Second Style Magazine

What could be better than going on a shopping spree, than going on a shopping spree and knowing you are helping a good cause at the same time. With Relay For Life 2008 reaching it’s climax in less than three weeks, Second Life is a-buzz with events in aid of Cancer Research. If you are anything like me it can all become rather overwhelming at times, and amidst all the rest of the releases, fashcon notices, freebies and excitement that is SL I easily forget which designer released which outfit for what. So, to aid you as you make your charitable choices, over the next few weeks I am going to be bringing you a selection of the fantastic designs that are available around the grid in aid of Second Life Relay For Life 2008. We start with every little girl’s dream, princesses, but in three very different styles.

When I put the word out to designers that I was planning this series Callie Cline contacted me and offered to lend me her “one-of-a-kind” Funky Princess outfit to show you. This has sadly already been sold at silent auction for an unknown price to an unknown bidder but it is just SO gorgeous I had to show it to you (plus I couldn’t resist getting to try it on myself).

Moreover, it is a stunning backdrop to Random Calliope’s “Heart And Soul” jewellery set. Random’s own words sum up Second Life Relay For Life better than I ever could :

“Compassion is contageous, I believe. I also believe compassion is a trait we share with our animal cousins. With this I feel that the ability to organize ourselves around this deep feeling within ourselves is also a shared instinct. Being human, being humanitarian, gives us the unique ability to organize with intelligence and a network of complexity that allows truly amazing things to happen.

When we, as a species, are confronted with, and each personally devistated by, an affliction such as cancer, acts of seemingly random compassion take place in villages, towns and cities around the world until we are each touched and inspired by them. Individually we yearn to do something about it and we reach out until we find the collective that can and will have the greatest impact.

This collective is Relay For Life.

To expand further, the phenomenon that is Relay For Life in Second Life, brings out the best in a new world teeming with individuals who do not fear admitting they love one another, and thank each other daily for being part of one another’s lives. One can only imagine the impact such shared emotion can have if we all contribute, just a little as we can.”

I’ve chosen Calla’s Azalea hair with this outfit in the “Relay” colour, a soft pale lilac. Each of Calla’s Relay For Life hair packs comes with six colour variations, a real bargain for the suggested donation amount.

From a funky princess we move on to… well, a grungy one.

One of my joys is putting together items that wouldn’t naturally fit together, in an almost irreverent way, but a way that works, and I have to say I love the look I’ve put together here. The key pieces are all designs made for Relay For Life by top Second Life designers.

Worn with Rebel Hope’s Laurie dress, the dramatic skin is one of a series of “Missing Person” skins made by Ina Centaur of IC Skins and Skin City. Drawing inspiration from newspaper advertisements of missing people the monochrome skin represents, in Ina’s words, “fatal cancer kidnapping you.” The eyes, also from IC, are the newly released for RFL Ezaret Eyes in Blood which pick up perfectly the colours of Alienbear’s “Princess Carita RFL Special” jewellery. Together, this edgy yet feminine look is a style that you could possibly only get away with in Second Life – all the more reason for loving it.

My next princess couldn’t be more different, venturing into the realm of fantasy. Nicky Ree’s Winter Flame series is one of my favourite of her designs and the Snowy light blue Relay For Life version is evocative of the snowy landscapes of Narnia.

Available for RFL as the combo pack, this set isn’t cheap but there are so many different ways of wearing the different skirt and top styles you will definitely get your money’s worth. Take away the wings and you have an elegant ballgown with no less than three skirt varieties, or wear the short skirt for a more casual look.

Tigerlily Koi’s Gardenia hair in Relay with white tips works beautifully with this dress, picking up on the hint of lavender in the fabric. This is followed through to the shoes, Spring Stilleto’s from Shiny Things (not RFL). I’m wearing an IC-skins Missing Person skin again here, and the Ezaret eyes in “Original”, a delicate soft grey, a Relay For Life limited edition.

Three beautiful and very different styles, all supporting the same cause. Most of the RFL items are only available until the relay itself on July 19th, so hurry!

::What I’m Wearing::

Landmarks are, where possible, to the RFL item.

Outfit 1::

Relay For Life Items
Dress:: CaLLie cLine – funky princess RFL one of a kind by caLLie cLine [already sold]
Hat:: CaLLie cLine – funky princess RFL one of a kind by caLLie cLine [already sold]
Jewellery:: Random Calliope – Random Calliope RFL Heart and Soul Limited Ed Set
Hair:: Calla – Calla Azalea Relay for Life (Relay)

Non-RFL Items
Skin:: The Abyss – *<TheAbyss> Jadzia_Noxious SR[2]B
Eyelashes:: Cake – Cake – Flutter lashes – Tintable
Eyes:: Skin Deep (now The Body Politik) – Skin Deep Real Hazel eyes/Twinkle Eyes

Outfit 2::

Relay For Life Items
Skin:: [IC-Skins] – RFL Missing Person Ivanna Qi
Hair:: Calla – Calla Sunflower Relay for Life (White/Relay tip)
Eyes:: [IC-eyes] – Ezaret Eyes :: Blood :: RFL LE
Dress:: Rebel Hope Designs – Laurie Dress
Jewellery:: Alienbear Design – *DIS- Alienbear Design (Princess Carita RFL 08 Special)

Non-RFL Items
Eyelashes:: Cake – Cake – Flutter lashes – Tintable
Manicure/Pedicure:: Skin Within – [SW] Plum Manicure & Pedicure
Shoes:: Maitreya – Maitreya Grace Heels (black)

Outfit 3::

Relay For Life Items
Skin:: [IC-Skins] – RFL Missing Person Ivanna Qi
Eyes:: [IC-eyes] – Ezaret Eyes :: Original :: RFL LE
Hair:: Calla – Calla Gardenia Relay for Life (Relay/White tip)
Outfit:: Nicky Ree – Nicky Ree Winter Flame Combo Snowy L Blue

Non-RFL Items
Eyelashes:: Cake – Cake – Flutter lashes – Tintable
Shoes:: Shiny Things – Spring Stilleto (Lavender Blossom)

Seen in World :: Yes
Review Copies :: Yes
Friends List :: Some

By the time you read this, hopefully Adam ‘n’ Eve’s mainstore on Genesis sim will be reopening. Damen and Sachi took the sim offline on Thursday evening SLT to rebuild and remodel their store.

Sachi told me that on reopening there’s going to be a lot of great new releases and brand new vendor designs too including this dark skin set called Robyn. But there’s another dark skin tone set too called Alanna which has more of a Carribean element to it.

Like other Adam ‘n’ Eve skins, it has some really beautiful body shading including abs of steel and lovely looking shadowing on the joint creases. Another feature I really love about Sachi’s skins is that she gives you the matching mani/pedis for your makeups on the glove and sock layer. That doesn’t always work when your outfit needs one (or both!) of those layers, but she did a great job giving the polish the kind of satiny sheen I wish lasted longer after a visit to the nail salon. (Pixels never chip, I suppose would be the moral of that story.)

You can see the sheen really well in this photo here of the “Scarlet” makeup for Robyn. I’m also sporting a pair of strategically placed thighs — all the better to show off the textures in Damen’s Seductress stiletto pumps, which Linden for Linden may just be the best looking shoes for the price in Second Life (I bought mine for L$200 per color – almost impossible to beat the quality for that price.) Not only do they come in a gleaming rainbow of colors but they are also superbly crafted sculpted shoes.

After the cut is a full on nekkie photo of Robyn wearing the coral makeup.

You can visit Adam ‘n’ Eve to shop for skins, shoes and hair (I’m wearing one of Sachi’s curly textured hairs called Whimsy in these photos) at Genesis.
Read the rest of this entry »

Hello fashionistas. Seems over here at Second Style Blog everyone starts moving a bit again. Just as I was about to write down my latest find, I noticed that Celebrity has been active again too… hopefully a prelude to more consistent blogging, although I can’t promise to contribute regularly again. Anyway. Yesterday I spotted an avie that looked so cute and colorful in her psychedelic 70’s outfit that I just had to go after it. Hurray for the  ”Meriken Designer” tag… so after a quick consultation of the profile, I hopped over to Yaszi Mornington’s shop Meriken Co.

In the colourful shop, total cuteness awaited me. 99% of the small inventory is unisex (although mostly shown on male models) since the shading on the clothing is quite neutral, so you won’t get boobies that look like your boyfriend’s trained pecs . The textures are wild and colourful and the clothes are well designed. With textures like these, you will inevitably have seams, but your RL clothes have them as well.. so,  since they are done neatly, I think it is ok. Most in the shop is about mixing and matching, but there are some outfits too.  I decided to just show some of  my new favourites. The blue dots shirt and the orange/purple/teal pants are both separates. The pink python jacket comes with the green dotted shirt. I paired it with a simple 5-pocket jeans from Pixeldolls. The little bird shirt, my personal favourite, comes with the plaid trousers. I’ve also tried them with a pair of white leather pants and a high waisted belt, and then you get a very classy and fashionable look. But with the plaid trousers, the effect is very casual and that is just my mood today.

Credits: all hair in this post is by Maitreya (Loelle in copper, Loose bun in charcoal and Sunday in Natural Blond). Skins are from PXL Creations, Linda light (coffee lips, dark eyes) Linda Dark, (pink lover make up) and Linda Sunkissed (passion lips, natural eyes). Furthermore I’m wearing Tesla’s Catalina wedges in Burgundy, Blaze’s Classic Pumps in green and Adam ‘n Eve’s Scamander Heels in black. The earrings I wear with the python jacket are from Persona.

Review copies: no ~Friends list: no

Kira Ahn is a relatively new designer in Second Life, but she’s made a name for herself with her trend-right color palette and super cute floral patterns. Maybe it’s just the flowers growing in my backyard garden, but summer always makes me think of beautiful colors and delicate flowers. You get both in this design from KA Designs called Zuhair. This is the green set, but it’s available in three other patterns.

The long empire waist is still in as a design element this season in RL fashion, although the trend fromt the runway seems to have confused skirts for belts. But this would still be quite a beautiful statement for a semi-formal occasion or just look sharp shopping around the summertime sims.

Next is a short mini-dress called Coste in one of the most stunning sequin textures I’ve ever seen in Second Life. I wanted to shoot it in green, one of this summers trendiest colors, but it’s also available in some absolutely stunning metallic shades as well. Perfect for an evening party with that special someone or a girl’s night out pretty much anywhere on the grid. This is a dynamite design from one of Second Life’s freshest new talents.

Last but not least comes another KA newer release in another super trendy summer color, this sunny yellow charmer called Batavi. With it’s princess-y puff cap sleeves and square cut bodice, it neatly falls into another summer trend from RL – and that’s romance. Yes, girly girl romance is back a big way from flouncy ruffles to sheer fabrics and lace everywhere. I always picture this dress as a prelude to a picnic in a gorgeous setting somewhere near a lake. But that just might be idle daydreams away from work and the pressure of everyday RL.

One of the really nice things about KA is that the quality of design is high and the prices are very reasonably, usually right around L$250 or so. It’s a good way to get a great value in Second Life.

KA Designs is found on KA Design Island (151, 78, 46).

Skins by Redgrave, hair by Cake.

Seen in world: Yes
Review copies: Coste Dress
Friends list: No

HeatherDawn Cohen, our layout guru, asked me to post a note that issue #20 has been delayed due to severe software issues with her computer.

I’m hopeful that these issues will be resolved and we will be ready to release issue #20 within the next 10 days.

Concerns about this delay should be sent by email (celebrity dot trollop at gmail dot com.) We’re disappointed by this development, and thank you for understanding.

One of the (few) pitfalls of being a fabulous SL fashionista, is that there are so many great looks to show off, and so many must-haves, that – sometimes – we find ourselves all dressed up with no place to go. To remedy this, many fashionistas have flocked to Flickr, to show off their fashion sense and artistic talent. (Do a search for “Second Life” or “SL” on Flickr, and you will find many groups for this.)

For my first post on Second Style, I wanted to give you some tips on how to spruce up your snapshots to show off to your friends! I would like to show you some ways to take your pics, using Adobe Photoshop, from [original.jpg]:

(If you want to practice along, save this image and follow the steps along with me.)

to [seven.jpg]:

For the purposes of this tutorial, I will assume, lovely reader, that you have a basic working knowledge of PS, and a pretty decent eye when it comes to photo composition. (If there is interest, I can touch on those two skills in future tutorials.)

1] One of the first things I do, after opening my snapshot to PS, is to crop the image to a square. (Meaning the image has the same height and width, e.g. 512H x 512W.) Doing this, you can cut out undesirable portions of the original image, as well as make it the right ratio for best translation back into Second Life. SL has a tendency to skew textures that aren’t the correct ratio. *Please note, however, that if you plan to re-upload the image for use on your profile or in a classified ad, it’s best to leave the image at the original height to width ratio. Consider the appropriateness of image size you are working with, as well.

2] After cropping (or not cropping) the image, you’ll want to go to Window > Layers, and make sure your Layers window is visible. From here, make a copy of the background layer, so you have two identical layers, as shown [prntscrn1.jpg]:

Click the eyeball icon on the upper layer, so that you’re not viewing it, and select your bottom layer. You’re going to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur, and are going to put a light blur on the bottom layer. You can see below, on the example image, I used a 3.7 blur radius. (You can experiment with different blur strengths in the future.)

Now, click the eyeball on the top layer to view the original look of the image again. In your Layers window, you will see “Opacity”, and you can turn this down to around 25-35%. Basically, what we’re doing here is to soften the hard edges on our avies, to make them appear more “real”. Your image will look something like [two.jpg]:

At this point you need to go to Layer > Flatten Image. This merges the two layers into one. Many people who frequently work in PS like to leave the layers separate until the image is totally complete, however, these two layers will have to be merged in order to carry on with these next steps.

Go to Image > Adjustments > Brightness / Contrast… now to tweak the brightness and contrast of the image. This re-sharpens the blurriness above, but keeps that “real” look. (Here, I did Brightness: +15 and Contrast: +32, but go with what looks good to you.)

3] This is a good time to take your “raindrop” tool, and blur the sections of your avvie that still don’t look quite right, e.g. under the left breast where there’s a funky fold. Another good idea is to turn your raindrop tool into the triangle tool, and sharpen any areas where you’d like to maintain detail (such as the eyes, lashes, lips, or highlights in the hair). Then, make your triangle a pointer finger, and smudge (Strength set to 12-16) the funky looking bits of prim hair. Be gentle with these tools!

4] Now, for the really fun part! Go back to your layers window and hit the “New Layer” button at the bottom. This layer should be on top of your image layer. Take your pencil / airbrush tool (you’ll have to judge the correct size according to your image), and select white. As shown below, draw in some highlights on skin areas where highlights would naturally be.

I’ve done cheeks, chin, forehead, cleavage, arms, lower belly, and right leg. Basically, the spots where the skin is bright already. You don’t need to do it in dots the way I have, this is just an illustration. You’re going to apply a gaussian blur to the highlights layer, to create a lovely glow on the skin.

I used a 5.4 blur, but you do what looks good to you. For best results, create a layer for each section of highlight. You can also use the same method for adding additional colors to the skin (e.g. a golden summer glow, or rosy apple cheeks), just by changing the highlight color from white to whatever. Adjust the opacity of the highlights like in step 2.

Flatten it all again, just like before, and adjust Brightness / Contrast to make the image look unified.

5] Lastly, (and optional) I sometimes like to frame my avvie with a nice shadow or mist around the edges of the image. You can do this by turning up your pencil to about 100, drawing a frame on a separate layer (in the desired color), and applying a blur to this. Again, you’ll probably want to adjust the opacity.

6] Don’t be afraid to experiment with filters, saturation, color balance. With the Hue / Saturation tool, you can decide if you want your image more colorful, or more on the drab side. If you really want to punch up a certain color (in this case, I liked the yellow highlights in the water), you can use the Color Balance tool to emphasize those.

I hope this has been useful for you, and I can’t wait to see the amazing images all over Flickr!

Skin: CHAI Cin by Launa Fauna
Hair: TRUTH Polly by Truth Hawks
Bikini: SHAI Hamptons Bikini in Blue by Shai Delacroix

Seen in world: Yes, Review Copy: No, Friends List: No

It’s been a while since I wrote a review of anything fashion related in Second Life. There’s been a lot of changes in my real life and in my Second Life that made posting anything on a regular basis difficult. So I’m working on doing a better job of showcasing some of the amazing things I run across in Second Life.

Perfect case in point is this gown by Indyra Seigo called Mystere. I’ve known Indyra for a long time, but just happened to see her at the recent Best of Second Life awards on Saturday. She passed me this gown and I was absolutely floored by the work on the feather textures of this gown. The movement of the skirt is perfection, and the dress is an absolute stunner. It’s part of Indyra’s couture collection and they are certainly among the most interesting visually and conceptually anywhere in Second Life.

If you’ve never shopped Indyra’s store before, I would definitely recommend a visit – not only is she making some amazing red-carpet ready fashion, but she’s also creating some of the best looking sculpted shoes I’ve seen. (Her new wedge sandals are really amazing.)

Indyra Originals is located on Namaste Island (109, 141, 30).

Skin by Rosemary Galbraith (Sambuca Special Makeup #1, Brow 5), jewelry by Caliah Lyon, hair by Elika Tiramisu (Xaria II in Espresso), hair flower by Siyu Suen.

Seen in world: Yes
Review copy: Yes
Friends list: No

Fresh off the boat from two weeks sunning myself by the pool in France I’m in the mood for elegance, romance and a little “je ne sais quoi” *wink*. Courtesy of the Laughing Academy, I have found a gown that fits the bill perfectly, and an equally perfect setting is found at the Second Life representation of the Chateau de Versailles.

Image 1 :: The Vanessa Victorian Gown in Ivory

The Laughing Academy is a shop I came across shortly before my vacation. Whilst I wouldn’t routinely feature historical designs on Fashionista, the Vanessa Victorian Gown is so beautiful, so romantic, I just had to share. The delicate lace around the decollage and hemline, the textures and the prim work of the elegant, slightly flirty bussle are all exquisitely done, amongst the best I’ve seen at capturing the favoured gown shape of the era. And boy, does it make you feel feminine. I almost wanted to curtsey! There are five versions available, two of which I’ve shown here. Four have an ivory base with detailing picked out in soft pastel, the fifth being the “night” version, perfect for any formal evening event.

Image 2 :: The Vanessa Victorian Gown in Ivory

The hair comes from Historical Heroines. All of the wigs sold here are named after well known literary women such as Miss Eyre, Miss Doolittle and Miss Westenra. Adorable details are included with some styles, such as snoods, hats and hair pins. For vintage footwear my first port of call is always Lassitude and Ennui. Their boots are perfect with any gown, but also look great with modern fashions – try teaming them with jeans or a calf-length frock.

Image 3 :: The Vanessa Victorian Gown in Night

I have accessorised the ivory dress with Caliah Lyon’s Chatelaine Shoulder Brooch and Chain, an extremely classy piece of jewellery. I didn’t have time to get a copy myself, but I quite fancy that her newly released Catherine Pearl Cocktail Ring would also be a great addition. Random Calliope’s Ode jewellery is perfect for an evening look, and what’s more, costs you nothing but time, patience, and a sore left-clicking finger – pieces are available only by catching them, hidden inside butterflies that Random releases from time to time across the grid. Join the Ode Butterfly Collectors group for details of releases and to arrange trades to complete your sets (I’m after emerald /navy&emerald /crimson&scarlet pieces). Great fun and well worth the effort to get hold of some of the finest jewellery on the grid.

Image 4 :: The Vanessa Victorian Gown in Night

All set to go to the ball. Now all I need is a gentleman to take me…

:: What I’m Wearing ::

*I took the pictures before I went on vacation, and forgot to note exact details of which skins/eyes/manicures/etc. I used. My apologies. I have listed what I can recall/work out.

Images 1 & 2 ::

Skin:: *
Shape:: my own
Hair:: Historical Heroines – Historical Heroines — Miss Doolittle — Crystal Blonde
Eyelashes:: *
Eyes:: Skin Deep (now The Body Politik) – Skin Deep Real Hazel eyes/Twinkle Eyes
Manicure:: *
Dress:: Laughing Academy - *la* Vanessa (ivory) Victorian Gown, 6 piece set
Shoes:: Lassitude & Ennui - “Lassitude & Ennui” – taupe brocade ankle boots [Not Seen]
Necklace:: Muse – ~Muse~ Chatelaine Shoulder Brooch and Chain (gold)
Earrings:: Muse – ~Muse~ Freshwater Pearl Earrings [NY Gift Box - not for sale]
Bracelet:: *
Ring :: Flirt - ~flirt~ Tiffany Ring in Platinum/Diamond

Images 3 & 4 ::

Skin:: The Abyss – *<TheAbyss> Jadzia_Noxious series
Shape:: my own
Hair:: Historical Heroines – Miss Westenra — Sleek Style — Crystal Blonde
Eyelashes:: *
Eyes:: Random Freebie Box – Emerald (no named creator)
Manicure:: *
Dress:: Laughing Academy – *la* Vanessa (night) Victorian Gown, 6 piece set
Shoes:: Lassitude & Ennui - “Lassitude & Ennui” – City chic – black w/ silver details [Not seen]
Jewellery:: Random Calliope – Ode in Emerald/Emerald & Navy

Seen In World :: Yes
Review Copies :: Laughing Academy, Vanessa Victorian Gowns
Friends List :: No