~*{The Black Canary}*~ Divine Right

There's a lot of 'pretty' in Second Life. Pretty model skins, pretty dresses, pretty prints, pretty flowers. (You're very pretty, Pretty-Pretty). A lot of pretty well made stuff too. So many options.

Of course, one of the reasons we love Second Life so much is because it opens up so much of the world to us; there are so many ideas and stories we haven't heard before, so many styles... so many different ways to see pretty. When we're lucky, we find designers and builders looking to share maybe a slightly different idea of beauty and style than maybe we've seen before.

Honestly, I didn't know too much about the whole gothic lolita culture before logging into SL. I'd seen it, of course...well, maybe not exactly, I mean there's no small number of goths and punks here around Chicago, just not sooo many of the lolita type. I do know the scene is much bigger in places like Japan... just watch Japanese cartoons like Hell Girl or check out Gwen Stefani's Harajuku Girls for that. I've only started exploring the fashions and styles recently in SL myself, so maybe the social commentary part is a little lost on me, but the fashion... well... this is fun.

We're used to seeing neo-victorian loveliness from Morrigan Denimore of The Black Canary, and his latest release, Divine Right, fits nicely in his existing catalog. YES, this is definitely gothic lolita... while some of his previous work might not be strictly so. Morrigan has managed to create within a genre without limiting himself to a narrow definition. Even better, there's a definite learning curve here too. I've loved The Black Canary's textures and primwork since I first laid eyes on it, but Divine Right is so well done, so real, I have to say this is not only my favorite piece from TBC, but probably Morrigan's best work. The lace trim long the skirt and the folds and sheen in the satin are just lovely. A prim bow and fun flouncy skirt keep this outfit so interesting to look at.

Definitely a gorgeous and fun lolita look from a designer to watch.

Worn:

Dress:~*{The Black Canary}*~ Divine Right

Hair: **Amrita** [Danae-Doll] Soft Black

Tukinowaguma Hair Styles~New Stuffs

I look for a couple things when I'm shopping for hair. First, there's the whole originality thing... or at least variety. There are a lot of the 'same old same old' hair designers working in SL. Working hard, YES, absolutely. Hair is hard to make... but the creativity of the styles I think is something not enough hair designers are spending time on. I'm not even talking about crazy weird styles or anything. They don't have to be, but even flipping on the 'makeover' episodes of America's Next Top Model will show you a range of styles that some of even the best hair designers in SL just don't think of.

(Yes, fine... I watch ANTM. Ugh... it's horrible. They've been running this whole marathon thing on the weekends I guess building up to the new season starting soon. I have to say that YES more than one or two bottles of wine have been opened to watch the whole train wreck. I hate Tyra... I swear, but I CAN'T LOOK AWAY. Whatever, call it research. :p)

ANYWAY, we're talking about fashion here, right? Second Life is all about possibilities, and I love designers and hair makers who really push not just the whole technical part of content creation but also the design. That's the second thing I look at.

Third, well, quality. How does the light hit it? How does it move? Is it real?

Tukinowaguma Hair Styles has been consistently one of my 'go to' hair shops in SL, just because they feature a huge variety of well made, unique and beautiful hairs. Today I'm wearing Queque, Yard and Natty; 3 new styles from Tukinowaguma. Lovely textures, very exotic styling and Tukinowaguma's signature 133 color change feature that's as easy as clicking on style and opening the selection menu. Each hair comes in usually about 4 or five shades, so the color changes can change the effect depending on which base you're wearing.

I love these hairs, the textures and movement from the flexi bits is VERY realistic I think and the range of styles goes from sexy everyday styles to more dramatic haute couture perfect for any runway.

Tukinowaguma Hair Styles

Nightshade Designs~My Bloody Valentine

There are a couple things virtual lingerie has over it's real life counterparts. First, fitting is a breeze... no need to mess around in a dressing room coz it fits well here but not there. Second, you don't have to worry about the pervert dog grabbing your underwear off the floor and ruining it... yah.. ok, it's not MY dog, it was HIS and well... whatever, we've made peace.

Anyway, with Valentine's Day coming up this weekend, romance is in the air, both RL and SL and it just seemed fitting to feature Belladonna Mureaux's 'My Bloody Valentine' set from Nightshade Designs. Simple and sexy, MBV is a panty and bra set that comes with thigh highs in deep crimson loveliness. The sheer platform bra has some lovely texturing, and some nice scalloped lace along the top. The matching thong is sooo cute and the stockings have a nice fishnet texture as well. Very cute, very affordable... and naturally just in time for that most confusing and emotionally chaotic of Hallmark holidays.

I'm also wearing Nightshade's 'Emilie Autumn' skin... a sexy homage to, you guessed it, Emilie Autumn... Who rocks by the way, and if you don't know her music just go here. Punky, goth while not too 'undead' or anything, it's a gorgeous skin and I've been wearing it a LOT lately. I always love when a designer brings a little of their love into their art, it let's us know just a little bit more about them and since this IS the season of LOVE... well... nuff said.

The hair is Tukinowaguma Hair Style's 'Hilary' in white. Soooo cute and over the top... Hilary has a menu-driven color change feature that offers 133 different shades per tone.

Change of topic a bit here, but if you've been paying attention AT ALL, you've heard about the horrible fires in Victoria, Australia. Over a hundred dead and it could get worse. There are a number of designers working to try to raise money in SL to help the recovery effort once everything's under control. If you're interested in donating or helping at all, Aemilia Case of Philotic Energy, Faery Sola of Studio Sidhe and Shelly Toonie from Moonshine Designs all have special items and kiosks set up. Kallisti Burns from Discord Designs is working to be set up with something by tomorrow too... It's an awful time, and if any good can come from it it will be that we have the opportunity to help and come together...

If you know about any other designers or benefits going on inworld to help the victims and families in Victoria, Australia, feel free to leave a link in the comments section.

Worn:

Lingerie: Nightshade Designs My Bloody Valentine

Skin: Nightshade Designs Emilie Autumn

Hair: Tukinowaguma Hair Styles Hilary (White)


Poem: SEX GODDESS OF THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE by Maggie Estep

Moonshine Designs~Placid

So let's say you go on vacation... someplace nice. Maybe someplace with really interesting architecture or art. You've brought your camera, of course, because 'hey!' it's a vacation right? You want to remember it. So, you land and check into the hotel and then get all set to go out and tour the city. Not that you HAVE to go to the city, but it's my story, so deal with it.

You're walking around and WOW look at that sculture. It's soooo cool! I have to take a picture of it!! So you snap the shot and it's yours. Now, here's the thing... you didn't design the sculpture and you certainly didn't build it... but you've got the picture. You've got the picture like 1000 other people did when they walked around the corner and said 'WOW'. Yours is still different though. You're a different height. You took the picture from a different angle. Maybe it was a different time of day or it was cloudy. Maybe you like to take black and white pictures. There are a million different reasons your sculpture is different from everyone else's. Some of it is just time and light, some of it is personal preference. Some of it is that whatever that says 'I need to see this this way'.

Either way, it's pretty much the same thing no matter what you do. Everything is yours in the end, right? At least, it's your version. So let's talk about style.

Designers design. They build, they make things. They made that 'wow' sculpture, they make those 'wow' clothes. Something inspires you to take that particular picture, and something inspires you to wear something that certain way. Fashion in SL is even more like that than in the real world even, because in Second Life you're always in third person. You actually are the sculpture. I don't know, I could have taken Moonshine Design's Placid dress and put on some nice heels and gotten ready for that Spring Formal... but it inspired me differently I guess. It's beautiful, gorgeous... the details on the fabric are sooo meticulous, and the lace netting layers in the skirt add a lovely touch of color. There's a rose colored satin trim along the top and connecting to the collar are lovely spaghetti straps of the same material. Designing outfits that are sexy, fun and always well made, Shelly Toonie is nothing if not consistently inspirational.

I think quality inspires the most. We don't take pictures of mediocre art, after all. So here, the art is ther already... Shelly Toonie's made it. It's not finished though. It's not finished until you do something to make it your own.

Worn:

Moonshine Designs Placid (Rose)

Truth Naomi (Night/Bubblegum)

Nightshade Designs Emilie Autumn Skin

+*susie*+ Goth/Punk [ODEKO] Boots

Digital Alchemy~Nepthys

Oooo I love Rezzable. It's pretty much a household name in Second Life. Events, builds, vendors... Rezzable does it all. So when I got an invite to their Digital Alchemy: Ancient Egypt Designs blogger and press fashion show I knew it would be something special. Featuring designers like Sysy's, Sn@tch, Exxess, Stringer Mausoleum and others showing designs 'inspired' by ancient Egypt...well.. just 'yay!'.

The show started at about 2:00PM SLT yesterday, and after just a few hiccups trying to TP in (TP's were weird ALL OVER Second Life yesterday) I managed to finally arrive. No seats left, of course, but that's ok. I can stand for a little while. Lot's of fun, really... models descending out of a golden sun and all that. Very dramatic.

Now, I don't know THAT much about Egypt. Sure, there are the pyramids and there was Cleopatra and all that. Most of the history I know about it is sort of half remembered from college and then what I picked up from the HBO series Rome and then there were those Mummy movies with Brendan Fraser. So, yah, as far as actual accurate knowledge, well, it probably isn't there (although Rome was supposed to be pretty much on target). Anyway, it's not like there was a pop quiz or anything after the show, so I was pretty ok on that point. What I DID manage to pick up from my experience was the exotic costumes and fashions of the era... sooo, maybe glamorized a bit in Hollywood, but of course it's what I expected in the show.

NOT disappointed. My personal faves were Ivey Deschanel of Sn@tch's Bastet, which opened the show and Mereret from Ghanima Uriza of Blue Blood. Ugh, I just didn't have the budget to grab everything I loved there, so I ended up leaving with Nepthys from Layja Vidor and Exxess Designs.

Gorgeous... Nepthys is some of the best prim work I've seen, with beautiful gold and red textures and a shimmering glow to the whole look. I also left with a skin, called Akhet from Wasabi Pills, which is a skin designer I haven't paid too much attention to in the past but I'll definitely be stopping by her shop for more. The skin pack came in Sahara and Sand tones (get it!?) and are lovely. I put on Tukinowaguma Hair Styles Divine style to complete the look; which of course was supposed to get it's own post later this week but when I saw the outfit I knew it was perfect.

Oh what an awesome afternoon! Anyway, There are about 26 designers in all involved in this event, and soooo many interesting interpretations to choose from, you need to get down there.
Digital Alchemy has another show open to the public tomorrow (February 6) starting at 2:00PM SLT. Get there early if you want to get a seat... TP directly here.

Worn:

Outfit: Exxess Designs Nypthys

Skin: Wasabi Pills Akhet

Hair: Tukinowaguma Hair Styles Divine

:+: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)

-Discord Designs- Sasy

You can spend a lot of time in Second Life searching for that just right 'look'. I know I did. It's hard finding the 'you' that you want to be in SL. Not because there are sooo many options either. A lot of times, actually, it's just because there's so much of the same thing.

Definitely, there are different skill levels. No doubt about that. There are some really talented designers in SL. A lot actually. The thing is, there are actually very few artists.

You could put together a list of 10 hair designers in SL, pop in and out of each of their shops and find a pretty much identical selection. Now, YES you might find different levels of quality, but the same styles pretty much hang on everyone's walls. It's not always their fault, I guess... the designer's I mean. A lot of what's for sale is what there's a demand for. Can't fight that. Is it for you though? Is it for me?

It wasn't, and still isn't. If it's for you well, then it's for you. I know from experience though, it's not for everybody... and there are a lot of you desperately TPing around Second Life looking for that one thing, that look that just doesn't seem to be anywhere.

Alternative, well made and definitely sexy, Kallisti Burns' Discord Designs has a huge range of weirdly beautiful and exotic hairs. 'Sasy' is one of her latest releases, and once again her braid work is absolutely lovely. Available in Monochromes, Reds, Blondes, Blue Greens and more, Kallisti's hairs are something I guarantee you won't see much of elsewhere in Second Life. The prim braids are very realistic, the color options are huge, and the menu driven hair sizing menu is a lot of fun.

Worn:
Hair
Discord Designs Sasy
Skin
++Nightshade Designs++ Tainted Innocence