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

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Autumn brings (a) New Look

In order to re-familiarize myself with blogging, I’m going to visit the 1950s again, and what would be better than wearing the “Doriane” coat by L’Abel on that occasion? Not only does it offer a splash of colour I’m often missing at this time of the year, but also it does have the most wonderful “New Look”-shape, with a tight-fitting bodice and a wide skirt. Accentuated with a black collar, black cuffs and matching accessories, the outfit remains classy while still making a statement.

Body:

• Skin: (5th & Oxford) FAIR Audrey Summer Cocktails 5
• Eyes: (Miriel) Realistic Eyes – Strong Green [not available anymore]
• Lashes: (Miriel) Lashes – Feather [not available anymore]
• Hair: Kin -Joan- [black]

Outfit:

• Coat: L’Abel – Doriane coat
• Shoes: Maitreya Group Gift Pumps black
• Stockings: *Sheer* Stockings 01: Nylon Black
• Earrings: ~Muse~ Claris Pearl earring in Gold
• Gloves: Fleur Gloves Short Black
• Hat: Tesla hat “Joan” [free]
• Bag: (P-K) Vintage Petit Sac Noir

Other:

• Pose: *TorridWear* Drama 08

 

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C’ha un bel balcone!

Body:

• Skin: Fleur Allure Alabaster Smudged 2
• Eyes: (Miriel) Realistic Eyes – Strong green
• Lashes: (Miriel) Lashes – Feather
• Hair: Diversity Hair – Delaney (black)

Outfit:

• Top: *COCO*_gift_floraltanktop (group gift)
• Skirt: /artilleri/ Carla circle skirt *green*
• Hair Flower: /artilleri/ Rose hair flower *orange*
• Bangles: ::Genesis:: Aidan Bangles
• Shoes: Maitreya group gift pumps (magenta)

Other:

• Pose: [IE] Imperial Elegance – Dazzle – 10

This post title is probably going to bring me tons of non-SL-related traffic, because it translates to “she has a beautiful balcony,” of course meaning “she has a nice rack.” I was trying for the look of 1950s’ Italian actresses – think a young Sofia Loren or Gina Lollobrigida – without copying any specific outfit. After all those sombre colours this blog just wanted something a little more vibrant. Still, if you had told me before that I’d walk the grid in an outfit combining orange, green and pink, I’d have declared that I’d never wear something like that. 😉

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“Roman Holiday” Style

Body:

• Skin: Fleur Allure Alabaster Kitten 1
• Eyes: (Miriel) Realistic Eyes – Mossy Rock
• Lashes: (Miriel) Lashes – Feather
• Hair: >TRUTH< Berri – night

Outfit:

• Blouse: *ICING* Puma Jie Shirt – White
• Skirt: /artilleri/ carla circle skirt *yellow* (stretched to make longer)
• Shoes: [LeLutka] -KORINA shoes fabric/olive
• Scarf: Ibizarre Bandana Scarf (pumpkin dots)

Other:

• Pose: Sugar Mill- Sun Gaze (freebie)
• Scooter: [19MC] D-Hello 1.06

Despite the RL example, initially this outfit  wasn’t modelled after Audrey Hepburn’s look in “Roman Holiday,” but rather grew into resembling it so much that eventually  I decided to go all the way with it. It had started with the hair and skin -for several weeks, the Kitten 1 make up had been the only skin I owned (aside from the Fleur newbie skin), so the 1950s look was a bit of a no-brainer. The shoes were part of the group gift LeLutka gave out several weeks ago and quickly became a staple in my inventory. The rest just fell in place, and in the end I only added the scarf and the scooter as a reference to the original.

Interestingly, it was only when creating this outfit that I noticed that I actually had no idea which colour exactly the original from the film was. There are several colourized DVD-covers, and they all vastly differ in that regard: one shows a red skirt, another a blue one, and I think I even saw one where the skirt was white and the blouse pink… To me, it looks as if the skirt was made from a quite fair-coloured material, so I went with yellow. I opted out of the bigger belt because unlike the original it made my outfit look too bulky.

I couldn’t find a scarf/ necktie which would have been an exact match, but I like how the scarf, skirt and shoes compliment each other without having the exact same hues.

There’s a scene in the film taking place at the Piazza Espagna, and my idea was to shoot there, but it ended up so crowded in this particular sim that I decided to leave again. I prefer quiet places for taking pictures… so, this “Roman Holiday” actually should be called a “Venetian Holiday,” since the snapshot was taken in the Venezia sim.

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Springtime dresses now and then

Since my pictures still are full of graphic glitches (broken water reflections and light effects), I’ll go with something simple for starters:

All:

• Skin: Fleur Allure Alabaster Kitten 1
• Eyes: (Miriel) Realistic Eyes – Mossy Rock
• Lashes: (Miriel) Lashes – Feather
• Dress: *ICING* Camilla Blossom
• Shoes: =DeLa*= Pumps “Stella” Noir Black

Spring 1954 (left &  middle):

• Hair: Kin -Joan- [black]
• Gloves: *Fleur* Gloves Long Black
• Earrings: Paper Couture Faceted Golden Sapphire Dangle
• Stockings: ~Blacklace~ Passionate Touch: Black Sheer Stockings
• Pose (left): -AnaLu- *fresh poses* 5
• Pose (middle): [LAP] – C-Cuteness [freebie pose]

Spring 2009 (right):

• Hair: >TRUTH< Nikhita – night
• Earrings: Paper Couture Diamond Bow
• Stockings: *Sheer* Stockings 27: Opaque Black
• Nails: Ibizarre Nail Polish – firebrick
• Pose (right): [LAP] – Kewtie Pie

*ICING* has been one of my favourites since the very beginnings.  What amazes me is not only the superb quality for such a comparatively low price, but especially that her outfits usually work both as vintage and as “vintage style” attire. “Camilla Blossoms” would work equally well as a party dress in 2009 and as a cocktail dress in 1954.

I have paired it in both cases with the same pair of shoes and the same make up; they have a nice vintage feeling without dating you. In RL, there probably would be a visible difference between the two make up versions, but in SL we can pretend that the 1950s cosmetics were less pancake-y than they really were.

The biggest difference is the hair, as nowadays the options are far more diverse and people usually choose a less cemented coiffure. Truth’s “Nikhita” manages to look groomed without being overly formal – a very youthful yet grown up hairdo. In 1954, a lady-like look was desired, even if it added a few years to your appearance.

To heighten the contemporary appearance of “Spring 2009,” I added opaque black stockings to the outfit – a feature which could be frequently seen on the catwalk for this season. The shoes, sash and earrings take up the bow motif, which currently is very much en vogue, as is the oversized flower print. In contrast, the print would have been somewhat of an avantgarde look in the 1950s since fabrics were usually printed with smaller, less abstract flower patterns then.

I tried to express the change of mentality which occured between those decades through the poses. It is a real shame that there aren’t more bloggers who credit the poses they use, since without them, all of our pictures would look the same. A good pose not only compliments the avatar’s outfit: it’s like the difference between watching a profesional (talented) actor and a bloody (untalented) amateur on stage. The actor can conjure up a whole new person just through body language, while the amateur will always remind you that you are but watching a pretender.

Finally, a close-up of the earrings for those interested:

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