The Unofficial Second Life® Fashion and Shopping Blog

You know that your shopping experience at Datenshi Creations is going to be a little bit different the second you arrive. It takes a moment to rez, as you find yourself in a playful little open field beside flowers and a wishing well. Slowly, as your surroundings take shape, you realize you have to choose a shopping direction - one of the two more traditional little storefronts, the giant teapot, or the slightly spooky Victorian house further back nestled amid the trees.

Well, kids, it doesn’t matter which one you pick first because there are goodies behind every door.

Door #1: MUWU. This outfit is appropriately titled “Painting Madness” and I’ve been enjoying the hell out of it. It’s such a simple concept, and yet the look feels much more creative amid the glam dress up craziness most of us swirl in. The prim rolled-up cuffs add charm and detail to a the casual pairing of top and pants and the tattoo layer gloves of paint stains are another little wink.

Door #2: Kuroi Hane: If gothtastic lotita stuff is your thing, this is your place. I know this first outfit “Ichigo” looks like the uniform of a Strawberry Shortcake ice show skater, but it’s got incredible detail and it’s just so damn sweet. It comes with parasols for each hand and has oodles of prim details from the puffy bell sleeves to the belt and stocking ties.

The black “Hinata” is far more mainstream goth lolita. Both dresses have incredibly good prim skirts with great movement. The textures are top-drawer here. You can always tell how skilled a designer is by checking out the black textured items where shading and detail becomes far more challenging.

More after the cut!
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This year for my birthday, Gracie girl got me some toucans for the Freudian Slip to go along with the herons, pelicans, squids, and music monkeys that hold watch over the decks while no one’s dancing.

These toucans, like everything from Duggy Bing’s Cartoonimals, are drop-dead adorable. Their style is more exaggerated than realistic, which is an aesthetic I find I’m drawn to more and more within our virtual habitat.

The flying toucan model allows you to set a number of locations after rez so that you can program in a flight path for those who might want to give chase in hopes of fruit loops. The seated version remains perkily in place, opening its beak from time to time and giving a slight tilt of head.

There is a happy zoo at the Cartoonimals store, from door-scratching kitties to big ear-flapping elephants to small skittering turtles and even flying aliens in mini spaceships. I can’t speak for the entire inventory, but the selections I brought home were well adjusted to havok4 living and operated from low-lag scripts. This was a delightful change over some of the more lag-heavy wildlife I’d encountered in the past.

Unable to be contented by just toucans, I hurried over and begged another friend for some flamingos and treated myself to a hug-tastic monkey for the Slip. Then I discovered a few wearables lingering amid the funky critters, and it was all over but the shopping.

Yes, that’s right. Jammies. Could you die? These pjs come in kitty cat, skunk, elephant and monkey style sets that all include boy and girl friendly pjs in different color options. The tops and bottoms are nice, but pretty basic and uninspired. They’ll do the job for any pajama party you’ve got to crash, however, and no one’s really going to care once they catch sight of your slippers - which are just about the most squee-tastic novelty slippers in all SL. I am ALL about these tail-wagging, sweet-faced kitty slippers. The bottom prim is white and tintable so you have a little bit of leeway when it comes to matching ‘em up and THE EYES BLINK. Seriously. Can you live without a pair? No, I didn’t think so.

The next “oh my god, I have to have that!” is the Carmen Miranda hat. Over 350 prims in 2 pieces, this work of art is prim decadence. The minute you put it on, you get this flamboyant need for bright red tango dresses and feel the irresistible urge to wiggle a la Copacabana with Groucho Marx. I cannot defend how often you’ll have use for it or why it’s so damn necessary. It’s just…so damn necessary. From the pineapple crown to the dangling grapes and peeking monkey, I cannot imagine anything that has tickled my little-girl dress-up monster more than this hat. He gives you three sizes to choose from for the base and they all flawlessly work with the upper attachment.

I may have to beg for matching fruit themed jewelry, but I haven’t stopped squeeing yet.

Last, but so far from least, are these little pet carrier backpacks, complete with baby animals you can wear and adore. When I first got to tinkering with these, I was disappointed because the backpacks only came in a really large size that took me the better part of half an hour to fit - and even then, it wasn’t a good fit. After I explained to Duggy that most of us girls weren’t amazon women from the moon, however, he quickly obliged and made small and medium carrier straps that provide a much nicer fit with a lot less tinkering.

You know you gotta have one, and let’s face it - don’t we all sometimes crave a reason to shout “keep your damn hands off my monkey!”

Run over to Cartoonimals and you’re bound to find something that is your cuppa. If I’m wrong - I’ll eat my hat. *grin*

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Maybe it’s a product of my Southern upbringing, but there’s just something about Spring that always says “hats” to me. I don’t know if it’s because of Easter and all the great bonnets I see other women wearing to church, or the long tradition of equestrian events such as the Kentucky Derby that you basically can’t attend without a lovely hat perched on your head. Or maybe it’s just that there’s something inherently fun about wearing a big floppy hat on a warm, sunny Spring day.

Even so, I have to admit that my RL hat collection is generally limited to the baseball caps that I have in case I need to cover up a shameful hair situation. (Sadly, they get worn with alarming regularity.) But with bad hair and practicality taking a back seat in Second Life, I decided that my first SL Spring would be an excellent time indulge in a little fine millinery. When I ran across some pictures of the recent fashion show held by Ivalde in partnership with Elegance Hats, I knew exactly where I needed to go. What I found at Elegance Hats was a surprising range of styles, some excellent primwork, and the perfect way to treat my hat fever.

I told myself I would resist saying it because it’s Salome’s word and I hate paying her royalties, but I can’t help but “squee” a little at this hat. It’s called Evie, I’m wearing the red version, and I honestly may not take it off until September. It’s just a perfect Spring hat - a wide brim with a layer of white tulle underneath, and these amazingly detailed flowers running out from the crown. I also love the way the hat sits on my head, slightly cocked to one side. Somebody get me a mint julep, I’m ready for the Derby.

One of my fears with any accessory this detailed is the prim count, and the Evie weighs in at a hefty 170 prims, because of all the floral accents. So you might not want to wear this to anywhere that’s crowded, though it hasn’t stopped me. (Shush, I’m sure everybody was happy to undergo a little lag in return for seeing my hat.) Elegance Hats’ owner Morrigan Hyun tells me Evie is the first in her Spring/Summer 2008 line, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the line holds when it’s released.

Well, apparently it’s in my contract that I can’t just wear one hat around all the time, and I actually have to review a few more. Okay, fine. Good thing there’s a lot to love from Elegance Hats’ selection. I’ve changed into a hat named Nancy in black and white, which is a sophisticated fascinator style that perches forward on my head. The centerpiece is a tiny little silk tophat, which I just think is too cute. The hat is surrounded by layers of black netting having teensy little white floral accents. Again, the primwork on this hat is just perfect. It’s extravagant, it’s dramatic, and it had me at hello.

Let me just give you a quick aside here about adjusting hats. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has been frustrated in the past with getting SL hats to fit over my noggin and hair, without having to stretch the hat so large that it ends up looking like I’m wearing a large satellite dish on my head. That’s probably why you see so many hair designers making hairstyles that have hats built-in.  But there’s something to be said for hats that are their own attachment, because you can then match them to multiple hairstyles.  The hats I’m reviewing here from Elegance Hats are all full-mod, so you can stretch if you need to. To tell the truth though, none of them gave me any major problems with fit, which I think can be chalked up to good design work from Morrigan. If you do get a hat that you can’t stretch to fit your hair without it looking silly, I’d recommend trying a smaller hairstyle, or making a copy of the hair and editing or removing the offending prims, as described in our handy-dandy hair editing guide.

I can’t end my review without also mentioning that Elegance Hats has a great selection of period-inspired hats as well, from the Victorian era onward. If you ask me, the Thirties were a great time for womens’ hats, and I’ve chosen the Thirties-inspired Greta in red to show you here. It’s a very fun silk number, and again I love the playful tilt of the hat to the side. It’s less primmy than the other hats I’ve reviewed, but it still manages a lovely hatpin accent on the front.

If there’s a drawback to be found in any of Elegance Hats’ products, it’s that they’re based on sculpted prims which have the tendency to look odd at distant camera angles. For example, at distant zoom, the white tulle underlayer of Evie is visible through the top of the hat. Of course, that’s no fault of Morrigan’s, it’s a limitation of Second Life and happens with all sculpted prims. Personally, I think it’s a fair tradeoff for getting all the luscious prim goodness that sculpties allow, but I wanted to let you know in case it’s something that bothers you. Me, I’m going to keep wearing my Elegance Hats and just make sure that I stand close to everyone I meet.  But not too close… I hear hat fever’s quite contagious.

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It was time to go. It would be a dangerous attempt, but I had to try. The night air was cool and still. The muted sounds of gunfire could be heard in the distance. I peeked out from the doorway and looked up and down the street. All appeared quiet. It was now or never. My heart raced as I stepped one foot out into the street. My other foot followed and I paused, looking again up and down the darkened roadway for any sign of movement. I had to go. It was just at the end of the block, I could make it.

Pushing off from the doorway, I sprinted through the silent air. My footsteps echoed through the walls between the buildings lining the street. I was making too much noise, but I couldn’t stop now. I’d already made my presence known if anyone was looking. I continued my run, breathing hard.

Was that someone in the shadows in the alleyway I just ran past? Couldn’t risk looking back to see. My destination was close ahead. If I just kept running I could make it.

Another sound, off to my left. I’ve been seen for sure. But I’ll make it. I know I can make it. Only a bit further and I’ll be there. I dove forward and ducked behind a barrel. I made it, but they could still follow me in. I looked around quickly. I was told this place would have something for me that I needed. Then I saw it. An image on a wall. I knew this was it…

…and it was sexy, too!

Oh wait! What? WWI stands for Worldwide Industries?! Ummm, please disregard the frazzled kitty that dove in. Nothing to see here!

Worldwide Industries, created by Minde Mills and Ichibod Etchegaray, offers sexy designs, great texture work, a little bit of dirt, and of course, barbed wire. The top and skirt in the above outfit come from an set called, “Mad Plaid”. It comes in a pack of Tan, Green, and Red colors. The socks are “Boyfriend Socks”, in the dirty variety, yes you can get them clean, too. The pack of these include tan, black, red, blue, and green. And the barbed wire leg warmers are called…wait for it…”Barbed Wire Legwarmers”. I combined these with some boots from Ambush. They’re called “Cossack Boots” and they also are a must have for every dirty kitty out there. Hey, when you enjoy cleaning yourself so much, you need to get dirty, right? Riiiight??

WWI isn’t all about showing some skin, they do have quite a few outfits and tops that are simply delightful and covering, but today I’m not that girl. The triangle bikini top shows a nice hint of underboob, which is simply adorable. I mean, come on. The skirt comes with a nice little set of glitch-shorts, which are well hidden by the skirt itself. So much so that they aren’t even required, unless you’re the prim and proper type. I would even venture to say that there are those that like to wear panties underneath as opposed to gitch-pants, for that bit of sexiness. Not that I’m saying there’s a market out there for glitch-pants-less skirts (*nodding vigorously*), but it’s great to come across some good ones here and there.

Look at those lovely socks, too. Take what would normally be a knee-high sock, pull it up to your thighs, and dirty it up a bit and you’ve got total yum.

Another outfit here is called “Fallout Kitty”. Even though I only show you the pink version, it comes with a grey set as well. Again, lovely texturing. As you’ll notice, the colors are never bold and bright. Everything has a faded look to it. They’re beat, up, they’re grungy, they’re delightful. Hey, if it looks comfy, it’s comfy. This set comes with a pair of barbed wire cuffs, too. Just what I needed to go with the leggies! I’m no Wonder Woman, but I’m betting they’ll fend off anything I don’t want going on…which reminds me, I need to take those off!

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