Second Style Magazine

One of the sweetest girls I know – Willow Zander is our next Guest Blogger!!

Hi, I’m Willow Zander!  I’m a Brit! I’m also a bit of a blogger, a bit of  customer service bod, and a bit of a bum… usually the middle and latter one mostly!  I’ve been blogging in SL since early 2006, maybe the latter end of 2005, although I have slowed down incredibly now, and don’t really consider myself much of a blogger anymore, I just blog for fun and I blog for me.  I’m a huge dork who has a love of Lemons and Pancakes and spending money I don’t have.   My obsession with Ozimals is dying but I have revived my love of poses and I am currently building up stock to open a store! WOO!  I could of summed me up in one word (or two).. Adorkably Shy!  Anyway.. enough about me…

I don’t do dresses in Second Life often, i’m not entirely sure why, I think I’ve slotted myself into the “Jeans and Tee” look quite nicely and that’s where my comfort zone lays, which is extremely frustrating with an inventory over 60K with lots of pretties in there!  I love that there is so many different choices in SL and you have the ability to change every 2 seconds, if that’s what you wish, it’s something we just can’t do in RL!   So anyway, I picked this gorgeous dress from League… and with it I paired my most favourite boots at the moment, Miel Boots (not the new ones ).  I often don’t wear shoes in SL either… I’m really not very fashionable at ALL! and then I threw on a Curio Skin, some Truth Hair and I called the job done.

This fall’s fascination with layering is great for those of us on a tight budget and/or unwilling to part with our much-adored spring and summer pieces.  Keep those warm weather clothes in rotation a little longer because when you layer them with a few new things, you can create a completely updated look that– as an added bonus– will prepare you for whatever Mother Nature decides to throw at you.

As always, there’s a few rules to play by.

Make sure you go easy with the fluffy, puffy, thick, and woolly pieces.  You want to add color and warmth, not bulk that makes you look thirty pounds heavier than you actually are.  Three layers are usually plenty, and minimalist, simple accessories will help you avoid looking like you lost a fight with a bejewler.

A successful attempt at layering will accentuate the waist by topping everything off with a structured piece, like a fitted jacket.  Definitely feel free to pull together different textures and combine a healthy mix of solids, neutrals, and patterns.  Deemphasize areas you’re not particularly proud of with dark colors, and use those same hues in slim bottoms that balance the congregation of cardigans, vests, scarves, and skinny belts you’ve got going on above your hips.

It’s pretty basic, friends.  When it doubt, pile it on.

To see other pages from the Look Book I put together for this fall, visit my Flickr page.

Lila Corith IM’ed me about being a Second Style guest blogger and I liked her immediately.  She was funny, didn’t take herself too seriously and I knew she would deliver a great blog post…I was right.

Super sexy womens clothing *BOOM* has a few fun new releases out- if you’re a fan of sexy, tight clothes and bright colors then boy do I have swell news for you! The big one is the Carbon outfit- a tight little shirt/skirt set that comes together as a tight little dress set. Carbon comes in 17 different colour sets.  Each colour set includes two versions, black and silver, so you get a ton of mix and match opportunities.

We also get brand new jewelry- the the bracelets Bangled Mess, which comes in 31 different shades. Then there’s the Ion Earrings, comes in 24 different shades. If you’re a group subscriber (subscribo counts, too!) you can pick up a FREE pair of rainbow Ion earrings, so make sure you grab those people they’re gone!

My friend Ersatz could live off of bread,water,annonymous sexual encounters and hairbase attachments.

I have pretty much steadfastly been a very “ugh I hate them” sort of girl since they first started cropping up. I didn’t really understand WHY THE HELL anyone wouldn’t just wear proper hair. Yeah yeah I’ll wear some hair base hair if it’s a fashion show or a fair or something where low lag is key-but you know really, this is an entire area of hair styling that has gone in my trash bin since day 1.

And then Baiastice made some. Read the rest of this entry »

The September issue of Second Style magazine will be a very special fall fashion feature.

The issue will be released a little later then our normal 1st of the month, and this is allowing us some extra time to accept a few more ads.

If you are interested in advertising with Second Style, and taking advantage of our amazing readership numbers now is the time!

If you get your ads into Felicity Blumenthal in the next few days, we are offering a very special 50% off discount!

Our next guest blogger is someone that I am a bit partial to simply because she is one of the most dynamic human beings I have ever met  -  Emerald Wynn.

Emerald Wynn is the author of the blog Emerald’s Eyes and, in her own words, “honestly, that’s about it.” She doesn’t take Second Life too seriously; however, she credits it – and her friends there – for helping her through some of the roughest transitions in her life. She describes her SL fashion style as “Quirky Chic” (and then laughs at the “chic” part). “If you’re not indulging your imagination in Second Life, you’re sort of missing the point,” she says, as she hands you a pocket-sized unicorn.

Well hello, all you lovely fashion addicts!

It’s wonderful to be here. Thank you for having me! And now, enough with the formalities. Let’s kick off this post with some name-dropping!

Last month, the talented and “OMG she’s sooooo nice!” designer Milla Michinaga gave me the LM to a fairly new luxury boutique called Orta. The selection there is small at the moment, but every piece is expertly crafted by former Lelutka team designer Valena Glushenko. I’ll take quality over quantity any day.

This Sophie gown in Ember is just one example. The skirt and the draping in the top are sculpted, which under ordinary circumstances would make me run screaming away from them. Modding prims on clothes is not my forte. Plus, the first time I wore a completely sculpted dress, I cluelessly threw it on and TPed into a social event . . . [dramatic pause] . . . and none of it rezzed. So there I was, butt-naked in public, wishing I had on decent underwear. Actually I was just wishing I had on ANY underwear. (I’m wiser now. “Hey, we have this thing in SL called lingerie!”)

Sophie has class though, kids, and covers your assets with cute little undies. Also, these prims aren’t tricky, and they’re generous enough to accommodate many body types without mod trauma.

Let’s talk about something else I usually don’t like – that hemline. Known in the fashion world as the hi-lo hem, I prefer to call it, “skirt that looks like a mullet.” This gown, however, makes it work with billowing volume, a soft curving transition from high to low, and a gorgeous pattern inside. No mullet here. It’s more like a cascade of wow. That’s right – I just said “cascade of wow.” Maybe the fashion mavens will adopt that description. It’s catchy.

The moral to this story? When it comes to fashion, never say never. According to a fortune cookie I once got, “Chances are good that someday you’ll see a striking design that’ll convince you that you actually don’t hate what you thought you hated as much as you thought you hated it.” (Unless it’s an outfit made entirely of ham, in which case I’d probably detest ham even more.)

Read the rest of this entry »

So here I am.  And if you know me or know my blog, you are probably expecting purpleness.  Who am I to disappoint?

Deep in thought now?  Good.  I’ve accomplished my goal. Think on that!

Details:

Hair:  Truth – Penny (Mahogany) http://slurl.com/secondlife/Truth%20Hair/113/35/27
Skin:  Exodi – Isolde (Nuit Tone/#11 Makeup) http://slurl.com/secondlife/Exodi/172/191/35
Eyes:  Scarlia Inc. – Dualtone Eyes (Steel 3) http://slurl.com/secondlife/Gallinas/200/167/59
Top:  Sn@tch – Cheetah Lounge Top (Purple) http://slurl.com/secondlife/Snatch%20City/52/192/29
Pants:  Zaara – Jewelled Jeans (Charcoal)  http://slurl.com/secondlife/Zaara/151/126/26
Boots:  Pixel Mode – Viv Boots (Plum) http://slurl.com/secondlife/Pixel%20Dreams/143/219/25
Bangles:  SIGMA Jewels – Sani Bangles (Charcoal) (Platinum Hunt) http://slurl.com/secondlife/Woman/140/153/42
Necklace:  Acid & Mala Creations – Messed Memory Wire Necklace (Platinum Hunt) http://slurl.com/secondlife/Malula/129/124/46
Poses:  Reel Expressions http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lalique/128/155/28

Whatever the season, I love gathering wardrobe-related inspiration from the colors I see when I glance out my window. Fall brings us the same loud, brazen color palate every year: Scorched, blazed reds.  Buttery, golden-kissed yellows.  Rich carmel and chocolate browns.  The deep, stunning sapphire blue of a cool evening sky.

Every year, those colors translate out of nature and into our closets in particular, distinct ways.  This time around the rules are pretty simple.

First, be a minimalist.  Don’t indulge in the brilliance of the season’s hues all at once. Think 1-2 pops of color per outfit, and anchor them with classic browns, blacks, and whites.

Second, be confident.  Go all the way with your color choices.  Pick the boldest, zestiest pieces in the shades you feel drawn to– not the safe options.  It takes guts, but the wow factor is worth it.

Finally, consider mixing in a few fall-infused hues you won’t necessarily find on your afternoon walk.  I’m talking about the inky purples and dark rouges that look so phenomenal paired with a deep poppy red or royal blue.  This effect is easily accomplished with a few choice accessories– think hats, scarves, belts, and gems.

How great is it that this season’s colors are as close as a peek out your foggy window or a sip out of your hot cocoa mug?  Just sprinkle a little spice on top and you’re golden.  Literally.

To see other pages from the Look Book I put together for this fall, visit my Flickr page.

The new release from London Dailey’s Fresh FX made me want to listen to Air Supply and cry over past boyfriends.

It also made me silly and halve my face above. Some day I’m gonna have mad skills and be able to make it perfect. Someday…….

I’m wearing Danni – Shadow on the left and Isabella – What Sarah Said – on the right (pale). Danni is much darker than tones I normally wear but I really liked the face and body shading on it. Plus it had purple lipstick which is a total WIN. Read the rest of this entry »

Phoenix Chapman is a busy girl so I was excited that she was wanting to be our next guest blogger! Phoenix is the Marketing Manager for Whippet and Buck, she organizes and runs the Shoe Expo along with some other fantastic people and when she finds the time, she blogs. Yep. Awesome.

Well, it’s been a very long time since I last blogged and I wondered if I had forgotten how. But then I remembered that most of the time I just ramble on anyhow, and I never really know where I’m going to go from one sentence to the next, so there you go.

My friend Nyte and I had some fun dressing up in styles we don’t normally wear, and we didn’t even have to do that much shopping to get it! Funny how that happens.

Right now the 3rd Annual Shoe Fair is going on, with funds being donated to the fantastic Soles4Souls. Both Nyte and I are wearing shoes currently only at at the Shoe Fair, so if you want to get your feet into these, you have to go down and pick them up! It’s for a good cause though, and the lag is pretty much nil at this point. The fair will go on until the 22nd, at which point we’ll be packing it up for another year.

I am on the left and I’m wearing some of the very latest from Pink Outfitters, including these amazing leggins. From every piece of patterned tights I’ve ever purchased in SL, I can tell you that they appear to be very tricky as very few (if any) of them have ever had the patterns lined up perfectly. However, this pair has a very smart thick seam built right in, so those who are picky about patterns lining up won’t have a problem with these. Plus, they’re just cool and funky! My shirt is also new from Pink Outfitters and though it’s also in black, it’s a slightly different shade, which I actually really like. It’s far too easy to dress all in black and look like you’re in some sort of weird costume, but when they’re different shades, it takes care of that problem. I paired these new pieces with something relatively new from Nyte’N’Day, called the Denim Mini Mini, and oh boy, is it mini. I NEVER wear anything like this normally, but this outfit positively screamed for something cute and sexy all at the same time.

My shoes are from the delectable Kookie, a new style called Enya. Fun, fresh & funky and available in three colours, these are the perfect complement to my outfit when stilettos and boots just won’t do.

Nyte is the gorgeous platinum blonde and as she’s normally chained up on her work platform working on her latest whatever, it took some teeth-pulling and sweet-talking to get her to come over to my place and then to go to shopping for shoes with me. Now, she NEVER goes shopping unless it’s for hair, jewelry or sometimes shoes, so this was quite an accomplishment! But she’d seen these zebra-print ankle booties with peep-toes on the feeds, and though she knew not the creator or the name, I did some digging into my overstuffed inventory and came up with one of the new releases over at N-Core. The zebra printed ones are a special exclusive for the Fair and its charity, but you can also get the Cherie booties in several solid colours, including black as worn here. She never buys clothes from other designers, even if she admires them from afar, so everything you see her wearing is something you can buy in her store. Her top is part of the newer Layering Tanks set, and the skirt she’s wearing is the same Mini Mini in a different colour. Her tights are part of the very cute mix-and-match Mete set, and so versatile that she wears them in different ways all the time.

So, if you’ve been struggling with things to do and places to go in SL for new stuff, hit the 2010 Shoe Fair (and maybe donate some Lindens to our very worthy cause). Also check out the fantastic Pink Outfitters and Nyte’N’Day, which are consistently two of the most underrated stores in SL, even though they have been around for probably longer than most of us.

Credits:

Nyte:

Hair – LeLutka – Lea2 in Marilyn

Skin – LAQ – Elena 10 in Fair

Top – Nyte’N'Day – Layering Tank Bottom in Black

Skirt – Nyte’N'Day – Denim Mini Mini in Burnt

Leggings – Nyte’N'Day – Mete Leggings in Black

Shoes – N-Core Cherie XtremeHeel in Black Patent

Bracelets – Mandala – Takara Bangle in Brown Leather

Me:

Hair – Fri.day – Raina in Emo Black

Skin – Tuli – Dressing Room LE Gina 06

Top – Pink Outfitters – Ling Sheer Jersey Top in Black

Skirt – Nyte’N'Day – Denim Mini Mini skirt in Black

Leggings – Pink Outfitters – Xander Leggins in Black

Shoes – Kookie – Enya in Black Wash

Bracelets – Mandala – Reiki Bracelets in Black

Earrings – Glow Studio – Black Friday earrings

Our poses are from Reel Expression & Estetica, sets found exclusively at the 2010 Shoe Fair.

So, two of my closest friends in SL are redheads and they alwayssss seem to be having fun so I thought….why not? Let me try some red and see if it works magic on me!

My first two to three years in SL I hated to wear something more than once …I used to wear something and never see it again. Not anymore. I have so many favorites..things I wear over and over again. Like these shorts. To be totally honest I am not positive they are still for sale because I received them as a gift from a LeLutka fashion show. Seriously though, it is worth going to take a look. If you don’t find them, I am sure you will find something you love!

The top is from Leezu and  so well made….I love how elaborate it is and the best part is it comes in three different sizes so it is pretty easy to find one that fits well without messing with trying to size it.

The gorgeous red hair from Truth? I have been wearing it for the past few hours and I don’t feel any more fun than I normally do, so maybe I will just go back to my normal dark brown and black.  It was worth a shot!

stepping out of the grey day she came
her red hair falling like the sky
love held them there in that moment with the whole world passing by

Until next time!

xo – Sophia Harlow

Skin: [dekade.] SKINS -Brooke-
Shorts: [LeLutka]- Postal shorts
Top: [LeeZu!] Lourdes Sculpted Top
Hair: >TRUTH< Keeley