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

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Pier Pleasure

(Credits at the end of the post.)

Of all the decades featuring in this blog, the typical 1920s silhouette is the most difficult one to recreate in Second Life®, especially when you don’t use an outfit right out of the box. There are only few items available that look right – but it doesn’t keep me from trying.

Today’s look is a very informal outfit, fit for a walk along the beach or – with different shoes – outdoor activities. White was the most popular shade for such attire, worn either purely monochromatic or, like here, with a few accents of colour.

I like the striped cardigan very much and with its low hemline and the deep v-neck – additionally accentuated by the only partly closed buttons – it is essential for pulling the ensemble together: it lends the necessary elegance to what otherwise could have ended up looking frumpy.

Everything else works along the same lines: even though carefully coifed, the hair looks like being touselled by the wind, and the shirt’s collar just emphasizes the relaxed feel. The hat comes with a colour-change script, so you are not  stuck with just one hue, and a little detachable bow for the hat.
The sequined hem of the skirt is something that would only have appeared on more formal outfits in the Twenties, but I decided that it was unobtrusive enough to pass. The prim part of the skirt has been lowered a tad to create the desired shape.

The shoes by “1-800 Bettie’s” finally are the most accurate model of vintage flapper shoes I have seen in SL so far, and the only one that does not sport t-bar straps (which I love, but a bit of variety is always good). They contain a resize script and are available in five different colours (black, white, cream, brown and red). There is no demo available at the shop, something that always makes me hesitate as you never know what you are buying, but in this case I was lucky, because the shoes turned out to be looking great on my feet, too.

Body:

• Skin: (5th & Oxford) FAIR Audrey Fresh Freckles 2
• Eyes: (Miriel) Realistic Eyes – Strong Green [not available anymore]
• Lashes: (Miriel) Lashes – Feather [not available anymore]
• Hair: Clawtooth by Clawtooth: Love Letters (black beauty)

Outfit:

• Shirt: (Armidi Gisaci) Cambridge Cuffed Shirt Top – Aufren White [worn without cuffs]
• Skirt: *ICING* Fields of Bloom [part of outfit]
• Cardigan: *Thimbles* Jim Jones Bumbleberry Kool-aid
• Stockings: [1-800 Bettie’s] Stockings by Bettie’s – nude
• Shoes: [1-800 Bettie’s] Flapper Shoe (white)

Other:

• Pose: *Luth* vintage 4 (Reel Expression)

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La Bella Figura

(Credits at the end of the post.)

Summer 1960: hemlines are creeping up to the knee, outfits become simpler. Only a few years later Mary Quant will present the mini skirt to the public and fashion rules will be completely overturned. The Golden Age of Haute Couture is coming to an end and at the end of the decade, the street will rule over the catwalk.

We tend to think of the 1960s as a decade of revolution, not only socially, but also in terms of fashion, and often forget that they also contributed many staples to classical wardrobe. Change did not come with a big bang, but was achieved gradually when the highly refined and complicated wardrobe of the 50s shed many of its decorative elements in favour of more slim-lined cuts.

When I received a notification about the release of Couture Chapeau’s Sophia Loren retrospective some weeks ago, I was immediately intrigued by the idea, but unfortunately an illness kept me from logging into SL for a longer period of time and afterwards it took me a while until I found the opportunity to poperly check them out. I’m glad I did, though, because I immediately felt drawn towards some of the hats, and so it came that the “Napoli” model inspired this look.

The outfit consists of Armidi’s “Primavera” mini-trench, worn without the prim sleeves for an authentic appearance, and the “Simplicity” prim skirt from /artilleri/, one of those basics I couldn’t do without in SL. Of course, I had to mod the prim parts of the trench to fit on my avatar (and over the system skirt), but in this case the task turned turned out to be surprisingly easy – a rarity when it comes to prim-clothes.
Black mid-length gloves by 5th & Oxford and black pumps by Maitreya lend an elegant touch to the ensemble, while the necklace by (luc) adds just the splash of colour to prevent it from looking too monochromatic. Tres Blah’s lovely bag finally has a design which matched my vision of this outfit perfectly, I only had to get rid of the bow – not because I didn’t like it (I do, very much so), but because there was “too much going on” in the outfit now. Fortunately, the bag comes with copy and modify enabled, so I could take a copy and shrink the bow to a size that you can hardly see it.

The hat is available in black and red as well and contains a resize script, so it should fit every avatar regardless of (head-) size; I’m wearing ETD’s “Roslin” underneath, once again modified to prevent some of the strands from poking through the hat.

“Why the cigarette?” you may ask. Well, I don’t smoke in RL and never would, but I found for a look from a time when smoking was the rule rather than the exception, when people were unaware of the health risks  and when stars did it in public without tabloids scolding them through a series of unflattering snapshots the next day, it would make an appropriate accessory. Even though the cigarette comes with particle smoke, it didn’t show very well in my snapshot, so I added the smoke in Photoshop.

And if you think that’s a cheap romance novel poking out of Aderyn’s bag, you are mistaken. She assured me that it’s a copy of Cocteau.

Body:

• Skin: (5th & Oxford) FAIR Audrey Fresh 1
• Eyes: (Miriel) Realistic Eyes – Strong Green [not available anymore]
• Lashes: (Miriel) Lashes – Feather [not available anymore]
• Hair: ETD – Roslin (smoke)

Outfit:

• Hat: La Loren Napoli Chapeau – white straw
• Jacket: (Armidi) Primavera Mini Trench Bianco
• Skirt: /artilleri/ simplicity pencil skirt *black*
• Stockings: [1-800 Bettie’s] Stockings by Bettie’s – nude
• Gloves: (5th & Oxford) Gloves Medium Black
• Shoes: Maitreya Group Gift Pumps – black
• Necklace: (luc) Gaea Necklace (coral/gold)
• Bag: -Tres Blah- Chic Satchel (black)
• Cigarette: PERSONA cigarette solo [freebie]

Other:

• Pose: Standing pose from [LAP]’s free basic AO in combination with the in-built holding pose of the bag

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