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New(ish) designer - Gracile
By Jaydei Benmergui | May 14, 2007
Ciera Bergman was kind enough to send me a landmark for an up-and-coming designer that she knows. And so during one of the rare points where my packet loss was low and I was able to maneuver throughout the grid somewhat successfully, I took a look in her store, and was faced with one of those moments of “I can’t draw a stick figure correctly, and this woman can do it all…life is soo not fair” jealousy.
The name of the store is Gracile, and the designer is Patrice Fierrens. Her main stock right now lies in shoes, but she has also dabbled in eyes, skins, and clothing, as I’ll be showing you.
A well dressed leg is very pleasing to the eye, and Patrice seems to know this well. Here my legs are modeling her stockings, named “Collette”, and available in 12 different colors, from tame to bright hues. A very opaque, traditional thigh-high, with a very attractive sheen and lace bordering. And what well-dressed leg goes without jewelry? (Well, normally mine, but then again, my legs are normally scandalously nekkid. But anyways.) “Aphrodite” is the shoe I’m wearing, dubbed “shoewelry” by Patrice, and she certainly wasn’t kidding. I’ll be honest - these shoes weren’t exactly my cup of tea - but personal preference aside, they are put together well, and even have a gem in the middle that spins - which amuses me for some strange unknown reason. Bling/script warning (but not excessive).
From left to right, “City Girl” and “Shirahime”. “City Girl” is a sleek suede-type of boot, fantastic over slim pants. (Tip - if your pants are mod, and you want to wear high boots and eliminate the pants-through-boot effect, edit the pants and reduce the length…you can always change them back later.) “Shirahime” is a chic set of furry boots. The great thing about both of these sets, is that they are color-change - texture-change in the case of the City Girl boots, and the Shirahime set has the option to change the trim color.
What I was most impressed with though, were the skins. Although I don’t know firsthand (again, stick figures are my artistic limit), I’ve heard that skins are not an easy undertaking at all. So, I was very excited to find some great skins (the one I am showing is called “Laura”) available at Gracile. And no, not just because I get to prove that Grazia is the only chicken amongst us. (Just kidding hon, we like you just fine as a chicken.)
Also, pay close attention to the eyes…these were also designed by Patrice, are very nicely detailed and look quite realistic.
Cut for NSFW pictures (well, not suitable for anybody, really, who wants to see nekkid Jay? Not I!)
(This is my first attempt at a page cut, so I apologize in advance if you see naughty bits before I have the chance to scream in frustration and fix it.)
Face shot - The skin is kept simple, without an excess of highlights and shadowing, and the result is a very fresh, pretty face. For Laura, the makeups are somewhat tame (although a few of the varieties show off some spring-type pastel tones.) The only thing about the face that threw me off (because I’m a nitpicker), is that the shading around the nostrils seems to be a bit off, but it’s nothing that I would notice, if I hadn’t been staring at the face for the last half hour (and a good part of Saturday.)
The torso - this skin has a fantastic collarbone region…nicely highlighted and natural. Well defined breasts and abs (toned without a ton of muscle.) The shoulders and back area are, again, highlighted and shadowed well without being overdone. The landing strip…? Looks okay to me, but I also don’t bare my nekkid body to everyone. Well, um…until today.
The legs - have some well-detailed muscles. I love the knees. The one thing that sets me off about the skin, though, is the feet. No toenails, as far as I can see…which, while not a deal-breaker for me, will mean that during sandal season, I’ll be putting this skin aside. Also, the Laura skin currently only comes in this tone, which is somewhat light…so if you like her work, message her and beg for more!
Gracile is most certainly on my to-watch list…I can’t wait to see what comes out next! Here’s the SLURL.
Seen in-world: Yes | Review Copies: Yes | Friends List: No
Topics: Lingerie, Odds 'n' Ends, Shoes, Skins |
AWWWWWW! LOVE YOUR BEWBIESSSSSSSS!
Posted by: Grazia Horwitz on May 14th, 2007 at 11:49 pm/me snickers, licks your face and runs off to RL
Omg, yes, I bought the City Girl boots about two or three days ago on a whim while searching for cowboy boots… and I’d have to say these are my favorite boots right now. I love that they’re a realistic, slim fit around my leg, and the incredible ease of the scripted color change is just awesome.
Posted by: MelanieKidd on May 15th, 2007 at 2:11 pmI love your comments and honest appraisals. By the way, I like the light skin tone on the Laura skin. /hugs
Posted by: Seraphine on May 15th, 2007 at 10:41 pm