Mix and Match with Meli

A long time Second Life staple is Meli Imako, a purveyor of full perm clothing items. Most often their products are used as the base for other creators to produce ensemble outfits, adding and changing textures. While that is still their strong suit, recently Meli has been including some pretty decent textures in some of the models as well, allowing them to be used as-is for those so inclined. A very good example of the latter is the Vixen dress, a wonderfully frilly confection:

Vixen is available in five mesh sizes as well as Fit Mesh for all the major mesh bodies, with the hat available separately. Note the Meli Imako does not have an in-world store so all of their products can be found on the Marketplace.

Another good outfit right out of the box is the High Seas Pirate Corset, which is equally at home as a Gothic style Lolita dress. Here is an example of the dress with one of the three included textures, the black:

To add to the atmosphere on this one, I mixed in a chiffon dress held aloft by ravens, from The Dark Swamp. The Meli corset dress is available in five Fitmesh Sizes plus fits for all major mesh bodies and three included textures. And true to the premise that Meli supplies meshes for other creators to adapt, I know that this dress is available in pre-made sets from at least two other vendors: Sn@ocks in five separate colors; and Adris King Designer in an eleven-color HUD. Both use the same basic pattern that comes with the texture set with a few modifications.

Now just because other vendors mod these items doesn’t mean you can’t as well. Here is the same dress with colors I changed using Photoshop and uploading the texture back into Second Life, this time on the happy side of the Disney aisle as Snow White. I added some mesh bows, one for the front and one in my hair, and found nice boots and stockings to go with.

And finally, to show that sometimes just a little bit of modification can give you just what you are looking for, here is the Women’s Cravat Blouse and Corset skirt. I wanted a librarian sort of outfit but one with a little sexy appeal; so I was able to adjust the transparency on the top and add a lacy bra underneath. The outfit is available in five mesh model sizes (not Fit Mesh).

Ready to do a little custom modifications, my sweet friends? Cheers!


On a Wing and a Fae

Let’s have a little fun this time around and I will show you how I really look in Second Life. Yes, I am by nature a faerie and most at home wearing my wings. In fact, this first outfit I will show you is what got me into SL. In RL I do 3D artwork, and one day I saw a promo ad for the beautiful Moonlight Melody outfit by Caverna Obscura. My first thought was “Wow, that is as good as the 3D models I am using! I need to go look at that.” I signed up for Second Life, and it was the first outfit I bought… and here I am six years later. 🙂

Now unlike some of my ‘normal’ clothes ensembles, with my fantasy and faerie outfits I tend to mix and match a lot of things… sometimes even maxing out my attachments… but this is more about sharing the faerie look than the parts and pieces.

So let’s start with said Moonlight Melody outfit, which is still my all time favorite. All of these shots were taken in my private garden, and no surprise it was rather designed with faeries in mind. 🙂

When I am feeling really one with my garden I tend to start sprouting flowers. 🙂 In fact this outfit is mostly just… flowers… but then that is not uncommon with outfits from Boudoir, who specialize in elaborate ensembles that are often a floral riot.

Often times it takes a bit of experimentation to find the right combination of components, but when you finally hit upon it the feeling is happy happy. And even better when it can be worn multiple ways; in this instance I am wearing all the parts of the outfit but depending on mood and circumstance various parts can be removed for a more, um, casual look and feel… This particular outfit also holds special meaning for me, with some very happy shared memories a part of it.

When I am looking for a nice contemplative spot, there is nothing better than my little waterwheel! And here I am fluttering in another wonder from Caverna Obscura, called Wisteria Wind. Caverna does such wonderful fantasy outfits!

Come, take my hand and fly with me to my garden, sweet faeries!


A Touch of Magika

That would be Magika hair, one of my happy hair places! Today I’d like to show you a selection of their offerings, both long and short, including one of my favorite hair pieces (which you will have seen in some of my previous postings).

Magika used to have a somewhat spread-out and confusing store but this year they moved to new quarters where all the products are in one easier to navigate space. In addition, all of the hair pieces have been combined into fat packs with all of the colors, 120 to be exact, in four included HUDs.

Let’s start with my happy hair, HoneyWhiskey, a nice almost Marilyn Monroe-esque casual style:

Next is a nice sweeping longer style called Never:

And a little big longer still, but with a bit more ‘wind’ look to it, is the Hush style:

And last, a sweet updo with French braid and curled up bun in the back called Meadow:

Time for a trip to the hair stylist! Cheers!

 

 


Far Eastern Flair

Waves to my sweet friends as today I give you something different! I am very fond of Asian fashions, both the demure and the more flamboyant. Today’s offering is very much more in the latter category!

So when we talk about out-there Asian style we of course have to start with Bare Rose, a Second Life staple for many years. Anyone who has been to the Bare Rose store, with its giant 20 story walls of outfits, knows that the selection ranges from fantasy to fantastic to… truly out there!

This one. Celestial Taipei, is by no means extravagant in terms of Bare Rose… but still pretty flashy. It is a full mesh outfit in a single size, with flexi in the back. Many of the Bare Rose outfits are system layer, but the newer offerings come in mesh (some say fit mesh but… not so much). The good thing is that the outfits are also relatively cheap, so one can afford to experiment as the ones that do work are often spectacular.

A more recent find of mine has been irrISIStible shop. They have a range of fantasy outfits, all very nice done and some with incredible detailing, like the China Dragon shown here.

It clearly competes with the Bare Rose outfit in the “problem getting through doorways” department… but is sure to impress even when standing still! It comes in five mesh sizes as well as Maitreya, Belleza, and Slink, in four colors with  a texture HUD, and some of the parts are resizable and detachable.

Now for slightly less flamboyant, we can go with Luas and their sexy shorty kimono style Akira outfit which comes in four bright colors. Akira is part of a gacha set but the gacha is in-world at the Luas store. Also, the parts shown here are not the rares, and are available on Marketplace from resellers at reasonable prices.

 

Did I say something about flamboyant? You ain’t seen nuthin’ yet! ShengLong by W-Zero is a gacha outfit too but worth trying to get, as I guarantee you everyone will know you are in the room with this one. In fact it needs more than a picture to show you, so check out this video clip:

This spectacular outfit includes the cloud particle effects surrounding you, as well as the animated dragon swirling around your body. AND were that not enough…

… it includes an animated bento dragon tail in back! So when you are ready to be appropriately revered as an ancient goddess… now you know what to wear!

  • Outfit: ShengLong by W-Zero
  • Hair: Jacqueline ponytail by DragensVarg (part of the Jacqueline-Steampunk-cap-goggles-hair set, Marketplace link)
  • Pose: crossed hands 1 M by Lumipro

Bows discreetly to all my friends (as much as one may bow in some of these outfits…) Cheers!


A Summer’s Day

Hello lovely friends! As promised in a previous entry, I want to share with you some of my favorite items from L & B (Lapointe and Bastchild). All of their offerings feature superb mesh detailing like laces and zippers, and many color options (all of their products are sold as packs only, rather than in single colors).

One of the best of their items is the Aspen Denim Jacket, with an open front and optional knotted t-shirt, with sewn seams, zippers, pockets, buttons and an optional wool collar.

It comes in 10 plain denim colors plus one bonus theme denim choice, 7 inner lining options, 12 wool collar options, 5 jacket hardware choices, and 42 t-shirt options. It is available for fit mesh for Maitreya, Slink & Belleza. Check out the detail in the artwork on this jacket!

One of the areas in which L&B excel is in their leather goods. Here is a wonderfully matched set of the Dita jacket and Keiko pants. I particularly love the pants as you can set different parts of the pants to contrasting or complementary colors. There is also a non-leather version of the pants available too.

The jacket is a cropped length open front that includes sewn seams, zippers, pockets, tassels and buttons, and can be worn with or without the optional wool/fur collar and cuffs. There are 21 Leather options, 4 wool collar options, 6 fur collar options, and 5 jacket hardware choice. It comes as fit mesh for Maitreya, Slink & Belleza.

The pants are finished off with front grommets and lacing (corset style) plus zipper pulls with dangle tassels. The included texture HUD has 22 plain leather colors and 5 zipper metal options. Versions are included for fit mesh for Maitreya, Slink, and Belleza as well as classic avatar fit mesh.

And how could one do a summer piece without a nice pair of shorts? These Dita denim shorts were originally featured at an event and are now available at the in world store. They are finished off with zip tassles and front lacing (corset style). It includes 12 denim textures, 3 theme versions, matching corset lacing, & 5 zipper metal options. It comes as fit mesh for Maitreya, Slink, and Belleza.

The cute hoodie top is cut short to highlight your curves. It may be worn with or without the included Bra Tube Top, which I have omitted here (hey, it’s summer and it’s warm out!) The set comes with 36 plain fabric colors, 6 theme fabric options, 9 hood lining versions, plus 36 Bra Tube Top colors. It comes as fit mesh for Maitreya, Slink, and Belleza.

Let’s go out and play in the sun, dear friends! Cheers!


Sea Breeze

Hello lovely ones! I would like to show off two items from Blueberry today that go nicely together: the Bella Knotted Top and the Lila Rolled Cuff Jeans. The Bella top comes in 29 single colors, as well as a fatpack with those solids plus nine floral patterns and nine metallic colors. The metallics are also available in their own mini-pack.

The Lila jeans come in 14 colors plus a fatpack, with two versions, one a smoother bum look and the other with a bit more crease to your cheeks. What sold me on them, however, was that they work perfectly with boots! I am forever trying to find jeans that play nice with boots. And these jeans are nearly as good as my standby, the Tali jeans also from Blueberry. Here I have worn my Faith boots again, with Bella in one of the lighter florals and Lila in a nice light jean shade.

Now one other really cool thing about the Lila jeans, if you get the fatpack, it includes a sweater option around your hips. Not only does this sweater come in 29 colors, in solid or with a choice of a couple of cute phrases; or in nine metallic colors; but you also have an option to write your own text on it! So of course I added “Graduate Jazzy, U of Fae” since I am by nature a faerie (you just have not seen it in the blog yet!)

And then the sun starts to set, and thoughts turn to that evening party on the sand, fire pit alight and good friends around…  You think about that special someone who might come and snuggle in your lap in this chair…

Come share my sunset, sweet friends! Cheers!


Comfy Casual

Hello my lovelies! Today I’d like to show you a wonderfully versatile jacket/dress combo outfit from Adorsy called Natasha. Just the jacket by itself is nicely tailored, with a little hanging belt and trim pieces. On top of that, though, it includes a dress that you can turn on or off, and a pair of panties that can be turned on and off as well.

It comes in seven single colors put it is the fatpack that really shines, with 30 colors for the coat, 40 colors for the dress, 30 colors for the panties/belt/pockets, 40 colors for the collars including 10 fur options, and 5 button options and 2 metals. There is also a loose version included for more flexibility with other clothes.

Here I have the jacket in a dark blue with a lovely flower print for the dress, matched up with a pair of starry leggings from Alaska Metro. The jacket allows separate color selections for the collar, the belt, and the pockets/sleeve trim, though I made them all light blue in this shot.

If you’d like a more upscale city look, here is Natasha with a white jacket and a dark blue dress and trim pieces.

For a lighter look, here I’ve gone with a pale shade for the jacket with an ombre dress selection.

Until next time my sweet friends! Cheers!