Hair Fair '08 - Where Have All The L$ Gone? (Pt. 3)

As promised, this is the third article of four about Hair Fair 2008 and this is where you see some of the (silly number) of hairstyles I purchased. I'm leading off with Solid Wave by Find Ash in Neo Black. Not only is it a terrific short spiky style, but 50% of the sales go to Locks of Love - in fact 50% of all styles at the Find Ash booth goes to the charity, making them a very special vendor. There are three fat packs (L$840) and an all color pack of 12 (L$1680) as well as individual colors in Neo Black, Charcoal Grey, Amber Brown, Sweet Brown (Dark Color Pack), Royal Blond, Platinum Blond, Dark Silver, Strawberry Blond (Light Color Pack), Darkness Blue, Deep Red, Golden Brown and Vintage Wine (Funky Color Pack) for L$280 each.
.
Possibly one of the best mid length styles at the Hair Fair, Verena by Damselfly was my first purchase - I'm a sucker for that "just fell out of bed" look and it's near impossible to find in shorter styles. Damselfly styles are available in 25 packs of 4 colors (L$200) in 5 categories of fat packs for L$500 and an all color pack for L$2000. Individual color sets are: (Blonde) Beach Beige, Sand Dollar, Blonde Dusky, Bamboo, Starfish, Sunrise; (Black) Black Pearl, Forest, Mystic, Night Shade, Onyx, Raven; (Brown) Caramel, Cocoa Harbor, Driftwood, Suntan, Dusky, Mocha Splash; (Red) Cinnamon, Tropic, Hibiscus, Russet Glow, Ginger, Ruby Twilight and (Shaded Tips) Belladonna, Atomic, Diva, Manic, Voodoo, Panic.


Finally, from Deviant Kitties, I couldn't leave without Exodus. Even though I'm showing it here without, it is a gorgeous upsweep style with a skull and flower accessory in complementary colors that make it a must for virtually any goth inspired outfit out there. DK sells their hair in packs of six colors for L$200 - Blacks, Whites, Blondes and Browns in just the color or with Rainbow or Natural Tips, Red Tips, Deviant Punks, Taffys and 2 sets of Unnaturals and an All Color Pack for L$2000.
.
Since I need a teaser for my final Hair Fair post, here's a preview of one of the many stylish bandanas available - definitely one for every taste and plenty for both men and women. September 7th is Bandana Day - a Gridwide event where you can replace your hair with a bandana for the day to support the Locks of Love charity and the children for whom it supplies wigs. Be sure and stop at the Bandana booth (there is one in every sim, straight out from the landing point) and pick up one (or 30) bandanas. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of bandanas goes to Locks of Love.
.

Be sure to visit each of the Hair Fair Color Sims until September 7th - individual sim landmarks are in Hair Fair '08, Pt. 1.

.

Top Left:
Hair - Solid Wave (Neo Black) by Find Ash
Necklace - [Pre-Release, you'll have to wait to see the whole thing] by EarthStones
Skin - Sunkissed V1 Smokey 02 DB by [KA] Skins
Ears - Neko Ear (Black) by Acid & Mala
Tattoo - Skull Jacket by SLinked
Top - Effing Work of Art Tank by LessThan3

Middle Right:

Hair - Verena (Onyx) by Damselfly

Earrings - [Pre-Release] by EarthStones

Skin - Sunkissed V1 Smokey 02 DB by [KA] Skins

Tattoo - Eternity Awaits by iNFLiCT

Top - Feel (Jazz Blue) by ARGRACE

Bottom Left:
Hair - Exodus (Black Red) by Deviant Kitties
Earrings - [Pre-Release] by EarthStones
Skin - Sunkissed V1 Smokey 02 DB by [KA] Skins
Tattoo - Eternity Awaits by iNFLiCT
Outfit - Elven Series Drost (Crimson) by House of Rfyre

Bottom Right:

Bandana - Hair Fair Bandana (Retro Reds) by Persona
Skin - Sunkissed V1 Smokey 02 DB by [KA] Skins
Tattoo - My Summer Calls by iNFLiCT
Top - Open Shirt (Red) by E. Watkins

Hair Fair '08 - Dear Stylists... (Pt. 2)

I love you all, I really do. The time and work involved, the effort and the experimentation - not to mention the sheer creativity of creating hair out of prims - amazing. And I know that preparing for a event like Hair Fair is an additional drain on already scarce time, but as I walked (OK, slogged) through the Rezzable sims, I found myself scribbling notes. Once I got home and started sifting and sorting and swapping I have to admit that, on more than one occasion I found myself saying "What were they thinking?" or "Oooooh!" or "Yoiks!". So, the good, the bad and the downright weird, with Fair Goer Tips for navigating them and pictures of more wonderful freebies...

1. Hidden and obscured gifts - Hunts are a lot of fun (sometimes), but a massively overcrowded sim just isn't the right place to give folks a challenge. Trust me, just getting to your booth is a challenge - do you really need a lagging gaggle of bald, near naked avatars crowded in your booth digging under the shrubs only to fall into gridlock when Barbie Lagalicious blings past?

Fair Goer Tip - if you don't see a gift, take your time and keep your eyes open, walk all the way into the booths and read the signs. Not all booths have freebies, but it's worth your while to check and it gives you more time to browse while everything shows up. Make a note on your designers card when you pick up something and check back at the booths where you didn't.

2. Stuff that didn't sell - While the main point is to raise money for Locks of Love, the Hair Fair is a huge opportunity to draw new customers. Trust me, it's better to not put out a freebie than to put out one that isn't representative of your current line. I would far rather have one unusual color of a great style or a full set of style demos than 45098735 "normal" colors of something that didn't quite work out. First impressions and all that, yanno?

Fair Goer Tip - Take some spare change and buy at least one demo from shops you haven't seen before. Oh and delete anything you don't love - my inventory expanded by close to 3K just from freebies and demos. Eeep!

3. Textures, labels and landmarks - One day, Hair Fair will end and you will go back to your home sims and wonder why we aren't coming to see you. If you didn't include a LM in your freebies, named your folder something like "Neat Junk Goodie Box" or require that a megapack of four billion colors be rezzed just to see what the style looks like - that may be the reason.

Fair Goer Tip - Take notes and buy demos. Use that designer list for each sim so that when you start digging through objects named "Putrid Green Snickerdoodle 24DL3" you have some reference point. Rename folders. Also, create 4 new folders named "Orange", "Purple", "Red" and "Pink", put your sim map and designer lists into them and sort as you go.

.

Finally, I'd like to thank each and every one of the stylists participating in the fair for their time, effort and generosity. I am incredibly grateful for all your work and for the fun I've had trying on the incredible range of hairstyles at Hair Fair 2008. So much so that Part 3 is going to be all about what I went back and bought and the stores I discovered...

.

Individual Sim Landmarks are in Hair Fair '08 (Pt. 1)

Hair is all Hair Fair 2008 Freebies

(Jewelry by EarthStones, Top by Persona)

.

Top left - Puety by Eat Rice!

Center right (clockwise from upper left)
Miya by Dernier Cri

Shay by Exile
Mandi by Curl Up and Dye
Flow II by Magika

Lower left - Monique by Sinsation

Hair Fair '08 - A Perfect SLag Guide (Pt. 1)

I knew I was going to have to go to Hair Fair 2008 and I knew I was going to get scooped by every blogger on the planet who was insane enough to brave the early lag. I tried, I really did. But there's just nothing fun to me about standing and waiting for stuff to rez and then still not being sure it's all there before slingshotting through molasses to the next booth. So, I waited. For those of you that did the same, welcome to my guide to the Hair Fair, including sim specific SLURLs, pictures, must have freebies, tips and tricks.

I started at the Pink Sim since that was the only sim-specific LM I had at the outset - when you first teleport in, step aside (to avoid other folks landing on your head) and wait - I swear there is a sim there. Don't head off yet - there are things you *need* here - like the designer list and map of the sim. These will be on the board nearby, which also allows you to TP within that sim to points near each of the stall sections. If you are just coming for specific designers or to buy something you didn't earlier, by all means, use the TP links - otherwise, I found them more trouble than they were worth. Just open your sim map texture and designer list and fly. For the more methodical and curious, pick a starting point and surf the whole sim from the air and please, remove your various attachments and ultra primmy accessories. No one is ever gonna see you as more than a grey blob anyway. ;)

.

Many of the booths have freebies and, if you are like me, you will wind up grabbing a ton of demos as well. For purchasing, look closely at the styles marked with the 50% (or higher) signs as those are the ones where a portion of your purchase goes to Locks of Love - the charity benefiting from the event. Please don't try on your demos at the fair - buy 'em, go somewhere quiet and lag free later, try 'em and go back with a purpose. Remember, you have your designer list and sim maps, so easy enough to do - just make your notes on your designer list notecard, which is conveniently listed both alphabetically and by booth number within the sim. I was lucky enough to go at a (relatively) low volume period, so I did all four sims in a row - otherwise, I'd recommend one per day for your sanity. You do have until September 7th, after all.

.

Next installments - more pictures, more credits, more tips and more rambling plus an assortment of bandanas. Today's taxis are to the individual color sims, all the photos are of freebies available at Hair Fair 2008.

.

Sim Specific Landmarks:

Pink Sim - Rezzable Explore

Purple Sim - Rezzable Design

Red Sim - Rezzable Create

Orange Sim - Rezzable Discover

.

Top left - Roflcopter by LaynieWear

Center right (clockwise from upper left)

Eve GenII by by Tekeli-li

Emoh by Bryce Designs

Twin Tail by BP

Sandy by Kiss

Lower left - Tree Hair by Curious Kitties

EarthStones - Bali Face Piercing Collection

It's certainly no secret that I absolutely adore EarthStones jewelry - the Yin Yang set was one of my first purchases when I became a resident. No one does crystals and stones better than Abraxxa Anatine and anyone looking for jewelry that can traverse casual to formal with ease needs to stop by her store pronto. Recently I was whining about the dearth of high quality piercings that didn't bling one blind or bore one senseless and, next thing I knew, I had a gorgeous labradorite and silver nose ring dropped on me. It seems that piercings had been laying around on the workbench for a while, with more customers than just me tapping their size 0 feet and waiting for their release.
.
The day has come - the Bali Bead Face Piercing Collection has been released in Baltic Amber, Amethyst, Labradorite, Moonstone, Turquoise, Carnelian, Onyx, Lapis Lazuli, and Malachite. Each set includes a nose, eyebrow and (offset) lip ring with matching stones set in silver. The metal texture perfectly matches the recently released Bali Hoop earrings. Now, there's no Fat Pack (dangit), but at L$149 it's very affordable to buy 'em all. As usual, they mix with all the other EarthStones accessories beautifully or stand alone as distinctive accents, enhancing rather than overwhelming a variety of outfits. They are no modify, no transfer, but come with a sizing script that makes them easy to fit for either men or women (the whole set is unisex) and the newly arrived store cards let you treat your friends to a shopping spree.

Get a few more holes in your head at the EarthStones Main Store at EarthBound.

Top left:
Hair - BON75 (Black) by booN
Skin - Tasha 04 (Cocoa) Portrait Skin by Laqroki
Piercings - Bali Bead Lip and Nose Rings (Amethyst) by EarthStones
Earrings - Yin Yang Earrings (Amethyst/Onyx - RFL Release) by EarthStones
Sweater - Woolpulli (Black) by LeeZu Baxter Designs

Bottom right:
Hair - BON75 by booN
Skin - Tasha 11 (Tan) Portrait Skin by Laqroki
Piercings - Bali Bead Nose and Lip Rings (Labradorite) by EarthStones
Earrings - Crystal Charm Earrings (Creativity) by EarthStones
Sweater - Woolpulli (Blue) by LeeZu Baxter Designs

Discord - EN-GI Set

Back during the Linden birthday celebrations, I attended quite a few fashion shows, one of which featured several very talented Japanese designers from Cubic Effect, Discord and Azul. I've always been a fan of the clean lines, lush fabrics and texture contrasts found in much of the Japanese clothing in SL and the incredible attention to detail in the accessories, so I was looking forward to seeing more from each of them. Two outfits in particular moved so well they caught my eye and had me scribbling notes so I could teleport in for the buy after the show - both of them by Orange Meili of Discord.

Once you teleport in, be warned - it's a very visually intense sim and store, a little confusing to get through and it is packed with outfits when you arrive at the clothing - be prepared to spend some time - but not a lot of Lindens. The EN-GI Sets come in Purple, Red, Blue and Black with complementary trim and embroidery over a brocade fabric - there isn't a fat pack available, but each color is a budget conscious L$99. Oh and it moves beautifully with the leg revealing fan panel skirt.The outfit has 8 pieces - shirt, pants, prim skirt and obi. There are two part prim sleeves, both tied upper and dramatic tulip lower arm. For all you gifters, all the outfits I purchased were no mod, no copy but transferable and with a very broad range of styles.

Slam your hands down on the keyboard (no, not your computer, LOL) and visit the Discord Main Store at Nightmare City.

Both pictures:
Hair - BON75 by booN
Skin - Tasha 11 Portrait (Tan) by Laqroki
Eyes - Transparency Shine (Clear Gray) by Glanz
Jewelry - Jaded Dreams Earrings & Necklace (Black) by Purple Rose
Outfit - EN-GI Black Set by Discord,
Shoes - Silver StudSides Pump (Black) by Stiletto Moody

FAB.PONY - Paint Crop T

One of the really neat things about blogging is that, every now and then, you will hear from a new or relatively new designer and discover something you wouldn't have otherwise. When I heard from Tatianna Faulkes of FAB.PONY, we chatted for a while and then I headed over to take a look at her store (open since February), which is nicely laid out, well lit and filled with 80's inspired casual dresses, separates and accessories.

Several things caught my eye immediately - don't miss the Denim RahRah skirt with its wonderfully detailed ruffles or the gauzy animal print Silk Shaza blouse (which looks great with the Wild Pumps in Zebra). When I started taking pictures, though, the Paint Crop T was just screaming to be the center of attention. It comes in both black and white versions, with the black splashed with neon greens, yellows and blues (perfect with those bright shiny belts and accessories) and the white splattered with pastels for a lighter look. Each color is L$120 (no fatpack) shirt layer, but that still works under jackets and over tattoos, so not a big deal at all. With jeans or flirty skirts, alone or paired with a jacket, this is a terrific casual look that will get you noticed.

Indulge your retro soul at the FAB.PONY Main Store.

.

Top left:

Hair - BON75 by booN
Earrings - Bali Hoop (Malachite) by EarthStones
Top - Paint Crop T (Black) by FAB.PONY
Jeans - Boyfriend Jean (True Blue) by FAB.PONY
Tattoo - What is the Matrix by iNFLiCT
Belt - Lilith (Midnight) by Dark Eden
Shoes - Silver Studsides Pumps (Black) by Stiletto Moody

Bottom Right:

Hair - BON75 by booN
Earrings - Bali Hoop (Malachite) by EarthStones
Top - Paint Crop T (Black) by FAB.PONY
Belt - Garbage (Neon Blue) by Cachet
Flirt (Black) by Kiki's Closet (now PERTURB/ation)

Shoes - Thetis (Midnight) by Dark Eden

Update - Contest Round-Up

Yesterday was filled with lots of contest notices, from the sublime to the absurd (no, I didn't win anything - though still in the running for some). A friend encouraged me to enter my first contest (the JCNY Model'Fest) back in June and had a blast (I got selected to be a Showcase Model), so I picked a few others here and there and entered to see what the contest thing was all about. I have to say it's been a mixed bag. I submitted entries for a variety of contest types - voting contests, panel selection contests, fashion specific and general photo contests.

The most annoying (and challenging) contests to prepare for are the in-world snapshot only. I did two of these and it took forever (and a stack of Lindens) to get the perfect shot. Of those, one sent me an IM that the contest had ended already (there was no date on the notecard) - but the store was great, so that all worked out. The other was the Dark Eden Girl contest - neither July nor August finalists have been announced for that one, so I don't know if it is suspended or not. We'll see - that one is a (free) popular vote contest between four finalists selected by panel and the picture concepts have been really great in past months.
.
I only entered one "Vote with Lindens" contest, which appeared to be plagued by SL issues. The location and rules changed several times and then the contest suddenly ended with different rules for the upcoming month. What I discovered from that is that I dislike harassing my friends (OK, so I sent a notecard) as much as I hate prom queen popularity contests.
.
In summary, the JCNY Model'Fest is run very well and very professionally - and can be a lot of fun. The only pure photo contest I did was for the Lucky Fortunes Contest and that was a blast - a concept shoot for a swami/fortune teller look. At the moment, I've got entries in for the JCNY August contest, the Dark Eden contest (assuming it resumes) and the Miss SL Universe contest and I'm pretty happy with those in that I had fun doing the pictures, I'm more comfortable with their voting/judging process and the rule cards were clear as to the requirements and entry information - and that, I've discovered, is rare.
.

Credits are going to be a bit different for this one. Since I've blogged many of the outfits and contests already, I'm going to link to those and only provide the ones not seen yet.

.

Top left (left to right):
Picture One - Entry for Miss SL Universe
Picture Two - JCNY Model'Fest Entry Aug '08
Dress - J. Pollock Dripping Colors by Lady Thera
Picture Three - Entry for Doll of the Month
Background - Miss SL Universe contestant wall

.

Middle right:

Dark Eden Girl Entry Aug '08

Hair - Sparkle (Black) by Detour

Skin - Tasha 04 Portrait (Cocoa) by Laqroki

Outfit -Oshun Mega Set (Midnight) by Dark Eden

.

Bottom left:

Background photo: JCNY Model'Fest Entry June '08

Foreground photo: JCNY Model'Fest Entry July '08

Dress - Quiet Voice by Baiastice

Shoes - Elegant Slingback (Black Dazzle) by Stiletto Moody

Jewelry - Precious Seas Earrings and Necklace by JCNY

Tasha 11 Portrait Skin (Tan) by Laqroki

AIR - Lace & Arabesque Glasses

Sometimes really amazing things come in small packages. Air is a small store with a fabulous line of very sexy reading glasses. Yes, you read that correctly. Reading glasses. Beautifully detailed glasses. You will fake a vision problem just to have an excuse to wear them. Don't buy all the demos - they will just make you want every single pair. And I can guarantee from the comments I got while wearing these that guys definitely make passes at girls in these glasses.

My pictures don't do justice to the amazing level of detail in these - lacy frames with drop chains and jewels that look as good with an evening dress as they do with a sweater and jeans. There are multiple styles for all face shapes and preferences, but not all styles come in all metals or colors. The first pair I fell in love with was the Arabesque which only comes in Antique Copper and sells for L$600. I couldn't show them all, but the Lace Glasses can be bought individually for L$500 or in a Fat Pack of gold, copper and silver for L$1000.
.

See everything more clearly at the AIR Main Store.

.
Top left:
Hair - Writer (Night) by Detour
Eyes - Transparency Shine (Clear Grey) by Glanz
Glasses - Lace Glasses (Silver) by AIR
Skin - S5 Tan Natural 1 (Freckles) by ::Tuli::
Top - Full Sculpted Knit Jacket (Black) by Cubic Effect

Bottom right:

Hair - Writer (Night) by Detour

Eyes - Transparency Shine (Clear Grey) by Glanz

Glasses - Arabesque Glasses (Antique Copper) by AIR

Skin - S5 Medium Classic 1 by ::Tuli::

Top - Full Sculpted Knit Jacket (Black) by Cubic Effect

Spork - Silver Bangles

Yes, Spork - as in those hybrid eating utensils distributed by KFC to meet the needs of both the spooner and the forker. Make what you will of the name (there is a spork on display at the store), Spork has put together a small line of very nice and reasonably priced casual separates, eyes and jewelry that deserve a look or three. I was originally playing around with the Victoria camisole-style top and a variety of jeans, skirts (long and short) and pants when I ran across my lingerie folder, remembered the new chaise prop at Fross Maruti's Free Photography Studio and we were off and playing.
.
The Silver Bangles are reasonably priced at L$75 - both left and right arm included (I was wearing both quite a bit lately) and work well with any casual or dinner outfit as well as (obviously) lingerie. They are an attractive mix of textures and I found I liked them best with the grey scale but they also set off any strong color nicely. The Victoria top was (based on the store ad) intended as a casual top, but I couldn't resist pairing it with stockings and heels - proving its versatility and giving me a chance to play with the studio poses. There is a lot of detail in the corset texture and I found that it worked nicely with almost any metal tones as a result and was tattoo friendly in all three layers. Would love to see this in grey on black and red on black as well - so many possibilities...
.

Whether you are a spooner or a forker, pay tribute to the hybrid at the Spork Main Store.

Top left:
Bangles - Silver Bangles by Spork
Earrings - Jaded Dreams (Black) by Purple Rose
Lingerie - Flore (White) by Insolence
Sweater - Knitted Cardi (Black) by Fuel
Belt - Song Bird Belt (Black) by Cubic Effect
Jeans - Sexy Ripped by Naima

Bottom Right:

Top - Victoria by Spork

Bangles - Silver Bangles by Spork

Panty and Stockings - Melanie (Black) by Insolence

Shoes - Silver Studsides Pump (Black) by Stiletto Moody

Paper Couture - Silk Gypsy Dress

At Paper Couture, black is the new black and hopefully always will be. Honestly, no one does black quite the way Paper Couture does - warm and liquid and flowing. I've never had a dress from there that there weren't parts that could be used in all kinds of outfits and Silk Gypsy is no exception. If the full prim sleeves and deep v-neck of the blouse don't convince you, combined with the waist enhancing corset this outfit is worth well more than its weight in Lindens. Which isn't a lot - this dress is a bargain. At L$250, there's no reason that Silk Gypsy shouldn't be in every gal's inventory.

A single color offering like the rest of Paper Couture's line, Silk Gypsy comes with a blouse (shirt), corset (jacket), prim sleeves and three skirts, both scripted and unscripted (perfect for pictures) as well as a mesh layer (skirt) and glitch pants (pants). Obviously the top can be worn with many combinations of skirts, so I paired it with a comfy old pair of ragged jeans and soft boots and had a terrific, soft casual look - perfect for a relaxed evening out with friends (new or old). I was planning to change shoes when I switched to the full dress shot, but the first pose I hit looked perfect with the boots and gave it a more period look, so I kept them - though I can assure you the dress looks spectacular with just about any heel height and shoe style.

Discover why I hope nothing will ever replace black at the Paper Couture Main Store.

Top left:
Hair - BooN75 by BooN
Eyes - Transparency Shine Eyes (Clear Grey) by Glanz
Skin - Tasha 11 Portrait Skin (Tan) by Laqroki
Glasses - Arabesque by AIR
Top - Silk Gypsy by Paper Couture
Tattoo - Eternity Awaits by iNFLiCT
Nails - Deep Dream Collection by bijou
Belt - Song Bird Belt (Black) by Cubic Effect
Jeans - Sexy Ripped Jeans by Naima
Boots - Bot's Black by Storm Schmooz

Bottom right:

Hair - BooN75 by BooN
Eyes - Transparency Shine Eyes (Clear Grey) by Glanz
Skin - Tasha 11 Portrait Skin (Tan) by Laqroki
Tattoo - Eternity Awaits by iNFLiCT

Outfit - Silk Gypsy by Paper Couture
Boots - Bot's Black by Storm Schmooz

Eeek! I've Got "The Flu" - Newbie Doo

There I was, innocently shopping, when "Bam!" - a friend gives me The Flu. Sniffling and snuffling, I crawled into my barcalounger, wrapped in that favorite old soft quilt, tissues by my side (and on the floor), sucking down the chicken soup... and knowing that it is completely transferable, so I can pass it on to my friends. =)

Yes, you can send your friends a complete case of the flu - including recliner, blankies (one wrap around, one throw), balled up tissue, supply stand (with remote and vaporizer), thermometer and chicken soup. The only thing you have to be careful about is drinking your hot tea from your Newbie Doo mug when the sneezing animation (included) kicks in. At L$50, infect all your friends for a song!

Pick up a bundle of virus-filled fun at the Newbie Doo Main Store and spread it to all your friends. =)

EarthStones - Wrapped Crystal Jewelry

I bought the Wrapped Crystal Necklace right when it came out and it is one of my favorite pieces of jewelry. It was, however, missing what I was sure would be fabulous earrings. Alas, time passed, new releases came out and my necklace was still a solo piece - a great solo piece, but sometimes a gal needs some earrings. Imagine my delight when I got the notice from EarthStones that, after much work, the earrings I lusted for had been released!
.

The necklace is a drop necklace with a natural shaped polished crystal wrapped in a delicate wire frame. The earrings are delicate and detailed triple stone versions of the necklace. Both come in Labradorite, Baltic Amber, Watermelon Tourmaline, Moldavite, Amethyst, Lapis Lazuli, Opal, Rose Quartz and Quartz Crystal. The earrings are L$249 purchased separately or all stones in a Fat Pack for L$1569. The necklace is L$225 and L$1399, respectively.

.

This is an incredibly versatile set that mixes equally well with casual wear, formal wear or club outfits. It neither overwhelms an outfit nor does it fade when paired with a strong outfit. Obviously since I've had the necklace forever, both the earrings and necklace can stand alone as well as making a stunning pair.

.

See some of the most beautiful crystals SL has to offer at the EarthStones Main Store.

Top Left:

Hair - BON75 (Jet Black) by BooN

Glasses - Arabesque (Antique Copper) by Air

Earrings - Wrapped Crystal (Labradorite) by EarthStones

Tattoo - What is the Matrix by iNFLiCT

Outfit - Elite by Eclipse Development

Bottom Right:

Hair - BON75 (Jet Black) by BooN
Earrings - Wrapped Crystal (Labradorite) by EarthStones
Tattoo - What is the Matrix by iNFLiCT
Outfit - Three Woodpeckers by Chambre du Chocolat

Inventory Tips - Clothing, Pt. 2

Obviously, clothing is a big deal to me and being able to find the right shoe or accessory is critical - especially when you are deep into shooting a photo series and realize that you need that one perfect thing to bring it all together. Now, if you haven't noticed, I'm a big folder renamer - I add colors and keywords to names all the time to make searching faster and to give better results. I also occasionally add notecards to folders (mainly for blogging purposes) with information like the colors, prices, LMs, pictures, designer information and such.

The clothing folders are in categories and this is probably something that everyone will have their own logic in setting up. The important thing is that you can find what you want when you need it. The majority of my clothes are simply organized by designer, but I have separate categories for shoes (of course), jewelry, belts and hats, lingerie, swimwear, tattoos (of course) and "specialty" (which is costumes, period pieces, wings, tails, ears and similar). I also have hair, but that's a post (and pictures!) for later. If I have more than one item by a designer in a category, I create a folder for the designer, drop the mainstore LM into that folder and then delete all the duplicate LMs I pick up along the way. This is easy to do, BTW, if you just search on a word or two in the name of the LM and then delete all the dupes other than the one in the designer folder.

Now, I love designers as much or more than anyone else in SL, but I'm just never going to think of searching for "bile" or "spring leaf" or "mint julep" when I'm looking for something green. Rename is your friend - add the color (like green) or the style (such as formal) or whatever makes it easier for you to find that edgy, postmodern, rusted, casual pair of stilettos that keeps sliding to the floor of the closet and hiding under the newbie skin that you keep for sentimental reasons. So get going, right click, rename and make your inventory searches more rewarding.

Next up in the inventory series will be "Stuff I Wear When Naked". :)

.

Top left:
Hair - The Poynter (Black) by Armidi
Dress - Lizz (Black) by LeeZu Baxter Designs
Shoes - Verve Heels (Black) by Maitreya
Earrings - Stone Doughnut (Labradorite/Black) by EarthStones

Bottom right:

Hair - Writer (Night) by Detour

Dress - Three Woodpeckers by Chambre du Chocolat

Group Gift of the Month - July

Well, this was a huge month for dresses and gowns - Dina from Evie's Closet, Cayon Classic from LMC, Satin Shine Glitter Gown from Nicky Ree, Amicitia Amy from Tuli, Vivaci from Kouse's Sanctum, Elsinore from Beauty Avatar and Amity from PixelDolls. Any one of these would have made me happy for the month, much less the hair from House of Heart and Philotic Energy or jewelry from Earthstones and Baiastice. There were also poses by Long Awkward Pose and Striking Poses as well as elemental particle effects for hands from Designs of Darkness. Maitreya gave away a terrific casual belt, silent sparrow gave a richly detailed suit and LeeZu Baxter treated her group to a great pair of leggings. An abundance of riches for sure, so I parked myself for a few hours and tossed on various combinations to try and get as many included as possible.

This was a month for a lot of group changes - some closed their doors, some were inactive, some overly spammy. I also dropped a few where all the notices seemed to be about my adding the store to my picks (which have even more limited numbers than my groups). That opened a few doors, however, and this month's winning gift came from one of those - the Ewing Events group. I joined this group after attending several of their Linden birthday runway events and have been overjoyed by some of the terrific post show bags from a variety of designers - not to mention the opportunity to attend some amazing events. One of the "party favors" just screamed winner - the House of Heart gift bag with 9 different hairstyles in colors to make everyone happy - even Ruth. ;)
.

Ewing Fashion District at Ischia

(Group Name - Ewing Events VIP Guest List, Cost to Join - IM Required, L$0, Group Tag - Ewing Events VIP)

Update - Dollz Magazine Contest

My apologies to all of you who have been trying to vote for me in the Doll of the Month contest, but the magazine has been relocating to a new sim and then the LM that was sent wouldn't let you in the door, LOL! The new landmark works, so here's a brief summary of the full previous post:

1. Go here - Dollz Magazine

2. Vote for me (please, just the L$1 vote)

3. Rinse and repeat (you can vote daily)
.

Thanks much! So far this contest (which is the first voting one I've done) has been a bit wonky with all the sim moves, but we'll see how it goes now that they are settled in permanent home. Seems like everyone is moving these days - I've been updating landmarks like crazy. Must be an end of summer thing, eh?

What About Ruth?

I never change my shape. I like my shape and I've adjusted so many things in my wardrobe to fit it just right that it seems like a silly thing to play with, especially since I'm happy with it. That said, when I saw Alaska Metropolitan's Ruth Challenge at My Virtual World, I just had to play. Since I was also working on my July Group Gift of the Month post, I decided it would be fun to see if Ruth could be a fashionista wearing group freebies as well since it was a terrific month for gowns and hair. Could some of the freebies from designers all over SL help the poor girl look less like a linebacker and more like runway material?

I created a brand new Ruth shape, hopped on the old pose stand and started analyzing. First, the shoulders. Eeek! Poor Ruth - I bet she can ring the bell at the county fair, but she sure needs some softer edges, so I went digging for feminine gowns and hair with some size to them. The Feral hair gift from House of Heart not only deemphasized the shoulder width, it softened the look overall enough to risk a more fitted dress to accentuate Ruth's waist. Nicky Ree's Satin Shine Glitter Gown complemented the deep chocolate of the hair perfectly and the delicate earrings and necklace from SLink finished the look. The full skirt further balanced the shoulders and and the classic restrained jewelry gave Ruth a very ladylike look overall.
.

Update - Candy Flanagan over at iCandy has compiled a link list to the many blogs that gave Ruth a makeover.
.

It's good to know that, if Ruthed, I have a backup plan. Check back for my next post where I look at more of the July freebies like the ones Ruth is wearing.
.

Both photos:

Shape - Ruth (default) by Linden Labs

Hair - Feral (Bitter Chocolate) by House of Heart

Skin - Tasha 11 Portrait Skin (Tan) by Laqroki

Eyes - Transparency Shine Eyes (Forest Green) by Glanz

Dress - Satin Shine Glitter Gown (Red) by Nicky Ree

Jewelry - Diamond Solitaire by SLink

The Hat Shop - Bogart Fedora

I love hats. I mean I seriously love hats. Which is why it is strange that this is my first hat feature. I've blogged quite a few outfits with hats and I was recently horribly depressed when an adorable 1920's style outfit I bought came with everything but the hat. (Worse, the hat wasn't anywhere to be found in the shop.) And yes, I have a folder of "hat hair" pre-modded just for tossing on a jaunty cap before heading out for the evening. So, with great enthusiasm for a great piece from a classic era, I present my first featured hat - the Bogart Fedora from The Hat Shop.


The Hat Shop has a variety of hats, including several fedora styles if you are more Godfather than Bogart, but I'm pure Bogie and Bacall and I adore this hat. It comes in 6 colors at L$150 per color or a L$400 fat pack that contains them all - cream, white, toffee, grey and black. With it's wide band and slightly crumpled feel, this hat is the perfect finishing touch for a wide range of outfits. From fitted dresses to menswear, topping your look with this detailed fedora will let you stroll into the smoke filled corners of the dimmest jazz clubs with style.
.

So, play it again and again at The Hat Shop.

Top left:
Hat - Bogart Fedora (Black) by The Hat Shop
Hair - Writer (Night) by Detour
Shirt - Oversized Shirt (Red) by Muism
Tattoo - Eternity Awaits by iNFLiCT
Earrings - Precious Seas by JCNY

Bottom Right:

Hat - Bogart Fedora (Black) by The Hat Shop

Hair - Writer (Night) by Detour

Shirt - Runway Collection 09 by Digit Darkes

Belt & Bracelets - Runway Collection 09 by Digit Darkes

Pants -Denim Cotton Jumpsuit (Black) by Armidi Gisaci

Shoes - Verve Pumps (Black) by Maitreya

Six Months And Still Blogging

It looks like I am getting ready to cross the 1000 hit mark on the blog tonight or tomorrow and I am in my sixth month of blogging. Sometime this month, I'll hit my 100th post. When I first started, I was thrilled if I got one or two hits a day - today more than 30 people were interested enough in my thoughts on Second Life fashion to stop by and look around. How cool is that?

I've moved from pictures against a white wall at the house with a few poses to N30 and PhotoSphere studio shots with thousands of combinations of poses, backgrounds, lighting, props and effects. My inventory is rapidly approaching the 10K mark, I can "Name That Designer" with disturbing accuracy and I'll IM a complete stranger if I see the perfect outfit, skin or accessory. I've had conversations with some of the most talented designers in SL, both established and new. Good stuff.

I'm having a blast and I'd like to thank each and every one of you who has dropped in to join me for the adventure.