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!
Lately I have taken an interest in doing clothes texturing, using purchased full perm models that allow one to selectively edit texture faces. While I have pondered selling some of these, which is what most people do who work with the full perm models, so far I have just been tinkering for myself, in order to get unique looks and/or make outfits that reflect ‘me.’ The full perm models are not inexpensive, being in the range of 500L to 1500L typically, as the expectation is that one is selling your new creations and thus eventually recoup your expenditure. However, if the cost does not deter you… follow me on a little path to see what you can do 🙂
For this first installment I will focus on something simple (and very small!). The common component in all of these outfits below is the Angel skirt by Gunshot, which is also a very reasonable 250L. This is a teeny-tiny skirt that really doesn’t cover much at all (which… frankly, was my goal). 😀 Now most people would supplement this with a pair of panties but I chose not to.
The skirt contains three material faces that can each be textured in different ways. They can also be different between front and back but the design of the skirt tends more toward it being the same all the way around front to back. The Gunshot package for the skirt contains models for all of the major mesh bodies as well as four sample textures, a shadow map, and a UV map. All of these latter items can be used in an external graphics program to create your own textures, which can then be uploaded to SL and applied to the mesh model.
In this first outfit, I textured the skirt with an opaque white band around the top, and the two main layers all in lace, to match the lace top and the lace cuffs on the sleeves. This is an example of where I mixed and matched a ton of things, along with the custom pieces, to get just the look I was after, an innocent snowflake faerie (okay, maybe just snowflake faerie…)
For this one I wanted to match the skirt to the top, which is also a full perm model. Before I found the original model, I had purchased a version of it from a vendor who had made her own texture for it. As I liked that shade of blue I wanted to match everything to it, which I did with the Angel skirt and the full perm sleeves from another full perm creator. In this case the top two bands of the skirt are solid, and the small band along the bottom is a lace pattern that matches the lace along the bottom hem of the top.
Top: Kara Top by Vaxer (the full perm model is CBB106 by Cool Big Bird )
Accessories: Good Kitty Collar by The Sugar Garden/tsg; Heart Charm Necklace by Bowtique (Marketplace link); Endear Ladies Key Necklace by EarthStones; Giftwrap Garter and Cuffs by Sweet Thing; Armour Waist Chain and Seacrest Waist Chain by La Sirena (Marketplace store); BoHo Style Hand Jewelry Butterfly by SilveryK
Another vendor who took the Gunshot Baude top and created a nice texture for it is ArisArisB&W, who applied a pretty denim pattern. I created a matching version for the skirt across all three texture bands.
Top: Nicety top by ArisArisB&W (the model is the same Gunshot Baude top as I used in the Snowflake image above)
Accessories: Dragonfly necklace by Pixel Box; Elaine Belt and Garter by Nanika; Armour Waist Chain and Seacrest Waist Chain by La Sirena (Marketplace store);
Arm Harness by L’Emporio
And finally, back to lace, this time with a rose tint and a slightly Victorian look (is not sure the Queen would approve). Here I used the actual Gunshot Baude top with the Angel skirt, modifying the lace pattern from Snowflake to be a little softer in color (as well as a bit more see through… blushes!).
Accessories: Jabot collar by Cog & Fleur; Lolita Lace Cuffs by Sweet Thing; Armour Waist Chain and Seacrest Waist Chain by La Sirena (Marketplace store)
Pose: The Irie Series – Four (m) by an lar (closed)
While these examples of re-texturing have been pretty simple, they’ve been fun in allowing me to make things that are just right for what I want. 🙂 In future installments of Do It Yourself I hope to show you some more complex examples.
Back to Photoshop! More lacy and frilly things await! Cheers!
As the holidays approach it is the time for formal gatherings. Here are two very lovely outfits sure to make you the belle of the ball!
Mariposa has mastered the use of glittering materials – their gowns truly shimmer as you walk, in a way that still photos can hardly capture. My favorite of theirs is the Dallas Sparkling Iridescent Zebra Stripe Halter Gown, available in nine colors. In my view the stunner of the batch is this one, the viola color. The dresses include two different body lights you can add that really make the dresses sparkle! Dallas is available for all major mesh bodies.
A word has to be included here for the hair I have on here, Love Song by Magika. Usually when going for formal gowns I stick with updos but here Love Song is just perfect, melding long flowing locks with a classy bun on top.
For something slightly less formal but sensual, Indura has the Venice bodysuit, which has see thru lace in all the right places. It includes unrigged attachments and flexi cuffs, with the body suit an applier in five colors as a fat pack for all major mesh bodies and classic avatars. The individual colors are also available at their in world store.
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.
Dress and wreath: Enchanted Forest Nymph by Boudoir
Accessories: Born in Paradise Arm and Leg Vines by Caverna Obscura; Adorabelle White armbands and Flirty Fairy Pink armbands by Angelwing; Reverie necklace by Manna (Marketplace link)
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.
Jewelry: BohoStyle Hand Jewelry Butterfly – pink by Silvery K; Celtic Trinity Necklace, Circlet and Earrings by LightStar; Calliope Armlets by EarthStones
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!
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:
Every now and then a girl needs to dress up a little bit… and with elegant and flowing style. Today I’d like to show you a selection from my gown wardrobe, something for any particular formal event.
Let’s look first at the Bianca gown from FlowerDreams, available in seven colors. It includes top and bottom layers for the popular mesh bodies as well as Omega, and lots of lovely flowy prim bits as well. Perfect for when you’re feeling a little bit of the fairy tale in you!
Now how about those nights when you want to glitter a little bit? Maybe even be a little daring? Then baii maii has just the thing for you in the 218 Glitter Gown with fits for the major mesh bodies. You’ll be hard pressed to know whether onlookers are more dazzled by the flashy dress or by your skin peeking through! Hint: the texture is materials enabled, and if you add a little light to yourself it looks absolutely amazing!
Dress: 218 Glitter Gown by baii maii (Marketplace link)
Looking for something a bit classier? Returning to FlowerDreams we have the Leah gown, also a bit daring but in an elegant way, with top and sides revealing one’s form. A bit of carefully placed hair in case you aren’t *quite* that daring… Leah is also available in seven colors, with appliers for the the major mesh bodies and Omega.
And finally, this week a two-fer: both black and red versions of the same gown, worn by me and my lovely Kie during a formal dance. This is Irina from Utopia, with the amazing detailing that only Utopia can bring. It’s available in seven colors with appliers for the major mesh bodies and Omega. Here the open back makes a nice frame for a detailed phoenix tattoo from U-Design.
Outfit: Venice by 
