Retiring as a blogger

Over a year has passed since I made my last SL-related entry here. I have been successfully undergoing psychotherapy since December and for the first time in 18 years (sic), I am depression-free now. I am in a committed long-distance relationship and we are working on moving my partner, who is US-American, to Germany for good. I will go back to university in autumn to finish my education, which suffered under the depression as well. It is no exaggeration if I say that I am happier now than I have ever been in my adult life before, even if the therapeutic work is not over yet.

Second Life and “Vintage Verwood” were a way to cope when my first life was anything but rosy. They provided an escape, and it worked for a while by engaging my mind and allowing me to become creative. The happiest memories I have of this time are all related to blogging and the people I got to know through it.
So it is with a crying and a laughing eye that I officially retire from updating this blog. I will not delete “Vintage Verwood”, but as I recover, the need to escape vanishes, and so does the free time I have as I re-build my real life. This year, I haven’t spent more than a few minutes per month in world, and it’s not going to change anytime soon. I’m going to stay “active” on plurk, and going to check on Aderyn once in a while – if not for the fond memories, I would have walked away for good long ago.

Thank you to all my readers and thank you to the people who reached out to me in-world. I will miss you.

On my prolonged absence

Before the year comes to an end, it is about time to give a little update on this blog: “Vintage Verwood” is not dead, but on a very long hiatus. I haven’t been in world for a couple of months and probably won’t be in the overseeable future, for the simple reason that I need to take care of my first life before I can even think of the second one.

I suffer from chronic depression and hit a low earlier this year that pretty much brought both the virtual and the real life to a halt, and sucked the joy out of both. A conscious decision to stay away was never made, it just happened, but I have no doubt that it was the right thing to do.

A few months are a long time in a virtual world, where everything is much more fast-paced, but the beauty of it is that one will catch up again equally fast after a substantial absence, and I am already looking forward to doing it.

A happy new year to everyone, Aderyn Verwood

Another Kind of Eigengrau

About six weeks ago, one of the two graphics cards built into my computer failed, rendering the computer largely unusable. The problem is fixed now in so far as the broken card has been taken out of it, and I can even log into SL again, but only with much-reduced graphics, which means that I have to wait until I can afford a new graphics card before getting back to taking pictures, because my “Second Life® experience” currently consists of grey spheres and polygons.

I hope to be back soon.

L’Abel Spring Collection, Pt. 1

If this picture reminds you of Abba or Farrah Fawcett, you’re not far off, because I’m once again revisiting the 1970s.

When Neferia Abel asked on Plurk if there were any bloggers interested in reviewing an item or two from L’Abel’s upcoming spring collection a while ago, I put my name down on the list, because I’m always curious about what Neferia will come up with next, and while the L’Abel range is the modern branch of Neferia’s fashion “empire”, it often allows for a vintage interpretation as well. So it was no surprise that the “Nana” jumpsuit immediately reminded me of ethnic-influenced clothes from the 1970s, while at the same time it also picks up and reinterprets recent fashion trends.

“Nana” comes with a tight-fitting upper part, accentuated by moderately sized shoulder cuffs, and a lower part which is skin-tight on the system layer, but adds volume with the help of prims both above and below the knee. The colour is a silvery white with charcoal accents and a subtly shimmering texture.

To be perfectly honest, I never thought of Aderyn as a “jumpsuit type”, but this outfit made me revise this opinion as it has just the perfect feel for a hot summer’s day with cloudless skies: one can almost feel the cool fabric on the warm skin, and it certainly looks comfortable in a very un-frumpy way.

The “Jane” wedges by Shiny Things are an excellent match, and while at first I wasn’t going for hair quite as big, Truth’s “Farrah” won me over eventually because it looked the most authentic.

Body:

• Skin: (5th & Oxford) Brooke FAIR – Rebel, Rebel 4
• Eyes: [LeLutka]-Reflections-Mist-Eyes
• Lashes: (Miriel) Lashes – Feather [not available anymore]
• Hair: >Truth< Farrah – espresso

Outfit:

• Jumpsuit: -L’Abel- Nana silver jumpsuit
• Shoes: (Shiny Things) Jane Wedges – white

Other:

• Pose: [Long Awkward Pose] – Odds & Ends – Whatcha Want

The First Flowers of Spring

Today there was a hint of spring in the air: the first crocuses are in bloom here and the sun is slowly gaining strength. A feeling that also spills over into my virtual life.

Ingenue recently released these flirty skirts and cute bustiers, just right when you feel like finally tossing the coats away. The come in 8 different colours each, so you can either go monochromatic or mix them up, and are versatile enough to be easily dressed up or down, just as the situation demands.

They remind me a little of the short cocktail or party dresses that were en vogue in the 1980s and for a moment I seriously pondered dressing them up with black lace leggings and gloves. However, I am not exactly fond of the 80s when it comes to fashion, and it would feel weird featuring a time in my blog that I actually remember from personal experience and still call it vintage (I’ll give that another ten years, at the very least). Besides, they are so lovely and have such great textures – not that this is news when it comes to Ingenue’s designs – that taking the focus away from them feels like comitting a sin.

Also new are the Liasis pumps, a retro-looking shoe in snake skin optic available in 15 different colours, which should make them a wonderful match not only for the above-mentioned items, but for any wardrobe in general.

Body:

• Skin: (5th & Oxford) Brooke FAIR Natural 4 (left); (5th & Oxford) Brooke FAIR Nightfall 2 (right)
• Eyes: [LeLutka]-Reflections-Mist-Eyes
• Lashes: (Miriel) Lashes – Feather [not available anymore]
• Hair: .:[ Tiny Bird ]:. I and Love and You – Pepper

Outfit:

• Bustier: Ingenue :: Tulipe :: L’Eau (left); Ingenue :: Tulipe :: Noir (right)
• Skirt: Ingenue :: Pivoine :: L’Eau (left); Ingenue :: Pivoine :: Rouge (right)
• Shoes: Ingenue :: Liasis :: Rouge (left); Ingenue :: Liasis :: Teal (right)

Other:

• Poses: [Long Awkward Pose] – Doin Right (left); [LAP] – CM – When I’m Alone (right)

A Serious Woman

1930s fashion is one of my favourite styles when it comes to vintage clothes, but rather difficult to construct with the means of Second Life – especially when you don’t want to wear an “out of the box” outfit all the time, but I think I succeeded with this one. Also, I felt like donning a “serious” outfit before indulging in the playful nature of spring dresses, and there is a certain grown-up quality to the clothes of this decade which you don’t find in the years before of afterwards.

Sometimes, the outfits I blog go through a rather long evolution before I decide they are ready for taking a picture, but this one was a very straight-forward and quick development: every single item I tried just fell into place and the most time-consuming task was fitting the hair under the hat.

Body:

• Skin: (5th & Oxford) Brooke FAIR Subtle 6
• Eyes: [LeLutka]-Reflections-Mist-Eyes
• Lashes: (Miriel) Lashes – Feather [not available anymore]
• Hair: Ingenue :: Myrna :: Natural Black

Outfit:

• Jacket & Gloves: [The Sweetest Good-bye] 2nd Moon – Grey
• Skirt: Ingenue :: Vintage Basics :: Secretary :: Ebon
• Stockings: *Sheer* Stockings 01: Nylon Black
• Shoes: Maitreya Neyya * Toe-cap grey
• Hat: *COCO*_WoolFeltFedora_Black
• Bag: [LeLutka]-handbagBLACK

Other:

• Pose: *TorridWear* – Geometry 04

Between The Seasons

Even though meteorologically, spring starts today, and even though I am sick of the cold, grey weather, it’s hard to come up with a daffodils-and-hyacinths-look when the window shutters are rattling in the storm outside. Instead, a TV-documentation on fashion designer Sonia Rykiel inspired me to create an outfit based on some of Rykiel’s collections from the 1970s, perfect for that time of the year.

Today’s look contains two pieces I have used in the same combination before, but they fit really well into the concept: if you look past the hippie and disco fashion, a lot of clothes from the 1970s are a re-interpretation of the silhouettes which were en vogue in the 1920s – especially noticeable in haute couture. For Sonia Rykiel, it became one of her signature looks which she still keeps varying several decades later. What I like about it is that despite the obvious references to bygone (fashion) eras, her creations never look dated.

Body:

• Skin: (5th & Oxford) Brooke FAIR – Nightfall 4
• Eyes: [LeLutka]-Reflections-Mist-Eyes
• Lashes: (Miriel) Lashes – Feather [not available anymore]
• Hair: !lamb. Dog Roses – ink

Outfit:

• Cardigan: *Thimbles* Jim Jones Doomberry Kool-aid
• Top: [Whippet & Buck] Cole Boatneck Top ALABASTER
• Skirt: *ICING* Fields of Bloom [part of outfit]
• Gloves: (5th&Oxford) Leather Gloves – M *white*
• Stockings: Stockings by Bettie’s – ivory [formerly 1-800 Bettie’s]
• Shoes: Maitreya Neyya * Toe Cap White

Other:

• Pose: Reel Expression – Posh 13

She’s Such A Tease

The name of 5th & Oxford’s latest release is to be taken literally: “The Tease” is a set of satin lingerie consisting of corset, underbust-corset, buttoned gloves in three lengths, bra and panties, with and without garters and two pairs of stockings in coordinating colours and in a nude tone respectively. My favourite hue out of the six available colours is a rich sapphire blue, the other available ones can be seen on Anastasia Trefusis and Freyja Nemeth (as well as some of the other clothing options – since lately I crash every time I take a picture [regardless of viewer], I had to limit myself to a single image this time around 😦 ).

The hand-drawn lustrous textures are as great as one has come to expect from this brand and I especially appreciate the little details, for example the small horizontal creases on the corsets – a sure sign for tight lacing – or the drawn-up hem where the garter are tucked on the stockings. The items are too pretty to hide them away as underwear only, but at least for the corsets it is not a stretch at all to imagine them worn as a signature piece in a more “dressed up” look.

This kind of lingerie is not strictly vintage, but rather in the style of the “New Burlesque”, but too gorgeous to not play around with it. There is a certain playful way to this fashion format which often seems missing nowadays: sensual rather than sexual; despite the revealing cut of the underbust corset “The Tease” is notionally alluring rather than salacious (at least to me). Funny to think that what was scandalous once appears almost nostalgically innocent now.

The hair is hardly-disguised reference to Bettie Page and once more professing my love for Bubbles Clawtooth’s designs – how could I not love the many vintage references in those hairstyles?

Body:

• Skin: (5th & Oxford) Brooke FAIR Kitty 3
• Eyes: [LeLutka]-Reflections-Mist-Eyes
• Lashes: (Miriel) Lashes – Feather [not available anymore]
• Hair: Clawtooth by Clawtooth: Velvet Moon (Black Beauty)

Outfit:

• Corset, Panties, Stockings, Gloves: (5th & Oxford) The Tease *SAPPHIRE*
• Shoes: =DeLa*= Pumps “Stella” Noir Black

Other:

• Pose: Diesel Works Animations – Momo 18

Seltsam, im Nebel zu wandern!

The headline is taken from Hermann Hesse’s “Im Nebel” and translates to “[How] strange to wander in the fog” – a poem which often comes to my mind on days like this, when no ray of sunshine penetrates the misty grey. Despite the melancholy air of poem and picture, I really enjoy spending time by myself, both in the real world and online, and pictures like this showcase the appeal SL holds in this respect also.

COCO’s swing coat is the perfect outfit to wear for such an outing: undeniably chic, yet perfectly blending in with the landscape, one can pretend being a member of the landed gentry while the choice of footwear betrays the city girl, walking with her head in the clouds. Combined with simple, sensible accessoires, Aderyn is ready to bear the second half of winter in style, waiting for spring to arrive.

Also, I have been on a quest to replace my cherished Miriel eyes recently, because I felt it was unfair to keep showcasing items on this blog which are not available anymore. I have not yet found a permanent substitute for Miriel’s lashes (and tremble at the thought of fitting another pair), but came up with two alternatives for the eyes by LeLutka and L.Fauna.

Shopping for eyes has proven to be more complicated than initially anticipated, because unfortunately a) a lot of bloggers do not state which eyes they are wearing in their posts, so it was not that easy to compile a list of shops to check out, and b) the majority of shops did not offer demos for their eyes, and I am not willing to spend money on something I might not like on myself at all.

Eyes can completely alter the character of a face and I have a very clear idea of what I want to look like in Second Life, so I decided to pass on those who did not offer demos and bought the Chai eyes, which have a wonderful depth and shine. The irises are slightly bigger than I prefer, however, which is great for an innocent look, but might prove unsuitable for other designs.

Two days later, LeLutka released its new collection of eyes and at first I was going to pass on them as well because there are no demos available either, but after seeing them on someone who used to wear Miriel’s eyes as well, I came to the conclusion that I would probably like them and bought a pair. It turned out a risk worth taking as indeed they came rather close to the look I was already used to and have a great texture, but if not for this other person, I’d most likely have refrained from this purchase.

So, I’d like to close this blog post with thanking those creators who do offer demos for their eyes and those bloggers who credit which ones they are wearing in their posts, both is very much appreciated!

Credits for the first picture:

Body:

• Skin: (5th & Oxford) Brooke FAIR Kitty 2
• Eyes: [LeLutka]-Reflections-Mist-Eyes
• Lashes: (Miriel) Lashes – Feather [not available anymore]
• Hair: Clawtooth by Clawtooth: Love Letters (Black Beauty)

Outfit:

• Coat: *COCO*_CheckSwingCoat(Cream)
• Skirt: Ingenue :: Vintage Basics :: Secretary Skirts :: Apple [tinted]
• Shirt: [W&B] Cole Boatneck Top Black
• Gloves: (5th & Oxford) Leather Gloves – M *black*
• Stockings: *Sheer* Stockings 01: Nylon Black
• Shoes: Tesla – High Oxford *chocolate*

Other:

• Pose: [LAP] – F-Blogger11-Poofyskirt PR4

“Brooke” – 5th & Oxford’s New Skin Line

Skins are important in Second Life®: more than anything else, they influence our avatars’ appearance. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I am following any new developments at 5th & Oxford with keen interest; always wondering where the next release will take me. My curiosity was answered when the talented Roslin Petion, one half of the creative duo behind the brand (the other being CJ Carnot), dropped a folder of the latest skins on me.

“Brooke” is based on the “Audrey” line, which it shares the body with, but has been adjusted in skin tone and contrast. The face, however, is very different and “Brooke” comes with completely new features: bolder lips, a changed nose and thinner brows are only the most prominent alterations, creating a slightly more mature appearance than the very youthful “Audrey”.

The new skin line launched with five individual make-ups, each available in six varieties and three skintones. Ranging from very natural looks over daytime tones to kaleidoscope colours, I chose two examples from each make-up to showcase here in my usual “fair” skintone. As you can see, some of the looks also come with one or several beauty marks or with freckles, which makes for an interesting variety.

With winged eyeliner and lip colours appropriate for vintage or retro looks, it can hardly be a secret that I adore the “Kitty” make-up.

“Rebel, Rebel” compliments the latest fashion release of 5th & Oxford, a line of punk-rock-inspired shirts and skirts, but the striking eyeshadows and intense colours work equally well in a different context.

The name says it all: only a hint of eyeliner and lipgloss make the “Natural” make-ups a look where the differences are down to details, like the hue of the lip-texture, a beauty mark or flushed cheeks.

If you’re trying to add a dramatic note to your attire, “Nightfall” offers smokey eyes in dark jewel tones.

Finally, a range of eyeshadows in subdued colours and balanced hues for the lips – “Subtle” includes great daytime make-ups that add a bit of colour without dominating the appearance.

“Brooke” once again shows great craftsmanship: the textures are smooth, the make-ups tasteful (even the more flamboyant ones) and the skins are well-balanced, with intelligently and sparingly used highlights. A personal delight is the fact that pitch black brows are available again – with “Audrey”, you had to settle for a brownish black, which sometimes could create the impression of having your hair dyed black rather than sporting your natural haircolour. As always, the eyebrows are modable, so that you can easily adjust them to your haircolour.

I love this new skin line already and look forward to any additions Roslin and CJ might want to add to it in the future!

Skins:

• (5th & Oxford) Brooke FAIR – Kitty 3
• (5th & Oxford) Brooke FAIR – Kitty 4
• (5th & Oxford) Brooke FAIR – Rebel, Rebel 2
• (5th & Oxford) Brooke FAIR – Rebel, Rebel 4
• (5th & Oxford) Brooke FAIR – Natural 3
• (5th & Oxford) Brooke FAIR – Natural 4
• (5th & Oxford) Brooke FAIR – Nightfall 4
• (5th & Oxford) Brooke FAIR – Nightfall 5
• (5th & Oxford) Brooke FAIR – Subtle 1
• (5th & Oxford) Brooke FAIR – Subtle 3

Other:

• Hair: Clawtooth by Clawtooth – Woman of the Year – Black Beauty
• Eyes: (Miriel) Realistic Eyes – Strong Green [not available anymore]
• Lashes: (Miriel) Lashes – Feather [not available anymore]