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

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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)

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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

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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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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

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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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“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]

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A Trip Down Memory Lane

It’s rather late for hopping on this bandwagon – waiting any longer, and I might only see the red rear lights of the train. But I actually enjoyed Sophia Harlow’s bloggers’ challenge and the results it generate on the feeds a lot, so here is my belated contribution.

This first picture still makes me cringe and laugh out loud at the same time. It was taken the very first day I entered the grid in December 2007, and prior to this I had not noticed that my hands were bigger than my head.

A little more than two weeks later, in January 2008, I was living in freebies – but nice freebies. I’m still partial to the *ICING*-dress, and even though the look itself is a bit outdated, at least i don’t have to be ashamed of it.

That one is from April 2008, and by that time I had long arrived in my Vivant skins (TaP had just become Fleur then, I think), which still look very lovely in my opinion. And I was so in love with this hat by Tesla – which now is available  as a freebie at the store.

Finally, a recent picture. I would be two years now had I not left in between, and I’m wondering if the difference in another two years will be just as dramatic as the one here (even between April 2008 – when I had already shed the newbie-look – and April 2010 there already is/will be a huge difference).

Credits for the last picture:

• Skin: (5th & Oxford) FAIR Audrey Summer Cocktails 2
• Eyes: (Miriel) Realistic Eyes – Strong Green [not available anymore]
• Lashes: (Miriel) Lashes – Feather [not available anymore]
• Hair: Tiny Bird – Into My Arms – pepper [edited some of the hairpins out to give it a vintage look]
• Jacket & Blouse: Sugarcube peplum jacket & ruffled silk shirt
• Earrings: Eclectica Medallion earrings

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Goodbye 2009 – Welcome 2010!

2009 is officially over here in Europe, and I wanted to wish all of you a good start into the new year!

I will not attend any SL-festivities, but if I would, this dress would probably have been my choice – it’s one of Ingenue’s recent releases.  “Kerria”  is a very sexy yet elegant gown with a sweetheart neckline and a single strap on which a big prim flower is pinned. Very reminescent of the classic Hollywood divas of the 1940s.

To emphasize the elegant side of it, I paired the dress with a pair of 5th & Oxford’s new leather gloves, which I tinted slightly to match the dress better.

All promotional items are marked with a bold “R” for “Review Copy”.

Body:

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

Outfit:

• Dress: Ingenue ::  Kerria :: Egyptian R
• Gloves: 5th & Oxford) Leather Gloves – L *purple* [tinted]
• Earrings: Paper Couture Faceted Golden Sapphire Dangle

Other:

• Pose: [LAP] – Chub – Doin Right [from the 2009 Poop Hunt]

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World AIDS Day, Pt. II – or: Unexpected Consequences of a Blog Post

Whenever we make a blog post, the words are “out there”, accessible to everyone worldwide (at least in theory). Yet, with the Second Life community being one of a limited size and the musings of its members being of no particular interest to anyone outside of it, it’s all too easy to forget that those words can be carried away from the intended audience. It happened to me with my last blog entry on Sunday.

I stand by my words and do not wish to take back any of it. I spent quite a while debating the pro and contra of publishing the entry, but in the end, decided to go for it because the topic is important to me. After all, people can choose to not read it if it bothers them, and I believe that HIV-awareness should be higher than it currently is, for a lot of reasons.

According to the WordPress statistics, this particular post brought a few people from outside the SL-community to my blog, but not significantly more than any of my other posts. There are always people googling for pictures of real-life vintage fashion or seemingly completely unrelated things who end up at “Vintage Verwood”. However, one of those visitors wrote a blog entry herself and decided to quote parts of mine (you can find the links and my elaborations in the comments on the previous entry), and I find that it bothers me – not because my words are used, but because they were taken out of context and are leading a life of their own now and the same incomplete compilation of them appears in various syndications of articles related to World AIDS Day.

What bothers me most is that my original blog post was made in the form of an avatar “speaking” to other avatars, and published together with comments about virtual fashion. Within the context it appeared – on a Second Life-related blog and syndicated to various Second Life-related feeds – it made sense. Being singled out as “the voice from Germany” in between real life-blogs by real-life people, not so much – not because what I wrote isn’t true, but because the real-life me has a lot more to say on the topic than “Aderyn Verwood” put into the original post.

In the end, I guess I would not have minded as much had I known about this before. The topic is a very serious one to me and my original point was not so much detailing why I care about it or that I love my friend and care about his well-being, but to consciously take a break amidst the holiday troubles and remind myself of all the people living with HIV (other than my friend), and to give the readers of my blog a little heads up on it, too. At a time when the number of people who underestimate the effects of a HIV-infection is on the rise and at a time when there are voices claiming the use of condoms is a sin, and when the vast majority of the population of the Western world believes that there is no danger from HIV anymore, or that it is a problem restricted to so-called Third-World-countries, at such a time, I wanted to send out a signal. No less, but also no more.

Most of you who are reading this probably did not come here to educate yourself about HIV. Maybe you believe your knowledge about it already is sufficient – before I learnt about my friend’s HIV-infection, I thought the same, only to discover that most of what I knew was incomplete or not up-to-date anymore. In case you feel like updating yourself, here are two links I found particularly helpful back then, and still do:

http://www.namlife.org/cms1254847.aspx

http://www.aidsmap.com/cms1038153.aspx

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