Fashion

Fashion Reviews

At the mercy of the night

Aeon Events, Fashion, LotD, Reviews, Sponsored

The cool clammy taste of the foggy night, the pool of hazy golden light about the gas lamp at the street corner.  Every nerve is alive, every sound sends a little shiver up your back.  Best not go out alone….

Silvan Moon Designs offers their latest exclusive for We Love Role Play, the lovely Mercy Maxwell.

The remarkable chapeau is just perfect for this outfit, and can be pretty easily adjusted for a reasonable choice of mesh hair.

Bee and Solas have a remarkable partnership, and keep producing the most wonderful role-play pieces.  Mercy Maxwell is right at home on a Victorian city street or at a steampunk event.  It’s available at We Love Role Play through the month of April.  Stop by and pick up a demo!

Mahalo!  A hui hou kākou!

Eclipse

Aeon Fashion, Reviews

I think that one of my favourite gifts of SL is that it lets me experiment with different personas.  It lets me explore different looks (what would I look like blond?  eeep no). But on the larger sense, what if you could put yourself in another’s skin?  (NO, NOT IN A CREEPY WAY! OMG)

I’ve always loved being a fae in the world… and more recently in the past year or two, a neko… and more recently playing with the most wonderful exotic skins from Fallen Gods.

Beyond the appreciation for a beautiful skin, what does it mean?  I think it’s a chance to see the parts of you that you keep inside, that you don’t let the outside world see… maybe the parts you don’t let yourself see.  The cracks, the breaks, the broken… and the brilliant.

  • Fallen Gods — Lumina Eclipse skin
  • Ally Adventure — Artemis Chain Mail skirt and top (black) (Freya/Isis/Venus/Maitreya/Physique/Hourglass/Standard fitmesh) (Marketplace Link)
  • Luanes World — Try to forget you pose

For all of this introspection, what have I learned?

I think a little bit back to the solar eclipse of 2017.  It was the first solar eclipse I’d seen, and I drove hours and hours to get to a place to see it.  I wasn’t disappointed.  A minute and a half of totality… and a lifetime shift in perspective.  All of a sudden… the world felt different… the view of the solar corona, the strange feel of a chill in the air on a humid hot summer day…. a world revealed in the dark.

I think, for me, that every avatar, every look…  is a little slice of what’s inside.  Dark, hopeful, despairing, joyful, twisted, flirty, cross… shining.  Every bit is a part of me, and every bit celebrated.

Even the pain-in-the-butt bits.  (NO, NOT THAT WAY, OMG!)

Happy Aloha Friday, my lovely ones.  For all the pain and hardship, you are beautiful.  I believe in you.

Mahalo!  A hui hou kākou!

Stargazer

Aeon Fashion, LotD, Reviews

Aloha kākou!  Hello, my friends!  I wanted to share a little lovely outfit from Jazabelle Boutique!  Stargazer is a wonderful ensemble with the most amazing jacket and maxi skirt that’s sure to make your statement.

Our very own Jaz has been putting out quite a few full ensemble outfits lately with a variety of options, and this one is no exception.  It features a full outfit, with bandeau top, the lovely jacket, necklace, boots, and a choice of mini or maxi skirt.  I totally adore the jacket… perfect for any astronomer… and every dreamer.

  • Jazabelle Boutique — Stargazer complete outfit (jacket, bandeau top, maxi and miniskirts, necklace and boots) (Lara fitmesh only)
  • [Kikay] — look up! pose

It may be a bit hazy to use my telescope tonight, but there are other pretty shinies to enjoy.

The maxi skirt has the most wonderful animated starry texture: the stars swirl about you in a slow but noticeable fashion.  While long mesh dresses and maxis can be… awkward… to dance in, this one is nicely rigged, and dances gentle dances quite well.  That said, I probably wouldn’t try a dance that’s too flamboyant!

Stargazer is at Jazabelle’s in-world shop now.  Stop by and take a look around, Jaz has been having a lot of fun putting things together for your enjoyment!

Mahalo!  A hui hou kākou!

City Lights

Aeon Fashion, LotD, Reviews

Hey, Whit?  If you’re out there, I still think of you every time I post a video to go with a post.  🙂  Some appropriate music, courtesy of Annie Lennox:

Gazing out above the city streets, the glitter of lights…. a different kind of beauty than the shining stars on a moonless night.  A million lights, out there unseen a million lives, a million stories, each one shining bright in its own way.  A million sequins sparkling in the velvet black, bright in a neon glow.

Aloha kākou, my friends.  You may know how much I like the amazing textures that Ally Adventure creates for their fashions.  Demetra is a two-piece top-and-skirt outfit that is available in two different textures, a lighter glitter sequins with gold accents and a darker glitter sequins version with silvery accents.  I opted for the light/gold one.

Demetra is available in fitmesh for all of the major mesh bodies plus five standard rigged mesh sizes.  Ally Adventure appears to no longer have an in-world store, but is still actively producing new clothing and can be found on Marketplace with demos for all their items.  You should definitely pick up the free demo to see how it fits on you — and which texture you prefer.  I’ve been so happy that they’ve been producing fitmesh for the mesh bodies now!

Also a side note, I combined Leela and Squeeze hairstyles from Analog Dog here.  Both are independently wonderful styles, but pairing them gave a huge curly mess that… just felt right.

The real magic of Ally Adventure are the remarkable materials-enabled textures.  The sparkles just have to be seen to be believed.  To my knowledge, every clothing item Ally sells comes with a set of face/body lights that are designed to enhance the sparkle without being too annoying to those around you.

No matter what your view of the world is, stop a moment… bask in the life around you, the shining lights — starlights, city lights, blinking lights — and enjoy the view.

Mahalo nui, my friends!  A hui hou kākou!

 

Pandora

Aeon Events, Fashion, LotD, Reviews, Sponsored

The March edition of We Love Role Play is underway, and Solas and Bee at Silvan Moon Designs present the lovely Pandora gown in two-piece fitmesh.  I promise, I’m not here to open up a box of troubles!

The asymmetric sleeve design is definitely something different.  I like it, but I also think that it benefits from some not-insignificant arm jewelry.  I’m wearing Calliope from EarthStones here — a simple and classy look — but I think that you could get away with a more significant/bold armlet/bracer type of piece.

The leafy flowery detail on Pandora is really just incredible.  EarthStones’ Nature’s Splendour jewelry set (necklace and earrings) complements the gown as if it were made for it.  I’d love an armlet fashioned as a gold-vined leaf in the same theme as Nature’s Splendour.

Please stop by We Love Role Play and check out Pandora!  Mahalo!  A hui hou!

 

 

waiting for spring

Aeon Events, Fashion, Reviews

I’ve had a bit of a bad habit lately of indulging in some wonderful fantasy skins, perhaps it’s an effort to lose myself from all the cold winter that so many of us find ourselves in!

Alia Baroque at Fallen Gods is feeling our need for Spring, and has four beautiful skins and associated tattoos at the Summoning Spring event that are just perfect to draw you back to life, to growing things!

I have to let the skin and tattoo speak for themselves… remove the lovely Daphne dress from The Muses, and just… be bare.  The Fleurs tattoo layer has several different variations for male and female avatars and various stages of… revelation.  I chose something slightly more discrete for these pics, but you may choose to bare more.

TheWood Nymph skins come in four varieties.  I’m showing the Spring skin, with a light and lively hint of green against the feeling of new bark saplings…. through the season the bark/skin tone grows a bit darker/browner and the green becomes darker, to a mossy autumn skin… finally a winter-grey bark colour.  Each is absolutely beautiful.

The Summoning Spring event is a small simple affair, but has a number of nice treasures.  The faire is only around until March 13, and I fear winter here may last a bit longer than that!  Fortunately, the spirit of life and hope that we carry with us comes from this wonderful place within us.

Mahalo!  A hui hou!

The Muses Holiday Gown

Jaz Events, Fashion, Reviews

The Muses always makes the most beautifully textured gowns, and the recent Holiday gown is no exception. They are always shaped very nicely and dance decently (which is always an issue with mesh dresses).

Holiday comes in five colors, and is available at the We <3 Roleplay event (which is where The Muses seems to sell all their products). At this round of Roleplay, Holiday is right inside the doorway of their section, which is one of the ancillary rooms leading off the main event floor.

The texture details are superb, with rows of buttons up the front and the back of the bodice, nice poofy shoulders, and lacey designs on the sleeves and front dress panel. The dress is one-size-fits all mesh, meaning you have to alpha out pretty much everything on your body.

And of course I had to add some fairy wings into the mix!

  • Dress: Holiday by The Muses (at We <3 Roleplay)
  • Wings: from Whispy Fairy by Enchanted Dreams  (Marketplace link)
  • Wreath: Arianwen Wreath by Evie’s Closet  (Marketplace link)
  • Jewelry: Magic Necklace by Swallow; BoHoStyle Hand Jewelry by SilveryK
  • Hair: Misaki by Agrace (no longer available)

I think it’s a good time for a little fantasy, what do you say? Cheers!

A light against the darkness

Aeon Events, Fashion, LotD, Reviews

February can be cold and long, but the Medievel Fantasy Faire is a shining light in the winter months, and Scarlet Fey has a beautiful fitmesh gown for Maitreya Lara to keep you warm and bright.

Phoenix Rising from Earthstones was the perfect complement to Elven Aurora‘s detailing.

Scarlet Fey incorporated a surprise in the Elven Aurora gown: the detailing very gently progresses through successive red/orange/yellow shading.  If the animation were quick, it would come across as a cheap gimmick, I think, but it’s slow and subtle and quite lovely.  You really need to stop by the Scarlet Fey booth at MFF to see the demo there to appreciate the effect!

Mahalo!  A hui hou kākou!

Veronika

blue Fashion, LotD, Reviews

Here’s another fantastic outfit for the kemono cheetah!  I was browsing around and came across this on marketplace, for the low price of L$150.

Not only is it for kemono with Starbright’s Busty Torso as shown here, but it also comes with fits for the default kemono body, Rei’s Chest, V-Tech Boi, Lara, Freya, Isis, and two fits for classic avatars!

Also included is a color picker HUD for the outfit’s body, border, straps, rings, and pins.  You can also change the metals to silver or gold, set the outfits specular level, and set the alpha blending mode.  There is also a reference shape included, although I’m wearing my standard shape for the cheetah.

Unlike most kemono clothing, this one is no modify and does not supply UV and AO maps, which would be what’s keeping the cost so low.  But with the number of fits and a color picker HUD, this is easily worth the money.

 

 

Red Alert

Jaz Fashion, Reviews

Often the inspiration for one of my mix and match specials is for a themed dance at Sisters of Eden, the club where I DJ. Recently the theme was Best in Red… and while some took this to mean an elegant gown, of course I went a totally different direction… This was one of those instances where a fortuitous “let’s try this” exercise resulted in a rather cool total effect.

The basis for this outfit was a whole slew of stuff: the main suit, boots, top and bra are from r2’s Yuraku outfit, supplemented by arms from r2’s Nowaki outfit and the Electra Cyber Gloves from A&Y (in seven colors, each of which allow recoloring of a variety of material zones for a neat custom look). Over this I added the B1 Cybersuit Fortran from The Original Black One, which has the most amazing looking animated light coursing through it (animation at the end of this blog entry!). The suit comes with 15 colors and with varying lighting patterns.

To this ensemble I added the amazing fire-breathing Neo-Phoenix Cyber Hair from A&Y, available in 12 colors; and the bento animated Sentinel Tail from CerebusXing, available in six colors.

Then it was time to add in the detailing, such as the eerie Elfin Eyes – Freshblood by DurtTrashDurt Zipper, and the ring details on legs and groin from Normandy, and on the breasts from the Graves Mainframe outfit.

Now to really appreciate this in action you need a little video, so check this out!

See why I enjoy mixing and matching so much? You come up with something no one else is likely to have, and make a splash doing it!

  • Outfit: B1 Cybersuit – Fortran by The Original Black One (Marketplace link); arms from Nowaki and boots, bra, suit, and top from Yuraku by r2
  • Gloves: Electra Cyber Gloves by A&Y
  • Tail: Sentinel Tail by CerebusXing
  • Accessories: discs from G236 Mainframe by Graves; Leg Implants and Pussy Cover by Normandy
  • Hair: Neo-Phoenix Cyber Hair by A&Y
  • Eyes: Elfin Eyes Freshblood by DurtTrashDurt Zipper (Marketplace link)

Time to go light my fire somewhere, my friends! Cheers!