Second Style Magazine

Before I gush about why these new Rainbowas are the slinkiest, sexiest, most fun boas in SL, I have to spend a moment telling you some things you may not know about the designer who brought them to us, caLLie cLine.

Most of you are aware that caLLie created a teeshirt and donation project in the wake of Steve Irwin’s accidental death in September. Recently, caLLie posted the receipt from the donation she made to Wildlife Warriors, letting all who participated know that she is a woman of her word. I think caLLie should be commended not only for her efforts on the Steve Irwin tribute, but for being respectful enough of the SL community to follow up after the donation was made.

But this is not the only example of caLLie’s generosity. She was the high bidder for the special edition Zero car that Shiryu Musashi created for just for the hyasynth Tirimisu benefit. She also donated a limited edition gown for the event. The benefit was held in an effort to help hyasynth pay for some overwhelmingly high medical expenses. In that vein, caLLie also headed the call last weekend and donated all of her sales through November 1st to Jolie Lumiere of Jolie’s Boutique.

I tell you all of these things, because if you’re like me, you make your shopping decisions based on many things, not just how cute or attractive you find the merchandise. Sometimes it’s great to know that you’re shopping with someone who isn’t just a great designer, but a great SL citizen, too.

As for the Rainbowas, these all prim creations are fun and sassy. The are the perfect compliments to your little black dresses. Buwith all of the color variations and their large, ostrichy presence, the Rainbowas can move from acting only as accessories, to a focal piece all their own. But be aware, Rainbowas have funny way of keeping your top from rezzing (wink wink). You can see the effect in the above photo, as well as caLLie’s ad.

You can take off your top and put on a Rainbowa at FUNK, now located in Plush Lambda.

Believe me, I appreciate any designer who bothers to make a skin shade darker than “tan.” But I was nearly giddy to see the new crop of multi-shade, dark skins released this week at Adam n Eve. The collection, called Cleopatra, was designed by sachi Vixen and is available is six (yes, SIX) dark tones, ranging in color from creme caramel to espresso. Each tone is available in a choice of eight makeup options.

All of the skins feature sachi’s lovely hand-drawn details. I was particularly fond of the butt shading and collar bone. The skins have underlying air of sultriness and sophistication that I think permeates the Adam n Eve brand. These are definitely the skins I will lean on when I am wanting to appear more worldly, or I want my inner seductress to come out.

The shades I am wearing left (shade 2a and 3) are my favorites from the collection. Hopefully, my photograph is not muddying the variations between these tones. But I can tell you that they are definitely distinct when seen in world. I love the fact that sachi has given us dark skin lovers so many choices, as this is just one of three dark skins that she offers, each available in multiple tones. Just as lighter tones can vary from alabaster to terracotta, so too can dark tones vary from dark chocolate to latte.

Cleopatra is available at Adam n Eve in Genesis.

First and foremost congratulations to Twiddler Thereian for making it through the hair-a-day challenge. A second round of congratulations goes to BabyDoll LaFontaine who was Twiddler’s competitive partner in crime. BabyDoll released a new latex lingerie costume every day in the month of October. You can view her list of releases here.

Twiddler has a complete wrap up post of the 31 Day experiment here (you’ll have to scroll down for the 31 ‘do’s info) with additional lessons learned listed here. I love the fact that Twiddler has decided to share this information openly on her blog. If you have struggled with finding a way to attract new business, the information on her blog will prove useful, especially her information about Classified ad placement and its affect on sales:

With regards to the Classifieds (which I love)…falling off the top page cost me a little over $15 a day in sales! I was on the the first page for the search word “hair” and sales were doing great…I was really excited. A few days later my sales fell drastically but I was not sure if it was SL patch time or just ebb and flow…but it stayed lower for 2-3 days until I had discovered I’d been [outbid]! Since I get almost all my new customers from Classifieds, I could really feel the change. If you design in SL, I encourage you to test the classifieds constantly.

The image chart to the left shows the Taunt Hair Shack sales throughout the month. Was the deadline focuses daily hair grind a success? I’ll let the verbose Twiddler sum it up for you, below:

Was 31 Dos a success?…………………Yes!
Was it fun?………………………………….Yes!
Did I want to cry some days?…………..Yes!
Would I do it again?……………………….Maybe! I’m Tired!

I relish any time I am in world shortly after a designer announces a new release to his/her update group. That is because this is when a store’s most loyal customers run to shop. If the release is particularly hot, when you arrive to the store, nearly everyone around you will be wearing the new release. It’s a phenomena unique to this world. You won’t go stumbling into the Gap and find dozens of customers eagerly throwing on their new sweater purchases. Certainly, this world moves faster than the real one; but I have definitely found that not every release makes customers dress alike en masse in the store. It’s something that happens when a designer strikes a certain chord and the look just resonates. Read the rest of this entry »

I seem to be in a little of a hair fever these last few days and have added four new to my collection. Hair is such a difficult thing for me. There are many styles that I like, but that don’t work for me. Often because they are textured with strands that are too thin, wispy, or glossy to ever resemble hair that could occur on me naturally. It’s a matter of ethnic identity. And while some may argue that RL ethnic identities have no place in a virtual world, I’d argue that you that we have always liked playing with dolls that were created in our own image.

While Second Life gives us a platform to play with those images and their associated identities, let’s just say that when it comes to hair there are simply some styles that just look inauthentic on dark-skinned av like me. So any time I find not one, but four, new styles that look great with my face shape and skin color, it’s a happy day indeed. Read the rest of this entry »

Oh those St. Solera girls don’t know what they’re in for. Once, they were the only school on the block. They were flaunting their good looks. Flipping their skirts up and driving all the boys crazy. But not content to let one girl’s school rule the grid, Sol Columbia returned to her Wacom tablet and now school is in session at two rival campuses. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been collecting some items over the last few days that can generally be described as delicate and pretty. All delicate and pretty. Qualities so hard to achieve. But sometimes it is all we want to be. The writing in this post is inspired by Kit Maitland. She released two “school girl” outfits the other day (inspired by Luminosity’s recent release). On her blog she wrote these delightful personifications of the outfits that were so much more fun to read than a list of components and colors. And since I can’t let a great writing exercise slip by without my taking a whack at it, I bring you these delicate, pretty things personified for your reading pleasure. Read the rest of this entry »

The other day Ciera Bergman of Vitamin Ci wrote a provocative post on her blog, which got me (and at least one other person) thinking. Do Second Life designers have to sell sex in order to sell clothes? Ciera writes,

I remember when I first started Vitamin Ci…it was to cater to those people. The people who wanted more clothes on than not…Sure, the quality of my designs have gotten better, but my skirts have gotten shorter, tops skimpier, and pants as low as they can go. Why? Because I started to cater to the bigger crowd, [instead of] the crowd my line was intended for.

In other words, what Ciera’s customers seemed to want was to be exposed, not covered up. Making us draw the conclusion that “if it isn’t slutwear, it doesn’t sell.” Ciera is determined to return to her roots, and has brought out an adorable ruffle shirt and pants combo, called Liz (shown left). While there isn’t any exposed cleavage or midriff in this outfit, it’s anything but frumpy. But, but if Ciera’s premise is true, it won’t sell nearly as well as it would if she had opened the blouse and paired it with a tight mini.

But surely Ciera is not alone in this predicament. I’m curious whether any other designers have had similar experiences. Have you had to increase the sexiness of your line in order to attract a broader audience? Have you noticed a difference in sales between your sexy versus non-sexy items? Or, have you traditionally designed tiny skirts and midriff-exposing tops, only to find that sales went through the roof when you brought your hemline down?

But I’m also curious to hear from SL fashion shoppers. Is the assumption right? Do you prefer that your clothes in SL lean toward more sexy than not? Do you avoid skirts that go past mid thigh or shirts that cover your belly button? Or, have you struggled with finding clothes that are sexy enough or conservative enough for your taste?
In other words, is the ideal SL style, well, slutty? And if it is, I’m interested in your thoughts as to why.

The word gamine describes a certain kind of girl, or at least a woman who has girl like qualities. She is a mischievous one, perhaps a tomboy, but definitely a girl who is up to more than meets the eye. It’s a woman who might have darkly-lined cat eyes and sexy, glossy lips. In other words, a woman who was made to wear the new Gamine collection by Tete a Pied.

When I first saw the shiny lips on this set, my thoughts drifted to one word: lickable. It’s a super-shiny gloss. The kind you put on and have to wait five minutes while it sets. It’s stare-worthy gloss, commanding not only attention, but perhaps another set of lips. This is set against a soft dusting of blush on the cheeks and the sultry, feline eyeliner. The eyes are the perfect balance to the strong lip look, but they do not compete for attention. Here is what Roslin Petion, Makeup Artist for Tete a Pied, tells us about this look:

Well known gamine figures include Mary Pickford,Audrey Hepburn, Mia Farrow, and Audrey Tautou. We drew our inspiration for the gamine look from these women. We paired a classic thick cat’s eye liner and bare, natural lid, with a dreamy modern high-gloss lip. I’m particularly proud of the high gloss lip. Since our first Tete line, CJ has been working on creating a true lip gloss similar to Mac Lip Glass. Given the nature of the medium, it was a great challenge.

There’s also a special offer on these skins running only this weekend for Tete a Pied group members. Today is the last day to take advantage.

Seen in world: Yes
Review copy: Yes
Friends list: Yes

In this photo: Skins: Bronzage Dark Gamine collection by Tete a Pied; Hair: Lovely in Cocoa by The Shop; Outfit: The Sinta Play Suit in Autumn by Casa del Shai; Earrings: Chinese Takeout by turnstyle

With the release of the Sinta Play Suits at Casa del Shai, Shai Delacroix reminds us of three things:

1. Just because it’s Autumn, doesn’t mean it’s cold outside.
2. Just because it’s plaid, doesn’t mean it has to be preppy.
3. Just because it’s a pants suit, doesn’t mean the pants have to come lower than your thigh.

This suit ia an adorable three-piece collection with nice details, especially the blazer. I love the bow closure, velvet accents and keyhole opening in the arms. But Shai is so great with copy, I’ll borrow from her blog:

Fresher than last night’s prom queen is the latest collection of youthful playsuits to feed your tailored cravings. The Sinta Play Suit comes in five bejeweled colors : Autumn, Petunia, Moss, Berry and Teal. Each jacket (Shirt layer) is tied with a big satin ribbon in the front and complimented by matching shorts. All packs have the tintable Ribbed Tank Top included as the only mod item. Pick up a set or two at the Casa Del Shai, Deimos and have a romp under the sun.

Seen in world: Yes
Review copy: Yes
Friends list: Yes

In this photo: Skin: Bronzage Dark Trendy in Teal by Tete a Pied; Hair: Lovely in Cocoa by The Shop; Outfit: The Sinta Play Suit in Autumn by Casa del Shai; Glasses: Metro glasses by Luminosity; Earrings: Chinese Takeout by turnstyle; Hosiery: Fire Chocolate stockings by Luminosity; Handbag: The Heiress Handbag by Tete a Pied; Shoes: Vintage Strappy Shoes from Shiny Things

Sigh. After weeks and weeks of reading the House of Lu blog, I missed the opening of Paper Couture for Fall ‘06. I love it when designers realize that our relationship with a brand is fed by many things, including quirky tales of fictional paeoti mishaps written on a company blog.

Sadly, I have yet to sample these good for myself and won’t get a chance until the husband finishes slaying Murlocs in his world. But, I did get a chance to peruse some of the Spring ‘06 merchandise earlier this week. As well as take a thorough crawl through their new online catalog. Whether you are trapped out world like I am, or just want to view the line in a different medium, I definitely recommend visiting their site. Read the rest of this entry »

With this outfit Sol Columbia returns to designing something she hasn’t touched since her second release: jeans. Jeans are, for many of us, the first piece of clothing we wear in SL. It’s no wonder nearly every designer of casual clothes has at least one pair for sale in their collection. If there is quintessential SL clothing item, it would arguably be jeans.

But one can’t discount the iconic quality of the jean and its roots in the American experience. From Levi Strauss to James Dean, the jean has always been about that western expansion. Manifest destiny. The open road. That is why it seems wholly appropriate that Sol would tap into that mythos in a new jeans and flannel shirt outfit called, Route 66. Read the rest of this entry »