Otherworldly

Volstead is a new brand from former PixelDolls creator Nephilaine Protagonist. Currently sold only on the Marketplace, the starting collection consists of two shoes and two gowns. The clothing was created for Shady Falls, a 20’s era roleplay sim, so naturally the style of the clothing is appropriate for the period. It is also all done in mesh, which lends itself very well to the kind of gowns one would expect for the 20’s. But, you don’t have to roleplay to wear it, of course!

Another round of Zodiac started yesterday and the Virgo event will run from the 23rd of August to the 17th of September. I quickly picked out some favourites yesterday, such as the nifty bucket prop from Cheeky Pea and Exposeur and the Kasia outfit from Evie’s Closet. Together they made me think Cinderella.

A new round of Collabor88 has just started. It is the 1 year anniversary for the event so there’s an extra large number of creators participating and the opulent theme for this month is Baroque. No wonder I found more than a few things to take home, such as a new Trompe Loeil prefab, a gorgeous corset from Ingenue, hair from elikatira and a Glam Affair skin.

Vintage Fair 2012 opens in just a few minutes and the three sims will be offering shoppers a huge array of vintage-flavoured products, from avatar accessories to props and furnishings of all kinds. I was lucky enough to get a preview of some great hairs from Wasabi Pills as well as two fabulous props from LostAngel. Both Ran and I are also wearing new skins; he’s wearing the male Nephilim skin from Nomine and I am wearing the Hollywood skin from Adam n Eve, another Vintage Fair release.

On July 23rd, Zodiac opens. A new monthly, themed event (have I mentioned I love themed events?) centered around the Zodiac. I am already looking forward to Scorpio very expectantly, but first up is Leo. And for that sign, Faery Sola of Studio Sidhe has made a lion which she very kindly gave me a preview of.

Also, don’t forget that Hair Fair is still going strong; the hair I am wearing is one of Wasabi Pills mesh hairs for the event.

We finally got some actual sunlight here in Sweden, but last night I did manage to shoot some more Hair Fair 2012 photos, this time to feature a few hairs from Alice Project on the Hair Fair - Flower sim.

First, however, I really have to congratulate the team behind the Hair Fair for this years build. I am on a pretty poor connection while on vacation and my laptop isn’t all that great, but I was actually able to pop in and grab a few things as long as I kept my draw distance down. Things seem to rezz very well and the layout is easy to navigate. Plus, it looks great.

On the Hair Fair - Garden sim you will find Leverocci and from them comes the second hairstyle I’ve chosen to feature from Hair Fair 2012. It is another long mesh style, this one with a bit of femme fatale feel, and since Leverocci offers a mix pack with selected colours I was able to get my hands on a range of options for a good price. But it had to be a red for this shot.

Hair Fair 2012 is finally here and with it comes four sims full of brand new hairs. As usual, the fair benefits the Wigs for Kids charity, so you can shop and contribute at the same time. Mesh is, as expected, big this year and the hairstyle of the fair has to be the braid across the shoulder; I’ve seen a bunch of great ones.

My first pick is a mesh hair (for long hairs, I find it hard to even consider anything else now) but it isn’t a braid. Instead, it is this charming style from Exile, found on the Hair Fair - Sand sim.

From the 9th to the 15th the One Voice fundraiser is taking place on the Mesh sim. The fundraiser has been organised to raise money for Gala Phoenix of Curio who has been caught up in a legal battle concerning her skins. She explains the issue in detail on her blog. Since the potential exists that any other creator could be targeted in a similar manner, many Second Life creators have decided to take part in this fundraiser to show that they will not idly allow such things to happen.

One Voice features a large number of creators who, on very short notice, have setup to sell creations that benefit Gala Phoenix at either 50% or 100%. Many have even created new and sometimes exclusive items for the fundraiser. In this post, I am showing just a few pieces, from Solange, elymode and mE. I am also using poses from Bent available at the fundraiser and I am using a Curio skin.

With the Ashima blouse, Zaara is making her first foray into mesh, and I am happy to report that the style of this blouse is one that has the potential to work very well even if you don’t like to change your shape for mesh. The billowing sleeves, the drapery across the torso and the loose fit over hips and bottom means that it is very forgiving. It is also great for wearing with mesh pants since it covers the sometimes problematic waistline, so I have paired it with a pair of jeans from One Bad Pixel. My shoes (and feet) are from lassitude & ennui and my hair from Wasabi Pills.

Finally, I am also wearing a jewellery set by Dark Mouse which sadly will be closing soon and is having a sale on all her jewellery and hair. Don’t miss that!

Yesterday, I found myself wanting to get a photo or two in for the Hair Fair contest before the deadline at midnight. But, all the ideas I came up on the theme of “Freedom” with lacked the right hair or the right clothes or the right poses. Until, when flipping through poses, I came across LAP’s “Getting Down” set. Ah-ha. Dancing, losing oneself in the music, that is definitely an expression of freedom. I bought a hair I had been eyeing—Mango from DeLa, a new-to-me store with some really nice mesh hair and a nice range of reds—and I knew I had the perfect outfit in elymode’s 54 separates.

But, where to shoot? It proved very hard to find a good-looking disco or nightclub that wasn’t packed with people, but then I recalled a recent release from chanimations called NeonLights. It turned out to be perfect.

It isn’t often that you get such a treat, but the skin I am wearing today is a new version of an old favourite; Zarya from Skin Within. It is available at Flawless Summer Lovin’ Sale for just L$50!

I am also wearing a drop-dead gorgeous new jewellery set from Earthstones and the mesh sari from {bilo} that came out some weeks ago.

The Fairy Tales event opened yesterday. It runs until July 8th, but with such a theme I just had to try and get in there as soon as possible. The haul from my first visit ended up being a hair from Exile and a mesh corset from Aura. I had my eye on another mesh piece as well, but since there wasn’t a demo I had to pass it by.

I am also wearing a pair of brand-new mesh sandals (with mesh feet) from lassitude & ennui and I am using the Godswood skybox from Trompe Loeil.

From Slink comes these gorgeous ballet slippers in mesh, made to work perfectly with her lovely mesh feet. I thought they went quite well with this two-part dress from Sn@tch which has a clothing layer top and a mesh skirt that was quite forgiving of different shapes. I am also wearing the latest skin from Adam n Eve, Esha.

Need a place to hang out and sigh wistfully once the second season of Game of Thrones ends on Sunday? Then this gorgeous new skybox from Trompe Loeil for FaMESHed might be something for you. Inspired by the godswood at Winterfell, it features a beautiful weirwood (alas, no carved face on the trunk) overlooking a dark pond.

My outfit isn’t exactly A Song of Ice and Fire-inspired; it is the dark version of Nomine’s Ariel limited edition wedding gowns. I loved the drama of it together with the moody skybox, however. That said, there’s a final shot in this post that references a scene from A Dance with Dragons—can you pin-point which one?

As an aside, both Ran and I would love to see some more A Song of Ice and Fire-inspired things in SL, especially clothing that looks right for the books!