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.

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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.

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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

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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

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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.
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See everything more clearly at the AIR Main Store.

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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.
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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...
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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. =)