Subtle Touches and Needful Things

 

Variations on a Theme

As I’d been feeling under the weather for about a week I decided to mark my recovery with this post, which I’d been saving for a rainy day. Posting is oddly therapeutic.

Clothing: Rose Hood Jacket, DP YumYum, L$120; Pleated Neck Babydoll in Ash, Armidi, L$135; Short Pants in Black, Shop Seu, L$90; Metallic Tights in Mauve, Glanz, L$120.
Accessories: Hobo Bag in Black Suede, Celestial Studios, L$150.
Hair: Amber in Blonde, ETD, L$150.
Boots: Tainted Spring (Unique Edition) in Gold Crush, Fuel, L$400.

Left: Grey Hood Jacket, **DP** YumYum, L$120; Frontrunner Dress in Black (Top), Oh! What a Neat Boutique, L$100 (on sale); Shorts from the Manna Outfit (L$200) & Leg Prims from Colleen Bib-Shorts in Charcoal, L$100, Savvy?; Sheryl Skintight Jeans (underpants layer) from the Sheryl outfit, Last Call, L$100 (on sale); Azuki Socks, Hal*Hina, free at store;
Shoes & Accessories: Eva Pumps in Blood, Lassitude & Ennui, L$230; Dotty Belt, Bossa Nova, free gift in store.
Hair (L-R): Nana in Dark Brown, Luxury Hair Jade, L$100.

Middle: Rose Hood Jacket, **DP** YumYum, L$120; Pleated Neck Babydoll in Ash, Armidi; Short Pants in Black, Shop Seu; Tights in Red, Shop Seu, L$50.
Shoes: Tainted Spring (Unique Edition) in Gold Crush, Fuel.

Right: Black Hood Jacket, **DP** YumYum, L$120; Striped Dress, <3 Cupcakes, L$100 (on sale); Colleen Bib-shorts in Bronze, Savvy?, L$100; Tights in Blue, Shop Seu, L$50.
Shoes: Aphrodite Creations Vintish (Group Gift)

Left: Indigo Couture Top, Culture Vulture (originally Downtown, store is missing); Bottom of Rainy Day Dress in Black, Armidi, L$235; Metallic Tights in Gold, Glanz, L$120;
Shoes and Accessories: Maitresse Metisse Boots, Storm Schmooz, L$500; Glitterati Hobo Bag, Celestial Studios, L$150; Courtney Buckled Belt, Armidi, L$125; Eclectic Necklace in Silver, Muse, to be released; Whisper Bracelet in Uni/Silver, Earthtones, L$159.
Hair (L-R): Amber in Tawny & Amber in Blonde, ETD, L$150.

Right: Sweater from Hunting Season in Blue, MG Fashion, L$425; Alligator Corset from the Editorial Outfit, Last Call, L$100 on sale; Brown Check Pants, Kurotsubaki, L$200; Hose in Brown, Blaze, L$100 for pack.
Shoes and Accessories: Sculpted Boots in Smoke, Redgrave, L$450; BBB Bag 10 Three-Pose Bag, Big Boob Boutique, L$348; Tank Watch in Caramel/Gold, Muse, CSI:NY free gift.

Virtual Credit Cards

 

 

manna rosewood says:

So these group of people started an amazing Second Life magazine called The Homme Mag. Absolutely wonderful! Beautifully written and visually pleasing. At-least it has all the aesthetics I appreciate. Honestly I’m more of a skimmer than a reader when it comes to fashion magaziness and blogs. I feel the visual presentation of fashion is more important than the wordy fu-fa! You know what I mean? — The Homme Mag caught my attention with astouding presentation and kept my interest with witty content. Check it out!

Anyway, the point is, after I finished flipping through The Homme Mag I noticed an ad for a virtual credit card company in SL. I also noticed a shop earlier this week using the program and the credit card purchase is cheaper than if you buy with lindens. Let me just say that after the whole GINKO incident last year I assume people would be more wise about their virtual decisions. I had friends who were “depositing money” in the GINKO bank and I’d ask them Why? For what? This is virtual!

And now a new trendy credit card program has risen with many stores participating. My personal advice: don’t use money you don’t have or own! Find a sugar daddy for goodness sake but don’t use or fall into these kind of virtual devil-deals that has trapped so many in first life. I understand that Second Life we value any closeness to First Life. We want to indulge in this new world but sometimes don’t want it to be too different than our original one. We want big breasts, or a six-pack and the height of Michael Jordan. Fine! That’s fine! But see credit in first life has a purpose. We build credit to show how responsible we are. We put money in first life banks because it’s safer than keeping that $10,000 in a shoebox under our beds.

Second Life is different. Our money is secure in neon green at the top of our screens. If you don’t have an account to convert real money to virtual money or you’re currently not making money in-world then don’t sign-up for a virtual credit card. It’s trouble, trouble, trouble!

On another note, there is good virtual plastic. Specifically the kind being used by BLAZE Fine Fashions and some other stores.

The look is as chic as a credit card so it can tickle your fancy if you really want a virtual card. However it works like a Gift Card (Psychologically convince yourself it’s a credit card). You buy a certain amount and when it runs out you fill it up again (or the sugarpapa or sugarmama fills it up for you). This is the practical way to enjoy virtual credit as a virtual consumer without your strings getting mangled in virtual debt.

Articles about GINKO:

http://www.wired.com/gaming/virtualworlds/news/2007/08/virtual_bank

http://www.secondlifeinsider.com/2007/08/09/ginko-financial-finally-dead/

http://www.secondlifeherald.com/slh/2007/08/ginko-financial.html

Redefining the Classics

Grey may have been the choice staple this fall/winter, but for those who prefer richer colours and a more traditional autumnal palette the deep metallics – bronze, gold – as well as the usual red, sienna, and orange – are a sure way to add a touch of warmth. The silhouette is slim and spare in these five outfits, but the look is far from minimalist with fur, wool, brocade, muted prints, and crocodile.

Designers have achieved near-perfection with many of the sculptie knee-high boots recently, and the choices here are must-haves.

Noir
The Nicole Suit from Nicky Ree is perhaps one of the most versatile of dressy alternatives to a gown; with Nicky’s usual array of skirt and pant options and a few choice changes of accessories one can have a myriad of variations on the basic suit. Wear with a delicate cocktail hat from Morrigan Hyun, some fur trim and the long centre skirt for a touch of Old Hollywood, or a high-collared undershirt and Siyu Suen’s Sun Hat tinted dark grey (free at her store) for a costume with a hint of the Edwardian, sans corset.

Nicole Suit in Black,  Nicky Ree, L$800; Fur Collar in Grey from the Duchess Coat, Casa Del Shai, L$750; Fur Cuffs (tinted dark grey) from the Anneline Brown Jacket by  Ivalde, Calla Anniversary gift; Leather Gloves in Black, Tete a Pied, L$100; Valena Hat in Black, Elegance Hats, L$175; Alyssa Diamond Bitchstick, Foxy’s Smoke Shop, L$290, Claris Black Pearl Choker and Earrings, RFL Limited Edition, Muse; Ten-Colour Ankle-Strap Pump, Stiletto Moody, L$2750. Hair: Christina from ETD.

Autumn
The Virginie Breeches and Liah Boots in Chocolate both have a rich bronze gleam; matched with a leopard-patterned silk blouse, leather gloves and the Tilo leather posture collar/scarf, this may be orange overkill, but the combination of textures in the same palette made this outfit too fun to resist.

Secretary Blouse in Brown, Casa del Shai (pack), L$400; Gunmetal Breeches from the Virginie Riding Suit, Last Call, L$450; The Marquise Corset in Chocolate (undershirt layer), Casa del Shai, L$450;  Posture Collar from the Tilo outfit, Last Call, L$400; Short Leather Gloves in Tan, Tete a Pied, L$100; Tri-Colour Ethnic Wood Bangle, Earthtones, L$129; Classic Tank Watch in Natural/Gold, Muse, $200; Liah Boots in Chocolate, Last Call: Vamp, L$250; Hair: Gwen from ETD.

Crimson
High-quality open coats for women are still a rarity despite the recent windfall of coats, and as such the fact that this striking metallic red crocodile trench was made for men shouldn’t discourage one from wearing it. Tone down the effect with a a black sweater dress, a scarf rather than the fur collar, and play up the manga-esque element with some metallic leggings, dyed hair and a slick pair of boots.

Le Smoking Croc Trench Coat in Red, Casa del Shai, L$700; Rainy Day Dress in White (tinted dark grey), Armidi Gisaci, L$235; Metallic Leggings in Bronze, Armidi Limited, L$95; Electric Bugaloo Patterns Scarf, Gritty Kitty (Block Party Limited Edition); Fear and Loathing Watch, Wilted Rose, L$120; Kyoto Boots in Black/Black, L$375, and Fi Umo Sunglasses in Black Tortoise/Black Lens, L$225, Armidi Gisaci. Hair: Pasadena Girl III (full flex) from Armidi.

Gold
The same fitted dress from Armidi can be paired with this golden brocade blazer for a different and very versatile, sophisticated look; change the bronze leggings and sleek boots to hose and a pair of pumps, and you can go from dressy casual to all business in a matter of seconds. Add chunky gold jewelry and a vibrantly coloured crocodile bag.

Jennifer Brocade Belted Blazer, Last Call, L$200; Rainy Day Dress in Black, Armidi Gisaci, L$235; Metallic Leggings in Bronze, Armidi Limited, L$95; Sculptie Boots in Black, Redgrave, L$450; Freja Shoulder Bag in Pink, Bare Rose, L$140; Fi Umo Sunglasses in Black Tortoise/Gold Lens, L$225, Armidi Gisaci; Gold Necklace from Muse (as yet unreleased); Triste Rosette Earrings in Gold, Muse, L$300. Hair: Phoebe from ETD.

Bronze
Comfortable enough for drinks at the pub but dressy enough for an evening out, this look hinges on the richly textured sweater with a trompe l’oeil rose and string of pearls. Complete with prim cuffs and collar and a plain option, they’re available in a variety of colours and a steal at 10L.

Cuddly Sweater in Red with Rose, Simone at Fashion Avenue, L$10; Skirt from the Nouvelle Librarian in Corn and Brown, Casa del Shai, L$250; Red hose from the 13-colour hose pack, Blaze, L$100; Sculptie Boots in Smoke from Redgrave, L$450; Freja Square Handbag in Brown, Bare Rose, L$140; Freshwater Pearl Necklace, Muse CSI:NY free gift, and Claris Pearl Earrings in Gold, L$50. Hair: Phoebe from ETD.

Have a good week :)

Fall Coats; Seregel for Marc Cain F/W 07.08 Ad Campaign

Left: Kats Coat in Black, by Antonia Marat, Artilleri; Sweetheart Cloche in Black/Black, by Siyu Suen, Illusions; Torino Bag in Onyx, Paper Couture; Red Leather Gloves from the Natascha Coat in Grey by Shai Delacroix, Casa del Shai; Hose from the Women’s Power Suit in Charcoal, Blaze; Aileen Shoes in Black, by Lyra Muse, Last Call Vamp; Celine Pearl Necklace in Black Pearl/White Crystal/Gold, Celine Pearl Drop Earrings in Black Pearl/Gold, and Ariane Ring in Gold (diamond changed to black pearl) from Muse. Hair: Vivian in Tawny, ETD.

Middle: Natascha Trench Coat in Red and Grey Leather Gloves, Casa Del Shai; Scarf (Electric Bugaloo) from Gritty Kitty (Block Party Exclusive), tinted black; Nea-Ban Fabulous sculpted shades; Melisande boots in Onyx, Last Call Vamp; Celine Pearl Drop Earrings in Black Pearl/Silver, and Ariane Ring in Diamond/Silver, Muse. Hair: River in Iron, Maitreya.

Right: Audrey Coat in Cranberry by Kat Palmer, Immortelle; Bucket Hat (hair removed, reattached to chin) by Alla Ruff, Veschi; Disco Blitz Scarf in Purple from the Disco Blitz tops (store freebie) by Relika Itamae, Relika; Skirt prims (attached to stomach) and glitch pants (tinted black) from the Stray Horse outfit, Paper Couture; Black Leather gloves from Tete a Pied; Hose in Brown by Blaze (from the 13-colour bundle); Black High Heels and Black Pearl Drops (from the River Stone set) by Paper Couture. Hair: Aveda Short Crop in Cinder, ETD.

These coats have been posted about rather often on the Fashion Planet feed, but I wished to include them in my look book with a few accessories, and I was a little late in posting. Of the Artilleri Kats Coats, my favourites are predictably the snow leopard and this, in simple, classic black, both of which I immediately bought upon release; I was very happy with the fit of the prim skirt and the texturing on these coats. Both of Shai’s Natascha coats are must-haves, and I was almost sorry to wear this scarf over the lapel and button detailing.

Of the accessories available now, I spent several days wearing this pair of sunglasses from Nea-Ban. It’s mod and therefore tintable, and goes with almost everything. I’m waiting for them to come out with sculptie retro frames. As far as hats go, I’m fairly conservative in comparison to hat gurus like Mariya Nesiote *grins* but the two above are very easy to match with many of the fall coats. Siyu’s cloche is certainly one of my favourites now, and very affordable, while the Veschi hat is 50% off the usual price, so make sure to pay them a visit.

—–
I’d been looking at this ad campaign for Marc Cain by Seregel (highlighted in many forums and blogs) for a few days and wanted to share the photos. The clothes are simple but lovely, and the lighting works very well with the colours. Click for larger versions.

A Few Fall Looks

I’ve been trying lately not to be so complacent in coming up with looks for myself; the Fall 2007 collections, in particular, have been pretty inspiring, though one may be hard-pressed to come up with their equivalent in SL. In a little fit of creativity I decided to root in my closet and attempt to redo my look for fall. One aspect of the fall collections that is extremely difficult to capture is the silhouette – the long coats and straight shift dresses are not very well mimicked by SL’s babydoll-style prim skirts. I’m no style expert but overall I really like the fall collections; the sleeker, more spare silhouettes, judicious use of volume and rich jewel colours coupled with stark black, grey and white – are more to my taste than what was out for spring.

Two of these three outfits were at least partly inspired by Philip Lim’s RTW collection, esp. the shoes, tights and use of colour. I would have preferred to remove the bows on the Tuxedo Pumps so the shoes would fit the look properly.

Left: Relika Tubetop in Beige from the Relika Love Lace set; Piano Skirt from BettyPage (shortened to miniskirt length); Pixelmen Velvet Jacket in Grey (shortened); Satchel from Happy Bivouac (slightly retextured and stripped of prim chains and rivets); Plain Transparent Tights (freebie) from Paper Couture; Discreet Demi-Boot in Gunmetal by Lyra Muse (discontinued); Claire Diamond Earrings from Muse, Journey Drop Necklace from Earthtones. Hair: Nicole in Driftwood from Naughty.

Middle: Jacqui outfit from Last Call (shop freebie); Stray Horse Jacket (from the Stray Horse outfit) by Paper Couture; Janine Zippered Booties in Black from Jeepers Creepers; Black Orchid Necklace (from the Black Orchid Set) by Paper Couture. Hair: Jack (men’s hair) in Cafe from Moderno, by Starley Thereian.

Right: Relika Tubetop in Beige from the Relika Love Lace set; Boho Skirt (from the Fall ’06 Boho Summer outfit) by Paper Couture; Sweater, Cropped Wrap: Black Jacket freebie from Pixeldolls, Hose in Pale from Blaze, Tuxedo Pumps in Khaki from Shiny Things, Vixen Premium small shoulderbag in Black from Bare Rose, Claire Diamond Earrings and Classic Tank Watch in Black/Silver from Muse. Hair: Drama in Driftwood from Naughty.

The boots in the middle look can be replaced with some pointed-toe heels to look a bit classier (like the black Quinn heels from LC Vamp).

I thought I’d have a bit of fun with a fur stole I’d acquired as a prize from Siyu Suen’s store and added the prims from the Black Orchid jacket from Paper Couture. Though the fur prevalent in the fall couture collections seems to be more in the form of fur trim, collars and small embellishments, I got a little carried away with this. The left outfit looks very 80’s though! The addition of the clutch was inspired by Valentino.

Left: Fur Stole in Black, Illusions by Siyu Suen (worn without the back prim); prims from the Black Orchid outfit, Paper Couture (collar reattached to the spine rather than chest, to make way for a necklace); Black Jacket freebie from Pixeldolls (tinted black); Regina top and skirt in Black from Bossa Nova; Hose in Black from Blaze, Essential Stilettos in Charcoal/Black from Sylfie Minogue’s Prim Seduction; Claris Black Pearl Set & Elegant Black Clutch in Black/Gold from Muse.

Right: Fur Stole in Black, Illusions by Siyu Suen (worn without the back prim); prims from the Black Orchid outfit, Paper Couture; Black Jacket freebie from Pixeldolls (tinted black); Luce top, skirt and brooch w/ scarf, Last Call (discontinued, tinted a dark pewter); Essential Stilettos in Charcoal/Black from Sylfie Minogue’s Prim Seduction; Triste Coeur Silver Earrings from Muse. Hair: Tyra from ETD.

And this extra, somewhat plain tribute to the grey dresses all over the runways:

Catherine Sweater Dress from Dazzle (discontinued); Manna Tights from Savvy?; Discreet Demi Boot by Lyra Muse (discontinued); Business Class blazer by Simone (tinted grey)

I suppose I should add more richly detailed outfits but a lot of what I’ve been seeing seems the wrong kind of busy for fall, if that makes any sense. Obviously I love picking apart the PC outfits and some of Ginny’s creations to mix and match, though I’ve generally kept within my more minimalist sense of style with these.

Have a great weekend!