The Unofficial Second Life® Fashion and Shopping Blog

Let me be the first to say that Ginny Talamasca of Dazzle Haute Couture makes a charmingly irritating interviewee. First she shows up wearing the same dress I just blogged two days ago, but looking better in it than I do. Then she gets naked in an interview about clothing. She’s managed to upstage both Salome and I in our own blog, and done it effortlessly. Luckily for the rest of us, a little bit of that Diva style rubs off on all her creations, so we can buy them and hope it rubs off on the wearer, too…

Sabrina: How did you get started designing at DAZZLE and how did you name your business?

Ginny: I’ve always had an interest in clothing design, and am a jewellery designer by trade. Wanting to make things was an instantaneous sort of whim upon entry into Second Life. I saw a lot of interesting pieces of fashion and architecture, but I thought I had something a bit different to add to the mix. I thought I could carve my own ‘niche,’ if you will. I love legitimately pretty pieces of feminine clothing. I don’t think something being beautiful means you don’t have a point-of-view in the fashion industry. I think, as a matter of fact, it implies you’re willing to put something pretty out there for the sake of its beauty or detail.

So about seven and a half months ago I bought a Sim and developed it into a nice little mall with the help of a friend and plopped my anchor store at its apex. Of course, I had to close the mall when I realized I was a voluminous prim whore…

I love things that shimmer and shine (read: diamonds and platinum!), so a term like ‘dazzle’ kept popping into my head. The cheekiness and thought process behind couture clothing pushed me to coin the ‘haute couture’ portion of the name. So quite boringly and common-sensically, “Dazzle Haute Couture” came into being.

Sabrina: What were the early days of your business like? What have you learned since then?

Ginny: I had a regular clientele and a loyal following of those regulars for a long time. It was a wonderful time of learning for me. I am self-taught in Photoshop (as a substantial portion of us are in SL), so each outfit was an experiment in perfectionism. I feel like now, I’m finally in the position where I’ve garnered enough skill to bring things to life almost exactly the way I see them. I think that’s important for any artist: that the product have a semblance of his or her vision.

I learned a lot about pricing. It’s important to keep a portion of your store’s inventory readily-accessible to clients who may not have Second jobs or Second careers. I also think it’s important to price things fairly for yourself, though. There is no point in spending hours in PS, MAYA, or SL if you won’t turn enough profit to sustain the continuation of the work you enjoy.

I also learned about marketing. There are just as many ‘hype-monsters’ lurking in the digital realm, ready to take your hard-earned $L with promises of “increased traffic and business.” At the end of the day (much like real-life), we’re the captains of our own boats. You have to establish an original feel to your product, your store, and the lifestyle you’re promoting.

Sabrina: What are your favourite items in your store at the moment?

Ginny: I am in love with the “Paradoxe” dress and bubble skirts in general. I also love some of the men’s items I’ve been working on, like the “BoyToy” series of shirts with jeans. The men’s line is a bit cheeky. I love the idea of sexing up men’s clothes a bit in here. It’s just my own take and I don’t do them often. But it’s nice to see guys wearing something fun. There’s only so much leather and velvet one can take!

I also love my latest prim gown, “Stunning.” Prim gowns were my first love and I think what could have first drawn the attention of customers. I don’t do them as often anymore, but when I do, I love to see people come in, trying them on as they purchase them. Who doesn’t love mounds of shimmering fabric? Real-life, dresses like these are fluid sculptures. I can’t wait to make them with flexi-prims.

Sabrina: How much of what you do is driven by what you personally want to create vs what you think the market is interested in buying?

Ginny: I have definitely designed things by the suggestion of customers – like the slew of babydoll dresses and tops that I did. If people enjoy something and want more of it in a different pattern/cut/texture, I think it’s a wonderful thing to provide more of it. I don’t think it’s selling out, necessarily, since you thought of the outfit that inspired the requests. In general, though, I capriciously make what I want to make. Occasionally I’ll be a bit humdrum and IM one of my friends and say, “What’s up lova? You got an idea of what you want to see?” So good friends can help pull me out of design ‘funks.’

This is my creative mantra: How would I dress my best friends in real-life for certain life events? Going to the dance club. Going to a party. A high-society function. A gala. Shopping. What would they let me get away with in terms of what I chose for them to wear? There are distinct design movements in my collections and I can pretty much tell you which real-life friend inspired them.

Sabrina: Where do you enjoy shopping in SL and what other designers’ clothing do you wear?

Ginny: To be honest? I don’t get out very often. And when I do go shopping, it’s for hair, hair, more hair, jewellery, more jewellery, and accessories! I am an ETD, Lashed, and Fashionably Dead addict. Elika Tiramisu, Lash Xevious, and Toast Bard are SL Style Icons. The same can be said of elka Lehane and Fallingwater Cellardoor. I own virtually every shred of jewellery from both of them.

I’ll admit this with complete freedom: accessorizing can make or break an outfit. And I tell my customers all of the time, “Go to Shiny Things. Go to ETD. Go to !BF! boing fromage. Go to Lashed. Go to Fashionably Dead. Add pieces of other designers’ work to mine. It’s what makes style happen.”

I’d never wear an all-Gucci outfit in real-life. Why would someone do that in Second Life? The real magic with my clothing happens when I slap on this choker with that hair and those shoes. As dramatic as people portray the design community, we’re interconnected and importantly so. We provide tools of self-expression.

Anyway, those are a few of my absolute favorites. I have an inventory that will soon rival Willow Zander’s! I seek fabulousness wherever it’s found. (Circulate the memo: Ginny Talamasca is like chicken pox to your account history – eventually everyone gets my business!)

Sabrina: Is Second Life a full-time job, a part-time job, or a hobby for you?

Ginny: It’s an incredible hobby that has become a full-time job for me. I will always love jewellery design and fabrication, so I could never leave my real-life passion. And there’s a solid love, too, in me, for starting and seeing through successful business ventures. I love meeting people in Second Life, but the interaction with my customers real-life holds an incredible importance with me. I love prim jewellery, but a real padparadscha sapphire is still a real padparadscha sapphire. A real diamond is still a real (and yummy) diamond.

But I’d definitely say I spend as much time working real-life as I do in Second Life. Which explains the big bags under my eyes and a boyfriend who squawks at me about how much time I spend on the computer!

Where to Buy

First Picture:

DAZZLE Haute Couture
Paradoxe Dress; $250
Innamoramento 116, 128, 22

Hair: “poof poof” - by Toast Bard (Fashionably Dead)
Jewellery: “cameo et sautoir” and “ancient dangles” charm bracelet in gold - by elka Lehane (!BF! boing fromage)
Shoes: “sleek laceup boots” in charcoal - by Fallingwater Cellardoor (Shiny Things)
Skin: “Charmed Tone 70 - nude gloss” - by Starley Thereian (Celestial Studios)

Second Picture:

DAZZLE Haute Couture
Melancolie Dress: $250
Innamoramento 116,128,22

Hair: “Graceful” - by Elikapeka Tiramisu (ETD)
Jewellery: “Aubrey” set in silver - by Fallingwater Cellardoor (Shiny Things)
Shoes: “Libertine” in sterling - by Lyra Muse (Papillonnerie)
Skin: “Charmed Tone 70 - nude gloss” - by Starley Thereian (Celestial Studios)

Third Picture:

Hair: “Godiva” in blonde redux - by Lash Xevious (Lashed)
Jewellery: “chandelier & leaves earrings” in gold - by elka Lehane (!BF! boing fromage)
“Charmed Tone 70 - nude gloss” - by Starley Thereian (Celestial Studios)