Some people may choose to ring in the new year, but I prefer to Rock!

The Rebel, Rebel collection from 5th & Oxford features two t-shirts and a halter, each in five colors and a denim mini with prim skirt and sculpted belt in four colors.  There is also a coordinating home furnishings collection with wall and floor textures, two record mobiles and a sofa in two colors.  As usual, Roslin Petion and CJ Carnot haven’t left a single detail to chance in creating these items.  One of my New Year’s resolutions is to rebuild my home on Night Flower and you can be sure that I will find a place for all of these pieces!

Style Notes:
Clothing: Rebel, Rebel Collection by 5th & Oxford (Punk Princess tee in Pink, Rock Royalty tee in Lilac and Halter in Black, Skirt with Belt in Asphalt)
Vest: Tweedheart Vest by Djinn & Tonic
Socks: Loose Leggings ver.2 by Amerie
Necklace: Secret Necklace by Kotolier in Onyx
Bracelets: Love Cuff by GBL and Spangle Mixed by Kookie
Earrings: Deco Blocks by Beguiled
Shoes: Buckle Boots by ETD in Black
Skin: Brooke Winter Stars by 5th & Oxford
Hair: Noah by Truth in Champagne
Eyes: Vetro by Exodi in Blue
Lashes: Beauty by Calla

I’m going to try to start doing some random Looks of the Day posts. Probably not everyday, but a few more than usual.  At least, that’s the plan…for now.

For this one, I mixed some casual, comfy-looking jeans from WoE with one of the new Slouching Cardigans from LeLutka. I layered the sweater over two of my staples, Djinn & Tonic’s Tweedheart Vest and MichaMi’s GlamTank.  I added a little sparkle with the Bandara Necklace and Ring from alaMood, some kicky heels from ETD and a new hairstyle from Maitreya.  The skin is Exodi’s newest and will be released later this week. I’ll have a proper preview of the whole line soon!

Happy Sunday…now, go shopping!
Cardigan: LeLutka – Jade’s Slouching Cardigan in Pea
Vest: Djinn & Tonic – Tweedheart Vest in Black
Tank: MichaMi – GlamTank in White
Jeans: WoE – GRJ-F7T Ellee Twain Jeans in Steel
Necklace & Ring – alaMood Bandara Collection in Silver Quartz
Belt: MAiiKI – High Waisted Belt V.2 in Patent Black
Shoes: ETD – Starley Pumps in Swirl Green
Hair: Maitreya – Green in Coffee
Skin: Exodi – Sienna (to be released Nov. 5)
Eyes: Exodi – Vetro in Blue (large, veins)
Nails: Ibizarre – Nail Polish in Diamont Black
Lashes: Calla – Lashes in Beauty
Poses: Diesel Works

I’ve recently become reacquainted with Moonshine.  No, I haven’t taken to distilling my own liquor, but I have rediscovered my fondness for Shelly Toonie’s designs.  I have an alt (shhh…don’t tell) whose inventory consists predominantly of Moonshine clothing, yet I have only a few pieces on my main account.  So, I was delighted when Shelly, a relatively new friend thanks to plurk, offered me her new Fleur Smock to feature here. Read the rest of this entry »

Raven Pennyfeather of RFyre has a design aesthetic that is all her own.  Established in 2004, RFyre’s pieces raise the bar, taking themed and roleplay costuming to a level of couture unlike anything other.  The Duchess of RFyre, Harper Beresford, is Raven’s right hand, and a very dear friend of mine.  She lovingly packaged a few of her favorite pieces for me to feature here.  I hope you won’t mind that I asked Codie to model with me. <3

First up, Twisted Swiss.  This adorable lolita design is a makeover of RFyre’s original which came in black and red.  It is available in white, and is stunning! but the texture is so gorgeous, I’m choosing to show you Twisted Swiss III on Codie and IV on me, so you can see Raven’s meticulous attention to detail when it comes to textures.  As hard as I tried, I just couldnt take a photo of the white that showed off the details as well, but trust me when I tell you that in-world…it’s a knockout!

For the next one, Codie chose RFyre Providence Womens Black. Harper tells me that Raven made this one once she had visited the new Insilico sim. It’s very future-inspired, but still sexy with the available sheer tops and harnesses. There are so many options to this outfit (an RFyre trademark) that you’ll never tire of mixing and matching. And the coat is simply amazing. I chose something a little vampy, a little gothy and with a whole lot of sex appeal – the RFyre Severage Series Noir Womens. The high collar and bustled skirt conceal some of the hottest latex lingerie I’ve seen.

Finally, we have RP Couture. There are several pieces in RFyre’s more economical, and perhaps a bit more mainstream line. But that doesn’t mean they are lacking her signature style or fantastic texture work. Summer Breeze, Clearwater on me and Miami on Codie, is a very versatile outfit. You can wear it with pants or with the short skirt, as you see here, or you may choose the full, floor length skirt that is included. I don’t quite know how to describe the texture on these pieces. The color is saturated, but graduates through the design, there is a depth to it, almost like you could run your fingers over the fabric and feel the indentations. It really is exquisite. Add in the keyhole halter and frilled collar and you have an outfit for any occasion.

The particulars: Raven Pennyfeather is the creator and Empress of RFyre and Harper Beresford, Duchess of RFyre, is the contact person.
You can find RFyre here, on Isle RFyre. You’ll also find some other fantastic designers on the Isle such as: Blue Blood, Black Canary, Avid, KC Fashions, Bax Boots, MADesigns, SF Designs, Haute Couture, Nonna Hedges, Grue Ling, Sky Everett Designs, and Jeepers Creepers.
Visit RFyre on the web for information about all of the available designs, or visit the RFyre store on XStreetSL.

I had planned to feature several outfits by Apple May Designs, but this week has been crazily hectic.  I had never heard of AMD before inspecting the gorgeous red skirt that Jori Watler was wearing while out dancing one night.  (Sidebar: I really hope these anti-inspect invisiprim things don’t catch on. Inspect is my best friend?) Judging by the size of the store, the quality of the designs and the number of people shopping, I’m a litle slow on the uptake.  Apple May has a fantastic selection of clothing from lingerie to formal wear, but it was her casual wear selection that really caught my eye.  It is vast! And there doesn’t appear to be anyting over L$300. In fact, most of the outfits I purchased (yes, I went on a bit of a frenzy) were less than L$200.

This outfit is Phoebe.  It comes with tweed shorts with sculpted cuffs and pockets, a sculpted scarf and two shirt options, solid and sheer.  Many AMD pieces are provided on multiple layers for easy mixing and matching.  I decided to put together a look I might wear out while shopping or running errands.  Be sure to stop into AMD and load up on some great looks!

Oh, and that great skirt I stole from Jori, its part of the Subtle outfit. I positively adore it!  And it comes with the jewelry!

Style Notes:

Outfit: Phoebe by Apple May Designs | Subtle by Apple May Designs (with Jewelry)
Hat: Vinyl Biker Hat by Tesla
Belt: Cachet, now Lelutka, Black Belt (Part of Deborah Outfit) by Cachet (now Lelutka)
Shoes: Hylda in Black Snake by Tesla
Tights: Argyle Stockings in Gray (Tinted) by Vinyl Cafe
Ring: Times Square Ring in Diamond by Paper Couture
Bag: That’s My Bag by Kittylicious
Necklace: Luxe Stranded Disc Necklace by Miam Miam (no longer available)
Hair: Angelina in Chestnut by Truth | Trinitee in Black by ETD
Skin: Candace Bare in Apricot by Exodi | Allure Cinnamon Lounge 3 by Fleur

I’m sure I’ve told you before that the very first SL blog I followed regularly was Milla Michinaga’s diary of daily looks.  I looked to her for inspiration and ideas.  If I was putting together a look that needed a particular style of shirt, for example, I would troll back through her archives and sure enough, I’d find exactly what I was looking for.

These days, I still look to Milla for ideas and inspiration, but not in her blog. Her clothing brand, MichaMi, is a collection of timeless, classic and infinitely versatile designs that look fantastic right out of the box, yet still mix and match easily with anything else in my inventory.   Her latest releases, Afton and Orla, are no exception.

Both Afton and Orla spoke to my inner-bohemian.  Afton, with its full skirt and structured harness, begged for a boho-chic look.  I’ve always been a fan of jewelry from Zaara, and the latest release, inspired by traditional Indian pieces is breathtaking.  I chose to layer my arm in gold and pearl bangles and added a hand ornament.  I’ve had the nosering in my inventory for ages, and it seemed to fit perfectly with the look, especially once I found my favorite gladiator sandals from J’s.  Jori had recently sent me some henna tats from HUZ by Hunain Bellic and the faded natural color really brought it all together for me. I was looking for a hairstyle that was loose and casual when Codie suggested that maybe something with a small flower would be nice.  For that I turned to Truth, my new go-to hair designer, and Aradia was the instant choice.

Orla, on the other hand, is a little sexier, a little edgier and I knew immediately I wanted to style it with a little boho-rock influence.  The Noomi jacket, also by MichaMi, with its buckled collar and short length upped the edge factor a bit.  I turned to Zaara, again, for some bold jewelry, this time from an older release, the Melange set.  Just as I was debating whether or not to wear a necklace, Jori sent me her new Risque pumps.  The instant I tried on the first pair, Deadly, I knew that Maitreya’s sangria-colored scarf would pull it all together.

Whatever style you are going for, MichaMi makes it so easy to look pulled together with just a few quick clicks of the mouse.  Visit her shop for more inspiration!

Style Notes:
Dress: MichaMi: Afton Dress in Cream and Brown and Orla Dress in Black
Jacket: MichaMi: Noomi Jacket in Sky
Shoes: J’s Real Toe Gladiator Sandals Dark Brown; Pretties by JB Risque in Deadly
Tattoos: HUZ-Henna 2-Two Shades-Fullbody in Natural Faded
Accessories:  Zaara Nizam Choodiya (bangles) and Nizam Haath-phool (hand-jewel); Nose ring Manadrop gold; Zaara Melange Earrings and Bangles in Blue; Maitreya Long Scarf in Sangria
Hair: Truth Aradia in Coffee; ETD Tasha in Black
Manicure: Exodi (Formerly Genesis) Angie Prim Nails S1 in Red Glitter
Eyes: Exodi Zbilja Eyes in Blue
Lashes: Miriel – Feather
Skin: Fleur Allure Cinnamon Lounge 1
Poses by AnaLu Fresh Poses

Isle Lunesea posted on her blog about how we can all do our part to reduce lag at crowded events, hunts and expos by choosing wearables that contribute to a low ARC or Avatar Rendering Cost.  So she challenged bloggers to come up with attractive, low-ARC outfits…under 100 ARC to be exact.  I really pushed the limit…and, okay, I might have dipped my toe over the line a little bit…but I came up with two looks that I think fit the spirit of the challenge.

There are those who will argue that ARC is a myth.  Personally, I will admit to being completely non-techy, so I don’t even pretend to understand all of the arguments for or against the legitimacy of ARC and its effect on sim lag.  In fact, just this week I discussed this with Codie and she tells me that, other than the sim build itself, skin is actually the largest contributor to lag at crowded events.  She made sense, but skin only has an ARC value of one.  So, how does that compute in the swirl of rationales debated by those for and against ARC as a lag measure?  But I digress.  This post is about the spirit of the challenge so lets get to the pictures, shall we?

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By now you I’m certain you’ve all heard that ETD has reopened with 2 brand new hairstyles and 2 new versions of previous styles. I’ve been changing them often and I have to say, I really love Elika’s new textures. It seems like braids and skinny headbands/wraps are one of the spring trends on the grid and Elika’s Chel is a beautifully executed example of that.

So, what else is new? Jori Watler of Pretties by JB has released a gorgeous pair of Short Stack boots, available in a wide range of colors. With the slouchy upper and the rounded toe, these are great for wearing with your favorite pair of jeans or a cute tunic for that slightly bohemian look.  Speaking of boho, Jori has also just released some fantastic Boho Chic Mules, so run over there and pick up the entire Piggeh Pack of suede and leather, and the boots…how can you possibly pass them up?!?  The top I’m wearing is part of a new release from Journey called Frills. My friend Java invited me to meet the designer, Journey McLaglin, last week and as I understand it, she has a new release every Wednesday and there’s usually some sort of free gift involved. I’ve already marked my calendar to investigate that further this week.  (By the way, the skirt on this dress is really cute, I promise to blog it properly soon, I was just in the mood for jeans today.)
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