Second Style Magazine

Those of you who are regular guests at Calendon will probably know her, but I’ve discovered only yesterday a fabulous designer who has been active in SL for quite some time now. I was dancing at my regular bar and saw a friend in one of the most fabulous formals I’ve ever seen…. beautiful caramel colour, rich texture, awesome design. It puzzled me because I could not remember if and where I had ever seen a gown like this. When I asked her about it, she invited me over to the shop of this miracle worker and I spent quite some time talking to this lady who is not only a SL, but also a RL fashion designer. Her name? Shenlei FLasheart. Her shop? Prim and Proper.

I intended just to hop over for a moment, look into the collection, maybe buy something and head home, after all it was becoming quite late, but we ended up talking at length about Shenlei’s passion, creating beautiful, historically correct costumes. She calls it an obsession, I call it a gift. Shenlei before turning to fashion used to be a cosutme designer in RL and now she creates Victorian clothing in SL, elegant gowns that are amazingly accurate… Regulars and residents of Calendon probably wear the day dresses just like I put on a pair of jeans, but these clothes make great formals!

A lot of her designs are being inspired by the father of Haute Couture, Charles Frederick Worth, who came from London to establish in Paris the still existing House of Worth. She uses multiple layers of prims to make the gowns have a very lifelike look. Lace is often used as a sheer top layer to finish off a gown. In this picture I show you the House of Worth inspired Forget Me Not gown in pale blue (anno 1895). The puffy, layered skirt, the detailed bodice and the lovely frilly ruffles on the shoulders make this gown so special. Shenlei also designs and makes matching jewelry and these Edwardian diamond and gold earrings are just the finishing touch to the outfit.

Totally awesome.. and in no way old fashioned, is the day dress in this picture (anno 1900). Très chique. It is in the colour smoke, a delicate silvery grey colour, full of surprising shades. The fur trimmings are luscious and so soft, you’d want to touch them constantly. The flexi prim skirt moves naturally with you, it’s not overreacting, leaving you hidden in the flexi fog that you sometimes see. And these are only two examples of Shenlei’s talented designs. She told me that almost every weekend she releases new designs and that she often makes limited editions, just ten per gown… and it is all so affordable! Prim & Proper has a faithful group of customers but is not very famous outside of the Victorian sims. I think that’s a loss to the rest of the residents and would love to see the designs in world more often.

So Prim & Proper sells Victorian designs, but that does not mean that it cannot be very well combined with modern clothing. I went back today to pick up this very cute mink capelet that looks great with an elegant outfit like House of Zen’s Abyss which was released earlier today. Shenlei told me full of enthusiasm that in a forthnight the shop will be replaced by a bigger one that will also have enough space to put the men’s clothing on display. She would like to invite all of you to visit Calendon, which often is the stage for events and exhibtions that deserve more attention in SL.

Sometimes I can get so happy from a sleepless night, especially when I find a hidden treasure like Prim & Proper.

Visit The Tea Society, Prim & Proper, Caledon Store, Caledon Tamrannoch (180, 29, 23)

Seen in world: yes

Review copy: no

Friends list: no