Showing posts with label artME Fashion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label artME Fashion. Show all posts

Thursday, May 24, 2012

But Is It Art?

Street Art in a Gallery

The advent of Conceptual Art started putting into question what art was. Really, though, the question of what art was predated that by a bit; long ago, art was less about self-expression and more about ornamentation. Now, art is less about ornamentation (in fact, I remember my Studio Art teacher being offended by the insinuation that someone might use colors to match a given decor) and much more about self-expression; in a way, though, this has devalued ornamentation even when that ornamentation rises from accurate self-expression. Sometimes those two values get layered, though, and the Gallery at Fruit Islands Art could be seen as an example of that. Set up as a traditional art gallery, a lot of the concept behind it rests on the fact that this normal situation exists in a virtual world. Also, the paintings keep changing; I have to say I found that caused me to pay less attention to the paintings and art, and more attention to the figures looking at the art.

Voyeurs

The figures (except for me) are all NPCs, unmoving NPCs at that, so the Gallery is simultaneously populated and not; there are the shadows of figures without any of the animation or awareness of figures. I was also struck by how normal everyone looked - which I have to admit was probably part of the point, but it disappointed me; one of the often ignored capabilities in Second Life is to look very strange and different, and the extent to which people reproduce normal appearances always makes me a bit sad. On the one hand, the very virtuality of the art display is itself a message about the nature of art - that it is often hollow, meaningless, a series of things going through motions for the same reactions of looking and murmuring. On the other hand, part of me would have loved to see what an Second Life gallery could be - winged voyeurs, tinies and animals living together, walls which no longer have to be walls in the conventional sense but rather can be mere representations without weather to keep out. That would be a very different conceptual art piece, though; perhaps sometime I'll see if I can take what's in my head and bring it into the world - even if that world is virtual.

Sunset

My awesome outfit is from artME Fashion - another example of art - this time as fashion.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose (promotional item)
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow MESH (promotional item)
Ears: Illusion, Seelie Ears
Eyelashes 1: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyelashes 2: *X*plosion, PrimLashes
Eyeshadow: Mock, Makeup Faerie Punque
Lipstick: L.Fauna, Lipstick Black
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Sybille2 Mesh Hair
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Dress: artME Fashion, Absinthe Fae
Shoes: G Field, Mesh Long Cuff Boots "Will"

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Fruit Islands Art
Light Settings: Free's Sunset
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Sunday, May 6, 2012

2012 Color Challenge: Week 19 - Pueblo

2012-05-06 Pueblo_001

I've been really enjoying how much easier it is to go out and about since I fixed my computer settings so that Second Life runs well - these pictures in Pueblo were a dream to take, even running at high. I also got a chance to enjoy a wonderful display at the Linden Endowment for the Arts, which I'm making a page about and will likely be posting about more in the future. I reached far back into my inventory to put together this Pueblo look - all the way to one of Silent Sparrow's limited edition releases, which she used to put out every few months. Her store's been mostly quiet for a long while now, but I think you can see why I hold out hope of her returning in force in the gorgeous detailing of this outfit. Silent Sparrow was the first pay group I ever joined, and I can remember stalking her lucky chairs for hours to get the glorious contents. This outfit came with two skirts, and also a set of matching arm warmers I'm not wearing - I love the warmer cuffs, though, and the longer skirt allows for a much more decorous, less garter-flashing style.

I added on a jewelry set from artME fashion in simple wood to match the browns, and hunted out this gorgeous cinnamon hair from Wasabi Pills to match. It's mesh, but not rigged, and based on some time spent this afternoon trying to work around my new ears, non-rigged mesh is as customizable as their equivalent prims. The ears are my newest purchase, and mark a shift from me in my ears - I moved from faerie ears in the prims to these gorgeous, layered Seelie ears from Illusions. They don't yet come with the attached jewelry, but on the plus side they are completely tintable (on a HUD) and customizable (yes, also non-rigged mesh). I still have some work to do to make these fit perfectly, and I have some layered shadows to mess with, but I think I did pretty well at setting them up. Finally, my shoes are my favorite Flower Pumps from G Field, one of the only shoes in my entire sizable inventory to match the reddish-brown of Pueblo.

2012-05-06 Pueblo_005

One of my recent frustrations - wanting to have a handle on what's going on at the LEA Sims - has led to my latest project - a review of the sims, their functions, and hopefully eventually details like how long they are in the hands of each artist, maybe some more details about the artists, etc... I may at some point expand it to include a few other art sims I like outside of the LEA sims; I love Split Screen, for example, though they do pretty well at sharing what's going on in their land. I have an internal drive to try to explore art, and Second Life is perfect for that; not only can art be made relatively easily, but also it can be experienced in three dimensions. My favorite art is when sound and self-incorporation (poses in different art things) are included; someday I'd like to make art of my own - true art, not just combined photographs.

2012-05-06 Pueblo_002

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose (promotional item)
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow MESH (promotional item)
Ears: Illusion,
Eyelashes 1: *X*plosion, Prim Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: Mock, Morrocan Indifference Eyeshadow (group gift)
Lipstick: Mock, Bella Vetro Gloss - Lepore Red
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Annette2 Mesh Hair (promotional item)
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle
Jewelry: artMEfashion, Driftwood
Outfit: Silent Sparrow, Rustnoir
Heels: G Field, Flower Pumps "Eve"

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Fae Varriale
Light Settings: Places Greed 2

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Monday, December 12, 2011

I Can Haz Promoshunz: Winter Wonderland

The winter is a good time to get all bundled up and play with snowmen! Snowballs, warm toast with butter, and fleeing for your life - all of these things make the winter season into the glorious thing it is!

Scary!!!

It was hard for me to find an outfit to go with this awesome Brrrrr mesh hair from Wasabi Pills - most of that folder has slinky, even if it's slinky with fur attached. Then I found this awesome dress from artMEfashion (I've been wearing their stuff a lot, I know!) which was frilly and came with these awesome tights and gloves. My upper arms and chest are still pretty bare (Eeee! Frostburn!) but I love the layers of ruffles and the dress actually comes in ankle-length and empire waist versions, still with frost-burny shoulders. The fur isn't the usual explosive, full bright fur on a lot of outfits - it's ruffly and looks like it's very, very soft.

The outfit actually started with the hair (which has been around the fashion feeds a while and is totally charming and comes with the scarf wrapped snugly around your neck) and the Anymore pillow I'm hugging made of TOAST! It's a smiley toast plushy that I simply adore! Then I filled in the boots, which are part of a whole series by Apple May Designs - they come with white or black fur in a bunch of different colors.

Pointsetta

The skin is from Dulce Secrets and has a lovely face with subtle artistic cosmetics. The shading is subtle and feminine with the noses shaded to suite a small-nosed girl like me. It comes in a variety of shades, from very pale to quite dark; this is a tan toned skin, which is darker than my usual color. I finished off the whole flirty fur look with a set of poinsettia horns with snowflake accessories from Hal Hina - part of the special event at Petis Pas Village.

All in all, halfway through December I feel very festive - and the boots give me great traction when I'm running away from meese!

Moose

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Dulce Secrets, Naemi Sangria Bikini (Promotional Item)
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyelashes: Flufeln Brise, Eyelash 5
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Brrree Mesh Hair (Promotional Item)
Antlers: Hal Hina, Reindeer - red
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ears
Dress: artMEfashion, Xmas Dress (Promotional Item)
Plush: Anymore, Plush Toast Pillow (Promotional Item)
Jewelry: G Field, Rusty Rose
Ring 1: Alchemy Immortalis, Nestling Finger
Ring 2: Earthstones, Eternal Blossom Ring - Bouquet
Shoes: Apple May Designs, Snuggies - Red / Black (Promotional Item)

Poses: Glitterati

Location: Oh! Studio Mainstore
Light Settings: Places Annamarie

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Ballet and Tophats

Unison

I am totally falling in love with the texturing of artMEfashion. This is the third outfit of hers I've put on, and I really like the patchworky, mottled styling of it. Previous skirts had a level of alpha layer mixing which made my teeth itch a little (I'm a sensitive soul), but this one is perfect. I especially like the little ruffles around the waist and I adore my mini tophat! Squee~! New shoes from Alice Project (500$L for a fatpack of 24 - I am in serious love) were highly modifiable enough that I could match the variegated colors of my dress - the heel has several options, and the heel, platform, shoe, and strap are all individually recolorable. It seriously brings out the obsessive matching side of my personality. I added the newest hair from Majika, complete with shiny lights, and finished it off with a set of rose jewelry from G Field for the perfect outfit.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: De La Soul, Aestali - Cream Rose
Eyes: De La Soul, RooMee Eyes - Rainbow
Eyeshadow: Elymode, Autumn - rust / golden
Eyelashes: Flufeln Brise, Eyelash 5
Hair: Magika, Safe with Christmas Lights
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ears
Lipstick: Mock, Mizu Venetian Red
Dress: artMEfashion, Steampatch Dress - Red
Jewelry: G Field, Rusty Rose
Ring 1: Alchemy Immortalis, Nestling Finger
Ring 2: Earthstones, Eternal Blossom Ring - Bouquet
Shoes: Alice Project, Faelin Pumps - Vibrant Glossy

Poses: Just A Pose

Location: Kohime Foundation
Light Settings: TOR, DUSK - Siennarel

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Monday, March 21, 2011

Fashion For Life: Irving Penn

I am up against a wall, having dragged behind in my photography, so unfortunately the sims might not be available for enjoying when I'm done. I'm sort of sad to see them go; this year they were undeniably lovely, and it was the lowest lag experience I have ever had with a major event, though I wondered if some of that might be that I stayed away in the first flush of opening and spent most of my time here near the end.

Irving Penn, though, is a mood change from Avedon and Arbus. The former two were much more in the fantasy and medieval while Irving Penn is undeniably more modern, though the textures are as lush and detailed as their sibling sims.

Visiting Friends in the Morning


Set up like a posh, gated neighborhood, there are little barred in sections of trees beside the stores, which are laid out like open-doored houses along the roads. It has a slightly Victorian feel, with the wrought iron fences and the street lights. I particularly like how some of the buildings are boarded up, making them part of the aesthetics of the sim.

Irving Penn also takes advantage of height, making facades of several stories above the stores themselves. Sadly, they're all phantom, so attempts to hang out on the plentiful balconies are a challenge. A fun challenge, though, and one I'm up for. I just wish there was a way to set your height more precisely - hopping up and down until I get what I want is such a trial!

I think I need... a hundred of these


The gatcha area is little chairs. My only complaint with them is you can't actually sit in the chairs; I went a little emo, but got over it. Otherwise it's a cute idea - settle down with a drink and play a little gatcha with your friends!

And beyond the wrought iron and stone walls are these tiny, cute spots of wilderness. Now and there a wild flush of flowers rushes out, too, startlingly natural in a world of brick and iron.

Upper Floors


One fun thing about my first two outfits were the varieties possible with them. The Awesome Designs Party Pack actually comes with four different skirts (see the full photoshoot for the other options) including a surprisingly good looking mini skirt and a long formal skirt besides two varieties of the short, floofy skirt. I like the streaks of blue on the formal skirt in particular, and the optional belt really hugs my curves. Since it's all modify-ok, I was even able to fit it with very little challenge despite being a different shape from most fashion makers. I also love the back of it - the smooth curve of the top is really attractive even without wings!

Credits:
Pin: Felicia's Fashions, Cause Ribbon - Blue
Ring: Lapoint & Bastchild, Sugar Skull - Peridot (Gatcha Prize)
Dress and Shoes: Awesome Designs, Divine Party Pack - Blue
Pose: ImpEle, Lolita 3


Sidewalk Fashion Show


Epic's Dolly Patches also has options - an optional Bolero top and you can either wear the cute short skirt, or go it alone with a set of adorable bloomers. I found myself moving back and forth as the pictures demanded. The little patches on the stockings are adorable, too, and the G Field heels I put on look like they were made to go with it. This is the kind of outfit I could totally pair with big, fluffy boots or a doll key as well, cute enough to be someone's favorite doll.

Credits:
Ring: Lapoint & Bastchild, Sugar Skull - Peridot (Gatcha Prize)
Dress with Bloomers: Epic, Dolly Pathches Deux - Purple
Shoes: G Field, Ribbon Slingback Shoes - grape
Pose: Pffiou, Murder Doll


Night on the Town


Haven Design's Vintage Red is a lovely revelation. I love the sense of simple embroidery on it - the color scheme is simple but elegant, and the length is fantastic. It also falls very well, even when moving, and the line along the chest is modest and sweet. It could be a classy evening out dress, or something fun and flirty for a day in town with friends.

Credits:
Dress: Haven Designs, Vintage Red
Shoes: G Field, Lady Rose Shoes Red
Pose: Long Awkward Pose, Miss Attitude


Wrought Iron Gate


The Your Sin dress by G Sloan Couture is a wonderful study in contrasts. The texture of it is colorful, playful, free flowing and casual in a manner which implies silk. The bust line has a cute little divot which doesn't take it even close to the realm of risque. The back, though, pluges very low - lower than I normally wear - in a smooth, elegant curve to show off these adorable butt dimples of my De La Soul Charlie skin. I almost didn't buy it, but I couldn't resist and now I'm glad I picked it up. The effect is lovely and fun without being too over the top.

I dressed it up with jewelry from artMEfashion - a driftwood necklace and bracelets. The wood seems to go well, being casual, yet the smooth simplicity of the design really makes them elegant.

The shoes are also a Fashion For Life find - color changing wedges from HOC Industries. You can change multiple parts of it, though the color choices are a little more limited than I'd prefer. I like access to a full rainbow of clothes, and the pallet of the Yay Wedge is more narrow, though it did have a nice yellow to bring out the gold of my dress.

None of these are stores I've checked out before, and while I can't guarantee I'll seek them out soon, given my inventory is bulging with unworn clothes, I'm glad to have found them.

Credits:
Jewelry: artMEfashion, Driftwood Necklace and Bracelets
Dress: G Sloan Couture, Your Sin
Shoes: HOC Industries, Yay Wedge - colorchanged to yellow
Pose: HelaMiyo, Gown 5


I had a lovely time in the narrow streets and enjoying the stone and wrought iron of Irving Penn. I highly recommend you take a moment to check it out yourself - it's well worth a visit!

( More pictures here. )

Credits for all pictures:

Skin: De La Soul, Charlie - Cream (Phoenix) (with blond brow tattoo)
Eyes: Tacky Star, Pride
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (sterling)
Hair: W&Y, 100 Type B with Flower Addon
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted to match

Location: Fashion For Life - Irving Penn: sponsered by Lapoint & Bastchild
Light Settings: Sim Default Windlight

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only