Like I said in my last post, I’m all about the kitty-prints at the moment!

It’s not hard to find Leopard print items on the grid and they can look both really funky and chic. I created two different looks for a weekend that both feature Leopard print.

My first look is perfect for a raucous Saturday night bash at a local rock club. In real life, this combo (wombo combo! Ahem, sorry ;P)  would be ideal ‘cos if you got too hot and sweaty at a gig you could take off the shrug and tie it around your waist, and the print pants just scream rock and roll!

My two key parts to this look are a mesh shrug with tube-top from Cynful, and some jeans from Waffle. 

Cynful is a beautiful, high-end store that really stands out from the crowd. Walking into the store truly is a feast for the eyes with all the wares beautifully presented and the colours zinging out at you. It’s like a colour-swatch brought to life, making for a really enjoyable shopping experience.  I love whizzing around the store to see what’s new, and when I saw ‘Shruggable’ I knew it had to be mine!

‘Shruggable’ includes both mesh shrug and mesh tube top and comes in a glorious array of colours. I opted for black , so that I can mix and match both the shrug and top with other items in my inventory.  The shrug costs L$290 a pop, with an applier costing L$100.

This makes for an expensive item, but I think when you consider the versatility these pieces add to your wardrobe, as well as the fact that they’re mesh and beautifully textured (as is everything in store) the benefits outweigh the cost.  You’re paying for quality after all, Cynthia Ultsch’s designs are not cheap and the clothing sure reflects that.

Waffle! by contrast is cheap and cheerful and hurrah for that! This store comes straight from the imagination of the delightful Kiki Paine, and is located in the Dream Valley Plaza; a really neat and modern circular shopping zone.

Like Cynful the store itself is laid out in a really appealing manner and features some great items ranging from tattoos to underwear and separates, and you’ll find lots of outfits here that feature appliers as standard.  (I purchased my Camo drawstring tube-top from here, and that’s fast becoming a favourite of mine.) There’s a lot of choice in store, with the ‘Troublemaker Lingerie’ being especially alluring,  but my must-have item from here are the ‘Rock Chick Leopard Jeans’.  Not only are they a bargain at L$99 a throw, and come in a choice of five fabulous colours, but they look bloody brilliant worn  and go with loads of things lurking in my inventory, and looked excellent when worn with the Shruggable!

I teamed the outfit with a couple of necklaces; one which I’ve worn for a while now which is the Chinese motif necklace that’s sold as part of an outfit by Ducknipple. The Owl necklace was one of those things I’d forgotten that I had in my inventory, as you do. It was a happy find for me then, and funnily enough, it was from Happy Finds! (Run by the best named avatar in Second Life – Annoyingjapanesechild.dinosaur. Seriously!)  I’ve no idea how I forgot that it was there because I love owls, and this necklace is really well made and super cute to boot.

To finish I’m still wearing the Belleza skin, ‘Ava’ that I acquired a few weekends ago. I just LOVE the eye-make up on this skin, which is making it really hard to take off. (I’m into eye-make up on skins in a big way at the moment.) Fortunately by buying some lip colours I can make it more versatile, but I do wish there were more eye make-ups like this in store!

Finally the hair is by Elikatira. The sale was due to finish on the 23^rd; and I confess that I haven’t visited in the past few days because if I had I would have probably bought the store. The sale sign did mention all styles would be retired once it finished; I have mixed feelings about that because part of me doesn’t want anyone else to miss out on the fabulousness that is Elikatira hair, but on the other hand I kinda like the idea of exclusivity that retirement sales bring. (Although judging by how many people purchased hair, most of the grid probably has this style anyway!) But here’s the thing, retiring these items means that new stock will be coming soon. Can you imagine? Squee! (And rumour has it that it will be mesh! Double yay!)

Of course, after  Saturday night must come come Sunday morning, and my guess is that you’d be nursing a hangover and wanting something comfortable to wear.  (I picture Kitty about to go for Sunday lunch in this outfit. In real life I guess the skirt would be a teensy-weensy bit too short but hey, this is Second Life so I can wear my skirt how I want!)

For this look I teamed a lovely’ Nia’ jumper from Sn@tch with this scrummy mesh print skirt from Tentacio.  The sweater adds a little Schoolwear-chic, don’t you think? I’ve watched the store rise over the years and I’m so chuffed by how it has evolved and succeeded.   Ivey Deschanel works damn hard at her designs and there is some amazing clothing to be found there. 

There are now lots of lovely mesh items to choose from, and I’m delighted that her range of clothing with appliers is increasing, as this picture shows. Even if the darker side of fashion isn’t your thing, I would still pay Sn@tch a visit, and I doubt that you’ll come back empty-handed. (Trust me on this, you won’t.)

Once you’ve drooled all over my sweater, be sure to check out my skirt. I’m so excited by this mesh skirt! (Can you even be excited by a skirt? LOL)

I don’t wear skirts that often in-world  but since finding this wee beauty I’ve not taken it off. Even better there are a few more to choose from in the range and they’re a fabulous price of just L$70!  Incidentally if you haven’t checked out Tentacio before then I insist you stop reading and go there NOW. It’s just totally brilliant, oozing hipster styling from every pore and the prices are fantastic.

To finish the look I elected to wear my ‘Tassels’ necklace from Glow Studio, and the rather fetching Jamie hairstyle by Wasabi Pills, which is fast becoming a favourite hair store of mine. I love the textures that they use on their hair in store, and it’s a must visit for long-hair lovers. The Jamie style is beautifully crafted and I love the way it drapes over the shoulder and across the face.  (It doesn’t interfere with mesh bewbs either !)

So what do you think? I hope you like both these looks as much as I do, and I am certainly having fun wearing them. And speaking of fun, see the jukebox that I’m standing in front of? Isn’t it bloody glorious!  It’s from ‘The Stuff Store’, and the stuff that they sell is rather special indeed!  I first discovered them when I decided to buy Dad something nice for his new pad. I thought a juke box would be ideal to finish off the bar area against his home, so I did a search on the marketplace and found ‘The Juke’. This mesh creation evokes a golden era, as does most of the other retro ‘stuff’ in Crias Rowlands’ eclectic store.  It comes in both Modern and Retro versions, is mesh and weighs in at just 8 prims, which is astonishing when you consider the detail. It serves as a land radio featuring 80 stations, so there should be music available to suit every taste, and something I really like is the fluorescent tubing on the front of the unit which, when switched on, creates the perfect ambience.  It really is a stunning, substantial piece of kit and really turns your house into a home.

Well that’s me sorted for the weekend, I’m just gonna sit in front of my Juke and enjoy some tunes I think!

Whatever you’re doing in world this weekend, real or virtual, I hope it’s a corker, and if you’re bored why not check out the stores I’ve listed in this post? Happy shopping!