Kimono My House..

Kimono My House..

Sunday Girl

Kimono-style tops certainly aren’t a new thing to the Second Life grid, I have a couple in my inventory from TRES BLAH and ATOMIC that I’m pretty keen on, and they make a smashing alternative to cardigans, hoodies and jackets. Despite my being a jumper aficionado and loving my winter woolies, I’ve actually had enough of them now, and I’m ready for some styling changes. Winter has been a bit grim for us all this year I think, I’m ready for some sun! These gorgeous Kimono style tops from FOXES at N21 are a great choice for bringing some much-needed springtime sunshine into your wardrobe. They’re really rather special indeed, with flowing sleeves that are perfectly ruffled in all the right places and a great shape to the front and hem of the jacket. The kimono ‘sit’ really well on the avatar and are simple yet very effective.

They’re available at N21 in a selection of on-trend patterns that really look the part. If you mix and match with the skirts and tops from the range you’re sure to find a combination that really suits. I’ve emptied my Jewellery box and thrown on an array of my favourite YUMMY pieces to accessorise with, along with a fabulous denim mini from BUENO to make a stylish yet casual look for going out with friends on a Sunday. This is perfect ‘hanging-out’ wear. Add some shades and you’re really talking! I opted for the black ‘Zen’ Kimono because I think I’ll get the most wear out of it, pairing it with the red top for the same reasons. In my head, I’m already thinking of ways to style these pieces; with leggings, short skirts and boots and even shorts and tights..The list is endless! I don’t think this look could be more ‘Kitty’ if I tried. I love it. What do you think?

KITTY WEARS:
Kitty’s Body Basics including:
SHAPE – KITTY’S OWN
BODY – MAITREYA Mesh Body ‘Lara’ V 2.1
SKIN – GLAM AFFAIR ‘Brandi Sweet’ America NB
HAIRBASE- ESSENCES Ash Black
EYES – IKON Destiny Eyes in ‘Maya’ M/L
LASHES – HUSH ‘Flirt’
EYEBROWS – JUST MAGNETISED ‘Diva’ Brows Brunette 02
EYELINER – MONS
MOUTH – PXL ‘Sweet Lips’ 01 (Worn with GLAM AFFAIR applier)
EARS – AITUI Ear System Gen 4 Heart Plugs
Kitty’s Clothing:
SKIRT – BUENO ‘Hard Luck’ Denim Skirt Indigo
JACKET – FOXES ‘Spiritualist’ Kimono Zen ***N21 EXCLUSIVE***
TOP – FOXES ‘Spiritualist’ Kimono Top Small Red ***N21 EXCLUSIVE***

Kitty’s Accessories:
HAIR – CHEMISTRY ‘Mila’ HUD 1
JEWELLERY – Necklaces by YUMMY, including N21 EXCLUSIVE ‘Small Crystal Choker’  (the rest you’ll find at the mainstore)
SEPTUM PIERCING – MONS Mesh Septum Ring in Style 1, Black.
CHOKER – XYZ Tattoo Choker Black
MANICURE – NYLON OUTFITTERS ‘Celestial’ Nails for Maitreya Body

Kitty Plays ‘Catch-Up’

Kitty Plays ‘Catch-Up’

As I’m sure regular readers know I work in real life (Shh! I know we don’t like to talk about that!) so my time in-world is often limited.  This means I have to play ‘catch-up’ when I finally come back in, and I have to say that at the moment Second Life is really overwhelming me due to the amount of events that are currently running on the grid. I shouldn’t complain too much though, it’s a good time to be an avatar, especially if you want to be a super-stylish one too!

Problem for me as a blogger is that there are so many events in-world that I know I can’t possibly do justice to them all on these pages. You have to appreciate that these kinds of occasions take weeks of planning and organising so it’s only fair that when they begin they receive the quality coverage they deserve.

Perhaps one of my issues is that when I attend an event I like to take my time and wander around them, and then I  get distracted, go back to stores repeatedly and have another look, and then forget where I saw things that really caught my eye in the first place. I do actually have a notebook that I use to remind me of locations and places where I’ve seen fabulous items, but of course, that only works if you remember to write in it….DOH!

In a situation like this when I feel that there’s just so much going on that i don’t know where to start, I find a good visual aide to be invaluable.  It saves me time if I can see what an event is offering by checking out a dedicated web-site,or checking out the feeds to see what other bloggers are covering.

Fortunately we are blessed with resources like Serpahim which seems to cover the majority of sales and events on the grid. To be honest, I’d be lost without that blog; it’s become my go-to on a daily basis to find out what’s happening and where, and a quick nosy at their snapshots always help me plan my spends ahead.  I’m also  finding myself glued (or should that be pinned?) to Elysium Hyne’s Pinterest selections for event reportage too. Here’s a huge thank you to Elysium and all the team at Seraphim for their hard work!

Anyway, let’s get on to the good stuff. I have managed to treat myself to a few lovely things this week, so I’ll do a quick post about a few things I’ve spotted at a couple of events before I scurry off to check out some more!

First up, The Liaison Collaborative has gifted us with ‘The Boutique’, which features a superb selection of fashion, accessories and poses. The theme is ‘Fresh’, and they aren’t joking, featuring zesty contributions from Baiastice, !Bang, Belleza, Bilo, Cae, CNS Emotion, E! Apparel, Earthstones, Elikatira, Essences, Flowey, Glam Affair, Gos Boutique, Half-Deer, Haste, Hopscotch, Ikon, Inside Lab, Ispachi, Izzie’s, Just Designs, La Petite Morte, Lassitude & Ennui, Lavallie, Leezu, Noodles, NYU, Olive, Rebel Hope, Valentina E. and Vanity Poses. Phew!   I always enjoy these events; they’re not so large as to leave you feeling bewildered, and the selection of designers that contribute are all well-established, quality brands. There’s a real feeling of finesse to this event and I always get the impression that there’s been a lot of care taken by the planners behind the scenes to ensure that they have curated the very best goodies for the event. That’s why you find brands like Belleza showcasing skins, and how I wish they wouldn’t.

</me Kitty shakes fist angrily!>

Because yet again Belleza have adorned their sublime Mya skin with some utterly glorious make-ups and naturally I couldn’t avoid them. As I’ve said before, I love make-ups and it would take some serious coaxing to get me out of my Izzie’s skin and into another, but Ava proved way too hard to resist, with her winged eyeshadow perfection in a variety of colours. It would be just plain rude to not indulge. So I did.

And I look fabulous, see? 

Image

Don’t even get me started on the totally delicious array of IKON eyes at the event either; I had to walk away lest I spent my rent. Suffice to say that IKON are my favourite brand of eyes in world (I am wearing them in the picture above of course, but these are an existing pair from my collection) and seeing new ones made me all teary and misty-eyed. So to avoid further distress I swiftly departed on to my next destination, The 100 Block.  

This is a ‘Depraved Nation‘ event and it features over 100 participating designers and artists. That’s way too many to list in this post, so if you click HERE you can go visit the official blog and review the selection yourself, but suffice to say I found it very satisfying indeed.  I’ve been zooming all round the, erm, block, most of the morning  with gay abandon and totally relishing the fabulous fashion on display.

There are some really special mesh items on sale and it’s nice to see that there are some goodies for the chaps as well as the ladies, and there’s also hair, piercings and tattoos.

Image

I discovered a new brand of hair whilst I was at the event.  In the shot above I’m wearing ‘Toffsy’ (Maroon) by Adoness and I really love it. It’s an unusual combination of bob shape with added oomph and curl, and I think that it makes for a winning combination.

But what’s also rather special is this fantastic frock that I discovered at the event.  I’m all about Leopard print in Second Life, well, I am called Kitty after all, and I was really blown away by this stylish gown that I found hanging on the rack at Ellemeno.

I’ve blogged CarrieAnn Lemon’s label before and it’s a relatively new yet well-produced brand that is especially focused upon the mesh boobs market, but don’t let that dissuade you from investigating their goodies because you don’t have to sport mesh boobs to look sensational in them. I was going to wear my Lola’s for this shot, but in the end I thought I looked fabulous enough without.

Image

Taking a traditional gown shape and bringing it bang up to date with Leopard print is a brave move, yet it works beautifully. Now I wear a LOT of leopard print and there’s one thing I’ve noticed, especially with mesh items. If the textures aren’t carefully applied, and to be frank if a decent Leopard print texture isn’t used in the first place, the result can be a bit..well, rubbish.  But there’s no such worries here with this gown; the print really looks the part and the shape of this dress is nothing short of perfect.

I wish I could wear this in real life, but alas, I’d look like Bella Emberg channelling Bet Lynch.  

But at least in Second Life I can look divine, eh?

So anyway, because I’m still playing catch-up I thought I’d share a small list of events that I really do think you will enjoy checking out, and to make things even more fun for you, I’ve included links (to either Seraphim or Elysium’s posts) so that you can have a peek at the good stuff before checking them out in-world.

Who knows, I may even bump into you at one of these!(You’ll recognise me, a bewildered looking idiot) Be sure to say ‘Hello’ if you do see me!

Happy Shopping! Oh and a thought, if you find something nice why not tell us about it in the comments below? Toodles!

Saturday night, Sunday Morning

Saturday night, Sunday Morning

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. 

Image

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 23rd; 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!)

Image

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!