Persona - Dita Knit Blouse

I think that I'm just going to make myself a huge sign for the wall that says, "Buy the Fat Pack!" because I never do and I always regret it. I knew that the Dita Knit Blouse from Persona was going to be fabulous and I knew I was going to have a use for each and every one of the seven colors, but do I listen to my little inner frugal shopper? Of course not! That would make sense! (Naturally, I wound up immediately buying two after trying on the first, LOL!).

Absolutely perfect for fall, this beautifully textured, highly detailed, soft and fuzzy beauty comes in warm, muted shades of white, purple, black, brown, red, green, and blue and works equally well with jeans or skirts. The individual price is L$125 per color and the Fat Pack (yes, buy it) of all 7 colors sells for L$611. The layer options are quite nice with a two piece combination choice of shirt/undershirt top and pant/underpant bottom or a full jacket layer. Add the prim sleeves and collar and you are out the door. (One note: The pants layer is mislabled as "top" in the green - it is indeed the wide knit bottom.)

Pull on an autumn delight at the Persona Main Store.

Top Left:
Top - Dita Knit Blouse (Green) by Persona
Hair - Miranda (Coffee Bean) by House of Heart
Eyes - Transparency Shine (Forest Green) by Glanz
Skin - Sunkissed V1 (Smokey 02 DB) by [KA] Skins
Jewelry - Crystal Charm Set (Money) by Earthstones

Bottom Right:

Top - Dita Knit Blouse (Black) by Persona

Kilt - Ruffian Blue (Women's) by Boom

Boots - Ankle Boots (Black Patent) by Bax Boots

Stockings - #24 (Torn, Lace Top, Black) by Sheer

Hair - Solid Wave (Neo Black) by Find Ash

Persona - Helena Shirt

The second I saw this outfit, I knew I needed it. Not wanted, needed. Classic styling, two skirt lengths in bright clear colors, back seamed stockings and a tailored black shirt to die for. I had the shirt paired with the Puma Jie skirt in my head before I hit buy. The skirt comes in blue, green, orange, pink, and purple - though it doesn't really describe the richness of the texture and tone of the skirt. There is a light catching sheen to the outfit that makes it positively lustrous and a bargain at L$300.

There are skirts and skirt bases (bases come in two layers) in long and tea length, the shirt comes in all three layers and the prim collar and cuffs are absolutely gorgeous. There is also a scripted Intelliskirt version of both skirts that kicks in for adjustment on first wearing. My only complaint is that all the shirt layers include the high waist from the skirt, but with three layers, if you don't want to use the skirt color as a waist sash it just requires a bit of finagling to make it all work together. That said, once you are done, the results are absolutely spectacular.

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Add a dash of color to your wardrobe at the Persona Main Store.

On the left:

Outfit - Helena (Purple) by Persona

Shoes - Bitch Booties (Black) by Stiletto Moody

On the right:

Shirt - Helena by Persona

Skirt - Puma Jie by Icing

Tattoo - Flora 2 by addiXion

Shoes - Bitch Booties by Stiletto Moody

Update - Helena Shirt by Persona

I officially love Myllie Writer of Persona. Not only was she kind enough to read my post on the Helena outfit, but as a result of customer feedback, she has eliminated my only complaint by releasing the Helena shirt as a separate! In eight colors, no less! Each color is L$95 separately or can be bought in one of two tonal fat packs for L$300. The first soft colors pack has metallic green, light grey, dark grey and creamy shirts while the strong colors pack holds black, blue, purple and red.

I've edited in the details on the shirt release, but noticed while I was there that there is a Helena set in a deep rich burgundy now that has me drooling. Thanks so much, Myllie!

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.

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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...

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

Hair is all Hair Fair 2008 Freebies

(Jewelry by EarthStones, Top by Persona)

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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

EarthStones - Stone Donut Jewelry

EarthStones is the first jewelry store I went into in SL and I've been going back there ever since. When I received the group notice about the Stone Donut Necklace, I finished up what I was doing and raced over - when the second notice about the matching earrings arrived, I was wearing an entire set within minutes. I've pulled them out time and time again since buying a set in Labradorite and I wish I had gone ahead and gotten a Fat Pack, darnit.


While the name is a pretty accurate description, "Stone Donut" doesn't capture the warmth and uniqueness of the polished stone and leather combination. The necklace has a high wrap loop combined with a drop to capture the smooth stone, finishing with a tassel at the bottom. The earrings compliment the necklace perfectly with smaller donuts and trim providing a simple, casual look that will nevertheless get noticed.
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The necklace and earrings are sold separately for L$249 each and come with both brown and black leather included for the price. There are also four Fat Packs in each the necklace and earring sets that sell for L$750 and will allow you to have four colors to choose from for a total cost of $1500. The Classic Pack is comprised of Onyx, Lapis Lazuli, Mother of Pearl and Red Jasper while the Earthy Pack contains Golden Calcite, Green Apatite, Tiger's Eye and Labradorite. For the softer side, the Romance Pack has Sunstone, Moonstone, Rose Quartz and Amethyst and finally the Cool Pack rounds out the collection in Turquoise, Malachite, Chrysocolla and Lapis.

For a casual, earthy look that can't be beat, teleport to EarthStones Jewelry Main Store at EarthBound.

On the left:
Jewelry - Stone Donut Necklace & Earrings (Labradorite/Black) by EarthStones.
Blouse - Helena (Black) by Persona
Hair - Writer (Black) by Detour

On the right:

Jewelry - Stone Donut Necklace & Earrings (Labradorite/Brown) by EarthStones.
Blouse - Dress Shirt (Open Button, Brown, 20% Sheer) by X2

Hair - Luna (Java) by Detour

Kiki's Closet - Flirt Skirt

I warned you I was in a short skirt mood and it continues on (though tomorrow will *not* be a skirt - promise). That said, here's another must have black skirt from Kiki's Closet - though it comes in two other colors as well (tartan and stripe) and I recommend at least two. There are five skirt and belt combinations that include three buckled belts, unbelted, single belted and, of course, the large prim back bow can be worn in several mixes as well. Long and short pants come in both layers (great for tattoos) as do the high waist shirt top which comes in 3 layers for versatility.

I was so excited when I saw this skirt because I knew it was what I had been searching for to pair with DE Designs Tango Spring 08 blouse. The skirt also comes with a matching thigh belt that peeks out from under the skirt to add a little extra "umph" (not that it doesn't have it's own) and the lace edging is a terrific touch. For L$100 , I admit that I bought two and am so happy to have done so (and will probably go back to finish out my set).

For an incredibly versatile flirty skirt with an edge, visit Kiki's Closet.

On the left:
Shirt - Tango Spring 08 Blouse (Black) by DE Designs
Skirt - Flirt Skirt (Blacks) by Kiki's Closet
Boots - Bot's Black by Storm Schmooz

On the right:

Shirt - Helena Shirt (Black) by Persona

Skirt - Flirt Skirt (Tartan) by Kiki's Closet

Boots - Bitch Booties (Black/Black) by Stiletto Moody

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

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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