RFL: Lighthouse of Alexandria

The Lighthouse of Alexandria (Teleport Point) is sponsored by [sYs] Designs.

Built around 250 B.C.E. on the island of Alexandria, for the purpose of guiding ships into port, the Lighthouse of Alexandria stood between 400 and 450 meters high and was built by Ptolemy I shortly after Alexander the Great (who founded Alexandria) died. It was made of light colored stone in three parts; the base was large and square, with an octagonal section on top, and finally a round section which lead to the light source. During the day, a large mirror reflected the sunlight; at night a fire was kindled there. Interestingly, the builders used liquid lead as mortar in order to help the stones resist the awesome forces of the sea. It remained intact until 796 C.E., when the top section was damaged and left unrepaired, however there are reports it was still used as a lighthouse. Earthquakes finished the damage; the initial one in 956 left it still functioning, but the twin ones in 1303 and 1323 turned it into a ruin which could no longer be entered. In 1480 the last remnants of it vanished below a fort built atop the lighthouse platform by Pharoh Qaitbay using stones from it's wreck. It wasn't until 1994 that stones which had fallen into the East Bay of Alexandria were discovered by French archaeologists and raised for display so that the public could see them.

The Lighthouse at Alexandria was by far the most complicated to navigate to find the stores, as they weren't in any clear order but were rather laid out like stands of cattails in a marsh. Displays were hung from trees, facing a variety of directions, which added to the confusion. It was completely lovely, though, so I had a difficult time complaining, even though I'm not sure I found all of the stores! Like the Pyramid and the Temple to Artemis, the Lighthouse creator Bryn Oh, whose work I adore, took the ancient structure as a jumping off point rather than something to even attempt to reproduce or represent. I have mixed feelings about this; although I love Bryn's work, and the lightbulb orrey is simply wonderful to watch, the difficulty in navigating and finding the RFL items seems to at least somewhat undermine the purpose of the Fashion Faire and I really wondered what it would be like to move around a more faithful representation of the Lighthouse at Alexandria. I really enjoyed the sense of stepping back in time which came with a few of the other sims; here I was very aware I was walking within Bryn's idiosyncratic world. There is probably a lot here about the relationship between personal style and historical inspirations, but I'm mostly left with space for questions than any answers worth writing about.

It wasn't just the navigation which caused me problems; I also had some difficulty finding clothing that suited me on this sim as well, though there were many more demos in evidence than in other places. I finally settled on this gorgeous set of blue and pink silks (also available with pink silks and blue roses) from Likka House. While I'm more attached to her Lolita or historical fashions, her silks are really lovely and the chain over the hip is simply sublime. They are prim, which meant I could resize the arm bands to fit my larger-than-average arms, and the silk lengths move when one moves. I kept the jewelry from my last look, from Designs by Sebastian because the translucent colors and chandelier style fit so well. All of the rest of the action is around my eyes, where three items from three different stores work some absoluter magic. The bottom glow of color is from our old friends Pin Me Down, the RFL Nacre release which has gotten me so far through these seven faire looks. Layered over that is a gorgeous eye tattoo and faint eyeshadow from White Widow, who specializes in artistic paint around the eyes. Finally, I layered on top these amazing branch eyelashes from Boudoir. I had to alter them pretty radically to fit my eyes, as my eyes curve downward on the outsides, but that was easy to do since they are on a single curving prim away from the eye. I really love the effect, at once natural and bizarre.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Boudoir, Fairy eyeliner (RFL Donation)
Eyeshadow: Pin Me Down, Nacre 8 (RFL Donation)
Eye Decor: White Widow, Evasion (RFL Donation)
Lipstick: Mock, Bella Vetro Gloss
Hair: Alice Project, Momo II
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: Designs by Sebastian, Babylon Set (RFL Donation)
Silks: Likka House, Rosephilia Silk - Daybreak (RFL Donation)
Feet: SLink, Mesh Feet

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Lighthouse of Alexandria
Light Settings: Places Midian
Water Settings: Mirror Glass

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

RFL: Pyramid at Giza

The Pyramid of Giza (Teleport Point) is sponsored by Chop Zuey Couture and Jewelry.

As the oldest and largest pyramid, the Great Pyramid at Giza, also known as the Pyramid of Khufu or Cheops, is also the oldest of the Wonders of the Ancient world, created in ten to twenty years around 2500 B.C.E. At almost 150 meters, it was also the tallest man-made structure until the Lincoln Cathedral in England was finished in 1311 C.E. While now we can see the mottled limestone which makes up the bulk of the pyramid, but when it was initially built it was covered with smooth casing stones - some of which can still be seen around the base. There are three chambers inside of the pyramid, a Queen chamber, a King chamber, and an unfinished chamber cut into the bedrock. The pyramid was designed so that the ratio of the perimeter to the height of the pyramid - 1760/280 cubits - equates to 2π to an accuracy of better than 0.05%. There are arguments about whether this was deliberate or chance, though, as anthropologists are unsure the Egyptians had the concept of π at the time of this pyramid's construction. Likewise, arguments about how the pyramid was built rage on to today, though the latest evidence at the worker's camps indicate the builders were likely not slaves. There are many mysteries still contained beneath the surface of the pyramid, and astonishingly robotics have become central to further explorations of various passages off of the King and Queen's chambers.

The Relay for Life Pyramid echoes the ancient one in shape, but not in look or style, instead jumping enthusiastically into the modern era with a rainbow pyramid made of hexagons, containing a wide variety of moving shapes which - if your video feed is on - reflects whatever videos are playing at a given time. This is actually a staple of the artist's work; Thoth Jantzen was one of the first people I met in Second Life, and my early days were spent playing in his Egyptian-inspired areas. While I was at the Pyramid, the video was a streaming loop of transforming colors, but in the past I've seen a wide variety of videos from YouTube bent, twisted, and moving on elaborately arranged surfaces. The stores are in an easy to navigate square, though occasionally one of the graphical interfaces will block your view; just keep walking forward and you'll get where you want to go. One interesting trick of the design is that often I found myself unsure if I was moving because I could perceive no change in the landmarks in the room, so don't be fooled!

The no demo trend restarted in this sim, which ended up being a real shame because there were three dresses I was interested in, but for 800$L a pop I wanted to try a demo first! Luckily, when I finally saw a dress I completely fell in love with, this ballgown from Snowpaws, it not only had a demo but it fit me like a glove. I love the sleeves on this, with the curve smoothly across the front and the back, and the length is simply perfect. The hint of gold at the hem echoes the gold elsewhere in the dress, and while the length of the dress is rigged mesh, the ruffles around the hips are flexi, which allows for some movement and interest. I love it when designers combine the best of two different styles of clothing, and this dress really highlights that.I felt the dress really set a tone of sleek and fashionable, so I paired it with some contrasting colored jewelry from Designs by Sebastian. The curves of the jewelry set are really lovely, and it fit me well with only a little adjustment. I also really liked the subtle purples and pinks mixed in with the rich teal base tone. The final touch was a beautiful cosmetics set by Madrid Solo which seemed as if it was made to go with this dress, the rich purple and clean gold leaf around the eyes absolutely stunning. It would probably stand out even more on a darker toned skin. I think I ended up with a truly elegant look which stood in fine contrast to the eclectic effects of the Pyramids at Giza on Second Life.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Cosmetics: Madrid Solo, Siobhan (RFL Donation)
Hair: Alice Project, Lana Bangless
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: Designs by Sebastian, Babylon Set (RFL Donation)
Dress: Snowpaws, Royale Gown (RFL Donation)
Shoes: G Field, Ribbon Slingback

Poses: Glitterati

Location: RFL: Pyramid of Giza
Light Settings: Places Midian
Water Settings: Phototools Ship Light

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

RFL: Colossus at Rhodes

Colossus at Rhodes (Teleport Point) is sponsored by EMO-tions.

The Titans are told of in the Greek Myths, and predated - even fomented - the beings we know as the Greek Gods. They were believed to be enormous, much larger than any human could ever be, and as such the Colossus at Rhodes representing Helios, aptly represented them on the earth. It was erected around the end of the 200s B.C.E. to celebrate successfully defending against Cyprus. It stood over thirty meters high (98.4 ft), about the size of a ten floor high building. While now we regularly have skyscrapers in the hundreds of meters in height, for the ancient world the Colossus was an impressive - even terrifying - sight. Much of the metal for it was taken from the abandoned weapons of the enemies who had left with their siege unrealized, which is a vivid example of turning swords into plowshares! It was destroyed in an earthquake in the 200s C.E.m having survived a little over four centuries.

The Colossus in Second Life managed to combine all the impressiveness of the original statue, with a single path of stores curving up around the body of Helios. It is a little difficult to navigate at times, since we can't see our feet, but the design is so novel and yet so easy that I was totally charmed. You can actually walk over the shoulders of Colossus and down one of his arms to perch on the tip of his finger, and having discovered I could do this I could not resist. I saw other people jumping off, or flying around, his enormous form as I took photographs, and you might see a few of them - small as flies around his massive form. I had been dubious when I began, but I ended up really loving the Colossus, even if it was a major pain to photograph with my outfit! A number of the storefronts here were empty, though, which was a shame; EMO-tions was spread across three storefronts, and I also saw a second incarnation of Tres Beau here - apparently an outlet from the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

I also had great luck with the stores, managing to set myself up with hair, jewelry, a dress, and shoes all within the Colossus - which is a first for this project! Beginning at the top, my hair is a gorgeous design from EMO-tions, which combines a colored hair tattoo with a prim updo complete with decorative coins. I had to edit it slightly to fit it around my ears, but I really loved the effect and it moves beautifully.It is flexy layers of semi-transparent hair, which means there might be alpha occlusion errors, depending on your angle. EMO-tions is having a sale for the duration of the Faire as well, all hair tones for only 99$L while fatpacks are slightly more expensive at 500$L. The jewelry is a wonderful find from Pure Poison, and is one of the first things I've seen for sale which really conforms to the theme of the ancient world, being rather thick and geometrically styled cuffs, collar, and earrings. I really fell in love with these when I put them on; they are simple, iconic, and well made - definite keepers. The Silk Dreams dress is a gorgeous sheath with embroidery on it which I really adore, and which I believe is exclusive to the Faire. I'm wearing the largest size, as it didn't otherwise fit my bust, but unlike a lot of large dresses it still nips in at the waist. Finally, my first purchase was these gorgeous peep-toe shoes from AHN-JI with a pretty flower design on it in shades of pink and green. I was surprised to find when I put them on that they included ankles as well as peep-toes, and as you can see I had some difficulty matching the skin. The HUD has a variety of ways to tint, which made it easier than it might have been, but I'm afraid my patience wasn't what it should have been.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 04-A
Eyeshadow: Pin Me Down, Nacre 6 (RFL Donation)
Lipstick: Mock, Bella Vetro Gloss - Cabaret
Hair: EMO-tions, Semiramis (RFL Donation)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: Pure Poison, Gold Greek Accessories (RFL Donation)
Dress: Silk Dreams, Milano Mesh Dress (RFL Donation)
Bird: silentsparrow, Chymri Plush Bird (50 Linden Fridays)
Shoes: AHN-JI, "Shaori" Spring II (RFL Donation)

Poses: Glitterati

Location: RFL: Colossus of Rhodes
Light Settings: Places Duskwood
Water Settings: Phototools Ship Light

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

RFL: Artemis at Ephesus

The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus (Teleport Point) is sponsored by Leri Miles Designs.

Artemis, called Diana by the Romans, was the Greek Goddess of the Hunt, known for her purity, virginity, and care for women in childbirth, though the Artemis worshiped at Ephesus has older origins than the twin of Apollo and was portrayed as a many-breasted goddess, and her connection with the goddess the Greeks called Artemis is a slender thread. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus is an ancient site, it's first building dating back to the bronze age and claimed as a holy site for the Amazons, legendary women who lived in a martial, matriarchal society who were historical enemies of the Greeks whose writings about them survive. The original temple was destroyed by a flood in the seventh century B.C.E. and rebuilt around 500 B.C.E. in about ten years. It fell to fire next - specifically arson, a destruction which lasted for about the same span of time. The final rebuilding began in the 300s B.C.E., and was larger and grander than any of it's previous forms with sculptures from many of the contemporary artists of the time. Antipater of Sidon, who compiled the seven ancient wonders of the world, said of its third incarnation:

"I have set eyes on the wall of lofty Babylon on which is a road for chariots, and the statue of Zeus by the Alpheus, and the hanging gardens, and the colossus of the Sun, and the huge labour of the high pyramids, and the vast tomb of Mausolus; but when I saw the house of Artemis that mounted to the clouds, those other marvels lost their brilliancy, and I said, "Lo, apart from Olympus, the Sun never looked on aught so grand".

It survived some six hundred years before the Goths brought it to the end in a raid. The Hagia Sophia, in fact, gained some of it's columns from the Temple of Artemis after it's destruction. Now, only a single column made up of scraps from the temple remains on its original site, but reproductions have been made around the world.

This was by far the easiest sim for me to navigate to date, as all of the stores are organized on three of four sides of the square around the reproduction of the Temple. I'm clearly a picky, persnickety person, as now that I got what I wanted - an easy to navigate sim - I was caught up with complaints about it's simplicity! Unable to be pleased, that is clearly me. The Temple itself is lovely. While I wish some of the effect of the carvings at the base of the columns could have been represented, the leaf pattern used was lovely; and while I would have loved to see the iconic figure of the Goddess of Ephesus represented in Second Life, there were some original and pre-fabricated sculptures in place within the temple.

The outfit I'm wearing is a novelly put together top, belt, and skirt from AlaFolie available in a wide variety of colors. The color I'm wearing is the one for sale for a donation to RFL, though the ad on the board shows two very different colors from this one. The neat thing about it is how it's piecemeal - with the dress coming in three parts, you can mix and match with other items easily. Just a heads up, it's transfer ok/no copy, so don't be surprised when you open it! The jewelry is from Virtual Impressions, a new-to-me store with some really amazing options. I'm wearing a completely texture-change set; there are a bunch of colors to pick from, and you can tint the large gem separately from the surrounding ones. It's also transfer-ok/no copy, just as a heads up. It is also fullbright out of the box, but you have modifying rights, so that can easily be fixed. Finally, I'm wearing a tanner skin with a gorgeous cosmetic set from Belleza in shades of teal. I had originally picked the teal to match the color of the dress I thought I'd gotten from AlaFolie, but I think it works just as well with the mustard shade! A nice bit of contrast to make my look more interesting.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Belleza, Amy Med FFL 0 (RFL Donation)
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 04-A
Eyeliner: Squeek!, Eyeliner Yellow
Hair: Truth, BabyDoll
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: Virtual Impressions, Honour Jewelry (RFL Donation)
Dress: AlaFolie, Veronique (RFL Donation)
Shoes: NYU, Collared Bow Heels

Poses: !bang

Location: RFL: Artemis at Ephesus
Light Settings: Places Duskwood

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

RFL: Gardens of Babylon

Gardens of Babylon (Teleport Point) is sponsored by Tres Beau.

Are possibly one of the only wonders of the ancient world which was purely legendary, but they capture the imagination of all of us in a wave of beauty in the wilderness. Supposedly created around 600 B.C.E by Nebuchadnezzar II for his homesick wife, Amytis of Media, they were said to be destroyed in earthquakes during the Second Century C.E. Stories of them were told by notable Greek and Roman authors centuries later, but no contemporary records or archaeological ruins have ever been found. They were said to be created to replicate mountainous terrain, and festooned with plans and running water. This virtual Hanging Gardens are like a volcanic mountain; you enter up a truly impressive stair, then look down and over layers of terracing with fountains and plants everywhere. The trend of difficult to navigate continues, but the the view is simply stunning. Arranged around the central plaza, the stores curve this way and that and with a little attention you can follow around the ring 360 Degrees. Look for the staircases up, too - gorgeous gardens top the dome over the stores, and there's even a small gathering area complete with pillows to rest at. It's truly enchanting.

Thankfully, the demo dearth has not continued, and there were demos right by the RFL Vendors selling mesh dresses every time I went to look - and I went to look a lot on this sim. It really hit my sweet spot of shiny dresses and gorgeous accessories, and I ended up spending a lot more money than I expected to! It took some work to figure out what I wanted to wear, especially since several favorite stores were represented in the gardens, and I decided to go with an entirely new-to-me store (though don't worry, other things will be showing up later!). deviousMind is a very original store with retro-styled outfits. I purchased both the extremely scandalous Leda - named for one of Zeus' lovers, I would assume - and this much more decorous but still styling Miss Betty. Both outfits are available in other colors, but they have RFL exclusive colors, and those were the ones I splurged on. The dress also comes with a lovely gathering of flowers for my hair; I ended up moving them to match my hair, but they are completely gorgeous. The jewelry is from the sponsor store, Tres Beau, and are a gorgeous and over-sized set of jet that were over the top enough to match my brilliant gown. She also has several gowns set out, one of which matches this jewelry set perfectly as well. Finally, I added something I simply couldn't resist. The newest shoe release from G Field (and with matching dresses made with her rose pattern from the past) has two exclusive colors being released at RFL, and below I'm showing off coral. The shoes come with a HUD which lets you change the color of the edging and the heel, allowing for subtle color matching of complicated outfits. I ended up buying both the exclusives and the fatpacks, though; G Field is rapidly becoming one of my auto-buy stores, which is not happy for my pocketbook but very happy for my look.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De la Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 04-A
Eyeshadow: Pin Me Down, Nacre 4 (RFL Donation)
Lipstick: Adore & Abhor, 13 Lips Orange
Hair: Exile, Loveshack - Hollywood
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: Tres Beau, "Miss Ramona" Jewelry (RFL Donation)
Dress: deviousMind, Miss Betty (RFL Donation & Exclusive)
Shoes: G Field, Wedge Pups Adele - Coral (RFL Donation & Exclusive)

Poses: Glitterati

Location: RFL: Gardens of Babylon
Light Settings: Places Astryl's Wild
Water Settings: Phototools Ship Light

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

RFL: Zeus at Olympia

Zeus at Olympia (Teleport Point) is sponsored by Sonatta Morales *8* Vintage Couture.

This statue is forty-two feet tall (14 meters) tall and was carved around 430 B.C.E. by the Greek sculptor Phidias. It was created with gold and ivory panels over a wooden frame, showing Zeus sitting on a cedarwood throne. Contemporaries who saw it in person said it was as if the god existed on earth, and some claimed seeing it would cause one to forget all worries and concerns in the world. When asked what inspired him, Phidias quoted from the Iliad:

He spoke, the son of Cronos, and nodded his head with the dark brows,

and the immortally anointed hair of the great god

swept from his divine head, and all Olympos was shaken.

Unfortunately, the sculpture was destroyed around the fifth century C.E., so all we know about it is from contemporary descriptions and representations on coins. How it was destroyed is unclear, though there are multiple stories about its destruction, and the destruction of the temple it was housed in at the same time.

I'm really hoping this isn't a trend, because I found Zeus at Olympia extremely difficult to navigate. The stores are laid out as a grid, the first row along the path you enter into from Halicarnassus. The second two rows face each other behind the first one, though there are no roads per se, and flank a beautiful pool and what seemed to be an ancient dock with traditional boats facing the event pavilion in the middle. I ended up going up and down the rows once I figured out what was going on, but I really don't have a recommendation for the easiest way to cover everything without getting lost. Each store is lovely, though - designed with open wickerwork sides and flowers hanging down from above, they really are redolent of warm summers in Greece. The small arcade at the base of the hill is lovely, complete with a little market and places to recline and rest during the heat of the day. The staircase up to the temple of Zeus is toward the back of that initial arcade, and the temple - and sculpture - themselves are absolutely gorgeous, surrounded by amazingly textured walls and a beautifully tiled floor.

It was also difficult to find things which suited me in it! The trend of no demos continued, and a lot of the clothing was more modern than I prefer. I finally took a risk on a mesh outfit with no demo, and lucked out; one of the sizes fit me! Yay! I really like the sleeves of this dress by Drama Queens in particular, echoing the deep v front of the dress. The purple was the donation purchase, with a wide variety of other colors available underneath. I love the ruffly edges and how casual and flirty it is. The hair from Dura was also found on this sim, and I really liked the short, sassy style with the tinted ends in front. There are several RFL-only donation releases at Dura, so make sure to check them out. I'm reprising the cosmetics from Pin Me Down, this time in purple, and I really like the rich colors. You can see the full effect much better with this more windswept style from Dura.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De la Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 04-A
Eyeshadow: Pin Me Down, Nacre 3 (RFL Donation)
Lipstick: Mock, Bella Vetro Gloss - Apple Blossom
Hair: Dura, Fashion for Life Hair 3 (RFL Donation)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: Maxi Gossamer, Wild Honey Purple (Arcade Prize)
Dress: Drama Queens, Bousey Dress Purple (RFL Donation)
Shoes: katat0nik, Souler Peep Toe Heels

Poses: !bang

Location: RFL: Zeus at Olympia
Light Settings: Phototools, Jessica Light 03
Water Settings: Phototools Ship Light

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Relay For Life: Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus (Teleport Point) is sponsored by Lazuri. 

Built by Queen Artemisia to honor her husband/brother Mausolus and as a resting place for both of their ashes, built by many of the great sculptures of the time including Leochares, Bryaxis, Scopas and Timotheus. It counts as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and has been replicated in multiple places around the world. All Mausoleums are actually named after Mausolus, because his was so grand it entirely changed how people in the Western world viewed funeral monuments. The Mausoleum is in Halicarnassus because that was Mausolus and Artemisia' capital, created during their lifetime to be both a defensive and remarkable center of government for the territory they inherited from their father and expanded greatly under their rule. Artemisia lived only two years after the death of her husband/brother, but the creators of the Mausoleum continued their work even then, considering it a fitting tribute to their skill and to the reign of Mausolus and Artemisia. It was rendered ruins sometime between 1200 and 1400 by an earthquake, though the exact dates are unknown.

It was a challenge to find my way around the sim representation of Halicarnassus; though the avenues were broad, the multitude of paths through the sim made it difficult to know if I had missed a corner of stores or not, and once I ended up very confusedly retracing my steps! It's build is gorgeous, though, as you can see - very old and elegant with small clusters of flowers here and there to brighten up the stone. The Mausoleum itself is in the center, large pools flanking the bridge into the beautifully appointed building. Statues festoon the ends of the avenues and the sides of entrances, lending a formal majesty to it all. Within the large, second floor room of the Mausoleum the walls are carved with beautiful abstract frescoes which I couldn't resist trying to capture.You can really feel the majesty of Halicarnassus and the Mausoleum to Artemisia and Mausolus, and I'm so glad I got a chance to explore it.

The offerings in the sim include a lot of lingerie, some separate pieces, and a lot of casual clothing. I had a difficult time finding things I wanted to wear there, but someone with a more modern casual style might have an easier time of it. The other major problem I ran into was a lack of demos for mesh offerings, which meant I was often reluctant to purchase something, since I'm so far off the standard shapes, especially with some of the purchase prices topping 1700$L! Weirdly, even with other outfits of the same mesh shape in the store, demos were sometimes still missing. In the end I was able to find a few things which suited me, though, including this gorgeous dress from World's End Garden. I still primarily associate World's End Garden with her enchanting sim, not her clothing, but both this and the two other outfits she has out are a delight. This is a simple sheath, but the fabric is bunched and ruched in an entirely natural way, curving over the belly and falling in uneven waves to the ground. I was really charmed by the pattern, as well, large red flowers on a backdrop scattered with pink blossoms and highlighted with gold.The jewelry is also an RFL donation item, from Lazuri Avenue who is sponsoring this sim. It is an amazing color changing set, where different sides of the jewels can be tinted different colors. I was really struck by how versatile that makes them, though I rather wish there were a few more options - like red, for example. Even so, I'm really in love with it's casual, stylish lengths. Finally, I added a nice eyeshadow Donation item from Pick Me Up, brilliantly colored shadows in every color of the rainbow, their colors curving over the temples.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De la Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 04-A
Eyeshadow: Pin Me Down, Nacre 1 (RFL Donation)
Lipstick: Mock, Bella Vetro Gloss - Apple Blossom
Hair: Curio Obscura, Stackable Hair Elegant (Gatcha Prize)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: Lazuri Avenue, Spring Necklace Set (RFL Donation)
Dress: World's End Garden, Precious (RFL Donation)

Poses: Glitterati

Location: RFL: Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
Light Settings: Phototools, July Light 02
Water Settings: Phototools Ship Light

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only