yes, you get to go to an actual store! I came across Bilo at The Ashraya Project, loved the design aesthetic and the workmanship and went on a mini-spree at the store where I picked up this fabulous dress that combines the fit of system where with the flexibility and finesse of mesh. Instead of the old hated crotch flap, there is a mesh skirt panel that makes the system pants and top into a dress. It’s well done, merging mesh with system pieces so you can’t even see the join except from certain extreme angles and positions.
Gozii - a dress from Torn. Torn is a new store that opened in April featuring mesh clothing in a rainbow of colors and prints.
Mostly I am torn because I chose to feature a dress from Torn, a mesh clothing boutique owned by Torn Difference, but it’s not just a play on words. You know I am a sucker for community-building projects, so Harlow Heslop’s Pay It Forward Project has a lot of appeal for me. In an ideal world, it would have developed organically and not in response to conflict, but in the real world, conflict is the heat that makes the seeds of change sprout. There is one way in which I would love there to be a sea change in the blogging world and if this helps bring it about, I will be thrilled.
Nails from WTG and bracelets from Je Suis continue the black and white theme.
In my opinion, too many see blogging as a zero-sum game, as though the traffic that goes to a competitor’s blog is traffic that won’t go to one’s own. In truth, fashion blogging is more like Starbucks. When Starbucks first began opening their stores all across America, there was a lot of griping about it killing the small local coffeehouses. The reality is, though, that a Starbucks opening up near a local coffeehouse is often the best thing that happens to them. Starbucks is not just selling coffee, it’s converting people to the idea of high-end, specialty coffee and amplifying the market.
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In my quest to find mixable mesh, I have found a few allies. Two of them, Eboni Khan of Hucci and Drinkenstein Sorbet of The Sea Hole, are featured in today’s post. What makes them an ally? Producing tops and skirts as separates so I can experiment with them in different looks beside the singular one they envision. This gives me the movement and texture depth and resolution of mesh and the flexibility and creativity in styling of system clothing – the best of both worlds.
The Magician’s Assistant is not only a fabulous book by Ann Patchett, but an occupation you can explore in Second Life. Most magician’s assistants wear showgirl costumes with bodysuits, sequins and fishnets, but I went for a more practical and elegant solution with a gorgeous, low-cut jumpsuit from R.icielli for Culture Shock. Part of the role of a good magician’s assistant is to draw the eye, and with this much cleavage, the eyes will be drawn.
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I love the fab retro print in this great dress from Chantkare for Culture Shock. It makes me think of the fun prints that were such a hallmark of the late 60s and the 70s. It’s a dress that could be worn by characters in this season of Mad Men. I shot the dress at a brand new sim. How new you ask? It opened on Friday!
It’s called Neva River and I predict you will be seeing many photos shot there as there are many charming set pieces that are perfect for taking pictures.