R2! (No not the Star Wars robot)

Here we mean R2 Fashion, a clothier with a unique style all their own. R2 specializes in sci fi outfits with a definite sexy bent to them and often with a great deal of, shall we say, “transparency”…

R2’s clothes feature slick metallic textures and curve hugging designs. For the Kagura outfit, I added sleeves from Caverna Obscura’s Wistera Wind outfit.

A bonus with Kagura is this adorable electro-bunny light up tail that gently pulses.

The Kachou outfit swirls around the breasts and adds discreet detailing to cover the important bits. As with all of R2’s ensembles, one buys the individual components, usually consisting of at least separate boots, panties, and tops, and the occasional additional parts such as modesty covers.

  • Outfit: Kachou by R2 Fashion
  • Hair: Tanya 1 by Calico
  • Ears: Angelica Headdress by Ayashi (gacha item)
  • Pose: The Lily Series – Four by an lar

In the Baika outfit we can see the almost plastic look that R2 achieves, making full use of material rendering.

And finally, in the Seiga outfit, we see more of the sharply defined futuristic lines combined with some elegant curving sleeves, and the teasing transparency at which R2 excels.

The number of colors for each outfit varies, but is generally anywhere from five to eight colors. Fat packs are also available which may include exclusive colors as well. All of the outfits are for Maitreya Lara only.

While R2 has their own store as linked above, they are also a regular contributor at the Collabor88 event, where the components of the outfits are generally available at a lesser price than when in the normal store inventory.

Time to suit up my sweet friends! Cheers!


Moody Blooms

Today I want to show you a pretty Asian-style dress called Moody Blooms, from fashionably dead. It dips in front with a wickedly low cut, matched by an equally high cut up one leg.

The textures on the dress are simply gorgerous (13 in all), and better yet each color has three pattern options too. There is no fat pack so each color must be purchased separately.

Moody Blooms is available for all major mesh bodies. In these photos I’ve paired the dress with the MoodyBlossom boots from Pure Poison, which match the dress colors perfectly. These boots are dual purpose, as in addition to the solid boot design shown here, they also have options to be worn as see thru lace with the flower patterns. The boots include a 10 color HUD.

  • Moody Blooms Dress by fashionably dead
  • MoodyBlossom Boots by Pure Poison
  • Jewelry: Antique Necklace by The Looking Glass (gacha item)
  • Hair: Misaki by Argrace
  • Pose: The Kallisto Series – Five by an lar

Until next time my sweet friends! Cheers!

 


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!


A Bit of Boho

It’s still summer, still time to be a bit Bohemian and casual… and here are three outfits designed to do just that.

For a light and casual feel one can try out the Rhapsody top and skirt combo available from ArisArisB&W, which comes in six colors of pretty floral patterns with a HUD. The top features cute tassel trim along the hem of the top. Fits are provided for all major mesh bodies.

  • Top and Skirt: Rhapsody by ArisArisB&W
  • Jewerlry: Leah earrings and Georgia armlets by AvaWay; Peace Love and Harmony Bracelets by Earthstones
  • Hair: Hadeya and Lamar by Catwa
  • Pose: The Elena Series – Two by an lar

For a little darker, somewhat rich velvety look, good choices are items from Oubliette, including the Burnout Velvet Kimono top and Brujah Maxi skirt.

The top is available in five individual colors and includes an optional shirt in six colors. The skirt is available in six individual colors. There are also fat packs for both pieces, and fits for all the major mesh bodies are included.

Mixing and matching things is always something I love to do, and here is a fun example of that. The main parts of the ensemble are from the Arwen gacha set from Giz Seorn, available at the current Epiphany event. It consists of a lovely blouse, a bikini bottom (each available in thirteen colors, plus three rare colors for the top), and a gypsy belt and a gypsy necklace, each available in three colors. The outfit is Maitreya only, and while the components are available on Marketplace from resellers, those rare tops with the pretty patterns run some hefty Lindens. So if you are fond of gachas you may want to run over to Epiphany while you can and try your luck! I matched the Arwen set with flexi skirts from Caverna Obscura’s Starlight outfit, which while quite beautiful as it’s own outfit, made the perfect compliment to the Arwen gypsy look.

  • Top, Bikini, Belt, and Necklace: Arwen by Giz Seorn (gacha item at Epiphany)
  • Skirt: Starlight – Midnight by Caverna Obscura
  • Jewelry: Gypsy necklace and earrings by Earthstones; Boho ring collection by *KATE*
  • Hair: Haku by Argrace
  • Pose: shepherdess 3 by Axix

Come light a little incense with me, and I shall tell your fortune from the cards, my sweet friends! Cheers!


Leader of the Band

Well, I have been told I beat to the sound of my own drum…

Today let me show you some cute fantasy outfits with wonderful detailing. Often it is those mesh details that really sell an outfit and make it unique. First up is a great little uniform outfit from Cureless called Rose Duelist, which gives new meaning to the term hourglass figure. In addition to its cute shape, it includes nifty pauldrons with looped cords and a HUD with seven colors for the jacket and separate color options for the collar frill, jacket borders, pocket, underskirt, lapel rose, jewels, cuff base, cuff frills, cuff borders, pauldron jewels, pauldron braids, and the included shorts. Goodness that is a lot of options!

I’ve paired the outfit with a highly detailed pair of boots from C & S called Rubby, which come with a 40-color HUD, along with five metal options. The laces can also be in any of the 40 colors. The boots can be worn as thigh-high as shown here, or the top portion can be removed for a mid-calf look. (I should note that the mesh for this boot is not exclusive to C&S; if you are particularly interested in black, I found a pair of the same boots from Ghee, with a more limited HUD of six colors but a much richer looking leather texture to them.)

  • Outfit: Rose Duelist Uniform by Cureless
  • Boots: Rubby Boots by C&S
  • Hair: Haku by Argrace
  • Pose: The Bella Series – Three by an lar

When it comes to detailing, one of the absolute best is Zenith, who have created a spectacular steampunk ensemble in eight colors. The leggings with the belt-purse are available from their main store; the corset top was a recent event release at We Love Role Play and is not yet in the store but hopefully soon! The perfect matching boots for this outfit were my favorite Xulia’s from FashionNatic.

  • Outfit: Steampunk Corset Armor and Steampunk Waist Pack with Leggings by Zenith
  • Gloves: Criminal Police by Zenith (a gacha item)
  • Boots: Xulia Boots by FashionNatic
  • Hair: Haku by Argrace
  • Jewelry: Ladies Key by Earthstones
  • Pose: Candy Pose 1 by K&S

This last outfit is another extremely versatile dress, which was released by Eliavah for an event and has not yet made it into her in-world or Marketplace stores but is worth waiting for when she does. Everbloom is a sweet corset-style dress  with two HUDs having 33 colors plus 8 metallic shades, with separate color sections for the shirt, corset, skirt top, skirt bottom, and ribbons. I’ve matched it with the Candy Lolita Boots from Candy Kitten which comes in twelve colors via a HUD with separate color sections for the boots, bows, laces, socks, and garters.

Let’s go marching together, my sweet friends! 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!


Summer Casual

Here’s a light and breezy summer dress from Sweet Thing, called Elisa Corset Dress, available at the Kustom9 event through the 15th. It’s available in 18 single solid colors; a six-color camo pack; a six-color ‘galaxy’ pack with constellation patterns; a six-color leopard pattern pack; a four-color pack with test on the top; and a fat pack of all of the singles and smaller packs plus three full pack only designs. Whew! That is one versatile dress!

This is one of the solid colors matched with the wonderfully flexible Faith boots from Mesh Agency.

 

And a close up of the red color, for a better view of the lovely mesh corset detailing.

 

And finally, a view of one of the ‘galaxy’ patterns, with lovely constellations all around.

  • Dress: Elisa Corset Dress by Sweet Thing (available at the Kustom9 event)
  • Shoes: Xena Boots by KC
  • Jewelry: Leah Bracelet by AvaWay
  • Pose: Bloom Female Pose 3 by K&S

Let’s go enjoy those summer days! Cheers!

 

 

 


Angelic

Let me share a fabulous little treasure with you today.  A dear friend gave me a wonderful gift recently — the lovely Angelic dress from Blueberry

Angelic is a beautiful little mini with gorgeous little wing detail on the rear shoulder straps, and comes in fitmesh for most of your mesh body choices!

Like most of the treasures at BlueberryAngelic is available in a wealth of colours and patterns.  The Fatpack features a HUD with a few extra choices – solid colours with a flower texture.

Blueberry  has long been one of my favourites for women’s clothing in SL.  It seems they always have something new to entice me!

Now… as a little side note… spare a thought for angels… for new lives, new births, new wings learning to fly.  With all the fear and uncertainty and stress in this world, there’s always new life to find, and new ones to celebrate.  So, to the one for whom it counts, Hau`oli Lā Hānau, Happy Birthday, special one, you are treasured beyond words.

Mahalo!  A hui hou!