Second Style Magazine

I don’t know what’s happening,spring may be in the air, but all of a sudden all jewel designers of Second Life are moving… not litterally, although Lucas Lameth of Earthtones is moving his mainstore to a deliciously cozy new shoppe, but so many new releases lately. Fallingwater Cellardoor of Shiny Things with her one of a kind hand painted beads, but many others as well, and I would like to show you some of the new releases in this post.

Caroline Apollo has released a new pearl set, with a lovely double strand necklace of the whithest shiny pearls available. The earrings are quite long and perfect to be matched with a gorgeous updo on a formal occasion. To go with the necklace and the earrings Caroline throws in a solitaire pearl ring. I like that a lot, because you don’t get that often. Bracelets yes.. but a ring….. Caroline has been busy designing, Celeb blogged her Diamond Hearts the other day, so I can absolutely reccomend you to check out Caroline’s shop to check what else is in store.

Every now and then the divine Nonna Hedges teams up with the superb Dexter Bachman for a great new jewelry set on sale at Nonna’s shop in Picasso. Whenever that is the case, hold your jaw or it will surely drop. Recently they have released a heart necklace, earrings and tiara set that is to die for. Dexter uses a self modified bling script that is so subtle. I’ve told you this before, but I cannot repeat it too often.. bling shouldn’t shout.. it should sparkle and that is just what this does. This set is subtle to the max, a fine necklace with a fragile heart, but strong as the diamonds that adorn it. I love it and I think it makes the perfect Valentine’s Day gift.

Stephania Marx of Synthetic Dreams has been designing the matching jewelry for Digit Darkes’new collection. It’s different, daring, not to be ignored and wearing her shinies you will sure make a statement. In the interview that Digit had with Aspire (pick up this month’s edition at many shops all over SL) she mentioned this jewelry already and she made me quite curious with it…. tiny dolls on necklaces?

Oh wow… she didn’t say too much… although this is not a style I’ll wear a lot, I admire the quality of the primwork and the authenticity of the designs. Besides these items are perfect for the new darker look that Digit has introduced with her new collection. It’s almost voodoo like……Stephania is into hair designing too… but still building a collection. I’m very curious though to see how that will work out… if it’s as daring and new as her jewelry…. SL will seriously rock!

For the curious among you: the skin is Gala’s Summer Sunkissed Smolder, the hair is ETD… Janae in the first two photo’s and The Crop in the last pics. In the upper photos I wear the little black dress from the Pixeldoll collection and Stephania’s jewels look great with Nyte ‘n Day’s Merrrcy

Caroline’s Jewelry: Lo Lo (127, 207, 23), Details by Nonna Hedges: Picasso (123, 87, 21) Synthetic Dreams: Dacham (56, 52, 48)

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Update [CT]: I just had to add my two cents — I love the lace appliques, and even though Sol thinks she’s not very good at lace, she’s done a wonderful job with it on this release. The colors Sol chose all work really well together, even the pink with the red skirt, two colors I usually try to avoid mixing too much.

Olala….. that’s what I thought when I saw Sol’s latest release on her blog (http://flapjack.modwest.com/). Marseille is everything you might expect from a design named after this French city on the Mediterrannée. It’s slightly retro, with a somewhat slip dress look to it because of the lace trimming on the top. It reminds me of french movies fom the 60′s… Roger Vadim, Jean-Luc Goddard.. that kind of stuff… Actresses like Catherine Deneuve, Brigitte Bardot and Claudia Cardinale… catch my drift? Garçon? Un Pastis s’il vous plait!

However Marseille is très 2007, it comes in several beautiful colours, a greyish brown, subtle olive green, flamboyant dark pink, almost burgundy, and a blueish black. The brown is my personal favourite because you can wear it with basically everything. The skirt has a texturing that from a distance looks like a good tweed, however in close up you see the lovely floral design. When I went over to Luminosity to buy my brown outfit I found both Sol Columbia and Lur Sachs in the shop… sisters in crime, both looking fabulous in Marseille. As you can see, the top comes in two versions which I like very much because I do not always want my belly button exposed. However, with a pair of good jeans, the short top is just too cute.

In the upper picture: skin by Tete à Pied, Bronzage Medium Janvier Cocoa, heir by ETD, Maaliyah in dark chocolate, Zeyla necklace & Nico bracelet from Shiny Things

In Celebrity’s picture: skin: Hyperfusion (jolie gloss) by Storma Amarula, X2; hair: Amy (sunkissed) by Calico Ingmann, Calico Creations; necklace: Tuesday (brown) by Fallingwater Cellardoor, Shiny Things; cuff: Nico (brown) by Fallingwater Cellardoor, Shiny Things; top and skirt: Marseilles by Sol Columbia, Luminosity; boots: Wrapped stilletos (brown) by Fallingwater Cellardoor, Shiny Things; pose: Rawr by Luth Brodie

Luminosity is located in: Luminous Island (83, 117, 31)

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I’ve always been a tremendously huge fan of Fallingwater Cellardoor’s creative designs, but I honestly thought that with these hand painted beads she’s achieved something original and gorgeous. The beads come in several different colors as shown in the ad to the right, and Fallingwater has used complementary hues of leather (light blue paired with brown leather, baby pink paired with black) to string them together for the necklaces and chokers — and they’re also available as bracelets and wrist cuffs too. They add a great casual splash of color that comes packaged in a bohemian wrapper — it takes the whole outfit away from the traditional, and perhaps urban upscale formulation of gems and traditional jewelry pairings for casuals. Or to put it another way, in not so many words: Fallingwater does it again. Now I really wish she’d get a blog, because I hate missing out on her new releases.

To complete my outfit, I chose a top from a newer designer named Sioxie Legend. Her store, SecondWave Apparel, is still in its infancy but this cropped halter has a nice snug fit and I like the painted on clasp in the back. Finally, I felt like this outfit needed to be a little grungy, so the Shred jeans with their ripped off waist were a perfect choice.

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In this photo: skin: Vogue (cashmere, red/smoky, freckles) by Starley Thereian, Celestial Studios; tattoo: Stars by Tuli Asturias, Lollypop; hair: Tessa (blonde burnt) by Elika Tiramisu, ETD; necklace: Zyman (black) by Fallingwater Cellardoor, Shiny Things; jelly bracelets: 80s pop by Stumbelina Ophelia, Cake; top: Cropped halter (red) by Sioxie Legend, SecondWave Apparel; jeans: Shred (dark wash) by Nyte Caligari, Nyte ‘n’ Day; ankle boots: wrapped (black) by Fallingwater Cellardoor, Shiny Things; pose by Luth Brodie

Talyn Barrett of Analise Fashion has been pretty quiet lately — the last time I reviewed one of her designs was at the end of August 2006. But she recently has been playing catch up on her blog — and she sent me a review package, filled with designs just in time to seduce your valentine.

I especially liked the detailing on this jewel encrusted babydoll and panty set called Sweet Vixen. I’m wearing the pink/black set, but it’s also available in a red/black combination as well. The bodice is pretty, feminine and seductive. Honestly, I think you could almost pull off pairing it with jeans for a super sultry fashion statement which could be shown outside the bedroom. Since it was so apropos, I decided I’d add a little dazzle with Caroline Apollo’s Diamond Hearts Collection. The collection includes a necklace in the precise length to draw attention to your chest, while the matching earrings and bracelet reinforce the Valentine theme perfectly.

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In this photo: skin: Vogue (noir smoky) by Starley Thereian, Celestial Studios; hair: Amy by Calico Ingmann, Calico Creations; necklace, earrings, bracelet: Hearts Diamond Collection by Caroline Apollo, Lo Lo; belly chain: Sona by Astry Mirabeau, Digital Adornments; babydoll and panty: Sweet Vixen by Talyn Barrett, Analise Fashions; stockings: fishnets by Storma Amarula, X2

My RL work has been so busy lately that I haven’t had much time to blog here or really do much of anything in Second Life, so when I was going through almost a week’s worth of new blog posts in my RSS feed reader, this Celeste gown by Nicky Ree really stood out — Grazia loved it and so do I.

As you can see on Nicky’s blog and in Grazia’s post below, Celeste is available in several different colors, although my two favorites are the lilac (shown) and the divine champagne colors. The highlighting and sheen that Nicky’s painted on these textures are fabulous — but that’s not the only thing which caughty my attention. The painted on beading detail on the front and back of the bodice (look at that incredible shoulder blade definition on Starley Thereian’s Vogue skin) and at the gown hem are exquisite. Celeste comes in three different prim skirt configurations: there’s a bell shaped prim skirt, the same shape with an elegant train and a slinkier svelte prim configuration. And it also comes with two system mesh skirt options too. If you like, you can purchase all the skirt types in the “Celeste Grandeur” package.

A really elegant set of accessories for this gown comes in the form of Miriel Enfield’s new beautiful and versatile Baubles necklace and earring collection. Baubles comes in Miriel’s standard four base metal colors gold, silver, antique gold and black, and is set with color changing gems which can be set to any one of 15 different stone colors. Here I’ve set them to the deep purple amethyst, but I also used the necklace to accesorize my Rollergirl Romper outfit, setting the gems to a rich Carribean teal tone.

I also found another gorgeous updo to compliment my “go-to triple starred” ETD Couture Updo — this is Catherine by Calico Ingmann, a style that Calico has made part of the Ayshe’s Angels fund raising effort. You can read more about this worthy cause on Calico’s blog. Catherine comes in 20 different textures and it has some beautifully effective “subtle flexi” prim pieces that add a little movement when your avatar is moving.

Celeste is available at Nicky Ree’s store location in Deco, Baubles can be found at Miriel’s store on Nouveau, and Catherine at any one of Calico Ingmann’s stores.

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In these photos: skin: Vogue (cashmere, purple glitter) by Starley Thereian, Celestial Studios; hair: Catherine (sunkissed) by Calico Ingmann, Calico Creations; jewelry: Baubles by Miriel Enfield, Miriel; gown: Celeste (lilac) by Nicky Ree, Nicky Ree Designs; pose by Luth Brodie

OK, I confess that my inspiration for this outfit is 100% inspired by Shai’s Delacroix RL Birthday party invitation on her blog, and so when Friday night rolled around, I found a “happy rezday Celeb” copy of Shai’s awesome new Rollergirl Romper in my inventory, and DJ (and fellow fashionista) Queenie Extraordinaire spinning 70s tunes in Lil’ SLurgis, I couldn’t resist finding a pair of Moopf Murray Roller Skates (modified to shrink them) and popping over to unwind, boogie and make fun of Astry Mirabeau’s questionable taste in disco music.

The Rollergirl Romper comes in a bunch of different shades, from the blue, as shown, to orangesicle cream to a really swanky Diana Ross diva white combo. It includes the colored knee socks, the leg warmers, and the coordinating romper set on the shirt and pants layers. To finish the outfit, I picked what is — for my money — the best 70s hair in Second Life, Tami McCoy’s incredible Farrah Fawcett inspired Retro Gurl. And I know it’s more 80s than 70s, but I couldn’t resist wearing Cailyn Miller’s fun freebie Rubik’s Cube earrings which you can pick up for L$1 at her store in Butsu. The verdict from my fellow party goers in Lil SLurgis was overwhelmingly positive! This is a really fun look and the animations and stunts in Moopf’s rollerskates are so much fun to show off.

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In this photo: skin: Vogue (cashmere, freckles, smoky blue) by Starley Thereian, Celestial Studios; hair: Retro Gurl (sunkissed) by Tami McCoy, Hair by Tami McCoy; necklace: Baubles by Miriel Enfield, Miriel; earrings: Rubik’s Cube by Cailyn Miller, Butsu; outfit: Rollergirl Romper (blue) by Shai Delacroix, Shai; roller skates: Skoopf Ultra Rollers by Moopf Murray; pose by Luth Brodie

Etain Peregrine cooked up a huge new set of accessories to pair with her great Lilith fetish boots, calling it her Lilith Mega-Set. This collection will definitely provide more grist for the mill of the contest that Etain’s running all year long — Dark Eden Girl of the Month. January’s four finalists are now chosen, and it’s up to you to help select the winner. (I already voted!) Aside from the contest, this mega set mixes things up a little bit from the other accesories — straps, straps and more straps in four different configurations and on oodles of different clothing layers so you can create your own custom fetish look mash-up, like I did here combining elements of the Lilith set with the incredible Nicky Ree catsuit collection. (I really wanted to wear this over white latex, but I don’t have any in my inventory! I’m as surprised as you, no doubt! )

Included in the collection is also a set of slightly more modest straps with a bodystocking under, and if you dare to bare, there’s two different strap configurations to cater to that. You can find the four Girl of the Month finalists and this new collection at Dark Eden in Magenta.

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In this photo: skin: Vogue (cashmere, green smoky) by Starley Thereian, Celestial Studios; hair: Amy (fire) by Calico Ingmann, Calico; catsuit: Sakura (jade) by Nicky Ree, Nicky Ree Designs; gauntlets, straps and boots: Lilith Mega-set by Etaine Peregrine, Dark Eden; pose: Torrid Midnight

Lollypop Extraordinaire invites you all to attend her new sim Grand Opening party, to be held Monday, January 22, 2007 starting at 4pm SLT. Live DJ, prizes and three great giveaways: one lucky avatar will walk away pocketing 10,000 Lindens, and two more will leave with brand new modeling gigs. Models will be selected by a tally of votes to be held around 6pm SLT — so make sure you dress to impress!

The party will be on Extraordinaire Isle 41, 137, 35, Monday starting at 4pm SLT.

Digit Darkes is hosting a fashion show produced in association with Aspire Modeling Agency to show off her brand new super hot spring collection. This is a darker, substantially glammed up sexy style vibe that Digit has created for this collection blending together luxe materials like leather, lace, satin and tulle. She sent out a “look book” with the invitation and having browsed it — I am impressed; definitely looking forward to seeing how these creations look on *my* avatar, not just models on the runway.

The show’s today at 4pm SLT — about 2 hours from now, at Aspire HQ Plush Genesis 218, 156, 28

I usually reckon myself to the people who are not easily influenced by publicity and advertisement. I hate commercial breaks on television and I find myself less drawn to buy things from companies that buy a lot of advertisement space in the papers I read. On the other hand, I admire advertisement companies that design effective campaigns to market all kind of products and when I happen to stick around during a commercial break I often have to laugh over funny commercial spots, noticing anyway the evolution in advertisement and the ever improving quality. I’m odd, I know that… a walking contradiction in some aspects. However, after having noticed several times the Dawning Concept ad on our blog page, I decided that it was time to pay this shop a visit (effective advertisement…. long term impact)

Dawning Concept is located in Green, one of the ancient sims in Second Life (interested in SL history? Read the Now and Zen entry on the SL Baedeker blog: http://secondtourist.blogspot.com/) and HeatherDawn Cohen is the designer. Now the collection is small…. Way to small as far as I am concerned, because the designs are awesome…. one of a kind hand drawn tops mostly, some jeans, some shoes and an occasional dress. But what struck me most was the quality of the tops. This lady is good at what she does!

Happily I bought some and headed home to see if in world they looked as good as on the display pictures. Judge for yourself if they do…. I’m a disaster with Photoshop, or The Gimp, which I use, so these pictures are absolutely not retouched whatsoever…. hence the irritating shadow under my chin again…. In the first you see the white Lattice top, in the second a black, ruched halter top and the third picture shows the criss cross green halter top which comes with matching jeans. These tops are begging for matching slacks and skirts! HeatherDawn, do us all a favour…. get busy

Dawning Concept: Green (224, 139)

In these pictures: hair by ETD, The Chignon in Ash Brown, skin: Naughty Designs, Alina Singles Fair (eyeshadow natural beauty), bijoux: Pearl Jewelry Set  by Lur Sachs available at Luminosity, jeans in the first two pictures: taken from the Route 66 set by Sol Columbia at Luminosity

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Blaze Columbia sent me a link to this story on SL Reuters about a recent marketing survey on women’s fashions in Second Life by Market Truths. There’s only 105 participants in the panel, so the results (in my opinion) deserve to be taken with a grain (or maybe a shaker) of salt. The survey implies that top women’s fashion designers could potentially raise their prices.

Eighty-five percent of the respondents spent more than L$250 a month on clothing, with 24 percent spending more than L$1,000 and 25 percent spending more than L$2,000. The group expected prices of L$100 for skirts, pants and tops, and L$150 for jackets.

Since the Linden dollar has really risen in value since last summer (when it was as cheap as L$330/US$1 — click through to read about the economics) I’m not so sure I’d be eager for a round of price increases. Most designers, in my experience, anyway, are tortured by setting prices — they don’t want it to be too high it won’t sell and they want to make something back for the hours of toil that went into aligning 30,000 seams correctly and painstakingly adding highlighting where it belongs. A fine line, at a minimum.

There’s more data points in the article as well: unmet clothing desires, and what designers are top brands among the panelists. Quick read, worth the click through.

As you may or may not know, I’m a total sucker for formal wear, so I was pretty pleased when over the last few days I received several new releases from different designers.

Sachi Vixen at Adam & Eve has been slaving over the sheerest lace for het new gown Patin and sent me the black version of it. Now there are blacks and blacks and this one is a very soft, almost antracite black that will also look great on the lightest skintones without giving you the Frankenstein’s Bride look (although, with the right skin and accessories, you’d make a hell of a goth bride). The subtle lace layer over the bodice and the prim sleeves look so beautiful, they move whenever you do and you’ll want to move in this. Now the skirt comes in 2 versions, either a full black, or a sleek lace layer over the under skirt. Personally I think this gown is just more special with the lace skirt, but it’s fun to be able to change it. Besides, I always love full black skirts anyway because you can easily match them with tops from other outfits, creating your own unique formal.

Nicky Ree is a designer very different from Sachi, her gowns are vibrant, even loud sometimes and attract everything in the environment as if they were a black hole. These gowns call for a different occassion than Sachi’s Patin. For Celeste Nicky went out of her mind on the colours, it comes in 11 different bright shades. The fabric is shiny, a silk satin, and the bodice embroidered with shiny gems which you will also find on the gowns. GownS, yes, because Nicky throws in 3 for her customers. A full puffy one, a sleek one, and a full one with train which I wear in this picture. I had a difficult time deciding which colour I should pick for this review, but I decided for the champagne. First because I like the sparkles from France so much and second because I think that the design is just made for the softer colours. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder… and also in the gowns of Nicky and Sachi.

Adam n Eve, Genesis (190, 148, 34), Nicky Ree’s Store,Deco (86, 96, 34)

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