Contest Entry - Couture Avenue 2011 (November)

OK, so I completely adore the Miamai Black Label Collection and was *thrilled* when they opened a shop on Couture Avenue (making them eligible as contest choices).  It was a complete pleasure putting a look together for this month and tons of fun doing the face and head shots.  I used items from several of the collection outfits and combined them with the Baiastice Anna Lou pants for a nouveau couture look with an Asian twist.

Couture Avenue 2011

Credits:
Eyes: Ibanez Eyes Horizon (Eire)
Hair: booN ANT213 hair (Black)
Skin: Dutch Touch JiP (Cream - PiP CL1 HB)
Face Tattoo: Lovely Mi Make-up Madame X [Eyes Only]
Jacket: Miamai [BlackLabel] Ansiotropic Jacket
Shoes: Miamai [BlackLabel] MothQueer Shoes
Nails: Miamai [BlackLabel] Myda
Pants: Baiastice Anna lou (Black)
Collar: Violator My Fetish (Platinum Black)
Poses by DeePosed

Couture AVENUE 2011:

Couture AVENUE, an exclusive shopping district, represents the finest style, creativity and sophistication hosting top fashion brands LeLutka, CheerNo, Chantkare, AZUL, Baiastice, Nicky Ree, Stylissimo and Miamai.

Couture AVENUE is looking for fashionista extraordinaires that are able to embody the spirit of these brands and combine top-notch looks and styling to be the face for Couture AVENUE in 2011.  Do you have what it takes?

The 'Couture AVENUE LOOK 2011' search is open to both men and women, offering one top male and female winner an invitation to AVENUE MODELS, an exclusive AVENUE MAGAZINE cover and to be the face of Couture AVENUE ads and promotions.

Each month a finalist will be chosen and receive :
- an exclusive interview and shoot in AVENUE Magazine
- $3,000L shopping spree at Couture AVENUE
- a discount voucher of 2,000L for a course at AVENUE Models Academy.

All monthly finalists will be entered into the finals where one male and one female winner will be selected to be the face for Couture AVENUE Look 2011. Each winner will receive :
- A one year contract to be the face for Couture AVENUE ads, events and promotions
- A cover on AVENUE Magazine
- An invitiation to join AVENUE Models

RULES OF ENTRY
------------------
1. Join the AVENUE Magazine Readers group to stay up to date on the contest events and updates.
2. Place the Couture AVENUE location in your picks with the following LM & texture.
3. Purchase two or more items from the Couture AVENUE shops and place the transaction history at the bottom of the application notecard. Transactions will be verified, those incomplete or inaccurate will forfeit their submission.
4. Style your look and SHOOT. Each look has to be sourced from at least two different designers' stores at Couture AVENUE. You may employ any photographer of your choice but importance will be given to showcasing your look and styling.
5. You will have to present TWO photos of your styling: one head shot and one full body shot (size: 1024 X 1024 pixels). Make sure they are labelled CALook2011(month)_(your name)_(headshot/bodyshot). Example : CALook2011September_Sweetest Sands_headshot
6. Complete the application in this notecard, rename and submit it to the Couture AVENUE Look 2011 Mailbox.  Applications will be accepted until 5th of each month, starting on September 5th, 2010, and ending on August 5th, 2011. Late submissions will be included to participate in the next round of the following month.
7. Each month, there will be a monthly runway showcase where a selection of semi-finalists will vie for a finalist position. Each semi-finalist will do a simple runway walk parading their styled Couture AVENUE look. One semi-finalist will be selected by a panel of judges to be a finalist.  In the final showcase, 12 finalists will compete to be elected as "Couture AVENUE Face 2011" - one male and one female winner.  The schedule for the monthly showcases will be :

2010
Round 1 - September 12th, Sunday at 11am slt
Round 2 - October 17th, Sunday at 11am slt
Round 3- November 14th, Sunday at 11am slt
Round 4- December 12th, Sunday at 11am slt

2011
Round 5- January 16th, Sunday at 11am slt
Round 6-February 13th, Sunday at 11am slt
Round 7-March 13th, Sunday at 11am slt
Round 8-April 17th, Sunday at 11am slt
Round 9-May 15th, Sunday at 11am slt
Round 10-June 12th, Sunday at 11am slt
Round 11-July 17th, Sunday at 11am
Round 12-August 14th, Sunday at 11am

Finals: September 4th, Sunday at 11am

8. Each entrant is allowed to submit only one entry and if you fail to be selected any month, you may choose to submit in another month with a new styled look.
9. All entrants must be able to commit to monthly showcase dates that apply to them as well as the grand final. Failing to turn up for your month's showcase and finals date will disqualify your entry with no exception.  In the finals, finalists will compete in a final round of styling and showcase it on the runway.
10. Entries are open to everyone including models and members of AVENUE groups with the exception of staff and management from AVENUE and Couture AVENUE Designers teams.

For more information, kindly contact :
Sweetest Sands
Couture AVENUE Manager
sweetest@avenuesl.com

Contest Updates - October

Well, all the contest results are in for this month, including the grueling selection for the EarthStones All Hallows Eve contest (what a fabulous pool of entries).  Yours truly managed a runner up slot in the Agnes Finney My Precious Queen contest though I didn't make the top three - still, pretty pleased considering it was a first time entry.  Congratulations to all the winners!  Photos are from the Styling Forward Semi-Finals as promised in an earlier post, theme was Black & White Anything Goes, credits at the end. :)

EarthStones 3rd Annual All Hallows Eve Photo Contest Winners
EarthStones Flickr Group

Agnes Finney My Precious Queen (October - Winter Theme) Winners

Angel Dessous Angel of the Month (November) Winners
Angel Dessous Angel of Angel Dessous 2010 Flickr Group

Couture Avenue Look 2011 Finalist
Couture Avenue Look 2011 Semi-Finalists

Photo Credits:

Hair:
booN - QPT129 (Black)

Outfit:
LeeZu! - Mia Corset (Black )
*COCO* - BalloonPants (Black)
*Linc* - Half Fishnet Stockings (Black)
House of Beningborough - Vivaldi Short Jacket (Harlequin)

Accessories:
Stiletto Moody - Bare Olivia (Black)
Mandala - Takara Nail (Black Bright)
Mandala - Mikoto Belt (Black/Silver)
Chapeau tres Mignon - Golightly Hat (Black)

EarthStones 3rd Annual All Hallows Eve Photo Contest!

It’s that time of year again, so put on your finest EarthStones jewelry, polish your bat’s wings, stir up the cauldron, spread your cobwebs and shoot your way to infamy and fortune in the EarthStones Third Annual All Hallows Eve Photo Contest!

Singles or couples, ladies or gents welcome (only a single prize pack awarded per winning photo, though).
Theme: All Hallows Eve, of course!
Deadline: Midnight SLT on October 24th.
Winners Announced: October 26th
Judges: EarthStones Staff & Management

PRIZES
1st place: L$5000 CASH!! AND a L$2500 EarthStones gift card!
2nd place: L$2500 EarthStones gift card!
3rd place: L$1000 EarthStones gift card!
Winning pictures will be featured in the EarthStones blog and displayed in store until November 6th.

THE RULES
1. Read the rules carefully – any photos not following the rules will be disqualified.
2. 512 x 512 minimum square photos, post production allowed and encouraged.
3. EarthStones jewelry must be clearly visible, only EarthStones jewelry may be worn in photos. All jewelry must be *for sale* at EarthStones (Sorry, no Lucky Chair, group gifts, freebies, etc.).
4. Maximum of 2 photos per avatar may be entered in the contest. (You may upload additional photos, but only two may be tagged for the contest)
5. Join and upload your photos to the EarthStones flickr group (PG Only, please) – http://www.flickr.com/groups/earthstones/
6. Inworld submissions will not be accepted.
7. Photos must be uploaded to the group during the month of October 2010. Photos entered after the deadline on 10/24 will not be considered.
8. Photos must be tagged with: All Hallows Eve 2010 Contest, EarthStones, [Jewelry Name] (ie. EarthStones Falling Leaves Necklace – Autumn)
9. Photo Description *must* include (you can include additional information, but the following is required):
Your inworld name (this will be the sole recipient of any prizes awarded)
Jewelry credits (ie. EarthStones Victorian Keepsake Locket & Earrings – Silver/Onyx)
10. Photos not properly tagged and described will not be considered.

Please contact Retribution Fall by notecard with any questions. Name your notecard [All Hallows Eve Question] – [Your Name] to ensure a response. Inquiries to any other member of the EarthStones staff will *not* be answered.

That’s it! Have fun and Good Luck!!
Click to join the EarthStones Flickr Group

The Fantasy of Nature

"I consider lace to be one of the prettiest imitations ever made of the fantasy of nature; lace always evokes for me those incomparable designs which the branches and leaves of trees embroider across the sky, and I do not think that any invention of the human spirit could have a more graceful or precise origin." - Coco Chanel

So much fabulous newness in the last week, it was simply irresistable.  Agnes Finney released the essence of the cocktail dress in Serene Romance at nearly the same time as EarthStones released the perfect complement for it in the Gothique choker and earrings sets.  Talk about perfection!

Credits:
Dress: Agnes Finney Serene Romance (Black)
Jewelry: EarthStones Gothique (Silver/Onyx)
Hair: W&Y 148 (Pack A - Black)
Eyes: Ibanez Horizon (Eire)
Poses by Manifeste

Featured SLURLs:
Agnes Finney My Precious Mainstore
EarthStones Mainstore
W&Y Mainstore
Ibanez Mainstore

Inventory Check - Hair Designers

I know that in my head I have an imaginary and purely subjective list of "favorites", but I got to wondering if that was actually where my Lindens were invested.  So, I figured it might be fun to total up the actual numbers and see how they stacked up to my mental list and, more importantly, what I was actually wearing the most.  Why hair first?  Cause I just spent time sorting through my "demos to buy" folder and my "stuffage from Hair Fair" folder as well as moving all those unfiled recent purchases to their proper categories.  For the curious, I have hair under body parts instead of clothing and my categories are - Exotic, Long, Short, Mid, Ponytails, Updo, and Hats (which includes any hair that comes with a hat, scarf, goggles, etc).  The "Top Ten" were:

1. Truth (15) mostly updos
2. Damselfly (11) mostly long
3. Tukinowaguma (9)
4. Detour (9)
5. Mirai Style (7) mostly scarves
6. Bishwear (6)
7. Cake (6)
8. EMO-tions (5)
9. W&Y (5) mostly short
10. BooN (4) mostly short

 

My "Go To" list of "hair I grab first on a regular basis in SL" in no particular order other than that of the photos in this article does come from this list of designers, but is mostly different from my "blogging go-to list" which pulls from more categories and designers:

Bishwear TossMeAround (Raven)
W&Y New 92 (Pack A - Black)
Mirai Style Ofif (Black)
Truth Grace (Crow)

 

One of the really interesting things I discovered was the huge number of onesies and twosies I have where I don't have a lot of different styles from an individual designer but I have a couple of really unique or interesting ones - I think I might own every short style on the grid.  I had hairstyles from a huge number of designers and a whole folder of LMs (which I think I may turn into a nice inventory preserving notecard).  I also noticed that I have an affinity for "slightly messy" even with more formal updos - must be some kind of commentary on my having come to terms with my more than slightly unruly RL hair. :)

 

SLURLs are within the article this time; I would like to additionally credit Cubic Effect's fabulous Knit Jacket (Black) and YS&YS Afrika Set (Silver/Onyx) seen in each shot.  I think that my next few inventory checks will be jewelry, poses and tattoos (once I catch up a little bit on my backlog of locations, pictures and outfits).

Why Contests? (And An Update)

Someone asked me today (after I finished up another set of contest pictures) why I entered contests.  It's obviously not for the fame (since I don't win) or for the money (since most prizes don't cover the entry outfit).  Then again, I don't blog for the freebies (since I don't actually get any) either.  I simply enjoy really great SL fashion, great SL locations and taking pictures of both.  I've also recently started playing with a photoLIFE studio and that's been great fun as well.  It's a challenge to put together an outfit, find the right accessories, get a location or background that sets it off, find the perfect poses and get the ideal angle for the photos.  And, after that, the real work begins.  For October, I've entered three contests - the My Precious Queen contest blogged earlier this week, the Angel of Angel Dessous contest and the Couture Avenue Look 2011 contest.

Angel of Angel Dessous Couture Entry
Dress - Angel Dessous Iberia Rosso
Hair - Tukinowaguma Jelena SH (Ebony)
Fan - Urid Dal Black Lace Fan
Collar - Ezura Lolita Crown Black Neckdress
Earrings - EarthStones Eternelle Marcasite (Garnet)
Pose by Manifeste



Angel of Angel Dessous Lingerie Entry

Lingerie - Angel Dessous Glamour (Forest)

Hair - W&Y New 92 (Pack A - Black)

Jewelry - Zaara Vanisri Wrapped Necklace (Onyx/Silver)

Pose by DeePosed

Couture Avenue LOOK 2011 Entry

Top - Baiastice Cage Top

Pants - LeLutka Rockin' Pants (Black & White)

Hair - W&Y New 148 (Pack A - Black)

Necklace & Earrings - YS&YS Afrika Set (Silver/Black)

Bracelets - Mandala Reiki Bracelet (Black Diamond)

Garter - LouLou Garter Pistolero

Belt - EarthStones Leather & Laced Belt (Coal)

Pose by DeePosed

And the promised update - I didn't place in the Click photography contest, nor did I make the finals for Styling Forward, though I'll post my semi-final outfit in the next couple of weeks.  The theme was Black & White (Anything Goes).  The closing dates for this month's contests are October 5th for Couture Avenue (October), October 12th for My Precious Queen (October), October 25th for Angel of Angel Dessous (November).  I promise I won't enter any more this month, since I have a final Steam Hunt wrap post to do and an absolutely amazing Halloween outfit to blog.  And no, my fingers aren't crossed.  Much.

Contest Entry - My Precious Queen

A friend sent me this contest information and a gift card some time ago, eliminating all possible barriers to entering this contest.  Unfortunately, while I went and bought an absolutely gorgeous gown, work buried me and I just now managed to get enough studio time to do the photographs and submit my entry into the Agnes Finney My Precious Queen Contest.  The year is divided into two halves and four themes (the seasons) with three princesses chosen each month to compete for 12 finalists slots.

















Credits:
Dress - Agnes Dazzle (Black)
Jewelry - Alienbear KrisCar II (White)
Hair - Sky Everett Lady Alanya (Black)
Pose by Manifeste

Featured SLURLs:
Agnes Finney My Precious Mainstore

What do you need to do to join each month's selection?
Step 1. Make purchases of:
- any items created by Agnes Finney. (Items that are marked 0L-10L are not counted.)
Different gown/ outfit have to be used when you are joining different month's selection. That is, no gowns should be repeated in your entries throughout the year. Different color of the same design is accepted though.
Step 2. Requirement of the pictures: (For your own reference: http://mypreciousqueen.blogspot.com/
-Take two pictures (Head shot and full body shot, 1024x 1024) with full perm
-Put the full perm pictures into a folder. Rename the folder as "MP Royal Princess+January+your full name." No need to put any words in the pictures.
- My Precious stores may post your pictures in advertising or on the blog. Any fees associated with the entry pictures must be paid by the entrant and will not be paid by My Precious stores. Please learn about the possible charges for which you will be responsible from those requiring additional payment for commercial use of a photograph they made for you.
Theme of the pictures:
Jan-Mar Princess selection: Spring
Apr-Jun Princess selection: Summer
Jul-Sep Princess selectoin: Autumn
Oct-Dec Princess selection: Winter
-If you want to wear any jewelry, please wear jewelry ONLY made by Alienbear Design. It could be just a pair of earrings or a necklace. It's your choice.
-Rename the folder as “MP Royal Princess + Month + your full name”
(Your entry will be ignored if you send us a notecard instead of a folder.)
The pictures to present the outfit and yourself as a queen. Touch-up with Photoshop is acceptable. :-) Send the pictures to Agnes Finney on or before 12th (midnight) of each month.
Step 3. It would be safe if you could notify me by IM after you send the folder. I will put the pictures up in the display area within 3 days and notify you about that. If you don't get my IM in 3 days, please IM again. :)
Step 4. Announcement of the in-store models, winners of MP Royal Princess will be made thru group notice and our blog. Therefore it is important if you stay in the group for updates.

Step 5. Contact Agnes Finney if you have any queries.