Fantasy Faire: De La Soul - Violent Daemon, Female

I have the distinct honor of showing you one of De La Soul's offerings for the Fantasy Faire - Daemon in Violent. Daemon in other colors are available at her store and on the marketplace, but Violent is a color just for Relay for Life. I was completely overwhelmed with the extras, including two sets of wings, a shape, and a matching loin cloth!

I'm showing just the female options, but don't be fooled! There are male daemons, too, and man are they fine!


Pose: pda, Run Run Run

Almost this entire avatar, except for the bodysuit and the hair, is included. Skin, ears, horns, eyes, tail, wings, and hooves all come together and match perfectly. The lips are slightly tinted red, like you just applied lip gloss, aka the blood of the damned! The tail moves languidly, complete with an adorable tuft at the tip of it (I have no idea how she pulled that off!). The hooves are alpha layer included, and come with tufts at the knees and also over the hooves, as you can see.




Pose: Long Awkward Pose, Barbie9a

There are four skins included - the standard Daemon skin with and without cleavage, and then Chelle's special "Infected" series, where it looks like your skin is being taken over by a futuristic, glowing disease. I have to admit I have a soft spot for an infected daemon; the slight glow of the skin, the texturing, the fade from one color to the other - it all seems completely unique and awesome to me.

All of her Daemon skins come with these additional Infected versions, which gives you two avatars for one - in effect!


Poses: (behind boxes) Attituede, phone 1 (in boxes) pda, Run Run Run

As if the basic daemon isn't enough - Chelle has made the wings and hooves customizable into many colors; too many for me to easily count them all! First the wings; this is a small sampling, and give you a hint of some of her other Daemon skin colors. Color changing is through a simple click menu, and you can change tint as well as texture to add individuality to your wings. In addition, different areas of the wings can be changed; play around with it and you'll be amazed at the customization.


Pose: Long Awkward Pose, Barbie9a

The hooves are similarly customizable, the little horn at the back of the heel changing with the hoof color. If you change the hooves, you can actually change the horn parts of your entire set - which is very handy if you're going for a theme. Otherwise, wear the pieces individually to mix and match.


Pose: Glitterati - 001

I highly recommend checking out her store, too (here I am, showing it off with my wings and hooves made all rainbow!), for all kinds of fun things and some other Relay for Life and Japanese Relief Fund purchases. Above is a picture of her adorable Relay Kitty Cat - a completely unique furry skin. You can also see I'm using the included shape and Loincloth above; the rest of the pictures are all in my own shape, but I thought I'd give you a peek at the included shape as well. As you can see, the skin works well with a variety of shapes - the only tweak I've had to make is to make my lips a little fuller.


Pose: Glitterati - 003

Here I am, back in my own shape. I did very little editing to make the loin cloth work - just moved it down a smidgen and whoa, shiny goodness! I thought I'd give you a peak at her Rising Sun Makeup and Tattoos for the Pacific Crisis Fund, too. I previously included them in a photoshoot, but I didn't put in all the variations so you can check those out here.


Pose: Glitterati - 009

Finally, I wanted to show you these glorious angel wings, also included with the Daemon Avatar. Advertised as "freshly ripped from the back of an angel," they really turn up the complexity and available variety for the Daemon avatar. This really is a purchase not to be missed.

( All pictures can be found here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Charlie - Daemon Violent - Infected
Eyes: De La Soul, Luminis - Violence
Hair: Tekelo-li, Eve GenII
Wings: De La Soul, Daemon Wings - Violent (Closed)
Lingerie: Reasonable Desires, Black Vixen
Ears, Horns, Hooves and Tail: De La Soul, Daemon Violent

Windlight

Windlight makes amazing changes to what we see in Second Life.

Every now and then I play around with a single setting and a variety of effects - in this case I was particularly struck by a sculpture at the place I did my White Week photoshoot, and stuck around after I was done to play with windlight and record the effects.



I'm in each of these pictures, giving a sense of scale to the enormous Angel at Imagine Plus. All of the sculptures her are gigantic, lending a feeling of being dwarfed and made miniature - something which suits me, as a faerie!

Some of my favorites follow, but to be honest I think all of them are worth a look. Sadly, I didn't record the windlights as I went - call me lazy! - but they're all presets included with Phoenix and most, if not all, of them were made by Torley Linden.















( See more pictures here. )

Color Challenge: Week Twenty-one: White

I am so sleepy tonight... so very sleepy.... but I managed to take photos for White Week.

This place is only open until April Second, so I dashed over for some quick pictures and feel in love with one of the pieces - where I could stand on the hand of a giant angel.


Pose: Long Awkward Pose, Fantasy-Puppet4

While I was drifting around this gorgeous sim, I was considering how hard it is to find things in Second Life. Even with my blog watching, I often miss neat and interesting displays simply because I never hear about them, or like in the case of Numbakulla, I erroneously hear they're already closed.


Pose: Long Awkward Pose, Fantasy-Faepose12

It'd be cool if Second Life could fix that.

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Charlie - Cream (Sakura) with blond brows
Eyes: Tacky Star, Pride
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (sterling)
Hair: Tiny Bird, The Killing Moon - Spn Sugar
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted white
Hat, Bustle, Stockings, Gloves: The Black Canary, Ephemerial
Skirt, Bodice, Wrist Accessories: Cipher, Punk Lolita Mini-Dress Lilim (SnowWhite)
Shoes: G Field, Bow Strap Shoes "Kate" - white

Poses: Long Awkward Pose

Location: Imagine Plus
Light Settings: [TOR], MIDDAY - Touch o' Purple
Water Settings: [TOR] Ice-like

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Fashion For Life: Helmut Newton

Helmut Newton is like stepping through time to the future.

Set up as a series of hexagons, stacked high, the designer for Helmut Newton won my love forever by not making them phantom, so I could settle myself up above the heights and angle pictures to take advantage of the spare and elegant design. It's space aged in feel, but without being either trite or alien, and the decorative palm trees mixed in with a few trees which looked a lot like cherry trees was really striking.

The entrance in particular is very striking - tall, interlaced hexagons in pure white with a few bars of black to set them off. In the right lighting it almost seems to glow. The contrast from it's neighboring sims was particularly stark - both of them are dreamy in style and floral or medieval. Helmut Newton is thoroughly modern, using high contrast lights and darks with the few hints of gray here and there standing out all the more due to their rarity.



One other thing I loved was that you could run scripts in Helmut Newton, which meant if I wanted to change the color of something I didn't need to dash off home to use scripts, but could just change it right there on the streets. Very time saving for the time crunched fashiophile trying to take her pictures before the sims close around her.

In Helmut Newton, I particularly like the black cross hatches on the corners of buildings, here and there. The buildings are a white and gray fade, made to look even lighter by the dark bars which are angled so they aren't ever quite even. Unseen until you're closer, though, is the thin white line which makes the bars seem even sharper in design - it's a gorgeous detail characteristic of the high level of skill which went into the Fashion For Life builds.



Each sim so far has had large areas without stores, often hidden behind them. I was surprised when exploring Helmut Newton, though, to find a cute little seating area as well - up in the gray mountains. Dark black in contrast to the bright white of the rest, it reminds me of A Brave New World, where the majority of the population lived in happy, conditioned ignorance in a sterilely bright world that was run by a hidden council that manipulates them all from the shadows.

The mountains otherwise are natural trees unbounded, settled along rolling curves with only a hint of what hides beyond the walls visible from within them. It makes it almost a shame the sim is a no-fly zone, since that means most people will walk down the path proscribed for them without ever venturing outside and finding the mysteries left by the creators.



You can't clearly see the Broken Heart Jewelry from Earthstones, but it's a lovely, simple set with just some simple cord holding it in place. I love the bright blue of the Lapis as well, and this may end up reprising in my Light Blue picture set if I ever manage to take it.

Reale's Night Flower Dress is perfectly offset by it - a lovely drape of dark fabric with flower rosettes at the shoulder and hip. I particularly like the lean line of bare skin from the chest to the hip, curving under one breast - it's an unusual design, hinting at the delights below the fabric without being too obvious about it. The skirt is asymmetrical; I know that isn't high fashion these days, but I love it.

Credits:
Jewelry: EarthStones, Broken Heart Set - Lapis
Dress: Reale, Night Flower Dress
Shoes: G Field, Rose Bootie "Diva" - Black and Silver
Pose: HopScotch, Who's There 4 (with lantern prop)



The Azazello is a dress I was dubious about, I'll admit. Butterfly wings never seem to work well in dresses - the alpha layer issues often cause problems, making them a confusion for the eye which, much as I love the patterning of butterfly wings, annoy me too much to wear. This skirt is a revelation, though. No alpha issues I could see, a wide, lose skirt in the style of a tutu and yet somehow appearing like a formal ballgown. The fur shoulder piece is an awesome touch as well. Not something I would have thought to add to butterflies, it makes it seem that much more elegant. I'd recommend passing on the shoes, though. While I was initially psyched they were included, they're of an old, freebie style that doesn't do the rest of the outfit justice.

Credits:
Dress and Shoes: Vindi Vindaloo Creations, Azazello Dress
Pose: pda, Gently I'll Wake You



The Logo Everyday Pearls were a surprise and a revelation. I bought them on a whim, having a number of dangling pearl necklaces which I spent time trying to fit to my chest. Being a big-chested girl, I often have to spend some time fishing pearls out of my skin mesh and re-settling them so they sit correctly. I put on Everyday Pearls, moved them down a little (I'm almost always shorter than the builder) and they fit perfectly. I love how they tumble over my curves, somehow combining elegant and casual.

The Baiastice dress is more on the elegant and professional side, which is part of why I bought it. I don't have much of a professional type in my inventory, as usually I'm bouncing about in formal Lolita style or flippy, casual dresses. I like how it's both layered and sleek - the skirt can be worn without the shirt prim addition, though I haven't tried it yet - and it wears well with a pair of sharp heels.

Credits:
Necklace: Logo, Everyday Pearls
Dress: Baiastice, Riyau dress - black
Shoes: G Field, Rose Bootie "Diva" - black
Pose: Elisa, I had a dream 2



Leezu is a store I love, but don't indulge in often. The prices are very high, the style almost too runway to be worn around and right on the edge of my style. When I saw A Mon Insu Gown, though, I simply couldn't resist. The flowers around the torso are done with Leezu's characteristic skill - easily moved to fit with my slightly rounder, much shorter shape. The arm covers give a hint of Lolita, while the hat is pure High Fashion, and the wings of fabric off of the shoulders give it a startlingly fae edge.

Credits:
Dress: Leezu, A Mon Insu Gown
Shoes: G Field, Rose Bootie "Diva" - black
Pose: Ks2cool, Pose84-90



The Melli Butterfly Dress, from Aleida, was another risky splurge on my part. I'd not seen the store before, and it's always a challenge to step outside your comfort zone, especially with a full on purchase instead of trying out a couple freebies first (which is my usual cycle). It's a lovely, color-saturated dress, but with some alpha issues which thankfully disappear in photographs but which linger and flicker in world. The belt line is awesome, though - I love the effect of petals, especially layered with flexy skirts, and this is no disappointment. There's also a lovely lace effect to the torso, especially where it frames the breasts and the back.

Credits:
Dress: Aleida, Melli Butterfly Dress - purple
Shoes: G Field, Rose Bootie "Diva" - purple
Pose: Alchemy Immortalis, French Boudoir 1910 Stand 08

The modern simplicity of Helmut Newton is wonderful to enjoy, a true space of peace for the eyes. It was a lot of fun to angle myself against the levels and lines to find novel ways of presenting this gorgeous build.

Credits for all pictures:

Skin: De La Soul, Charlie - Cream (Phoenix) (with blond brow tattoo)
Eyes: Tacky Star, Pride
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy
Hair: Audacity, Kissed - Ginger
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted to match

Location: Fashion For Life - Helmut Newton: sponsered by KMadd Enterprises
Light Settings: [TOR} Eurphoria - Natural High

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Fashion For Life: Ansel Adams

Stepping into Ansel Adams is like stepping into a pared down, Art Deco Hollywood. palm trees dot in between low, long stores interspersed with daring skyscrapers - at least for California. All of the lines are clean and white, but squared off unlike Helmut Newton which pushes into a hexagonal wonderland. White on white Art Deco influences show up here and there in between tall panes of class and equally tall palms.

So all my poses will be model-esque, at least my view of models. I'm not a model in Second Life, and I'm unlikely to ever be one, except maybe on an alt. I'm too attached to Deoridhe's shape, to her being short, and curvy, and cute. In a world where changing your shape is a matter of numbers and minutes, being a model has become a matter of stretching out your sliders to fit the demand of the creator.



If I were a creator, I have no way to know if I'd do differently. I'd like to think I would cater to different body types, but it would be all too easy to make shiny clothes for my shape and height and forget the world is a whole lot taller than me. Issues of scale come up a lot in Second Life, where the bodies of avatars are out of pace with the bodies of people out in the "real world," not due to anything planned by people but rather due to how far the sliders are divorced form any external measure.

I've spent a lot of time learning to change clothes for my body - and it wasn't until years after I first stepped into Second Life that I realized a lot of other people changed their bodies to fit their clothes. I've never actually bought a shape, either; Deoridhe is largely the creation of my first day in Second Life, and my alts have all been shaped by my plans for them (one sexy, the other elegant); only my male alt struggles with an ugly shape, in my opinion, but none of them fit the standard model in Second Life that I see very often around me.



Which raises the question, really, in a world where anything is possible, how do our internalized stereotypes affect us. Second Life Deoridhe is a lot thinner than her offline counterpart, for example, though I tried to model her face off of mine. What does that say about my own relationship with the body that doesn't go into Appearance Mode? Deoridhe is blond and blue eyed, like me and what seems like the majority of Second Life. What does that say about my relationship with race and how much I identify with seemingly unimportant aspects of my appearance?

This is a world where anyone can be beautiful; what does what we think is beautiful say about us?



Donna Flora does wonderful things with combining sculpties and textures, and her Luzie dress is no exception. This time she's added a twist - multiple recolorable pieces, which makes the simple ruffly design into something truly playful and fun. I ended up dashing off home to quickly cycle through a bunch of choices, finally settling on as many colors at once.

Credits:
Outfit: Donna Flora, Luzie Dress - black
Shoes: G Field, Bow Strap Shoes "Kate" - black
Pose: Long Awkward Pose, C-Barbie9a



The Maylee gown, from Lalei, captivated me when I saw it. I loved the fade of colors, form a more saturated blue through to a slightly grayed blue green, all with a pattern carrying it through. It turns out there's also a cute bow in the back, meant to hit where your back curves. I had to shrink this down quite a bit - thank you mod ok! - and so the flow was disturbed a little. I think on a taller avatar, it would also be a lot fuller since you don't have to worry about your skirt going half a meter into the ground!

Credits:
Outfit: Lalei, Maylee Dress - Azure
Shoes: G Field, Bow Strap Shoes "Kate" - black
Pose: KSCreations, Pose12-20



The Marilyn gown by Purple Moon is pure Red Carpet drama. I love the curve of the hem, from thigh length in the front and flaring out into a dramatic train in the back. The flower on the hip is just icing on the cake. The patterning on the torso finishes the gown in a gorgeously classy way, shiny enough to match the drama of the skirt, but not so over the top that it tips into garish. Anytime I wear this, I'm sure to turn heads!

Credits:
Dress: Purple Moon, Marilyn - Burgundy
Shoes: DV8, Steam Vixen Shoes - Carnelian
Pose: Olive Juice, Handsy Runway



Vogue is a store I've run across, but honestly I don't think I ever had an outfit from them. The Sashenka Gown is a pleasant surprise, even if I think it's more like Shashenka Lingerie than anything that should be worn out in public. The curve from the breasts down is lovely, though, as is the hint of sheer fabric carried on down into the skirt.

Credits:
Dress: Vogue, Sashenka Gown - Pink
Shoes: G Field, Ribbon Slingback Shoes - raspberry
Pose: Striking Poses, Camera Candy 9

( See more pictures here. )

Credits for all the pictures:

Skin: De La Soul, Charlie Nude
Cosmetics: Ag Cosmetics, Stained Face - Cherry Tart
Eyes: Tacky Star, Pride
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (tarnished)
Hair: W&Y, Model Hair 14 - blond
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted to match

Location: Fashion For Life - Ansel Adams: sponsered by Designing Nicky Ree
Light Settings: [TOR} Eurphoria - Natural High

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Color Challenge: Week Twenty - Sky Blue

Ahhhh, Sky Blue, and I'm back in my comfort zone again.

For this week I decided to try to fish something out of my explosive "New" folder, which lurks at the bottom of my inventory like a chest of both glorious and terrifying things I've picked up across the grid. It's a little well in the depths of my inventory, full of the detritus of hunts, freebies, lucky chairs, random finds, and the occasional purchase.



The dress was a surprise, though. I have no idea when or how I picked it up from Wretched Dollies, but the tiered skirt in varying shades of blue, and the adorable ruffled sleeves are completely charming. It's shorter than a usual Wretched Dollies outfit, coming in mid-thigh with a pair of knee socks that set it off to perfection. I even love the stripes on the shirt and the peter pan style collar - childlike, but made more mature by the corset.

I ended up pairing it with a find from my dear friend Ro-chan, the Beth Hair from Zero Style. It's curling ringlets seemed like the perfect match to the dress, and after a brief pause for trying on a demo I discovered that, according to Zero Style at least, my head is medium. Does that mean I don't have as much room for brains?



Like my languishing dress from Wretched Dollies, the Florencio sim has left it's landmarky fingers in my inventory for a while, lurking in my notecard folder and popping up now and then when I cleared it out. I'd visited once, planned to take pictures, and gotten distracted. I decided today was the day for wrapping things up, bringing things together, and getting things done.

Built inside a textured dome, Florencio is artistic in design, with a checkerboard pattern on the ground thinned out here and there with water. It has a few stores in place, at least one more coming, and little spots of interest like a pile of dark blocks, or the telephone lines you can walk up like a path.



The sim also has what I'm beginning to really enjoy - a Windlight Setting you can load upon arrival. I do a lot of playing with Windlight, but sometimes seeing things with the settings that the maker meant them to have - to be able to truly walk into someone else's vision - is appealing all in its own right. I won't say I'll always go with that, but in this case I really enjoyed how the bright, simple light set off the textures across the sim.

I especially liked the playfulness of the little findable things - and part of me hopes that as more stores fill in, more little fun spots will pop up to enjoy. I like the feeling of being in a child's play area with some of the toys still left out by an exhausted parent.



( See more pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Charlie Nude
Cosmetics: De La Soul, Harrish Nights Makeup
Eyes: Tacky Star, Pride
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (sterling)
Hair: Zero Style, Beth - Blond
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted blue
Dress and socks: Wretched Dollies, Mon Cherie Blue
Shoes: G Field, Bow Strap Shoes "Kate" - Blue

Poses: Striking Poses
1) Carrie Ann Inaba
2) Brigitte Bardot 2
3) Princess 10
4) Amy Lee Dollarbie

Location: Florencio
Light Settings: Sim Default

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Fashion For Life: Bourke White

Bourke White's clothing style is well out of my norm, but the built itself is lovely. A cityscape, like Irving Penn, Bourke is more of a melding of the curvaceous and the angular. The buildings are blocky, as buildings have to be, but the wrought iron embellishments are curved. On one side of the road, Celtic Knot style decorations are on the walls, and the window guards have a gorgeous natural bend to them. On the other side, stone styled arch windows are occasionally guarded by Roman style columns.

The contrast between different styles continues in the light sources, which all look wrought iron and spiraling, and the textured stone of the walkways with their curved road inset. Within the cutout the stone is brick-like and angular; outside of it, on the "sidewalks" it is rounded. It's a build that could only show up on Second Life, where it's a matter of attaching a texture and no longer about cutting stone and putting it in place. The wave is mimicked on the walls here and there as well, tying everything together.



Tall towers and differing heights of buildings make Bourke White truly seem real in a tangible way, too, as well as provide for wonderful photo opportunities. I particularly liked how high I could get, and the amazing building facade along the edges, interspersed with adorable little parks. Once again, contrasting white and medium gray make everything seem variable, and yet harmonious, even as the styles shift to an almost nautical theme on the towers.

Like in previous sims, the clothing is all of a theme. If I were to come up with a name for the style here, it would be modern sexy - with a focus on showing skin and wearing very little or being sort of comfortably casual in a modern, simple way. Not really my style, but likely the style of a lot of Second Life, judging by the Fashion Feeds. This was the first sim where I didn't find much I liked, but I did pick up one free outfit to show - definitely not my usual style - and this latex number that may or may not ever see the light of day again.



This was a free gift from A&k, called Spank Me. I can't say it's something I would have picked up on my own, but the outfit is well made and I would imagine it might make a stir in a club, revealing just about everything without being entirely naked. The straps over the shoulder are pretty fun, though, and the pushed up nature of the shirt... well, lets just say it looks like I've had fun recently, and leave it at that.


Credits:
Skin: De La Soul, Charlie - Cream (Phoenix) (with blond brow tattoo)
Dress: A&k, Spank Me
Shoes: Favole, Possession
Pose: doll., Faerie 07


The skin, from Kira, is darker than my usual choice but I love the cosmetics around the eyes - green and spiky with dark eyeliner - almost catlike. They go very well with the pink, blushing cheeks and the almost nude lips.

Wrap Me Up, a fun wrapped latex outfit from Vanilla Pleasures, was a total whim purchase. I was struggling to find things I wanted to purchase, and I find the idea of being all wrapped up like a present entertaining. When I put it on, I was pleasantly surprised by how much it covered, and how well the ribbon additions add to the textured latex. There are several bows to undo, and they can actually be clicked on and removed by others - which could make for a fun scenario with the right people. Chances are it will languish in the depths of my inventory, but at least now I know I can wrap myself up like a gift.

Credits:
Skin: Style by Kira, Willow Skin - Fantasy 01J
Outfit: Vanilla Pleasures, Wrap Me Up - Purple
Rose: Nova, RFL Purple Rose
Shoes: Elikatira, Move Pumps - Near Black
Pose: EverGlow, Pose 6

( More Pictures here. )

Credits for all pictures:
Eyes: Tacky Star, Pride
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (tarnished)
Hair: Calico Ingmann Creatons, Sandira II - Mocha Midnight
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted black

Location: Fashion For Life - Bourke White: sponsered by Elikatira
Light Settings: [TOR} Eurphoria - Natural High

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Fashion For Life: Shulman

Shulman is pure grunge.

Grunge is probably the farthest from my style. Even in gothic styles I tend to remain on the formal, velvet side of things, leaving ripped fishnets for other people. It's not surprising, then, that I found very few things in Shulman for me to buy - in fact, I found exactly one, from SD Wears, and honestly even that was a bit of a stretch.

Trash cans lurk along the sides of a soiled black road, everything distressed and tipped over. Soylent Green canisters spoil the flowers. What trees there are are dead, leafless, and caught behind barbed wire.



It's a desolate ruin of a sim, skillfully and thoroughly created with an epic eye for detail - including broken down buildings and telephone wires where in other sims there had been forests. I can admire the skill and eye for detail even while I find the sim itself... rather depressing.

A while ago, when I lived near a big city, I used to drive through places like this - where the basics were broken down, windows were boarded, homes were abandoned. I can't help remembering that we're still in a bad recession and these places must be growing, homes without people and people without homes. I do some of what I can in the areas I have influence over, but I'm far to often reminded of how little that is, and how fond I am of my comforts and pleasures.



SD Wears' Awaken gown in pink looks more purple to me, but that's the problem with clothing whose colors are on the edges. In any case, it's a dark, rich color and the texturing of the skirt is fun, especially with the tiered layers. I felt rather like a cake, which amused me as I traipsed across broken bottles and toxins from canisters all over Shulman. The curve of the neckline is low without being plunging, and the arm straps curve up smoothly over the shoulders. It's an awesome ball gown for show, but I'm not sure how it would do for dancing since there's no movement in the layers.

( See more pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: De La Soul, Charlie Nude
Cosmetics: De La Soul, Harrish Nights Makeup
Eyes: Tacky Star, Pride
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (tarnished)
Hair: Red Queen, Dreams - Blonde
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted purple
Dress: SD Wears, Awaken - Pink
Shoes: G Field, Ribbon Slingback Shoes - grape

Pose: Artistic Taxidermy, Innocent Bones

Location: Fashion For Life - Shulman: sponsered by WoE
Light Settings: [TOR} Eurphoria - Natural High

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

Fashion For Life: Stieglitz

Stieglitz is a Gothic Wonderland. The building RFyre's store was put into is an amazing tower of gargoyles and spiky towers. Simply gorgeous. I'm not sure pictures can convey the true majesty of the building itself, stabbing into the sky screeching for God's attention. The walls are huge and dark brick, heavily gray.

A black and white color scheme really suits the Gothic Style, and the creator here has done a fantastic job adding in quiet hidden spaces with trees, and long row houses for the other stores. Hidden behind the trees are darkly deciduous trees on darker ground. I love the big, chunky walls cutting in between civilized park and wild hidden wilderness.



I found it a challenge to take pictures in, though, simply because of the scale. A little me disappears next to most of the decorations, and finding small gorgeous spots seemed harder here - perhaps due to how partitioned off everything was, with the large, overpowering dominance of stone. The view is amazing, though, and I found myself lingering up high to watch from one sim into the next - amazing mixes of style which simply don't exist anywhere else.

I found myself struck with seeing one sim over another here, a sort of looking back over landscape photography which strikes me as a true tribute to the magpie natures of most goths I know - not the ancient tribes, but the modern people in black and white.



The long views over the sims, taking in the builds of several sims, are simply breathtaking. I may end up doing a post just of them, or you can check them out here without commentary. Having the common theme of color allowed for incredibly variety to exist side by side smoothly, flowing form one to the next carried on a layer of tone.

I must admit, I have a serious soft spot for the Gothic style of Stieglitz, enjoying the sharp piercings into the sky and how the dark heaviness of the architecture caught and captured the imagination. Its the kind of sim where I can imagine a dark, brooding hero catching me up in his arms so we can have a disastrous love affair which will end with one, or both of us, dead.



I love Kouse's Sanctum, so I knew going in exactly what I was going to buy - her gown in purple and a glorious jewelry accompaniment. I love the dual layers - a petal like waist attachment (it must be spring, all the creators are making flower themed clothing) and the longer gown with roses around the waist. The jewelry comes with additional earrings and the crown in different places, one centered and the other offset on the other side. My only complaint is that it's not modify-ok. I understand using resizers to try to protect from copybotting, but when one is in a sim that doesn't allow scripts it can be very frustrating.

Credits:
Dress: Kouse's Sanctum, Faith Gown - Relay
Jewelry: Kouse Sanctum, Lilly Jewelry Set - Relay
Shoes: G Field, Bow Strap Shoes "Kate" - purple
Pose: Morgane Batista Poses, Katharini Pose




Credits:
Outfit: Caverna Obscura, Djinnie White
Shoes: Grim Brothers, Vie En Rose
Pose: Long Awkward Pose, Fantasy - Dolly

( See more pictures here. )

Credits for all the pictures:

Skin: De La Soul, Charlie Cream - Phoenix (with blond brows)
Eyes: Tacky Star, Pride
Ears: Illusions, Mystic Ear - Fairy (tarnished)
Hair: Miriel, Artist Hair - Wheat
Wings: Fancy Fairy, Azarelle Wings - tinted to match

Location: Fashion For Life - Stieglitz: sponsered by House of RFyre
Light Settings: [TOR} Eurphoria - Natural High

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping only

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.



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!



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.



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



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



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



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