Genre: Midnight on the Pacific Shore

The Polynesian Theme of Genre is coming to it's end, and when it goes so will a wide variety of amazing decorations and fun outfits and accessories. I had fun putting together a small set off to one side of a friend's land before taking a few pictures. First, the set! The tall tiki torch and the squat table-sized torch are both from Anachron. They have a lovely shape, very simple shading, and a simply gorgeous flame on top. Both give a soft golden glow which brighten up their surroundings nicely. Behind this pair I put a trio of Little Llama's pineapple shaped lamps in a variety of colors. I'm showing the fruit colored, rainbow, and yellow, but there are several other options including a tintable white/ These lamps turn on and off on a touch, making them functional and decorative in one. In the background floating on the ocean is an adorable little lantern from Distorted Dreams which has a circle of flowers around it which can either be set to spin or be static. I love the combination, and having something to float on water is really perfect for a Polynesian theme.

Genre: Rebel Yell

This is a bit of a departure from my usual look.

The theme for Genre this month is Sons of Genre, and Bikers have taken over. This is the biggest break from my style that I've ever done; the Apocalypse and Dark Magic both brought out the power of Dark Deo, but I still managed something clean cut and even a little sweet or Medieval at times. This time... there is no sweet left. There is no cute, no giggle, not even the shine of gossamer wings outside of the flash of rainbow on my Noctis biker goggles. Available alone or combined with a wide variety of scary helmets (we'll see if I can work any of THEM into a look!) the rainbow lenses are only one of the five options, and the goggle section itself has three metal designs. The goggles are also editable, which means if you want to fit the strap to a finicky bald head, like I did, it's totally easy.

My spikes and eyeshadow (the latter a little concealed, I'll admit!) are both from The Stringer Mausoleum, whose style seems oddly perfect for this intersection of grimy reality and dangerous fantasy. The spiky head is also editable so I could make sure the flat part of each spike fit nicely to my skull, and the effect is striking - if distinctly non-Deoish. There are five other colors besides this metallic blue, for all of your "HEADPETTERS BEWARE!" needs. And finally, tucked over my Rosal corset neck (not available at Genre) is a thick chain necklace from Painfully Divine, which looks both divine and somewhat painful! I love how heavy it is, each link easily as wide as two fingers, and the curve around the neck is perfect - especially over a particularly thin neck. It's available in three dark and heavy colors, but I'd love to also see it shined up and in even more shades - it walks a line between decorative and substantial that I find quite appealing.

Continuing the theme of "not your average Deo," even my wings have been traded in by the cutest bit of my ensemble - this backpack from Distorted Dreams. I tremble to call it cute - I am a scary biker chick who eats glass for breakfast! - but it really is adorable, and would work as well on the back of a schoolgirl as it does as the wings of a terrifying creature like myself! It is also editable - I'm sensing a theme here! - which means the sometimes irritating shoulder pieces can be changed to fit an outfit or a pose; a blessing for backpacks! My final accessory in an outfit which seems to be more accessory than outfit is a pair of terrifying skull-wing rings from Eclectica. There are two color sets available, one the darker rough-and-tumble shades and the other slightly brighter, as if maybe there could be a happy ending once the enemies are put in the ground - or at least a hardcore drive off a cliff! The black outline on them gives an almost comic-book feel, the edges sharp enough to cut.

All of my accessories combine to support the jeans-and-chaps and tank top combo from The Annex. I'm used to seeing flowing dresses and ruffles from them, so this brief and somewhat hardcore offering is eye opening - and one of the reasons why Genre can be such fun. The tank is embellished with a loosely laced opening in the front and the sizes would fit a whole range of avatars on Second Life. I ended up combining the large top and the extra small pants to pull off my usual hourglass shape; one advantage to a two piece look like this is that it allows for a wider variety in body shapes. The Jeans and chaps are amazing, and one of my favorite bits of clothing available at this event. The hip fit is very low, which isn't even close to my usual style, but which works with this outfit, and the added layer of leather over the legs and bucked around the waist draws a lot of attention to some of my nicer features while still seeming realistic. The added large buckles down the sides, and the stud detailing of the belt, makes this seem like something a Scary Momma would wear when out on a ride - though I'll admit the white bodystocking from Reasonable Desires and all of the corsetry from Rosal (neither available at Genre) is a tad less realistic. Although this is a lot less skin than I often show, it feels like it's a lot more due to what skin is shown off and how - I think I pulled off dangerously sexy pretty well, even if I do say so myself!

Curlicue Couture

There are five days left before The Secret Affair leaves us forever - on the 29th - and if you haven't been by, I highly recommend it. I ended up falling into adoration with a new store called Pixicat, which put together this really unique and sexy dress and these amazing Baroque shoes. The dress is a combination of corset-style and colorblock with intricate patterns overlaying the colorblocked panels. I love the weavework of the corsetry between the panels; if you look closely, you'll see that the ribbon slotted through lies perfectly, curving over and under the edges of the pattern smoothly and realistically. I also love it's subdued sexiness; the bodice is covering enough, but the additional ribbon along the top edge gives it a dangerous edge it wouldn't otherwise have. I also love the length - many would be tempted to make this kind of a dress a miniskirt, but the knee length balances out classy and sexy perfectly. The shoes, on the other hand, are simply a blast. Waves of curls reminiscent of a heavy picture frame support a high SLink heel held on with thick straps. The straps themselves are color changeable through a HUD; the heels are available in white, black, and a variety of metals. I indulged in this white pair as a way to keep my entire look white, but balanced it with black straps which I also echoed in the bracers from The Annex; strappy, dark, and bold.

The Annex bracers come with a lovely veiled hairband with large, creamy flowers on it. I bought the set for the veil - it's mesh, with large pearls sewn into the mesh, and the flowers are luxurious and lovely over the top of the head. Since I was trying to walk a sexy and elegant line, this additional bit of concealment is perfection. I tucked the veiling over another wonderful hairstyle from Discord Designs (available at Hair Faire), with braids tied back in a loose chignon. I'm showing off one of the lighter blonds here, but it's available in a variety of colors. In contrast with many of her other braids, this one has a curling, almost spiral pattern across the skill which I simply adore; I have an abiding love of the more complicated braid patterns developed by black, Caribbean, and African cultures. Discord Designs' styles are particularly perfect for close-held hairbands and crowns, offering a stylish base for your best princesses. My necklace is also from The Secret Affair, a deceptively simple curve from 22769. From a distance it appears like a thick chain necklace, but up close you can see the overlaid leafs in a gentle ombre from dark gray to a blinding blue-white. I really love how distance makes such a difference with how this particular piece of jewelry looks - that's an additional layer to a complicated look. It is a single piece, though; something I appreciated when I made it a little thicker to fit around my neck perfectly.

I ended up at the RFL Track for pictures; every year they do a number of amazing sims along the edges, and this year one of them was from Fallen Gods' creator Alia Baroque. Growth and Decay is a gorgeous NeoClassical landscape with bridges and rivers on either side.

Cherry Blossom Princess

This has been a very eventful month already, and I've had such fun - but I'm feeling a little poor. The nice thing is, even if my pockets are empty, my inventory is full, and I had such a ball pulling together items from a few different events to make a fantastic, royal look. I also found a gorgeous new sim for pictures - Nagare - which has a wonderful, formal design with beautiful cherry blossom petals flying around like magic. I found myself quite entranced by them, and by the ever-present rain which is only barely visible in these pictures; it was soothing without being overwhelming. I'm seeking soothing a lot these days; life has been pretty hectic and upsetting, and so I dive deeper into the things I love - pretty clothing, taking pictures, and baking. The poses I used are all from Fit for a Princess, a royal set from Lalochezia which worked well with my gown - though sometimes the sleeves caught on themselves here and there. I'm really looking forward to see more poses from this store.

Speaking of pretty clothes - this gown from Junebug is another of the Fit for a Princess event offerings, and I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it on the feeds - though picking a single color was really difficult. I love the poofy quality of it, something difficult to render in rigged mesh, and the layers of fabric. The ripples of fabric fall well even with different leg poses - in the top picture you can see how a lifted foot kicks the skirt up like a breeze is ruffling it without causing unnatural jaggedness in the fabric. The corset bends with motion well, as well, and I love that the sleeves are bell like but don't cover the wrist, allowing me to show off some bracelets. The texturing is also gorgeous; the lace of the bodice adds some texture to the whole look, and then is repeated in the sleeves only semi-transparent; having only a few spots of complicated texture really make them stand out. The seams are thick and rolled at the waist, and bands of velvet trip along the sides of the bodice; I find touches like this add to the verisimilitude of an outfit and make it seem more polished. I paired it with the sets of creamy lilies and roses from The Annex at We <2 RP which I simply couldn't resist. I tinted them more cream to match the gown, but otherwise they were completely perfect - especially when I found the bands of pearls of the headband framed the forehead braid of this hair from Wasabi Pills perfectly. I love it when two completely different stores release items which fit together as if they were made for each other - and this is definitely an example of that. I added a necklace and bracelets from League for that final bit of creamy pearl, and again it looks like it was all made for each other, and simply perfect. Given how much older the jewelry is than the rest of my look, it's really amazing how seamlessly it melds in to make the perfect princess glow. The final piece were these gorgeous wings from Una, which I've gotten a lot of use out of - I'm glad I played the gacha so much to get so many colors, though I wish I could have been able to buy a fatpack. They have a formal, elegant appearance which makes me a perfect, clockwork pearl princess.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Izzie's, Irene
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Stella
Flowers: The Annex, Purity of Spring (We <3 RP)
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Eyeshadow: Adore & Abhor, Princess Wish
Wings: Una, Steampunk Wing
Hands: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands
Nails: Adore & Abhor, Princess Destiny
Jewelry: League, Pearls & Lace
Dress: Junebug, Principessa (Fit for a Princess)

Poses: Lalochezia

Location: Nagare: Home of the Blue Lotus Clan
Light Settings: TOR, MIDDAY Precision Blue
Water Settings: Mirror Water

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only