An expression of surprise, excitement or just plain for the heck of it, eep fits the bill for most occasions when a “Yikes” “Jings” or “Weee!” just won’t do.
It is a most excellent word.
It is also the name of a hair brand that has caught my eye over the past few months, producing great hairstyles with wonderful hair textures at excellent prices, and my latest acquisition from them is by far my most favourite.
It’s a classic Mary Quant bob. I LOVE bobs. They’re so totally versatile, and I will never be sick of wearing them in-world. Each time a hair-maker releases a new bob on the grid I’m there, feeding my rampant bob habit. The last time it was Magika and the superb ‘Plenty’, but this time it’s eep and the (somewhat disappointing title by comparison) ‘eep hair 009’
It’s a beautiful bob.
It’s static, but that’s fine. The sharpness of the cut doesn’t require movement, and the shaping of the hair frames the face perfectly.
And that’s pretty much it.
There’s no overt fuss and frippery with eep, and I like that. There’s no pretension with the brand to speak of and that’s a strength too. It doesn’t even have a store as such.
In fact, even though the hair is pretty simple, it will make you, well, “Eep” with excitement.
You may find it hard to believe, but I actually adore The Sisters Of Mercy, and growing up Siouxsie Sioux was a heroine of mine. I adored the Goth sub-culture; anything black and dramatic was seriously appealing to me. I never dressed especially gothically though, nor did I dye my hair black (until I was in my thirties, and immediately regretted it!) but I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for Bauhaus and Dead Can Dance.
In Second Life there are many stores where you can find Goth couture, and one of the best is Corvus.
Corvus sells excellent dresses, skirts, tops, jackets and all sorts of Gothic/Emo/Heavy Rock wear, each item lovingly adorned with massive dollops of awkwardness and dread. Each item is lovingly created by Lori Stanton before being placed out for sale at either her in-world store or via her Marketplace listing.
There are some great designs on show; dramatic imagery and statements adorn tees and frocks with equal disdain. The palette in store is predominately black, grey, red and occasionally white, but you’ll be hard pressed to find many other colours. There’s not a pastel in sight, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing in my book..
Prices are pretty darn exceptional too, especially for mesh. I don’t usually purchase many items featuring prints, preferring to wear plain, but some of these are too good to resist. I was quickly drawn to the ‘Anger’ dress, pictured below, which was an absolute bargain at L$50.
The off-the-shoulder styling of the black mini-dress at L$80, seen below, makes it a great wardrobe staple. It’s a real statement piece, despite the bargain price tag, and proves that it’s easy to make a really classic, elegant look on a budget.
There are some great freebies in store too. Seeing as it’s my lucky number I couldn’t resist the ‘13’ Dress which cost absolutely bugger all, yet looks brilliant in the graveyard shot at the top of this post. On the marketplace, I also found this freebie Witchy Tank, perfect for ‘Witchy Wednesday’.
There are a variety of slogan tattoos available in-store, as well as more novel items such as bullet holes and neck scars. I really rate the make-ups too, including some interesting variations of my favourite cat eyeliner , as well as some heavy facial shading and inscriptions. There are skins available as well. I didn’t demo these but they look pretty impressive; think pale and interesting, with dramatic, penciled brows and swoops of eyeliner making them the ultimate in Goth Chic.
This is the kind of store that Angelina Jolie would have felt very at home in circa her Oscar win, but you don’t have to be 100% Gothic to wear these designs. There are many items amongst the asymmetric and roll-neck dresses, crop sweaters and tees that work just as well on non-scene avatars. It’s definitely one of those stores that you have to experience for yourself.
But be warned, it’s certainly not a shop for the faint of heart. This store is totally Zodiac Mindwarp-ed onto a different level to the regular stores you’ll usually find featured on Kittywitchin’, but it’s really worth a visit.
Great mesh pieces, great prices and great Gothic design..what more could you ask for? (Well, seeing as you’re asking, some white foundation, a Brocade jacket and some bat-earrings wouldn’t go amiss…)
Thank you for helping me reach, and surpass, 150,000 hits!
This blog was inspired by my love for Second Life, an environment that I’m so proud to call home.
I was a regular reader of Linden Lifestyles, a blog that featured Second Life fashion and was my go-to guide in my early avatar days for finding wonderful new things to wear and fabulous designers.
One day I had a crazy thought, why don’t I start a blog of my own? And in May 2007 I did just that.
My blog has recorded the ups and downs of my Second Life, as well as occasionally my real one. The lines blur from time to time, but that’s OK.
When I started the blog, there were a handful of Second Life blogs around. Now there are hundreds, and that number is still growing. It’s kudos to the wonderful world of Second Life, and especially the designers and creators in-world who inspire people to take up blogging and write about their creations.
If there’s one thing I hope that you, dear reader, will take from Kittywitchin’, it’s the fact that it’s created with passion for an astonishing virtual environment. I’ve met some wonderful people in-world, and have been fortunate to make some utterly wonderful real-life friends as a result. I’ve even seen real-life marriages happen as a result of Second Life hook-ups, not to mention babies too!
On that December day in 2006 when I logged in-world for the very first time, I had no idea that I’d still be writing about it today. But I get so much pleasure from Second Life why would I ever want to leave? Real life is short enough after all.
I’ve no clue what the future holds for Kittywitchin’, or for Second Life in general. But I can tell you I’ve just renewed my domain for another 12 months, and I’m hopeful that I’ll still be writing about the glorious metaverse that we call home long after that.
I also hope that you’ll still be checking in and reading the blog too.
One of the things that *really* annoys me when I tell people about Second Life is how quickly they dismiss it as being nothing more than a fancy chat program, or as a perverts hang-out. Thanks to some really bad media coverage in the past it would seem that most people don’t know that the truth about Second Life is very different, and what a wonderful virtual environment it really is.
Fortunately, the celebrated Machinima visionary, Draxtor Despres, is going some way to correcting this unfavourable reputation with his new documentary series, ‘The Drax Files: World Makers’, which features individual avatars and the stories behind them.
The first video in this series is about Kriss Lehmann, the creative genius behind Botanical. If you’re not familiar with the name, Botanical is one of the best places in-world for landscaping, plants and virtual topiary. It’s a wonderful place to explore and Kriss’s creations are truly evocative and perfect for creating your very own natural retreat.
This video gives us a peek at the man behind the avatar and his creative process. It’s also really refreshing to discover how he found love in Second Life, which subsequently blossomed into real life. I adore stories like this, and I didn’t realise Kriss was partnered with the wonderful Shai Delacrox, an avatar whose fashion brand has long been respected and admired.
This video is so sharply edited and produced that it leaves you longing for more, and fortunately there’s a brilliant second instalment,featuring Jo Yardley and her astonishing recreation of 1920’s Berlin.
This is a place that I never knew existed, and it looks sensational. It’s clear that this location has been created with love and care and the utmost respect for the period. It looks totally authentic, even to this untrained eye, and the fact that it is home to a thriving community is testament to the beauty and spirit of the place. Draxtor’s video presents Jo’s story perfectly and shows how she applies her fascination for this decade to the modern world of Second Life.
Jo also makes a really interesting comment during her commentary. She explains that “I have more social interaction with people than you do the entire evening updating your Facebook profile..” and this is a very valid point. Behind every avatar is a human being, so when you’re in a club surrounded by thirty or more of them you are interacting with thirty complete strangers, can there be anything more social than that?
I honestly cannot wait for the next instalment in this series.
It’s a fascinating glimpse into Second Life and the people who use it, and it also strikes me as great publicity for the product. It’s the kind of advertising that Linden Lab should produce, but they seem so out of touch these days. At least we have residents in-world like Draxtor who are clearly so passionate about Second Life that they care enough to make these documentaries.
In future episodes I’d really love to see Draxtor feature esteemed avatars like Antonia Marat, who is the creative force behind Artilleri, where you can purchase stunning 1950’s and early 1960’s style clothing and homewares. I’d also like to see Strawberry Singh featured. Strawberry blogs the virtual world and creates the most fantastic photographs, so it would be great to see her in real life, and listen to her voice as she explains how she creates her wonderful Second Life images.
But of course I’m sure Draxtor has a list as long as his arm of all the people he wants to feature! Whoever he chooses, it would seem that their stories are in great hands.
Thank you Drextor for making this video series. It truly captures the spirit of Second Life and illustrates the many reasons why I am so happy to be a part of it.
Kittywitchin' 