Otherworldly

Siyu Suen of Illusions may be best known for her masks, but she also creates a wide variety of other accessories, from jewellery to elf ears. Most recently, she has released a few designs that started out as commissions, including two different French hoods. Properly, these should be used to fasten a veil or a coif, but I think they look lovely (if not historically accurate) on their own as well. This, the Katarina French Hood, is the more elaborate of the two styles (the Anna French Hood lacks the stones and the outer pearl trim), but both styles are of course scripted for texture changing, allowing for a range of customisation.

We’re actually in the middle of a sim remodelling right now—we’ve got the crazy idea of trying to make some mini-areas inspired by different regions of Westeros—so shooting outdoor photos is a bit tricky. However, I just had to find some way of shooting the latest mesh creation from Maxwell Graf of Rustica: the mangrove tree bridge. Fortunately, we did have a corner of the sim where some creative angling of the camera hid any signs of the ongoing work.

The mangrove tree bridge is currently available at the Garden. It is 12 meters long, 73 prims and mod and copy. That means you could make it larger, though the land impact would go up. The modelling and the texturing is, as with everything Maxwell puts out, quite superb. For a beachy or tropical sim, this would seem like a must-have piece of landscaping.

Genre has opened its June round and this time Art Deco is the theme. Fairy Sola of Studio Sidhe has made a lovely pack of stylish Art Deco-inspired poses that produce some elegant and period-appropriate silhouettes. The Josephine gown from Senzafine, also available at Genre, was of course the perfect dress to wear with these poses.

Alia Baroque of Fallen Gods and Libertine has released an update for the latter brand’s flagship product, the Marquis furniture set. I was thrilled to receive a review copy since I have very much enjoyed the original release of the Marquis set and the new release promised to be even better.

And it does not disappoint. As you will see by the following seven photos—maybe Ran and I got a little carried away, but that’s still only a fraction of the options—the full set gives you a lot to play with as each of the pieces of furniture include a wide array of poses (many new ones have been added compared to the initial release of the set), many which also give out props. Furthermore, each piece is now texture change, offering a total of 10 lush textures. The full set also offers both mature and adult versions of most of the pieces, save for the lounger which only has “safe” poses.

We went for the adult versions, so there’s some not very safe for work images behind the cut.

Sanura Snowpaw of Somnia has a number of new releases out and this little mesh number available at the Thrift Shop event caught my eye. I decided to pair it with a new hair from Truth and a new skin from one half of what formerly was Cupcakes.

I’ve spent a little too much time yesterday and today butting heads, so time to focus on something else instead. Such as the Scandal dress from Volstead, released for the World Goth Fair (now finished) and now available in-store and on the Marketplace. This gorgeous lace dress shows that it is possible to make partially see-through mesh, you just need to make the fit a little loser. This vintage shape is ideal for it, as well as being ever so decadent. It also comes with clothing layers, to add a bit more modesty and help out with breaks resulting from movement. For these static photos, however, I opted for no additional coverage, though it would be needed for wearing the dress out and about.

Yesterday, I was in Egypt (or well, in an Egyptian-inspired gown, anyway). Today, We Love Role-Play has helped transform me into something more fantastical. Perhaps a woodland creature, worshipping in a strange underground cave?

Round 2 of We Love Role-Play has opened. There’s a wide array of clothing, accessories and props on offer, covering a number of genres. And, there is stuff for the guys, too.

I am starting off with the fabulous Egyptian-inspired Tiye ensemble from Arwen’s Creations, a store full of gorgeous gowns. This one uses a very nice mesh gown as its core component; I was very pleased with the proportions.

A new round of FaMESHed is starting tomorrow and if you like corsets you just have to try on Perception’s new Sweetheart Overbust corset. Brand new is also the gorgeous necklace from Mandala and my hair is a recent release from Analog Dog’s Point B line.

Adam n Eve has just released a new skin, the lovely Brooke, as well as set of foot jewellery for Slink’s mesh feet. sachi Vixen is definitely not new to making skins—I dare not guess at how many different skins from her that my inventory contains—but mesh jewellery is something new.

I am also wearing one of the gowns from Pale Empress for the World Goth Fair as well as one of the newest hairs from Exile.

Fairs and events have definitely come to occupy a central position in Second Life. Some love it, some not so much. My favourites are the themed ones; the odds are always good that talented designers will get really creative with those. Such as the World Goth Fair, running from May 15th to May 31st and benefiting the Sophie Lancaster Foundation.

I can’t resist a sexy corset and the new Eros corset from Deviance definitely fits the bill. There’s a bit of fantasy element to it as well, with the studded hip skirt having almost an armoured feel, and that never hurts. I paired it with a skin from PXL, new hair from Ploom and accessories from lassitude & ennui and HANDverk. I am also using the newest prop from Glitterati, the Runway.

Have you been to We Love Role-Play yet? This event offers a wide selection of clothing, accessories, weapons and props for role-playing in Second Life—or for simply taking photos that aren’t just about the latest fashion. For myself and Ran, it lets us indulge in bringing something that’s very much on our minds all the time into Second Life. Most of you probably know it as Game of Thrones, but for us it is always A Song of Ice and Fire. We have a particular fondness for the history of Westeros, not the least for the many colourful Targaryens from its past. Thanks to the Muses we now have all sorts of very appropriate clothing for portraying some of them. If you know a bit of Targaryen history, take a guess at who these two are.

Do you roleplay in Second Life? Or do you perhaps—like me—just like dressing up for it? If so, We Love Role-Play is the event for you. Opening tomorrow, May 4th, it is a new monthly event that features clothing, accessories, props and anything else that might be useful for roleplaying in Second Life. There is a recurring roster of creators plus special guests for each cycle.

I am starting off with a look at a lovely mesh outfit from the Library.

Just a few hours remain of this year’s Fantasy Faire, so hurry over to do your last minute shopping and some final admiring of the lovely sims. There is also the first part of the Key of Hope hunt; I did it earlier today and you may be able to manage in the hours that remain.