The Unofficial Second Life® Fashion and Shopping Blog

The royal quest to satisfy my dress envy of a particular gown that my friend Elyse was wearing, led this Cinderella to VictoriaV McMillan and VictoriaV Fashion. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was more to this store than one very hot dress! I’ll share with you a few goodies that I found.

First THE DRESS…. when I saw Elyse wearing it at Bubbly Nightclub one night, I knew I had to have it. It’s called The Berry Dress and it was fashioned after a dress worn by a very famous Berry on the red carpet. I fell in love with the delicate work on the bodice; the roses are exquisite and, to my utter delight, placed precisely in the correct places so that there were no alterations necessary. I also have to say that for a dress with draping at the waist, which never seems to go well in SL, this one looks amazing!

It’s summer in the city and hey, even Cinderella has to work. I found the Heather All in One collection, also at VictoriaV. This mix-and-match set covers all of your bases from business casual to the power suit. Pants, skirts, and a few blouses this one has it all. I liked the idea of a summery white suit, and while not usually a fan of green, I think the green accents really add some life to each of the outfits. The only not-so-great thing I noticed was that the textures in this outfit aren’t as high quality as the textures in their formal-wear. Not that it keeps this from being a fabulous collection, it has everything you need as a girl on the go.

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It’s June and I just couldn’t get away without checking out Victoria’s line of bridal gowns. She had several lovely gowns for me to choose from, my favorite being the Barbie in gold. Yes, I said it, Barbie. I felt like Cinderella Barbie as I proceeded to glide across my floor in this gorgeous dream of a dress! I love the gold accents and the lovely and unobtrusive veil. Now all I need is a Prince Charming and I’m all set… any takers?

Last but not least we have another formal showstopper, the Alie. What caught my eye about this dress was the glittery texture on the bodice. It’s seems to be very difficult to get that kind of a look without it looking like polka dots gone wild, but I think Victoria has done a nice job with it here. It’s very elegant and refined and I felt fabulous in it.

All in all another successful shopping trip for this Cinderella, now… where did I park my carriage?

Until next time…

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Zoya

Gowns. Chambre du Chocolat gowns, “so ‘innocent’. I thought, oh, just one little” try on, “it can’t do any harm. But it turned out they were oh, so rich, sinful… ” …And they meld, God forgive me, they meld ever so slowly to the curves of your body, and “torture you…” My friends all know I get this reaction from chocolate, but Eshi Otawara’s Chambre du Chocolat gowns are having the same effect on me.

A friend sent me a pic of herself in a red gown, knowing red is not my favorite color, and sent me to meet Eshi. One look at the pic and I was on my way. Eshi has been in the clothing business for less than a month. She’s an artist, a builder, and is into Parsec, a very creative musical performance mechanism. The demonstration of Parsec, alone was an incredible experience. But the Heidi gown she has just released made me want to wear red!

She modeled it after Heidi Klum’s one-of-a-kind Galliano gown worn at the Oscars last week. From the sculptie draped stole to the fab bustle/train, it’s a pleasure to wear. The shading is marvelous. It seems to shine even in the crappy light of my photo sphere. There are 7 pieces to the outfit, including 3 flexi prim skirt sections.

Here is Heidi herself basking in the limelight at Oscar Night. Eshi’s friends clamored for more, so she relented and made this dress in blue and fuchsia, too.

Ok, the Heidi dress is a RL designer knockoff, you say, so what can she do on her own?

This, dear readers, is Eshi’s Smokey Tux Dress in blue. She’s planning on a line of high fashion couture outfits, that’ll make you stand out from the crowd. Here I am floating in all my glory in Eshi’s Parsec bubble. You don’t just wear this dress, it wears you! It moves and breathes and reacts to its surroundings. It does everything but croon to you. Viewed in Windlight, it glows from within. The bodice is actually a men’s tux shirt, but I love its simple, tailored lines in such contrast to the fluffy dream of the skirt.

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I absolutely adore angels, though usually the white fluffy kind. But when I saw Raven Pennyfeather’s Archangel costume, I broadened my scope a bit. House of Rfyre is known as mainly doing Goth fashions, for both men and women, but many of Raven’s things have a broader appeal.

Archangels are usually portrayed as messengers, but they are among the most important of all the angels. And this outfit endows them with power and more. Known for her rich textures, and many, many pieces, Rfyre did archangels up proud. This is the long skirt version, complete with breast plate, spear, and shoulder attachments. This mask has an attached halo, but the set comes with a plain mask, too. I wish there were eyeholes, it’s kind of eery, but the mask texture does hint at silvery eyes.

The skirt is narrower than intended, because I changed its flexi settings. I’ve already noticed in other outfits of Raven’s that her flexis drift with the wind. It’s not my personal preference to deal with that, so I solved it by eliminating the wind settings. Luckily, the skirt was mod, unlike most of the rest of the outfit. The wings are by Seraphina Pinion of Pinion Feathers. They’re sold separately, but there’s a handy vendor at Rfyre to purchase them easily. They come in small and large sizes, both in silver or gold. However, a HUD is included that let’s you change the wing colors. I do wish there was an option for white, though. The HUD also opens and closes the wings. You ca flex them for realistic flying, turn on wing lights, access a quick launch, all sorts of things.

In a closeup you can see the fabulous textures on the costume, from the breastplate attachment to the chain mail arm coverings. I did adjust the breastplate up a bit to better protect my twins.

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Anyone who knows me knows my love for vintage fashion. And nobody does it better than Neferia Abel, of Ivalde. She covers all time periods, and with an attention to historic detail that is amazing. Now and again, she even asks my opinion of an item in production on one of my areas of expertise. This is one lady who does her homework, and works long hours to bring us goodies. So I was excited to see advance pics of her upcoming fashion show releases because I’ve been wanting to do her for you all.

We’re traveling all the way back to 1900 now, with an Edwardian confection named Lilje. From the sheer touches on the shoulders and sleeves, down to the ribbon and lace trimmed hem, it’s a lovely gown. I especially love the huge bow on the back. The whole outfit is so very dainty and feminine, something my dear departed mother despaired of for me.

This is the gown in white, which also comes in 3 other colors: pink, lavender, and mint. The fragile flexi prim sleeve cuffs cover enough to only necessitate wearing short gloves for a finished ensemble. These sheer lacy ones I filched from Bossa Nova’s Francoise dress. Nef’s new release dresses are all paired with hats from Elegance Hats, done by Morrigan Hyun. This one is Lily, in pink. I found hair to fit under it without a lot of trouble, and felt very grand sporting it to an event in Caledon.

Lilje is just right for bending that pinky at an afternoon tea party, a ladylike croquet game on the lawn, or a stroll in the garden.

(More after the cut)

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