Sapphire's Eve

The clothing at Glitterati is sure to please the budget-conscious shopper searching for an elegant look at a less expensive price, but I'd shop soon, because as Sapphire's talents ripen, I'd expect these prices to rise as she takes her place in the upper echelon of the Second Life™ design world - and I know she will!

Honey

Earlier this year, I was honored to be asked to model in the Fashion Designers Association show, where one of my outfits was a gorgeous gown by designer Mohna Lisa.

So when Mohna asked me to take a look at a couple of her new releases, I was quite happy to do so!

The gown above is Contessa dei Sogni - Nero and the gown below is Contessa dei Sogni. Both gowns sell for 699L$.

If you're looking for a soft, sexy, feminine gown with flowing lines, look no further! Both of these gowns will fit the bill. In fact, as I stood posing for these photos, I marveled at the softness of the fabrics and how they swayed in the wind the occurs at my photo studio. We all know that I'm not the best photographer on the planet, but I think you can see how the neck scarves flowed nicely.

At a time when designers seem to be adding as many prims as possible to create detailing, it was refreshing to see detail on these gowns without adding additional prims, as shown at the breast and hip on both of these gowns.

I liked the gowns so much that I popped over to Mohna Lisa's store this morning and took a look around. There are beautiful gowns everywhere, and some casual looks as well.

I encourage you to go by today and see what Mohna Lisa Couture has to offer you!

Mohna Lisa Couture

Today I want to let you know about this gorgeous necklace from The Body Politik. Currently available in Earth, Ember, Ocean and Violet, this necklace is meticulously realistic and sells for 250L.

While earrings are not available yet, Polly from TBP assures me they're looking at making them. When they do, I'll be first in line ;)

Stop by today and check them out, along with all the other jewelry available. Also, TBP has put in a Midnight Mania board, so be sure to slap that while you're visiting!

Honey

Yes, I'm blowing my own horn again - but if I don't, who will? :)

I've released the "Karen" style to my Bear Feet collection. You'll find Karen in 6 colors: Gold, Silver, Black, White, Red and Tan. Karen has a sweet bow at the back of the ankle and of course, features our Bear Feet Hud, which four built -in skin lines, manual RGB input, and four "user" slots in which to store your skin/nail color combinations.

As always, you'll find these sweethearts at the reasonable price of 299L at HoneyBear's.

We were going to close the skin fair yesterday, but received so many requests from exhibitors and buyers alike, that we have decided to extend the skin fair until next Wednesday, August 26th! Because we have a couple of large shows coming up shortly after, we absolutely cannot extend it any longer than that, so get over to UVogue today and see all of the great skin designers we lined up for you!

Don't forget that many of them are offering skins only found at Discover Your Skin!

Honey

SECOND LIFE OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

UVogue Fashion Agency

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 31, 2009

** UVogue Fashion Agency Announces DISCOVER YOUR SKIN: The UVogue Skin Fair**

SL Event: DISCOVER YOUR SKIN: The UVogue Skin Fair
Event Dates: August 12 - 19, 2009

Luxury Boulevard - July 31, 2009 - UVogue Fashion Agency announced today, "Discover Your Skin: The UVogue Skin Fair" will be taking place on the UVogue Sim, August 12 - 19, 2009. More than 19 skin designers will be showcasing some of SL's best skins. Many plan to release new skins available exclusively at Discover Your Skin.

"I'm loking forward to Discover your Skin. It will be a great chance for people to come see, and try, many skins and perhaps, to try some brand new skins available nowhere else," hinted Nikita Fride, owner of Nikita Fride Design.

Discover your Skin creates a single location for resident's to browse through dozens of SL's finest skins allowing them to quickly, easily and conveniently compare many offerings and purchase the skin that is just right for them.

Discover your Skin kicks off August 11 at 1:00 PM SLT with a VIP and press reception. Many of the skin designers will be in attendance giving members of the SL press an opportunity to speak directly with the designers and to preview some of the new skins being introduced at Discover your Skin.

"Mimi Coral and I were incredibly excited to be given the opportunity to participate in the Discover your Skin fair. We'd never been asked to be in one before, and it really does give us a great opportunity for exposure, as well as to meet other designers, bloggers, and those who do and are interested in the same things we are," said one-half of the Cupcakes design team, Rosemary Galbraith.

At 12:01 AM SLT, August 12, Discover your Skin will open to the public and remain open the entire week (landmark below).

"This is a great opportunity for people to shop and to compare skins in a single location, grab a demo and go to the next shop and try another. Shop and compare quickly and easily, and discover your skin at the UVogue Skin Fair," said HoneyBear Lilliehook, UVogue Fashion Agency, Chief Operating Officer.

There will prizes and special gifts for all attendees.

Participating skin designers include:
[42], Aimesi Design, Bebae, Chaisuki, Cupcakes, DeeTaleZ, dhR, Essence Skins, Exodi Design, Free Speerit, Imagen, KA Designs, LionSkins, Nikita Fride, Staged Skins & Fashion, Symphony Skins, UK Couture, Uzuri, Xtreme Reality Skins, *YourSkin & YourShape*

About UVogue Fashion Agency:
UVogue (formerly InStyle Fashion Agency) is one of the most respected fashion agencies in Second Life. Its professional services include: premiere model management, modeling academy, avatar image & body consultation, and all aspects of in-world fashion marketing & event planning. UVogue also proudly showcases many of SL’s best designers for haute couture and leading edge fashion in its European-inspired shopping boulevard.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/UVogue/145/191/22

And that's occasionally dangerous *smiles*.

When I started Second Life a bit over two years ago, I came in not really knowing what to expect. I had watched something on TV that made me want to try it, but I had a pretty crappy computer at the time and SL wouldn't run on it. A couple of years went by, and I finally got a computer that would handle it, and a friend brought me in (and shortly thereafter left SL).

I got the obligatory pole dancing job which lasted until they told me I'd actually have to take my clothes off and try to talk the guys out of their money. "WHAT?! I quit!"

Went to club hosting, then to club ownership, and when I finally got tired of the money pit (I actually paid my employees, and live entertainment...if you're thinking about doing it - don't!), I decided to go to modeling school. Now, I'm the second in command at UVogue Fashion Agency.

What this what I thought would happen when I joined Second Life? Can't really say it is. I'm glad it has, I love what I do. But if anyone had told me this was the road I'd be following, I'd have laughed....hard....in disbelief.

So, I'm curious, has your Second Life turned out the way you thought? Better? Worse? Let's not discuss the actual pros and cons of the platform since I've been fighting it hard all weekend, including inventory loss...but tell me if you're happy with the direction your life has gone.

Honey

I'm sure that if you know me, or have been reading this blog, my love for the nicer things found in Second Life is well known. One of the items I absolutely love in SL are my prim nails. I've shopped at Candy Nail and Risa's, and love both of them (and will continue to shop there, I'm sure), but today, I discovered Studio Nails.

Really, I wasn't looking...just shopping at a sale (you know how I love sales!), and a girl walked by with a tag that said "CEO Studio Nails", and of course, I zeroed in on her. I spoke with her briefly and got her landmark, and went to visit.

Having "HUD" on the brain, after spending so long developing my shoe hud (see below), I immediately zoomed in on the nail HUD shown below.

I marveled at the concept - a nail HUD that you could load with the nails for sale nearby. I checked the price of the HUD (1,000L - yes, I know), and then the price of the nails that could be loaded into it (1L to 30L), and was able to rapidly justify the cost of the HUD, since I pay 150L-300L at Candy Nail or Risa's. After four pair, the cost would become less than I pay now. SOLD!

As I looked around, I saw that there are also prim nails to be bought without the HUD, for around 250L per pair, with some great designs - looking just like RL nail art (sorry, I'm a bit burned out on all the skulls I'm seeing around...so not my style!).

Of course, being me, I simply had to contact the owner, Anastacia Magic, and tell her how fabulous I thought this was. During the course of our conversation, she told me that she had spent three months doing research and development, and getting the copyright on her HUD. Yes, she copyrighted her HUD - so don't try to steal it, or she will prosecute and I may come gunning for you myself! Anastacia told me that she released the nail HUD in April. I'm totally surprised that she managed to stay below my radar, but of course, it has been a busy few months for me.

When I went back to the store to sign into her Subscribe-o-Matic, I noticed a rather large display wall that I had missed when I was first there. On it were limited edition nails which, at 550L-600L are a wee bit pricey, but ooooh, they are so pretty, and I'm hoping that they don't sell out before I can justify the cost on top of what I spent today.

So, if you love your prim nails as I do, run by Studio Nails and check them out....I'm pretty sure you'll like what you see ;)

Honey

Novice, shown below, is the newest offering from Sascha's Design. I cannot tell you how much I absolutely love this gown!

Sascha is the queen of textures and she certainly didn't fail me on this gown. The depth of the textures in the skirt are so realistic that you are sure you're looking at hand-stitched beadwork.

As is typical with Sascha's gowns, when you buy one, you're buying many. It comes with the "battleship" skirt, for those who love that Southern Belle look, a "sleek" skirt, a mini-skirt, gloves, and a detachable train. Shown here is the sleek skirt option.

Novice is available in Lavender (shown), Cognac, Magnificent Red, Gold, Magenta, Royal Blue, and Seagreen.

At only 500L, this gown is a steal, and I encourage you to get over and get it before Sascha realizes she underpriced it ;)

Next, we have Jillian, part of Jador's new fall line. One of the most charming aspects of this gown is in the details. Jillian has layers and layers of soft frilly lace in the battleship skirt. The gown can be worn with the lace straps, or strapless. In the back, you'll find a beautifully detailed "shoelace" tie.

While this picture doesn't show it clearly, there is a beaded "nude" underlayer with sparkly lights built into it.

I could not be more excited!! What you're looking at is the first offering in my newest shoe line at HoneyBear's - "Bear Feet". This style is called Savvy. It features a delicate gold ankle chain, but the very most amazing thing about Bear Feet is the HUD.

You'll find Redgrave, Belleza, Laqroki and Lionskins-Cana skin colors built in, along with ten preset high gloss nail polishes. If your skin isn't one of the built in skins, you'll also find a manual RGB input, and four user-defined skin/nail presets to store your favorites, which you can plainly see on the HUD - no more guessing or trying to remember what skin tone was stored where!

This is the easiest to color, easiest to use shoe HUD in Second Life! I've used many different coloring mechanisms and found most of them lacking in some way or another, so when I designed mine, I gave it the features I wanted!

Because I sell shoes at prices all women can afford, you'll find these shoes at the amazing low price of only 299L! There will be three more styles following soon, along with a great array of colors.

Ready to buy? Head to HoneyBear's today!

I was talking to someone this afternoon about jeans, which lead to a discussion about wearing sculpty legged pants with prim feet shoes. I was a tiny bit surprised that she didn't know you could wear both, and thought, well, if she doesn't, maybe others don't...so I'm here.

Obviously, it won't work with ALL prim feet shoes. The trick is in whether the ankles are a separate part. If they are, you're in business (Moody's, of course, are. The upcoming HoneyBear's, sadly, are not.).

You simply wear the base, and the left and right foot parts, putting each part on separately. Also wear the invisiprims, but do not wear the ankle parts. Voila! Now you can simply wear your pants with your prim feet :)

Honey

I have quite a few items for you today!

First, we have Ethereal by Sascha Frangilli. This gown is lovely, with wonderful movement in each of the three skirts provided. It comes with the hat, and is an absolute steal at 400$L.

Next, we have a new designer, Talia Lefavre, who just opened her store, The Graceful Lily. Talia had posted this gown on her flickr and made me drool for a week before she'd open up and let me buy it! Cruel, cruel woman :)

Talia sells her gowns with both the long version and the short version, so you basically get two gowns for the price of one. This gown, Golden Summer Ferns, sells for 800$L and is much prettier than my poor photography indicates.

DCNY has been closed for a week, while their sim was being rebuilt. It will re-open Sunday, July 12 in New York style!

**Schedule of Events**

• 4 pm SLT ~ Sim Re-Opens Access to all
• 4-6 pm SLT ~ "Posh in the Park" - DJ Miguelina Cazenove spinning in 'the park'
• 6-7 pm SLT ~ Live Blues in the Wine Bar - Kelvinblue Oh

~Dress Code: New York City Style~

Look for gifts and New Releases from Xalapa Sim Vendors; DCNY Clothing Co., Dawn Designs, Wicked Clothing, SIMco., Dinzeo Designs, PIN UP Dolls Boutique and Fresh Baked Goods Accessories!

One of the gifts in the hunt is the gorgeous Gigi Dress, which comes with three different skirt options. This is one hunt I'll definitely participate in! :)

Next, a couple of friends of mine got to talking one day, and before you knew it, both of them were out designing new eyelashes. I love eyelashes, and these are cool! The first three pictures below are by Lashous! These eyelashes each sell for 100$L. (She also sells the coolest pajamas...check them out!)







My other friend called her store, The Eyelash Bar.

Here is a sample of one of her sets of lashes, which retail for 75-150$L.

If you love lashes as I do, be sure to check out what these two ladies have to offer :)

That's it for the moment, but as I stumble across things in my inventory, I'll update. Have a great Saturday!

Honey

Hi! First, Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there!

Now ladies, that done, we can get on with the serious business of the day ;)

I have lots of goodies here for you, ranging from very affordable to very pricey, so something for everyone.

First we have two newer designs by Ranena Olivier Couture (R.O.C.). Ranena put out two gowns inspired by Jackson Pollock, an American painter and major player in the abstract expressionist movement. The link will give you more detail about him.

The first outfit, called Pollock-Inspired 2 in Blue, comes with either a shorter blue skirt or longer black tango style, with strapped back and deep plunging bodice. Very feminine and very sexy. Perfect for a night out dancing. The Pollock-Inspired 2 sells for $L375.

Next we have the Pollock-Inspired 3 in Burgundy. As with all of Ranena's clothing, there are a couple of different options in the box. With this gown, you either have a traditional ball down skirt, or the flouncy tango skirt, making this dress very versatile and ready for any party you wish to attend. The Pollock-Inspired 3 sells for $L450. Before you ask, there is a Pollock-Inspired 1, not shown here - just tp right over to the store to get a look at it ;)

Angel Dessous released a new beachwear outfit today called Bondi Beach, which is a sweet strappy bikini, and comes with sarong and headband. The Bondi comes in Twylight (shown), Seaweed (green), and Sunset (melon red).

If you like itsy-bitsy bikinis, this one will make you shiver with delight! For the more modest, the sarong fits very nicely and will keep you feeling comfortable. As we all know, I'm not a great photographer and the sarong really does sit right! The Bondi sells for $L160.

I'll happily admit it - I have had a long-standing love affair with Angel Dessous — primarily, their lingerie. I was chosen as Angel Dessous' Angel of the Month for May, 2009, and was completely thrilled about walking into the store and seeing my face on the wall! It also gave me the opportunity to become friends with Nando Korobase, owner and designer of Angel Dessous.

So when Nando contacted me and asked me to take a look at his new, soon to be released, "Heather" outfit, I happily agreed!

As I opened the box and peeled back the tissue paper, my heart started beating faster. In the box, I found two pairs of jeans, one in blue and the other in black, with a cute little heart stitched on the front pocket. There was a corset top and a shirt to layer over it with sculpted sleeves and collar, along with a sweater to tie around your waist. There was even a great matching headband, with diamonds on it!

I quickly slipped on the black jeans, and found that they completely covered my butt...yay! Everything fit so well that nothing needed to be adjusted. I also discovered that the layered shirt can also be worn without the corset top for a very sexy look.

All in all, this is a great outfit, just perfect for summer's casual events! Heather will come in coffee, cherry and green colors. Coffee is shown below. Cherry has a white corset, with cherry red shirt and white sweater. The green set is white corset with green shirt and white sweater.

Heather will sell for $L320 and will be available in the store next weekend.

Till next time!

Honey

You'll have to forgive me for my lack of time...I've been really busy in my new position as Chief Operating Officer of UVogue Fashion Agency!

To make up for it, I've got a few things for you today. First up is the new "Hope" line of skins from Tuli. The skin I'm wearing in this photo is the Hope "Sunkissed Summer", and has absolutely gorgeous coloring. I'm pretty fussy about the skins I wear, but the Hope line is just great! My only criticism of these skins is the presence of some light moles, which I personally would have airbrushed out, but other people feel makes the skin looks more natural. The detail on the breasts, butt and pubic area is very well done, as is the mouth (one of my pet peeve areas!). Each Hope skin sells for $L1,000 individually, or the entire color line of 10 skins sells for $L4,950, which is a fantastic deal!

Next up is the new Breeze outfit by Sascha's Designs. This cute little outfit has so many parts, you can mix and match for days and never wear the same outfit! Whether you want a formal or casual look, you'll find in the box! It comes in the aqua as shown, or pink, lavendel, or baby pink. It comes with 9 skirts, 2 sweaters, a hat, a rose, a scrunchy, 2 color basic skirts, 2 color basic pants and optional straps. At $L400, this is a a fashion steal!

If you're looking for a more upscale formal gown, then Addiction may be for you. Currently available in midnight, snow and navy, there will many other colors available next week. This gown comes with four different skirts to create just the fashion look you want. It is also $L400.


While you're there, be sure to look around as there are a few dresses on sale for only $L100, and I just wouldn't be me, if I didn't mention that you'll find a freebie called Bibi there as well ;)

Oh, and I just got a sneak preview of the dress called Lillie that Sascha will be releasing next week! It's very summery, very sexy and you'll love it!

ALSO!

The All-Stars Relay For Life Team presents Fashion Expo 2009 benefitting Relay For Life and the American Cancer Society! Fashion Expo 2009 features over 50 of your favorite talented SL designers! Everything from clothes, to hair, to jewelry, to shoes, to poses, to shapes, to skins can be found RIGHT HERE! So come on......step into Oz and JOIN US from June 8th - 14th 2009 for an incredible shopping experience.

• One of a Kind Silent Auction and Fashion Show
• Live Music
• Daily Raffles
• Shopping over 50 stores

And so much more!! You don't want to miss it!

Please remember, Fashion Expo begins at 9AM SLT on Monday, June 8th, 2009.

Till next time (and I promise it won't be as long!)

Honey

I am a huge fan of Lion Jonesford's skins, from the soft everyday skins, to the sometimes outrageous runway make up I am eagerly anticipating the release of her new line.


I am also looking forward to getting acquainted with the talents of Bliss Beningborough.

See you Saturday!

One of my favorite stores to window shop in is Orage Creations. I'll pop in occasionally just to see what new wonderfulness has been put up by talented designer Elettra Gausman, and while all of her work is extremely lovely, I'll wait for the call of a dress so lovely that I'm forced to buy it - and that happened the other night.

The dress below is called Spring Dream - and what a dream it is! I put it on and instantly felt like the sexiest female in all of SL™ and judging by some of the comments I received - at that moment I was!

I think what I like most is the simplicity of the design - there are only five pieces to the dress and that includes the beautiful headpiece - and yet those five pieces carry a huge impact.

The front of this lovely design has a cut-out on the left side, accented by a floral decoration that gently wraps around the hip. The skirt and waist sash have absolutely perfect movement.

The back side of this dress with the deep plunge back is simply sexy, with one side "nearly there", but covered enough that you don't feel that you're walking around nue.


Spring Dream carries a price tag of $L850 - and well worth it to look like a dream come true!

Honey

Check out the grand opening of the ICON Lifestyle Sim!



Gifts have been set out by some of the merchants, be sure to stop in!

Start at Novi, pick up her gorgeous red gown set out for OL, have a look around. Say "Hello" to Kendall Larnia, shop Owner and creator. Be sure to let her know that I sent you.

Other shops wonderful & amazing shops include NLimbo Poses, Phoenix Rising, DCNY, Bliss Couture, Indyra Originals, Modern Gypsy, paper.doll, Fashion Nomads, Nardcotix.

SySy's has released a sweet strappy bikini that is selling for a mere $L55. It's available in aqua, lime, orange, purple, and red. The golden olive color shown below will only be available at the Icon Lifestyle shopping sim opening on Saturday, May 23. The festivites will start at 1pm. If you're interested, here's the LM.

Great way to start the summer! ;)

Honey

SL Event: SYMPHONY OF STYLE presented by UVogue Fashion Agency

SL Show Date & Time: Sat., May 23, 2009, 12:00 PM SLT



The note card I received is full of information, so I will copy & paste it for you here.

This premiere event will showcase couture fashions, skins, accessories, and shapes by LeeZu!, LionSkins, Stiletto Moody Shoes and Styles Body Shop!

Themed a SYMPHONY of STYLE (click the link for a tp) to echo the blending of these leading-edge designers, each a beautiful note, but combined to create a master-work. Symphony of Style will present the beauty of LionSkins, the sophistication of LeeZu! the impossible heights of Stiletto Moody, all adorning SL's top Supermodels in shapes by Styles Body Shop.

Please join us after the show for a LIVE PERFORMANCE by Coda Cazalet, one of SL's most well known and well respected jazz singers!! You won't want to miss her performance after the show!!



Guests are kindly asked to remove all scripted attachments, this includes items such as size and color scripted shoes and hair, collars, HUDS and even AO's, which have been found to greatly increase sim-wide lag issues for large-scale events.



Your help in reducing lag is greatly appreciated!

This looks like THE Event of the year, to date. Don't miss this opportunity! I hope to see you there.




Hugs,
Sav

After a long dreary winter, I've been ready to break out into the warmer temperatures of Springtime, with Summer not far behind! So, I headed to the cheery shores of Calliefornia to see what Callie Cline was offering.

I didn't get very far in the door when this little cutie jumped out at me.

Called the Passion Splash in Purple with Gemstone Accents, this outfit was exactly what I needed to lift my sagging spirits! It has a triple layered skirt in purple, a lighter purple ribbed tank, with matching paisley scarf and belt. The belt has a gemstone flower, which is also detail for the adorable matching flats. The outfit is finished off with the addition of a purple fat bead bracelet and matching earrings. When I saw the light price tag of $L199, this charmer became a welcomed addition to my wardrobe!

Drop by Calliefornia today and see what might make your day!

Honey

Quick, get your wallets ready! Ranena Olivier Couture is having a red tag sale starting at 9PM SLT tonight, and which will continue through May 24th! After the sale, some styles will go back to their regular price and others will be discontinued. Be sure to hit her Subscribe-0-Matic while you're there so you can get advance news of these types of sales, which Ranena has several times a year!

I was going through some of the gifts received through the Bloggers Appreciation Week today, and found this great pair of capri pants, jacket, and hat, and fell in love with them instantly. I didn't recognize the name of the store (hey, sometimes I'm oblivious), but when I looked at the creator, it turns out I know her, so I spent some time talking with her, and decided to blog some of her items.

Fashion Nomads is owned by Aleida Rhode, model and fashion photographer. I'm going to admit here, as I did directly to her, that when I heard that she had started designing, I kind of blew it off for a few months, figuring I'd give her time to "season" as a designer. BIG mistake! While Aleida only opened her store in March, she had been working for almost a year before that, on sharpening her design skills, by taking all the skills that she had learned about texturing from doing photo work, and turning it into wearables.

In the photo below, I'm wearing the Summer Wine Red Mozaic jacket and the Used Black Gulu capris.

The capris have sculpted leg cuffs, fit snugly but without being too revealing. They come on both the pants and the underwear layers. They come in dark black, dark denim, light blue, used black, used black with splash, and light used denim, and sell for $L149.

The Mozaic jacket is really classy, and dresses up your favorite jeans or dress pants. It comes with both a long-sleeved and short-sleeved option (on both undershirt and shirt layers), nice belt and neck scarf, and sculpted prim sleeves and collar that are very nicely done. The Mozaic jacket is available in silver, summer wine red, old purple, nature brown, gold, or charcoal, and carries a price tag of $L175.

Next is the Shaba mini-dress. By the way, I started the day craving shoes in a merlot color, and the trend continued through the day! The Shaba comes with three different skirt options - flexi, one prim, and sculpted. It also comes with a detachable mink stole and gloves. The Shaba is also available in silver, summer wine red, old purple, nature brown, gold, or charcoal and is only $L399.


Being the freebie blogger that I also am, I have to mention that you'll find five free gifts at Fashion Nomads, four on the floor and one in the Subscribe-o-Matic. But I want you to go get them and check out Aleida's great designs, so I'm not telling you what the gifts are ;)

Honey

I know these photos are going to be a bit small - blame my template which persists in shrinking my photos!

I attended the opening today of a new boutique called Stylissmo, which carries couture clothing, male and female shapes, poses and furniture, all very upscale. One of the gowns sold is called Butternut Hawk, which is shown below.

The Hawk has a multiple layered skirt, snug bodice with beautiful detail, plunge back, and sleeves made of gorgeous hawk feathers. This very unusual but beautiful gown retails for $L450. If you want to get noticed at your next event, this is the gown for you!

The next bird of fashion comes from Ora Trei Designs and is called Raven. This mini-dress has nicely sculpted sleeves, a belted bodice, and a belted skirt with layers of black feathers. It comes with a lovely black lace neck scarf with feathers trailing down the back, and retails for $L300. While a mini-dress, you won't feel as though your assets are showing, as the feathers add length to the hemline. This dress is very feminine and has wonderful movement!

That's it for this time!

Honey

This started out being a post about one little black dress (LBD), and ended up being about three LBDs! As far as I'm concerned, a girl cannot own too many LBDs, so I decided to showcase a few here.

I was browsing Flickrs today and saw that SySy Chapman had released the cutie below, called Fleur de Nuit, and had to have it! I got over to the store tonight and picked it up, and was thrilled with how it actually looked on. It's soft, feminine and frilly, and the back (which yes, I should show you, but a photographer I'm not) is a very deep V-plunge with four little straps across the back. The frill skirt is prim layers of lace and very well done. This sexy little number is available for a mere $L275.

I found this dress this morning at A.D. Addoro Design, but it carries the label "OneSoul", a collaboration of Anubis Hartunian and Mew Denimore. It consists of a black crepe skirt with a lace flexi overskirt, lace sleeves and lace jacket with scalloped edges, black lace gloves and black seamed stockings. The hat is included and needed no modification. The detail on this adorable dress is incredible and it's well worth every penny of the L$790 price tag.

Thinking about blogging the two dresses above reminded me that a couple of weeks ago, I bought the dress below at Ora Trei Designs. This dress, called Charisme, is another frilly creation (are you sensing a trend in my wardrobe?). It comes with a sheer lace patterned bodice which suggestively reveals the black bra underneath (part of the layer, not separate), pearl buttons in the front and back, belled sleeves, two sculpted skirt options, hat and patterned stockings (not shown), all for $L325.


There's another LBD by Ora Trei...but I'm going to save that one for another day very soon.

Honey

One of the things I absolutely love about owning my blogs is when I stumble across great new designers. I always friend them, talk to them and find out a little about them, and encourage them as much as I can because, let's face it, it's a very competitive industry and the new ones need all the help they can get.

So, today I'm standing at a well-known designer's store picking up a Mother's Day freebie, when I see this very nicely dressed woman standing nearby. I zoom in a little closer and it was like...WOW...that's a great outfit! I inspect it and find that she's the designer, so I immediately ask her for her landmark. We start chatting and it turns out that she's only learned to design in October of 2008, and opened her store, Ranena Olivier Couture (R.O.C.) in December, 2008. She mentioned she has a freebie, so I hop over there to get it for Virtual Freebies and stopped dead in my tracks, as I looked around at all the mouth-watering and budget breaking wonderfulness.

I'm not going to lie to you - the prices here are fairly steep for a newish designer, but the casual clothes are quite reasonable. I didn't purchase a gown but prices are around $L800 and up (but I suspect they're worth it, given the outfit I saw her wearing), while the casual clothes are around $L225 and up for a complete outfit.

Ranena uses beautiful textures in her designs as you'll see below. In our conversation, she stressed that she loves for clothing to fit right too, so you shouldn't have to do much editing (I did none, btw...everything fit perfectly). She also mentioned that a gown she submitted for the Maseno Project auction sold for $L10,000!

The dress is called Krisha and sells for $L350.

The outfit below is called Narnia, and sells for $L225.

I encourage you to stop by Ranena Olivier Couture and see what wonderfulness catches your eye!

I'm going to make a confession. I'm finicky about skins - yes, it's true. In particular, I'm beyond picky about the area above the mouth, just under the nose - whatever that area is called. In so many skins, it's either too shiny, or too wide, and no amount of editing will help it, and it just doesn't look natural.

So, when I discovered the hand-drawn Symphony Skins a few months ago, I was delighted to see that designer Claire Harford had actually gotten it right. Her mouths are a beautiful shape and that area above the top lip was perfect!

When Claire released the third generation of her skin line this morning, I ran over to pick it up. I knew from my past purchases that Allegro was the color I wear, but Alto is the new Allegro. I was not disappointed!

As a "most of the time" redhead, it's sometimes difficult to get skins that were truly made with the redhead in mind. They're either too light, or too dark, but the Alto color is perfect! It helps that each of the skins comes with three eyebrow options - light brow (LB), dark brow (DB) or red brow (RB). They also come with a "Busty" option which enhances the bustline...a nice touch which gives a more natural look. You get day options and night options. The day option has more noticeable freckles, while the night option has considerably less freckles.

Claire's treatment of the more personal body parts is quite nicely done too ;)

At $L600 per skin, Claire's pricing is very reasonable; in fact, the entire color line can be purchased for $L4,000 - with all the options Claire includes, that's over 60 skins! If you just want the day version, or just the night version, they can be purchased for a mere $L2,500.

If you're in the mood to do some skin shopping, I recommend a hop over to Symphony Skins to try a few demos...I'm sure you'll be glad you did!

Honey