Sn@tch~Oblivion Boots and Belt

So what are YOU doing this weekend?

You have a party to go to? Maybe a date? Pizza and a movie? Popcorn? Paintballing, Malling? Hmmm... wait, maybe you've got a WoW campaign to wage or you've decided to conquer a little more land in Tiny Empires. Maybe there's a martini with your name on it. Maybe it's something a little more, um... illicit.

I mean, whatever, it's your life... I'm not judgemental at all. I'm not here to tell you what you should be doing. Nope, PV isn't a blog about dogma... no commandments here. I give hints, suggestions maybe. You might get a little nudge from me... geez, maybe even a little inspiration. We're not talking accepting-Jesus- Christ-as-your-personal-savior inspiration, nooo, that's not me; but maybe you'll find something interesting here and keep it for yourself.

So what are you going to DO? THAT'S the question, right? Well, what's going on? I guess you could ask me back.
Well, THAT'S easy. Ivey Deschanel's Sn@tch City has finally opened, you could check that out maybe. Why? you ask, why would I want to do that? Well, geez you're being difficult, why WOULDN'T you want to go? Ugh, you say, I've had a really crappy week... my boyfriend's been crabby, my job sucks. Oh and that stupid lady with the yippy dog just keeps me... Wait wait wait, I say smiling, well that's EXACTLY why you want to go to Sn@tch City. Look at these.

I show you my totally awesome Oblivion Belt and matching boots and your eyes get wide. Wow, those are really cool, you say, where did you get them? I roll my eyes a little bit, because sometimes, seriously, you really don't listen to me AT ALL. They're from Sn@tch... I mean, HELLO!

It's all in the details, right? The Devil, the little conversations.... details details details, and Ivey's Oblivion accessories are detailed and them some. Instantly this is my new favorite belt, first of all. Of course I made the mistake of telling a friend about them and now I can't stand to hang out with her because she's wearing it all the time too.

Ugh... look what I just did, I told YOU about the belt too. Why do I always DO that? I give the best stuff away..

Whatever, go to Sn@tch City, fine... buy the f**king belt if you want...Oh sure, buy the boots too while your at it, they're only totally f**king awesome.

I hate you.

awwww... you know I'm just kiddin', right?

xoxoxo

Sn@tch City

Boingo~Leathers

We live (sometimes) in a 2D world.

Deep down in it's electric heart, Second Life is basically Pac-Man with a chat feature. Oh, I mean, it's a lot more than that, obviously... but the comparison is there. Let's say, Pac-Man is the Neanderthal to Second Life's Homo Sapien. It absolutely looks 3D, sometimes it even acts 3D; but the DNA hasn't really changed all that much from it's squonky, beepy ancestor.

So how did we get from there to here? Well, duh, evolution.

Second Life probably wouldn't be as popular if we were all little pie-charts binge eating yellow lights. I'm just saying probably, for all you retro junkies out there, so back off. For the rest of us, we like our worlds a little more immersive, a little more complex. To evolve a little 2D world into a 3D illusion, call in the programmers, artists and designers!

These are the people we count on to flesh out our little world here. Adding everything from stylish clothing to neo-tokyoesque skylines, it's the designers who make SL more than just mindless clicking. It's lighting, and textures and the overall feel that really does it; and it's all totally subjective. A designer is really only speaking to you. Oh, there might be others with the same taste, but it's still a very individual experience.

Every once in a while you hear grumbling about how there's nothing new in SL. The styles have been done, the cuts, the textures... all the shops have been explored, all the designers are tapped. Maybe nobody's speaking to them, maybe they just haven't found that next perfect thing because they haven't looked hard enough. I was thinking something similar not too long ago, actually. Not about SL style, I know there's plenty of that. Specifically, it was about leather.


I'd taken a friend shopping, she wanted a new look. Mostly we were looking for clothes, she was fine with her skin and hair, but her warddrobe was a little, well... oldish. The cuts were fine, but I think maybe the textures just weren't holding up the same as they did when SL was a little less impressive graphically. We popped around, I picked out some looks for her... but in the end I wasn't really able to help her with what she really wanted: Leather. And NO I'm not talking fetishy harnesses and strappy outfits. Just some leather pants. Well, and maybe a skirt.

Now, I'm more casual usually in SL. Jeans, maybe a jacket... it's easier to move around and honestly I got tired of people looking up my skirt. So I know where I can find cool denim pants or skirts, but I had to apologize when I couldn't find her any leather she liked. I told her that honestly I hadn't seen much better (and this was good, btw). We said goodbyes and I thought to myself, leather's been done, I guess... oh well. Then I moved on.

Turns out, no, it hasn't. I was wrong. I'm thinking I need to log in and let her know too. I've got a love/hate thing with being wrong, of course. I mean, I hate it. Me? Wrong? Pah! Whatever... still, it happens. I love it too, because I get to find the thing that proves me wrong.

So who proved me wrong this time? Jeela Juran and Kallisti Burns apparently. The skanks! Ohhh, no seriously... they're awesome! SEER-EEE-US-LEEE. I mean, wow... Right now at Boingo you'll find Jeela's leather sets and let me say again: Seriously, these are HOT. It's the textures, for starters. I love a distressed leather look and these are just really really awesome. It's worn in all the usual spots, and the little touches like creases and wrinkles really bring these to life. Not only that, the wearing options are totally awesome. With either full pants or a dangerously revealing one leg option and top options that include a really well made leather bra, vest or shrug, the clothes themselves are really really fun.

Kallisti Burns of Discord Designs made matching hooded hairstyles for these too, not only scripted sizing options but also a colorchange feature. There's also a hood down attachment if you want to just wear your own hair too, although there's rumors that Kallisti is working on full versions of the hairstyles featured with the Boingo release.

Wow. So, to sum up. 1. Designers save the day again! 2. If I'm wrong, I'm only wrong for a little while. 3. Get over to Boingo for a really cool leather look.

Boingo Headquarters

[][]Trap[][] Koi Skins

Laurie Anderson has a really interesting quote about art. If you don't know her, well, she's kind of an avant garde musical performance artist; sort of the lost love child of Andy Warhol and Annie Lennox. Totally weird. I love her. She tells the best stories...anyway, right, Laurie Anderson on art:

As an artist I'd choose the thing that's beautiful more than the one that's true.

I think it's an interesting idea. I think it sums up Second Life pretty well, actually, even though she said it back in 1985... before SL was a twinkle in Mr. and Mrs. Linden's eye. Isn't that why we're all here, to experience a little bit of all that 'beautiful'?

It really IS art, you know, Second Life. It'a an art machine pretty much. Kind of like that quote by whoever about how the most beautiful part of the painting being the frame; Second Life is like that. The best part is we all get to be a part of it... we may not all be artists or designers, but we're all definitely contributors. We have to be, so much of the art and design inside the metaverse wouldn't make sense anywhere else. The skills might, but the end result definitely wouldn't. It's a contextual universe. Artists in SL, even if they're RL artists or designers or programmers or whatever, have a really unique way to share their art with us. Even better, we get the chance to really collaborate with them, reflecting their designs back in our own way.

Of course, now it's all spilling out of the frame; look at all the words, blogs, photography, points of view, drama, laughter and community that comes from it. First life might be 'the truth' but there are reasons we choose to visit SL.

You can't say that there's a single artist that drives Second Life, but for me at least there is art that is absolutely the coolest, most beautiful and most inspiring. Call it a 'short list.' It's art that just clicks. Selos Dae I think is a 'short lister' for me. His skins, specifically, are unique, alien and gorgeous. I was soooo excited when I heard there was an updated Koi line coming out I started harassing poor Selos about 2 months ago. We saw these originally as a limited edition skin released last year and I'm so happy to see an expanded line. I'm not the only one either, considering the fact that the blogosphere has pretty much blown up on these over the last couple days. There's some cool new twists over the originals too, including a wider range of colors throughout Trap's standard tones and some cool 'underwear' layers to cover up your naughty bits.

It says a lot about a designer when they can generate that kind of excitement. Trap skins features some of the most innovative, daring, sexy and really truly beautiful designs in Second Life. These are special, and an awesome example of what we can experience only in the metaverse. It's not art stuck on the wall someplace. This isn't the Mona Lisa or the Sistine Chapel... this is art you can 'touch', wear and make a part of yourself. This is art you can play with.



[][]Trap[][] Mainstore

Fukmi Designs~Skully Wears

Second Life, really, is kind of an experiment in potential.

We can all play, right? We can all be a part of it, there's no rules, no guidelines... it's not a game really in the traditional sense. It is a social experiment though, and not just in the way that we're all being social and experimental. There's just so many ways to approach it, it's amazing.

I had no idea what I was in for when I first rezzed. Alts? Oh I had plenty at the beginning. I think I made a new one every time I logged on for about a week. Totally clueless, always trying to find that perfect name or that perfect look. I didn't know anyone, and honestly I was really confused every time someone exploded into a particle field of flowers or hearts or just ran around screaming I WANT TEH SEXXXX! Very confusing. Very frustrating. I certainly wasn't going to spend any money here, what a horribly chaotic place. I seriously hated it. I mean, what WAS all this stuff, and why would I want to talk to any of you people?

Then, it was a Saturday I think, something clicked. Suddenly I understood teleporting and how to avoid giant prim penises. I got past all that frustration. I'd finally got past all the mindless roaming from place to place. The thing was, I'd finally got the plan. It wasn't this plan, I was still a long way from blogging, but it was a plan definitely. I don't remember what it was specifically, but I do know that I finally saw the point. I'd made a friend maybe, maybe I finally figured out how to fit that horrible freebie outfit. Either way, it was something solid, I saw the potential. I saw the options.

Wow... I think I spent about 20 hours online that day, my room mate was totally unimpressed. Probably a little pissed too, I totally hogged the computer. I finally crashed, sooo exhausted but I could barely sleep coz I was thinking of what I wanted to try next.

I think there are probably some residents who pop into Second Life that first time knowing exactly what they want to do. Maybe they came from another virtual world and have some experience. I don't know, I think that most of us though came in the same way. There's Second Life, and then there's it's potential.

When I consider fashion designers, I look at pretty much two basic things. It breaks down to what they are doing, obviously, but also why they are doing it. We'll take 'to make money' as a given, I mean, there's definitely that. After that though, what's left? Even if they don't come out and say it, I think for most designers theres a simple joy in seeing something they've made come to life. It's that little area between design and business where art lives. It doesn't have to be mind-blowing even, not everyone is out to change the world. It can be something simple and fun.

Fukmi Sideways is really interesting that way. Artist? No, not if you ask her; but I think she gets that little thrill all designers and artists get when something she only had in her head suddenly runs across the screen in front of her. It's all about potential, and I think Fukmi Designs is a really good example of someone coming into this little world, a programmer in RL, and put together outfits that I think are as good as many of the so-called artists in Second Life. Fukmi's got a real eye for fun colors and sexy cuts too, along with knowing that variety is an AWESOME business model. Her Skully Wears Plaid outfits come it a selection of tops along with short pants or skirt options; none of that one box one look stuff here. I'm really loving her textures and seriously these are just some eyecatching looks.

A LOT of fun, check it out.

Also, watch for Fukmi's shop appearing soon at Ivey Deschanel's Sn@tch City Sim... opening soon.

Fukmi Designs Mainstore

Fab.Pony~Rita

I really love the 80's... retro, sure, but there's something just so futuristic about them.

Maybe it has something to do with the music. Maybe that's it. It could be... all those synthesizers and sci-fi hairstyles. Maybe it was the movies; I mean, there are a LOT of sci-fi movies from the eighties. All that neon, movies like Liquid Sky and songs like Tainted Love, designer drugs, the space shuttle; sounds like the future to me anyway.

Okay, so I can't say I really LIVED the 80's... I'm an outside observer, I'm an alien anthropologist. Whatever, thank god for DVDs and CDs right? Anyway, everything moves in circles, right? I missed the fun stuff the first time around but we can be pretty sure they'll be back. I think they're sneaking in already anyway. Band like Freezepop and The Killers: totally eighties.

Of course, in Second Life, it doesn't even matter. SL is ALL TIMES. SL has the past and the future, and usually all rolled together. You've got your gothic lolita cyberpunk pirates. How about a samurai punkette schoolgirl? She's there too I'm sure. Take what you want and put it anywhere you please, that's Second Life. So when I saw Fab.Pony's 'Rita' rompers I had a few choices. I mean, do I go totally eighties glam or follow the future route? Is there even a difference?

Turns out, 'yes kinda' there is, but also 'not really'. I put on Rita and I was consumed with a need for neon. Had to have it. This was an outfit screaming for urban nightlife. I needed wet pavement reflecting streetlamps. 7-11 nightmares at 3 AM... Ugh, I hate to steal a line from Tyra, but this is totally 'fierce'.

Something interesting about Tatianna Faulkes' designs is she manages to keep everything sexy without being slutty; showing that it doesn't have to be a midriff-baring butt grabbing barely-there outfit to be feminine at all. Rita is actually really versatile too, I could have easily put on a nice piled up hairdo and been Absolutely Fabulous with this instead of a neo-punk night timer cruising the strip at midnight.

Either way, this is really fun, and definitely a new favorite from a designer who does some nice work. Each outfit comes with a matching sash or PVC belt option with scriped resizing features, and either one really changes the tone of the overall look.

Stop by, check out the shop... Posha Beach is lovely this time of year.

Fab.Pony Mainstore

Moonshine Designs~Cha Cha Tops

Y'know what? I'm starting a revolution.

Yah, it's a revolution against Winter. Winter is the enemy. Shoot to kill. Make it go away, I'm done... I'm tired of the cold mornings. I'm tired of sweaters and coats. I'm tired of long underwear and wool socks. Oh, sure, they were fun a few months ago, but not anymore. All the cool things about Winter are OVAH! This isn't one of those things where you can just slip Spring in there either. I'm in Chicago, Spring sucks too. Nope, Spring won't do it... give me Summer right NOW.

If you surrender NOW we'll make it quick, I can't promise painless necessarily but definitely quick. We don't want one of those long drawn out deaths, Winter has to GO.

I mean, think about it. SUMMER! Sun on your shoulders, open toe sandals, laying out... maybe the beach if you're lucky. Yah, Winter has Xmas and all that, I guess New Year's Eve is a lot of fun; but seriously, Summer just rocks all over Winter, I don't even know where to start.

Whatever. Anyway, it's all Shelly Toonie's fault. Not Winter, no, I don't want to get that kind of drama started. She's not responsible at all, I checked. Shelly's responsible for my rage. Shelly's responsible for my really really needing Summer right now. It's her Cha Cha tops I guess. The colors, yah, that's part of it. The cute ruffles, totally not helping. It's all just soooo summery and cute I can't stand it.

I mean, wow... these are really cool. Not only because of the really well done textures and super-cute styling, but Cha Cha is extremely customizable. The ruffles come in two attachments, top and bottom, so colors can be mixed and matched for at least... well, a LOT of combinations, I'm not in the mood for math. Anyway, Cha Cha's hitting the Moonshine Designs' shelves Monday March 17, so we can just put the revolution on hold til then. Of course, you don't have to wait til Monday to stop by, I mean, there's LOTS of Moonshiny goodness all over, so you may want to check it out anyway.

Hear that Winter? You've got the weekend to skeedadle. Otherwise, come Monday... well, just don't let me catch you around.

Moonshine Designs Mainstore

Discord Designs~Boo

She might seem shy in person, it's no lie
She's always nervous
But the verdict is she's worth it
She gets crap but don't deserve it
She look like Emily Strange
Always ravin' 'bout her favs
Wanna conquer her like Kang
When you kiss like Cassie Lang

~Nrrrd Grrrl by MC Chris

This is a Nerd's World.

Oh, don't deny it, you know you're one too. Surprise! We all are. Oh, yah, you're different right? You're cool? What.Ever.

Not everyone denies it, which is cool, coz it helps cut down all that dramatic weirdness that comes up whenever someone's acting like something they're not. It's just sooo much easier if you just relax and embrace your inner nerd. Maybe you're the kind of nerd in SL who just wants an avatar a little bit funnier, sexier and cooler than RL. Maybe you're the kind of nerd in SL who really really needs retractable fangs and a tail. Maybe, just maybe, you're the kind of nerd who wants to spend every waking hour compiling scripts and building replicas of Mos Eisley except this time all in pastels. Don't even get me started on you Plurkers and Tweeters. It's all true, Second Life is a nerd's paradise. I don't care if you're the queen of haute couture. Guess what... yah, I won't even say it.

For me personally, well, I always suspected I was a nerd. I mean, the books, the movies, a music collection that includes MP3's like Let's Pretend We're Bunny Rabbits... it all had to mean something, right? Yah, so when I first started playing in Second Life was when the truth actually came out. I can't say it was really a moment of self-realization or anything. It was my room mate. It went something like "what are you doing?" and I said "playing Second Life"... a pause... and she says: "Nerd."

It's a long story, I won't bore you, but since then I've pretty much embraced the whole nerd thing. I do secretly suspect that the 'nerd' accusation might have been whispered behind my back for years... no proof of course, but whatever.

I had a whole set of pictures already done for today's post but ended up tossing them. I just couldn't get it right. I think I was going for a dark gothic type thing but it just didn't fit. Just so ya know, most of these posts get started after the photography is done; I get to play with different moods, get a feel for the look. For this, I had this whole set of photos done, and then that little voice in my head whispered "neeerrrrrd." So I had to start over. Kallisti Burns' Boo from Discord Designs is definitely nerd hipness. What it is ALSO is proof positive that Kallisti's been holding out on us. Yah, always one of my favorite prim designers in SL, Kallisti's taking a break from working and re-working her really nice braided styles to give us Boo.

My two fave things about Boo: 1. the metal prims holding up the tails, and 2. that little tussle of hair dangling along the neckline. It's a lovely RL touch to a a very cute punky style. Of course, the resizing menu is still there; find your perfect fit and set it. Lot's of colors to choose from too.

If you're in Discord Design's Subscrib-o-matic group you might have seen these demos come out this week. If you're NOT, well... just do it, I mean, what's taking you so long?

Either way, really nice work and cute styling from one of my favorite SL nerds.

Discord Designs Boo