2014 Fashion for Life: Journey

Journey is a city sim, a modern city without plantlife or softness. It reminds me strongly of images of London I've seen from the 1800s, all tall roofs with grates and narrow windows, with old cars abandoned here and there and the odd bent crate or pile of crates adding texture. I particularly love the textures of the streets and walls - all hard stone and crisp shadows interspersed with the odd blast of color in a window or painted onto a car. Most interestingly, the way through to the other end of the sim was actually through two of the stores, with a small courtyard in between where the gacha for that sim were; an incredibly novel, if somewhat confusing, design. I also quite liked the number of faux doors and stairwells, giving it the effect of a much more populated area even while giving the individual store sufficient room for all of their Fashion for Life offerings.

This is my most sim-congruent look; hair, outfit, and shoes all come from Journey, which I think makes it rather fun. The hair which I've been showing off for quite some time is from EMO-tions, this time a lovely windblown style. Their store on Journey is quite lovely as well, with enormous, spinning gears in the floor; I found myself quite entranced by them. I've had a great deal of fun playing with EMO-tions' hair over the past week, and this windswept hair is particularly fine, with narrow strands going wildly. It also includes a mirror style, which would be useful for setting a scene. My gown is one that I have completely loved for ages in other colors, but this black and white confection completely floored me. Likka House (also on Journey) has always made wonderful, unique, interesting gowns, and this Carousel stands firmly amongst my favorite surreal outfits, a category I wish more dress makers aspired to. The corset, skirt, and ponies are all separate pieces and the latter two are not rigged, so they can be adjusted for shorter avatars; I ended up using the resize script included to make them smaller as well, but I'm quite tiny for Second Life. It came with stockings, but since I was indulging in shoes made for SLink feet I substituted a different set of stockings; DressME Designs also has clothing available, but I quite liked these purple shoes with their velvety texture and simple design. I love the puff-nosed pump and the narrow but not spiked heel, and they add a spot of color that was also found on Journey. The other spot of color comes in my nails, once more a fantastic offering from ZoZ, this time crackled color and silver combined; in this look, ZoZ is the odd thing out, since you can find these fantastic nails on Promenade instead.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Izzie's, Irene
Sparkles: Folly, Rainbow Sheen
Hair: EMO-tions, Windblown (Fashion for Life - Journey)
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Lipstick: Adore & Abhor, Silent Star
Wings: Cila, Cloud Wings White (Group Lucky Board)
Hands & Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands & Feet
Nails: ZoZ, Urban Silver (Fashion for Life - Promenade)
Clothing: Likka House, Carousel (Fashion for Life - Journey)
Shoes: DressME Designs, Anna (Fashion for Life - Journey)

Poses: Long Awkward Pose

Location: Fashion for Life: Journey
Light Settings: Places Betham
Water Settings: Phototools, Ship Light

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

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

Color Challenge: Week Twenty-Eight - Pink

Pink Week brings us back to the girliest of girl colors.

At least now. Interestingly, this gender assignment dates from somewhere in the 1940s, before which pink was considered a masculine color because it was so closely related to red.



My history with pink is fraught. When I was a teenager I loathed it, mostly because you couldn't get pads in any color BUT pink for a long while. Pink was never my favorite color - as a child it was red, later purple, and finally blue - and the forced association with it simply based on my gender always pissed me off. This hasn't changed as an adult (I dislike any stereotype, but there's something extra irritating about inaccurate ones applied to me), but I tried so hard to make my peace with pink - since it's hardly the color's fault that people are sexist assholes. Now my favorite color is rainbow - and rainbow doesn't work without pink.One of the things I love about rainbows is that each color has to exist, and be itself, and be distinct, in order for a rainbow to even work!

Now, I'm particularly fond of pink with black - especially when you include ruffles or lacing - so the Likka House Papagena dress is absolutely a favorite of mine. Papagena is a character from The Magic Flute, an opera by Mozart, a bird like creature who ends up paying attendance to Pamina. I prefer the book by Marion Zimmer Bradley, which has a distinctive sci-fi feel with hybrid bird or dog humans, but the music of the opera is huge and sweeping. I heard it in German in Germany, which was a true delight. Likka House is currently having a sale on all their things, and I ended up splurging on a few versions of the multi-colored Papagena dresses which will probably show up on this blog in the future.


My hair is from Tukinowaguma, and I ended up tinting it pink and pairing it with black roses. In this lighting the effect works, but I'm not sure I completely like it. One of the problems with tinting hair is you lose the effects of some of the highlights, which with a non-natural can be critical to making it look possible, if not plausible. The eyes are from a new line of Meeroo inspired eyes from De La Soul, and are a very un-Meerooish but extremely Deo-ish rainbow. She has some other Meeroo-inspired things, such as a fun backpack and a habitat, so swing by and check it out!

The skin is a RiotVend prize from Edge of Sanity, whose very charming creator had accidentally put in the wrong skin. She very kindly let us all know and was no doubt bombarded with IMs asking for the properly advertised skin. I was one of those IMs, and honestly I'm glad I did - even though it was a trial for her to field all of those requests! - because I utterly fell in love with the stark coloration and style of this skin and proceeded to wander around wearing it for the better part of three days.



I ended up going to the recent art display talked about on a few different blogs, at the Nordan Art Sim, by Shellina Winkler- a chess based, black and white display. Since I was doing such a vibrant shade of pink, it seemed like it might be fun to see if I could modify the coloring of the sim into pink, black, and white - and as you can see it worked out beautifully. I love the levels into the moving chessboard - you can walk all the way up to the top and look down over a chessy domain.

I'm monstrously fond of chess, not as an actual game - which I haven't the attention span for - but for the pieces and how they interact. I love the implications of how the different pieces move - knights jumping over things, pawns steadfastly moving forward one step at a time, queens leaping around wildly. There's a lot of metaphorical import to the pieces which engage the imagination in fantastic leaps.



( All the pictures here. )

Credits:

Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy
Skin: Edge of Sanity, Echo III - Rozza (Busty)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Hair: Tukinowaguma, Adelita Tan - tinted Pink (with black roses)
Dress: Likka House, Papagena - pink
Shoes: G Field, Rose Bootie "Diva"

Location: Nordan Art
Light Settings: [TOR] FOGGY - Melon Chapterhouse

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Broken

There are a lot of Japanese Charity Events going on - they sprung up like mushrooms! - and another is being hosted and run by Dead Dolls, a group in Second Life. Set in a gorgeous sim decorated with an Edo Japanese theme, complete with sacred trees and open porches.

I ended up going modern for the photoshoot, though, seeking out Tochigi Japan, a modern cyber version of what Japan might someday be. It looks like it is mostly a mall with a club attached, though in the time I spent there I didn't see anyone else about. The setting is lush and complicated, though - including a cute little cafe and a market. I had fun flying high and low, looking for little nooks and crannies I thought you would enjoy seeing.


Poses: Glitterati, Long Hair 3 - 5; Cosmetics: De La Soul, Charlie Makeup - Red Lips; Dress: Blue Blood, Camelia - purple; Shoes: Favole, Lilith

Blue Blood has released two different dresses, Camelia in purple goth and whitegoth. I adore her textures; here you can see patterning on the black, the purple ruffles, and the detailing with skulls at the waist, chest, neck, and wrists. The ruffly edge along the bodice line is simply charming, open and provocative without being flashy.

I've paired the dress with these Lilith Boots from Favole, which you can get a closer look at here. They have an adorable bow and chain detailing in your back, above the platform heels festooned with rivets. Favole's characteristic eye for detail is seen in how well they fit, as well as the charming flash of chain here and there in the pictures I took.

The cosmetics are the first of several from De La Soul, an entire set of red cosmetics that include an incredibly variety of options. Shown above is the red eyeliner with red lips; it also comes with a nude lip, and with lips that show teeth.


Pose: Glitterati, 047; Cosmetics: De La Soul, Charlie Makeup - Red Rising Sun; Dress: Blue Blood, Camelia - purple whitegoth; Wings: Favole, Peace

Here is Camelia in purple whitegoth, from Blue Blood; the patterning is harder to see in whitegoth, but I have to admit I like the look. It looks almost neon, perfect for clubbing in Tochigi Japan. I love the fall of the skirt, too, with it's wide sides and graceful movement. It moves well with you when you walk and dance, making every entrance and exit an event.

The wings (more easily seen here) are from Favole, which offered a truly stunning panoply of choices. I'm wearing a Favole accessory in every picture, but I only bought half of what's available there! They come in a shoulder version, without the silver chain, or a spine version chained together; an amazing effect and touch of detail.

The cosmetics are the second of several from De La Soul, the Rising Sun version with nude lips. I love the tattoo effect on the face of the sun - it would be good for a thematic avatar outfitting, or over the top drama for fashion.


Pose: Glitterati, Pin up 1 - Curvy; Cosmetics: De La Soul, Charlie Makeup - Red Rising Sun with Lips; Eyes: De La Soul, Luminis, Rising Sun; Hat: Favole, Vepar; Collar: Favole, Prolific; Cuffs: Ezura, Lolita Crown Red Cuffs; Dress: Malfean Visions, Tsuki-Yomi; Shoes: Malfean Visions, Amiage Sneakers
The next outfit shows a truly epic combination of accessories from the Charity Event. The dress and shoes are both from Malfean Visions - a style which also comes in a black base and a white base, all of them matching these awesome sneaker heels. I wish I could have picked up all three dresses, but alas the pocketbook forbid! It's a cute babydoll style, with a scoop neck and funky black and white detailing on the bodice and hem. I am actually even more in love with these sneaker heels, though; I love the stripes on them, and the oddly casual elegance. They took a bit for me to fit, since I'm shorter, but the shoe base that comes with them is modifyable. I ended up raising the heel quite a bit, and then they fit like a dream!

The hat and collar are both from Favole, and though they don't outright match, I thought the combination of black, white, and red made them work well. The collar is largely white with a stylish rose (there's a black on black version available as well, see: Deo wanting and eyeing pocketbook sadly), and fits well around the neck. It's modifyable, which is a blessing when one hasn't the swanlike neck required for a lot of collars on Second Life! The hat is closer to a crown with wings, with open view at the top, and has cute batwings coming off form either side, as if it's about to go fluttering off into the stratosphere.

The cuffs are from Ezura, and will show up again along with a set of boots that I quite love.There is a matching outfit and collar, but the collar I couldn't make fit - my lack of a swanlike neck being exacerbated by it being no modify. It's a gorgeous set altogether, though, so if you have either a swanlike neck, or more comfort with modifying your shape for clothing than I do, I highly recommend picking it up!

The cosmetics are from De La Soul, the Rising Sun face with red lips. I think this is quite my favorite, this or the red eye makeup with bright red lips. This is a good itme to note, I think, that this set is made to go with her Charlie skin, available in store, but works well over the Adam n Eve skin I paired it with here.


Pose: Mannequin, Broken3; Cosmetics: De La Soul, Charlie Makeup - Red Lips; Eyes: De La Soul, Luminis, Rising Sun; Hat: Favole, Vepar; Bracelets: Ezura, Lolita Crown Red Cuffs; Shirt and Pants: De La Soul, Japan Relief Jeans and Sleeveless White Turtleneck; Shoes: Malfean Visions, Amiage Sneakers
This picture shoes one of the first of the poses I got at the Event, the Broken set by Mannequin. It doesn't work as well with skirted outfits, but the effect is awesome with pants, and if I hadn't been trying to get quite so many pictures taken, I might have tried it with heavily modified skirts. I love how realistic the slumped positions are; take a moment to check out the full photoshoot and you'll see all five that are available.

The outfit is from De La Soul, and comes with many more varieties than I have room to show! I chose the white t-shirt to pair with the black jeans; the shirt also comes with the logo just on the back, and the collar comes in male and female sizes. There's also a black version of the same style, with the red cross on it, both with the front design and without the front design. It's a simple sleeveless t-shirt, but striking and a fantastic addition to any wardrobe.


Pose: Mannequin, Broken2; Cosmetics: De La Soul, Charlie Makeup - Rising Sun with Red Lips; Eyes: De La Soul, Luminis, Rising Sun; Hat: Favole, Vepar; Bracelets: Ezura, Lolita Crown Red Cuffs; Shirt and Pants: De La Soul, Japan Relief Jeans and Sleeveless Koi Turtleneck; Shoes: Ezura, Lace Ankle Boots - Red

You can see the De La Soul jean style more clearly, here, with the white version of them. The jeans come with sculpted cuffs, but can also be worn without - as I did here. I'm also wearing, and have been for many of these pictures, the Rising Sun eyes - you can see them more clearly here, though. I love the koi version of the sleeveless t-shirt; this comes just in black, but is also wonderful with it's dramatic simplicity.

The cuffs and boots are from Ezura, and have a matching collar and outfit also available there. I love the silver crown detail against the red lace, and I'm sure these will come out of the inventory many times in the future for the edgy, lacy look.

This is also another Mannequin pose; I love how the neck doesn't look quite right, and the bent in of the wrist. It makes it hard to accessorize for the poses, but the effect is worth it!


Pose: HelaMiyo, Looking back 1; Cosmetics: De La Soul, Charlie Makeup - Red Lips; Eyes: De La Soul, Luminis, Rising Sun; Hat: Favole, Vepar; Dress: Likka House, Victoria - blue; Shoes: Favole, Lilith
This gorgeous dress I simply couldn't resist. It's from Likka House, and I believe the green variety of it is on sale for a different Japanese Charity event - Project Fur, perhaps? I love how it swings. The combination of static and flexy prims is absolutely charming, and moves beautifully as you can see from above. I love the collar, too, and I paired it with the Lilith Boots from Favole I was wearing earlier, to gorgeous effect.

Hat: Favole, Vepar; Dress: Likka House, Victoria - blue; Shoes: Favole, Lilith; Prop with Poses: FlufferNutters, Cherry Blossom Branch

Finally is this adorable prop from FlufferNutters, a branch with cherry blossoms on it with several seats included. I really love the delicate coloring, and the poses are very fun! It's would make a whimsical, charming  addition to any woodland scene. Laely, the creator of FlufferNutterz, couldn't be sweeter; I had a delivery issue when I bought this, and she'd handled it by the end of the same day. Truly awesome customer service.

I want to say a quick word about the other, non-event things I'm wearing. My ears are my usual Mystic Ears from Illusions - a staple of my appearance. I've tinted them pale to go with my Adam n Eve skin, Astelle, which was from the Fantasy Faire and had become my new obsession. The wings are my old standbys from Fancy Fairy, recolored to match; I literally bought these as my first thing in Second Life, and still wear them - and still get complemented on them! The hair is a new purchase from Tukinowaguma, and I thought it fit the overall Gothic Doll look I was going for, and so could carry through all of the clothing.The rest of the poses are from Glitterati, where I recently blew a lot of Linden.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy
Skin: Adam n Eve, Astrelle Fae
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Hair: Tukinowaguma, Esther - tan

Purchased at: Broken, A Dead Dolls Charity Event for Japan
Locations: Tochigi Japan Cybercity and Tol Narwa Vire
Light Settings: Shadowset

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Hopes and Prayers for Japan

I doubt there are many who have missed the events in Japan - first the 9.0 Earthquake, then the Tsunami which caused even more damage, and finally the nuclear reactor.

Nothing formally organized has come together yet - numbers point to April - but some individual stores have put out donation items and more seem to appear each day. Here are the ones I've encountered, with landmarks to the stores. Update: SCD has some more information about things being organized.


(Skin) De La Soul, Charlie - Cream (Phoenix) (Eyes) Tacky Star, Pride (Ears) Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (tarnished) (Hair) Magika, Kyoto - PCF Red (Wings) Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted green (Dress) Likka, Victoria Green (Shoes) G Field, Ribbon Slingback Shoes - dark green (Pose) Long Awkward Pose, Fantasy Faepose 7

The hair, a special red shade for Japan, is on sale at Magika. There are four total for sale, each one by the display for their style. This one above is Kyoto (mirrored), and comes in regular and mirrored style (mirrored shown above). The dress is a gorgeous purchase from Likka House, and is by her new releases.


(Skin) De La Soul, Charlie - Cream (Phoenix) (Eyes) Tacky Star, Pride (Ears) Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (sterling) (Hair) Magika, Kyoto - PCF Red (Wings) Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted white (Necklace) Katat0nik, Love Japan Necklace (Armband) Little Pricks, Support Japan (Dress and Shoes) Walking Dead Creations, Monochrome Dress (Pose) Long Awkward Pose, M-Lazy Afternoon

This picture is brimming with items. The tattoo on the arm is from Little Pricks, which has a store on the marketplace but not in world. The necklace is from Katat0nik (available in her past notices), and is simply lovely. The hair is Kyoto, from Magika, and the dress is from a new store to me, Walking Dead Creations. The latter is in the process of remodeling, so hopefully the landmark will be near the item!!


(Skin) De La Soul, Charlie - Cream (Phoenix) (Eyes) Tacky Star, Pride (Ears) Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (sterling) (Hair) Magika, Aina - PCF Red (Wings) Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted black (Dress and Shoes) Bare Rose, Shocola - Red (Pose) Long Awkward Pose, Dangle

This amazing outfit from Bare Rose is available in red or brown, and there is a men's outfit as well - quite as skillful and wonderful as Bare Rose always is! This is another of the Magika hairs as well, Aina.


(Skin) De La Soul, Charlie - Cream (Phoenix) (Eyes) De La Soul, Luminis - Rising Sun (Ears) Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (sterling) (Hair) Magika, Aina - PCF Red (Wings) Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted black (Armbands) Little Pricks, Support Japan (Shirt) De La Soul, Sleeveless Turtleneck - Japan Relief Koi (Stockings) Vextra Messing, Opaque Stockings - Black (Pants) De La Soul, Cross Jeans - Red (Shoes) G Field, Ribbon Slingback Shoes - crimson (Pose) Long Awkward Pose, Shoe2-Seated Shuu

And finally, De La Soul has release an amazing assortment of items - including a cosmetic set, eyes, and a shirt. The cosmetics are with and without lip cover, and include a rather amazing looking sun motif.


(Skin) De La Soul, Charlie - Cream (Phoenix) (Eyes) De La Soul, Luminis - Rising Sun (Ears) Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (sterling) (Hair) Magika, Aina - PCF Red (Wings) Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted black (Armbands) Little Pricks, Support Japan (Shirt) De La Soul, Sleeveless Turtleneck - Japan Relief Koi

( More pictures found here. )

Credits for all pictures:

Location: Fashion For Life - Avedon: Sponsered by Bliss Couture
Light Settings: Sim Default Windlight

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only