[Gauze] Illuminati Skins~Sadness

What can I say? Loving these new skins from Yukio Ida's Illuminati line. Sadness is Yuki's followup to last weeks Ganguro skins, and a lovely addition to his revamped skin line.

I go on a LOT I know about stories in Second Life, how it's really in a lot of ways a place to explore or create something like a dream world. Well, in any good story there's a least some kind of arc, right? There are events that shape our characters, moods that drive whatever happens next. You've got your 'best of times... worst of times..." stories and comedy. There's dark fantasy and drama, wins and losses.

And there can be Sadness.

Yukio's latest skin release comes from his brand new skin bases and features some lovely subtle touches along the body and of course a tearful, tragic, gorgeous face. Tears come in 'bloody', 'soft', and makeup... soft being clear tearstains.

Sadness is available in 5 skintones, from Dusk (a deep glowing brown)to Rozen (a ghostly pale). All the shades are lovely, and of course the tear effects are have different effects that are quite interesting depending on the tone.

I'm loving Yuki's new bases, and I can't wait to see what's next from [Gauze] Illuminati Skins.

[Gauze] Mainstore

[Gauze] *Illuminati* Ganguro Skins

I have a list of places I'd love to visit before I die. Well, before I get too old I guess; there's no point in going someplace if you can't have a little fun there, right? Oh, I've done Cancun, so that's off the list. Brazil looks like a lot of fun. I'm sure I need to see Australia too. Europe, of course...um, specifically Greece and Ireland. Spain too I guess. First though, I've always wanted to visit Japan.

Oh, there's that whole rich history thing. Geishas, smoky temples, samurais and weird haunted forests... I've GOT to see that. Of course, there's the cities too. Every time I see a picture of someplace like Tokyo it just looks so cool. All the lights, all that neon, it's like something out of science fiction. There's so much of the new mixed with the old. It's weird and beautiful, totally exotic but with something just soooo familiar. Zen Buddhists compete on bizarre game shows. Robots are replacing fashion models and learning to read minds. Where else IS any of this? Nowhere. Sure it's been imported in diluted form over to the West. We copy the game shows, Gwen Stefani carts over her Harajuku Girls (of course, I LOVE Gwen, don't get me wrong!), we remake their movies into something less.

Whatever. It's a strange place, with a whole history of discipline and regiment but still at the same time a free craziness that's just colorful and full of life. Maybe it comes from seeing the end of the world and coming through it. I don't know.

Anyway, it's gorgeous, and Japanese art and culture has been Yukio Ida of Gauze's inspiration since he first set up shop in SL as Illuminati Designs. His latest skin releases are gorgeous Ganguro skins inspired by one of the more beautifully weird subcultures in Japan. Manba, Banba and Ganguro are the first in a total revamp Yuki's been doing on his skin line, and absolutely I love the choices here. The makeups are perfectly ganguro and all those little bits like anatomy and shading are VERY well done on these hand drawn skins. I love these to pieces!


Shown (clockwise from top left):

[Gauze]
*Illuminati* Female-Dusk-Ganguro
[Gauze]
*Illuminati* Female-Ginger-Manba
[Gauze]
*Illuminati* Female-Peach Banba

[Gauze] Stained

I just realized it's been almost an entire week since the season premiere of America's Next Top Model (Cycle 12) and I haven't used it once in a post! Not that it's an addiction I'm proud of. I mean, admitting to watching reality TV at all is enough of a stigma I'm sure I've lost all kinds of credibility already. Seriously. Look away, I'm ashamed... okay?

Of course, it IS an excuse to mix some margaritas every Wednesday night and pop some popcorn... maybe have a few friends over and spend an hour watching Tyra's celebration of herself over 12 or 13 model hopefuls in their caricaturish drama blowups. It's an homage to vanity, seriously. Sooo, why do I watch it?

Oh, I know, because every 'cycle' there's at least one or two girls that really stand out. It's all editing, I'm sure, but there's always your 'queen bitch's' presented for your booing and hissing pleasure (don't spill your margarita!) and then there's the cool girls. There's always at least one. It can change too (editing again!); you can start out just hating one girl and by the end of the season you finally get her. It goes both ways of course, someone you love week one can show her 'true' colors eventually and you end up screaming at the screen throwing pillows while lime sour, triple sec and tequila squirt out your nose. Oh, it's happened (I'm looking at YOU cycle 11 season finale).

ANYWAY, I've got an early favorite this season, which is rare. I usually wait a week or two to decide, but week 1 winner Allison is ohhh so interesting. It's been the thing the last few ANTM cycles to have at least one or two gimmick contestants. We've got our 'plus-size' models (which seriously, is totally ridiculous. Have you SEEN these girls? 'Plus-size' to ANTM is like an 8, gawd) and there's been an Asperger's model (Heather Kuzmich, my FAVE from cycle 9). We've seen homeless model's and legally blind models... whatever. ALLISON is different. ALLISON likes blood. Totally awesome. I mean, I like blood. We're not talking liking blood in a cutter way or anything, but wow... Allison's a girl with a dark side. And, she's totally gorgeous with her pixie shape and huge Christina Ricci-ish eyes... I'm probably going to take a stab (HA!) at making a shape of her...

Anyway, she's a girl after my own heart. It's an edge, and I LIKE edges. Yukio Ida understands; he's on the edge. Oh wait, I guess I should mention... Yuki's been putting his Illuminati store through a little bit of a rebranding lately. Soo, apparently while his unique and artful skins will still be Illuminati, his clothes are now going under the name Gauze. Still a work in progress, and the climax I guess will be the grand opening of his new mainstore once the Sn@tch City sim is complete; updates to follow, I'm sure.

So, new from Gauze is Stained: a very simple, sexy halter with matching gloves. Yuki's always done some of my favorite texture work in SL, and it's really amazing to see how much he's done with so little; the more than appropriate gauzey material looks so real, and the cut is daring and sexy. The colors are deep and beautiful, and there's a whole range to choose from; ivory, black, red (shown), purple and more.

It's gorgeous, it's dark, fun, sexy... it's all sorts of things. Love it.

Worn:

Top:
Illuminati [Gauze] Stained Halter and Gloves
Hair:
Sadistic Hacker Corvus (Deep Red)
Skin:
[Curio] Lumine (Rosette)

Ideal Illusion~Elegance

Story has always been something I've tried to talk about when it comes to fashion. It's important. Story is mood, style, attitude, character... all that stuff. They're all parts of any kind of story: love, horror, science fiction, quasi-politico victorian melodrama, whatever. There are a lot of these kinds of stories in Second Life too, and it's the designers and artists that help us make up our own.

What's fun is when a certain look or a certain designer shows me something that just totally clicks, there are looks that just create their own story really. That's what happened when I saw Satori Triellis's 'Elegance' outfit from Ideal Illusion Sexy, gothic and very cool, Elegance somes with vest, prim collar, tails and buckles, and matching skin tight velvet leggings with some very lovely textured patterns and a strappy effect that works very well. Satori does some really nice work in her prims and everything is very easy to mod.

So, yah, that was the first part of the story... I added Illuminati Designs 'Eclipse' boots just because they matched the strappy effect on Elegance so perfectly, and of course Sadistic Hacker had the perfect jrock/cyberpunk style Vermillion to complete the look. The skin, naturally, is Nightshade Designs 'Emilie Autumn', which I just LOVE TO DEATH.

So there it was, a story. Look, setting, mood... all there. Designer not only as clothesmaker but as a storyteller. It's what we're all here for anyway, isn't it?

Satori doesn't have a huge selection in her shop, but what's there is just gorgeous. I'd check it out.

Stories are important in Second Life... if you're interested as well, I've started a Flickr group dedicated to the art of story in SL. Join here.

Worn:

Outfit:

Ideal Illusion Elegance for her (black)

Boots:

*Illuminati* Designs Eclipse Boots

Skin:

Nightshade Designs Emilie Autumn

Hair:

Sadistic Hacker Vermillion (spider black)

*Illuminati* Designs~Filth in the Beauty & Jolly Tank

So today's post took about a week to do.

Well, its not really that it took a whole week... more like it's the result of a combination of things that happened to me this week. Not totally rare, actually... I mean, I usually do a post and then add a little bit of whatever's on my mind at the time. The thing is, generally it's the look that gets the thoughts going, not the other way around. I'll play with an outfit and take some pics and while THAT'S going on the first little bits of a post start percolating. This post is backwards. It's inside out.

So how did this happen?

Well, I'll try to start at the beginning. I guess it started with Yukio Ida from Illuminati Designs dropping the Jolly Tank on me last week. Kind of a new thing from Yuki, who might be a little better known for his more exotic visual kei inspired costumes and weirdly gorgeous skins. Jolly is a simple, but really well made, sleeveless top with prim collar. Inspired too from Japanese fashion, just a bit more punk than his usual releases, the texturing along the fabric has a really natural feel to it, and looks sooo real. There's some very nice detailing along the collar too, with laces and just a bit of mesh on the shoulder.

So, I have this top... oh yahhh, and there's a caveat, right? It's not released yet. 'Oh yah?' I said,'when's it coming out?'. A shrug. An 'I don't know'. Hmmm... So what can I do? I've got this really cool top but do I post it? I mean, what can I do? Well, what I did was file it quietly away in my inventory for a 'post to be named later'.

THAT didn't last long... I decided this week I had to share it. So I'm going through my inventory for the perfect ensemble for it. Maybe a skirt with stripey tights... maybe some big boots... it was a project. ANYWAY, so after I FINALLY have a nice ensemble I get an IM from Yuki AGAIN. 'Oh here..' or something like that. Oh, JEANS... a folder called 'Filth in the Beauty' magically appears. 'Wow', I say, 'awesome... so when's it coming out?' Do I even NEED to tell you? I do, I can tell. 'I don't know' he says. Now, one of the things you might not know about keyboards is this: you can't stab anyone with them. Seriously. I looked around. I think this may be one of the secret reasons computers are so much more popular than pens or pencils. We're not just saving trees here, we're saving people.

So OF COURSE the jeans are gorgeous. A really lovely ripped look and prim cuffs that look just beat up enough to feel like that favorite pair of jeans. The texturing is especially nice, especially along the seams and stitching. There are even some cute patches.

So there I am, I've fallen in love with this new direction from Illuminati. It's different, yes, but made with the amazing attention to detail that Yukio Ida puts into all of his clothes. I love them both, and of course the jeans look perfect with the tank; but I have no idea what to do.

In the meantime, there's Plurk. You know Plurk, right? I think, a million years from now, when alien archeologists are digging through the ruins of our planet, they'll find proof that the reason we're all dead is because of Plurk. It's horrible, I love it... anyway, so Plurk. I spend way too much time there, philosphizing and carrying on really serious and important conversations with other creative minds and intellectuals. Oh yes, it's what we do. So anyway, I'm popping through plurk 'profiles' and run across Ivey Deschanel's page. Wow, the hair. Well, it's a great pic actually anyway, but the hair! Perfect, it was one of those moments... all the sudden I saw the top and the jeans and the shirt... I'd pulled a Gala Phoenix skin out of my inventory and DONE! There it was... I knew exactly what I had to do.

So, here's the pic, and the post. Jolly and Filth in the Beauty should be out this weekend, I had a late update... so no, they're not there now, but maybe they are. Still, I'd stop by Yukio's shop anyway. Illuminati is one of my all time personal faves in SL, and even if Jolly and Filth aren't maybe there, there's PLENTY of gorgeous goodness for you to explore.

There are a few morals here too I guess... there should be, after a story that long anyway. First, artists are totally unreliable and frustrating (actually, kinda like drummers I guess), but I love them anyway. Second, an overly caffeinated Minx writes REALLY LONG posts. Third... well, Plurk is a horrible, addictive, possibly planet-destroying timewaster that I could not have finished this post without.

I love you all.

Worn:
Jeans/Top:
*Illuminati* Designs
Filth in the Beauty
Jolly Tank Top

Skin: :GP: Classic~Carbon

Hair: !BooperFunk! Wormies~Noir
(bangs from House of Heart)

Sn@tch~So Last Year

So last year...

As in: oh gawd, that's SO last year. Like, look at those shoes... look at that hair... Really? I mean, really really? Hmmm... I don't think fishnets have EVER been out of style. They're either current or retro chic as far as I'm concerned... Sexy and ironic all at the same time. There's real history too, with fishnets, from the Flapper Jazz divas of the twenties to the goths and ravers of NOW... well, I don't know, maybe the name is a commentary? Fishnet could just as easily be called 'so next year.' *Shrugs* Look it up, the fishnet has a long and lovely history in fashion.

Of course, Sn@tch's 'So Last Year' is all sexy and no irony, even though the name might be. Fun, definitely, but THAT'S something I've come to expect from designer Ivey Deschanel... but who doesn't want some fun with their sexy?

It's not so much SLY is as sexy and fun either, it's the totally AWESOME selection of styles in the release. Maybe THAT'S why it's called what it is... maybe Ivey decided to jam an entire year's worth of schmexy lingerie into a single pack. I don't know. I actually could have solved this whole mystery by just chatting her up but honestly, it's more fun to just make stuff up.

SLY has multiple cuts on multiple layers; from the g-string bottom or booty shorts to bikini tops and baring boybeater style cuts. There's two versions of stockings that go along with it too. Great selection, love it.

As for the name? Who knows. It had to be called something I guess. Doesn't really matter... it's a sexy number and a rose is a rose is a rose and all that.

Worn:

:::Sn@tch::: Mainstore So Last Year

Nightshade Designs Emilie Autumn Skin

*Illuminati* Designs Mainstore Eclipse Boots

:+:Studio Sidhe:+: Silver Nose Chain with Bells

I had a conversation the other day with a designer friend about art in Second Life. Well, art and design actually. Ok, art, design and content creation in Second Life; and technically it wasn't a designer, but they work for a designer. Whatever. There was a conversation anyway. Basically, we ended up getting to the subject of how important commerce was within the artistic community in Second Life. Would content creators create if there was no profit incentive.

His response was kind of cynical: "No," he said. Now, I'm not a business owner, and so I know there are a lot of technical things that probably go into it. 'No' is probably not as cynical an answer as I thought at the time.... sooo, of course I posted the question on Plurk. There I got more of a 'yes, kinda' list of responses, but of course things like covering tier costs were mentioned and I get that. I think the whole point of my original conversation actually was just to explore the idea of art for art's sake. I'm not anti-capitalist or anything... and of course I think there are a LOT of designers in SL who certainly deserve recognition and even compensation for their work and contributions. In that group, though, I think there's love too.

Twyla Tharp said "Art is the only way to run away without leaving home", and I think that's a pretty good definition of Second Life. If SL was only an artistic forum, who would be left? How can you tell?

Quality, basically. Anyone can find a way to make a few $L in SL, if you work at it. The designers that go a little bit above what they need to I think understand that it's art. Faery Sola from Studio Sidhe falls into that group. Not just happy to make accessories and jewelry, Faery makes quality accessories and jewelry. Not only that, it's work that is so unique and detailed, it's more than just something to buy, each piece is a little story about the designer herself. YES it's for sale... but it's more than just products. I think this would be something we'd see whether or not there were bills to pay.

Studio Sidhe's Silver Nose Chain with Bells is a gorgeous, quality piece made with obvious attention and just screaming Faery. Easy to accessorize with her Silver Filigree set I blogged back in December (see it here), the work is beautiful, and the detailing is something totally amazing. It's art.


Worn:
:+:Studio Sidhe:+: Silver Nose Chain w/ Bells

Skin: *Illuminati* Visual Kei 1 (Porcelain)

Hair: Tukinowaguma Hair Styles Hilary (Black)

*Illuminati* ~Visual Kei Skins

If you know SL designer Yukio Ida at ALL, you probably know just a little bit about his love affair with Japan. Oh yah, and it's not that Japan the rest of us know, either. It's not Hello Kitty or Pokemon or whatever. Oh!! Speed Racer! No, not that either.

Nope, Yukio Ida, and *Illuminati* Designs features looks and styles inspired by j-rock and Visual Kei bands like Malice Mizer and Chariots... dark, gothic, and bizarre in the most weird and beautiful ways. Personally, I'd never heard of any of it before I found Illuminati... but, well, that's another blog post.

The fact is Yukio has brought some new and interesting ideas into Second Life. Not only one of my favorite designers, he's one of my favorite kinds of designers. He's got an eye for the visually unique and the talent to bring that vision into SL.

So, today we're looking at Illuminati's latest skins, called Visual Kei. These are ugly/beautiful weird/sexy looks that go beyond just goth. We won't be seeing these walking down the runway anytime soon, but that's a shame. These are gorgeous and ghostly, and all part of that SL 'story' I'm always ranting about.

I'm wearing 'Porcelain' for the photos, but these are available in China, Ganguro, Gold and Tan. I love skins like this because they're not easy... they're not 'pretty' or 'normal'. Visual Kei is a skin that challenges the more 'traditional' beautiful people in Second Life...

Oh, and maybe you'll like the music too.

*Illuminati* Designs Mainstore

*Illuminati* Designs~Sleeps with Butterflies

Usually this whole fashion blogging thing is pretty simple. Not easy, actually, but simple. I'll get an outfit, play with it, take some photos and then just kinda go off on some related topic to describe it. Ok, sooo, sometimes I go off on some unrelated topic actually, but I can't really help that.

Anyway, whatever I write about, it's usually from some little spark I get when I see the design. Every once in a while, though, I can't find a thing to say. This isn't one of those 'if you can't find anything nice to say' type things either. Sometimes, it's almost better to just let a design speak for itself. This being a blog, though.. well, I'm kinda obligated to at least try.

*Illuminati* Designs 'Sleeps with Butterflies' is like that. I mean, it's gorgeous. This lovely evening gown is the latest from Yukio Ida, and I don't know what to say about it. A beautiful silhouette; from the nearly dangerous open halter to the prim skirts (and a very nice use of system skirt too, I might add!) everything from the deep purple (royal?) color to the black and white vine textures along the side are just perfectly done. This is more than just 'glam', it's glamour. Prim butterflies add a dreamy tone to this really lovely, glamorous gown.

Yah, this is me speechless. A beautiful release from Yukio Ida.

TP to the *Illuminati* Mainstore here.

*Illuminati* Designs~Midnight Victorian

For me, fashion in Second Life is about more than just cute outfits, trends or even quality design. I mean, YES these are important. I blog what I like, I chase around designers I think have something interesting and lovely to offer, and I try to share my thoughts about a certain look or design. Pretty much the standard for fashion bloggers, I know. It's a basic definition of the genre, right?

And SO MANY bloggers... wow... if you're reading this on a feed, just look above and below this post. Yup, lot's of fashion bloggers; everyone with their own personal style, likes, dislikes and voice. I love it. I've got my own little list of bloggers I follow, envy, secretly compete with and am just basically happy are around. It's something that I think makes me work harder to put together my own work.

Of course, there are the designers themselves... and this goes back to the first paragraph here. Fashion is about more than just skirts and shoes, tops and makeups. I mean, it IS about those things, but it's also about the designer themselves. The work and feel a designer puts into a particular look is pretty much a reflection of their own personality, thoughts and passions. *Illuminati* Designs has been a blog favorite for a while now, and I think Yukio Ida's 'Midnight Victorian' sets are a lovely example of a designer putting that special something into an outfit.

'Midnight Victorian' is a sexy burlesque number complete with gauzy prim gloves, garters and skirt. As always, Yuki's textures are just lovely, the details along the corset are so much fun to look at, not to mention the skirt and other attachments. Garters are colorchange, just for you fashionista's that love to tinker. The stripey socks and tights add a fun touch to the piece too.

Yukio Ida puts a lot of this kind of work into his outfits, and *Illuminati* Designs stands out as one of those shops that refuses to lie still. There's no single 'genre' that really defines the shop, but everything is so... well... Yuki.

For more lovely, cute, sexy and diverse costumes and outfits, TP to *Illuminati* Designs directly here.

Worn:

Outfit: *Illuminati* Designs Midnight Victorian (red)

Hair: Tukinowaguma Hair Styles Suzuna (Gold)

Skin: Mina Junk BAD (Black)

*Illuminati* ~Wynter Skins

Well, got through Christmas! Ugh, it's been nuts, really. Felt like the longest weekend EVER. Family, food, drink, weird weather, we had it all. It's nice to spend a little time celebrating the season, I guess, but it's just sooo hard getting back in SL mode.

Luckily, Yukio Ida from Illuminati Designs gives us something to get excited about: NEWNESS!

Yup, just in time for the New Year, Illuminati's Wynter Skins are here! Yukios been making skins for a long while, everything from neko to even more exotic themes inspired from Japanese goth rock and Harajuku fun. Wynter shows a more 'mainstream' side of Yukio's design style, but it's still VERY Illuminati. A little ghostly, a little dreamlike, Wynter has a 'soft' feel to it that's as much fun to photograph as it is to wear.

Yukio Ida has pretty much made it a point to keep himself from being tied to any one genre or style, and Wynter is a lovely addition to his portfolio. This is a lovely, interesting skin totally worth your time to check out.

Wynter is available in China, Porcelain, Gold and Ganguro with 3 makeup options in each tone.

*Illuminati* Designs Mainstore

*Illuminati* Designs~Ai to Kanashimi no Rondo

There's really a lot to learn in SL if you know where to look. Ok, yah, so there's educational sims and tutorial sims, but that's not what I'm talking about. I mean there's a lot to learn..um.. in a cultural sense. SL is a giant melting pot, there are no geographical barriers really, you can walk through a build and meet people from Europe or Asia or the US in just a matter of minutes. Even better than that though, is when an artist or designer shares part of their culture or even just a culture they love with the rest of us SLifers.

Yukio Ida of *Illuminati* Designs does that; shares a part of a culture with every one of his creations. Does it well, too, I should add.

Ai to Kanashimi no Rondo is a lovely, interesting offering from Yukio, in the spirit of sharing culture with the rest of us in SL. There's actually a few items in the *Illuminati* mainstore inspired by RL designs, and this well made, beautiful dress comes from the gothic look and spirit of Japanese band Malice Mizer. Yukio has a gift for prim work, and the lace trim and ribbon collar are just beautiful. The fabric of the dress has a really nicely done pattern that just gets more interesting the closer you zoom in.

'Rondo' isn't strictly 'gothic lolita' style, but it's at least a second cousin to it... and if you're looking for that dark style mixed with some classic designs, *Illuminati* has something for you.

*Illuminati* Designs Mainstore