I have a confession to make. I’m sort of  sat on the fence about designer fashion. Sometimes it can be just so brutally pretentious that I find it completely off-putting, and with so many talented designers in world why bother to go the trouble and expense of seeking out SL Haute Couture?  After all,  with so many stores catering to all tastes and budgets in world what on earth is the point in being super picky? Besides, is there such a thing as haute couture in SL anyway? What is it that elevates the work of one designer above all the rest?

Yesterday I attended an event that has completely readjusted my perceptions of fashion in SL and has shown me what I have been missing out on.  Not  that I don’t love everything that I blog on these pages, oh  I do so very much..but last night I felt as though a veil was lifted and my peering through got me a taste of what I’ve been missing out on….and one taste was all it took for me to get addicted,  leaving me with a  lustful longing for more of the same deliciousness that I saw.

It’s official – I have taken ‘Catwalk Crack’ and I LOVED IT.

So what instigated this fashion frenzy that I find myself in? ‘Baiastice’ did.  I was lucky enough to attend the ‘Baiastice’ fashion event hosted by the MAD Modelling Agency last night and it was the grandest and most stunning occasion that I have ever attended in SL to date. 

Sissy Pessoa is the Rome based designer behind the label, and the show concentrated on her couture and carnival gowns, set against a sumptuous backdrop inspired by the masked ball featured in the movie, ‘Eyes Wide Shut’.  The presentation was elegantly stunning; a long white catwalk flanked by rows of white chairs against a backdrop of chandeliers and paintings of Marie Antoinette. 

 The models were some of the most professional that I have yet to see work in SL.  I have been to a few fashion shows before, but these girls seemed to know better than most about accommodating lag and not changing poses too often, BUT  just enough for you to get a feel for the movement of the clothing.  Believe me it was an event that could have been ruined by the lag as it was so crowded with all the movers and shakers of SL  in attendance. (I lost count of the amount of CEOs, Editors and Journalists that were present) The score for the event was perfect too, DJ Kromus Korobase created a sensational mix for the models to strut to.  (You can download the music here actually, which of course I have done and am still enjoying) To complete the package Nemi Mccoy delivered a commentary on the event that was poetic perfection.

But of course it was the clothes that made it. Everything I saw on the catwalk last night could best be described as ‘results wear’-the kind of clothing that you wear and get the exact result that you wanted. The collection I saw made me feel a complete fashion beginner.  Perfect isn’t a word that should be used lightly, but there wasn’t any outfit shown last night that couldn’t be described as such.  This was fashion on a *GRAND* scale.  The fabrics were gauzy and flowed beautifully (well they would have done were it not for the lag!) and were skilfully put together with imagination and flair. The colours were beautiful (I even liked a pink outfit which is unheard of for me) and the textures looked luxurious.  You could see that a lot of love and damned hard work had gone into producing this collection.

If I am honest Sissy Pessoa is the kind of designer that once you discover her work, you don’t want to share. No one had ever shared her with me until last night, and I can see why you would want to keep this one all to yourself.  The clothes and the hats and the bags and the whole caboodle are just too special to share with just anyone.  You want to keep ‘Baiastice’ all to yourself..but that would be such an injustice.  EVERYONE in SL needs to see this kind of work because it’s the epitome of virtual fashion design and pisses on some of the absolutely horrific stuff that is out there in our metaverse.  When you see work this good it just shows what truly can be created when you put your mind to it.

After the show finished (it was an hour but I would have been happy for it to go on much, much longer) I stuck around at the after party for a while before I was booted out of SL.  I guess the lag monster was too much for my laptop to handle in the end.  I was all ready for logging back in but then decided to leave it so that I could savour what I had just witnessed for a little while, and made a promise to myself to visit the store today.  I’ve just been and yes, all the catwalk beauty from last night is there for you to enjoy. I need a second virtual mortgage to be able to buy all the outfits that I fell in love with, but they aren’t as highly priced as you would think.  The store is brimful with lovely wares, but the only problem is the images are static so you don’t get to enjoy how the clothing flows and moves as you glide around. 

Chance it..I insist that today you check out ‘Baiastice’ and invest, because if you know quality and originality then you will NOT be disappointed.  And to prove my point, take a look at the slideshow of images I took last night.  Apologies for the quality, as I said the lag was terrible, BUT it gives you a tantalising flavour of what was on offer from one of SL’s most exciting designers:)

Oh, and fellas if you fancy taking your beloved somewhere special for Valentines Day, may I suggest you treat her to an ensemble from ‘Baiastice’ to wear at the event?  (You’ll also find some scrumptious undies in store which are perfect for peeling off your beloved after you’ve wined and dined)