The Bald and the Beautiful

Because I don’t have the lalas for a whole lot of Hair Fair, and because I have a bit of a girl-crush on her, I busied myself with Achariya’s “No Attachments at All” challenge!

Yeah it’s every clothing layer imaginable but there’s not a prim to be seen! I’ll be posting my even lower lag (only 2 layers!) shopping look soon. Keep ‘em coming ladies, haven’t ya heard that bald is beautiful?

Skin: LF Chai – Vedette in Cinnamon
Eyes: Miriel – Iridescent Collection – Peacock
Shirt: Blaze – Boyfriend Buttondown (Past Group Gift)
Shorts: M&R Cupcakes – Zebra Outfit
Tights: Veschi – Muffin Top Dress Tights (Tinted a Dark Red)
Gloves: Fleur – Leather Gloves in Turquoise (Short Option)
Belt: Ivalde – Birla Belt in Yellow
Necklace: Paper Couture – Dahlia Pantsuit Necklace (Tinted Teal)

Pose:
Happy Dispatch – Female Pose Pack

For Slurls, see our Designer Locations and Photo-Shoot Locations pages.

Tea House of Heart

Cleaning out your closet can be style catharsis. Not only do you purge the bad, but sometimes you’ll discover shiny hidden treasures that you never knew you had. From the depths of my inventory and an unknown time, I present to you my favorite “House of Heart” review styles!

Like many of you, I’ve been on the House of Heart subscribe-O-matic list for a while, and I’m always amazed when I receive each new release gift. Sheltered Heart goes beyond excellent customer service by generously providing a sample of her new creations with each update. For the thrifty fashionistas (like me!), it’s really become something to look forward to. Besides the fantastic freebies, I’ve always been struck by the sheer variety of styles. I wanted to emphasize the diversity of looks that can be achieved first with a very theatrical shoot, and for me “drama” usually means “geisha”; shown here with a ruffled lolita twist.

Bare Rose has the most beautiful kimono-inspired costumes, and even though I own nearly all of them, I can never resist another. The Nadeshiko outfit is 5 colors of pleated, lace-edged ruffles, and I’m even wearing the included fishnets and choker – the set was too beautiful to mix and match. My Digital Eyes freebie fan makes another appearance (Morgan Kincess recently released this to her group), and my Kanzashi spiderweb is part of a (Free!) Soulfire geisha hairstyle available at the Free*Style home. These geta sandals I spied on the stylish feet of Efemera Bisiani – with eight colors and two style options (rounded or square), they’ve become the stars in my geta collection. Oh, did I mention they’re only L$100?

The Magika hairstyle has a mix of exotic beauty and a high-fashion edge that make it perfect for more daring and adventurous looks. I instantly thought oriental, but the spiky softness says “punk” or “neko” just as loudly. If words like “shy” and “traditional” make you itch, this is the hair for you! Most of my House of Heart styles required a little adjusting, this one included, but the finished product is well worth the time. My skin is another stunning creation by Fricka Morgath, a gift to her group members. I own all of her Geisha makeups, for obvious reasons, and I can’t wait to add more.

Of course it’s not all spiky futuristic Geisha hair! On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have the Ashiyya hairstyle, with a posh sculpted beret. I once knew a very striking girl with a gold-sequined beret, and tried to channel some of her quirky chic style for this look. I love this simple T-shirt dress from Emery, it’s hipster cool and a great basic. My Sugar Cube leather jacket is another wardrobe essential, easily dressed up with a fancy Veschi scarf and some fierce gold heels. I recently joined the “She’s So Unusual Shoes” in-world group for a pair of crap shoes (har har), and found these sexy lace-up pumps in the group archive. Yay! The rest of my accessories followed suit: a pair of golden hoop earrings, a sculpted bracelet from Baiastice, and the golden box from the Miriel hunt worn as a purse.

The beret is texture and color-change, so it’s a breeze to mix into your outfits, but I think my favorite part of the hairstyle is the simple side-gathered chignon. It somehow manages to feel sophisticated and casual at the same time – the hair is almost as versatile as the cap! I wear a lot of hat-hair in the fall and winter, and this is a great one to add to your collection if you do the same. I’m wearing Sin Skins’ latest group gift in tone 5, and my Candy Nails in gold to polish it off.

Hair: House of Heart – Magika in Black
Skin: Frick – Geisha in Group Gift Makeup
Eyes: Miriel – Anime Eyes in Gold (Free Wearable Demo!)
Kimono Dress, Choker and Stockings: Bare Rose – Nadeshiko Outfit
Geta Sandals: Dark Eden – Nu Kua Geta Sandals in Midnight (Square Option, Tinted Red)
Kanzashi: Soulfire – Geisha Spiderweb (Available Free at the Free*Style Home! Juicy (115, 115, 23))
Lashes: Aoharu – Geisha Lashes
Fan: Digital Eyes – Valentine Fan (Past Hunt Find)

Hair and Cap: House of Heart – Ashiyya in Coffee Bean
Skin: Sin Skins – Group Gift in Tone 5
Eyes: Miriel – The Arctic Collection – Midnight Sun
Dress: Emery – Glam Rock Dress
Jacket: Sugar Cube – Maze of Love Outfit
Shoes: She’s So Unusual Shoes – Tied Pumps in Gold (Group Gift)
Scarf: Veschi – Muffin Top Dress in White
Earrings: Ume Mode – Loop Pierce
Cuff: Baiastice – Sculpty Bracelet in Light Gold (Past Group Gift)
Purse: Miriel – Free Golden Box (Golden Cage Hunt Find)
Manicure: Candy Nail – Basic Nail in Gold
Lashes: Cake – Flutter

Poses:
Vain Inc – Boudoir Pack (Past Hunt Find)
LAP – Material Girl

Curious about some of the vocabulary? See Foreign Fashion Vocab for more information.

For Slurls, see our Designer Locations and Photo-Shoot Locations pages.

Sound Garden

The summer nights are cooling down, and autumn is sneaking back into our wardrobes. One of our favorite fall fashion trends has been an explosive use of patterns; particularly those of the flowered variety. We always love fresh fashion ideas, and you can’t get much fresher than a floral.

Not every man can rock a flower-printed cowboy shirt. It takes courage, a tousled rock-star haircut, and the right accessories, but any truly stylish man can pull it off. (Remember pink, guys? Florals are just the next frontier) Van is a little bit of a Dapper Dan, and reached for a Shai bowtie and his favorite Wrong suspenders to add a little formality, but kept the earthy vibe with some basic cuffed jeans from Artilleri. The paint-splatter freebie shoes play up the colors of his Saya shirt, worn here without socks for a casual feel. His super-sexy hair is by Armidi as usual, and his favorite icy blue eyes are (of course!) from Miriel.

Going through my dollarbies from the Kuri Style opening sale, I fell in love with this skirt and its plaid/floral fusion pattern. Most of the floral outfit mixes in the magazines are made with multiple patterns, creating an almost clashing fashion aesthetic that feels thoroughly modern and cool. I used that inspiration in choosing this ethnic-printed Bare Rose scarf and these plaid stockings, but kept them in similar shades for a little more approachability. My puffed-sleeve shirt is Aoharu, making it’s third appearance, and illustrating a point of view Van and I are proud to voice: “If you have one, wear it!” There is no need to buy a new pair of jeans if you’ve got a great vintage pair already. Wear your oldies with pride! The boots are by PixelDolls, scripted to change color and magically match anything you own, and need to be imported out of the virtual world, now. My curly pony was a past release gift from House of Heart, a store which is packed with amazing hairstyles of every kind, AND is always generously giving away samples of their newest designs with each update. And my skin is the recent Cupcakes and Rosemar collaboration skin gift, a beautiful blend of both designers’ talent.

On Van:
Skin: The Abyss – Scorpio in Dystopia
Eyes: Miriel – Jeweled Collection – Zircon
Hair: Armidi – The After Party in Red
Shirt: Saya – Flower Style Outfit
Pants: Artilleri – Bobby Jeans in Black
Shoes: Shiny Things – Painter Shoes
Bowtie: Casa del Shai – The Classic Tuxedo Bowtie
Suspenders: Wrong – Suspenders in White

On Candy:
Skin: Rosemar and Cupcakes – Birthday Suit Skin – Freebie #2 in Cameo
Eyes: Miriel – Light Blue (Realistic Size, Free Wearable Demo!)
Hair: House of Heart – Ginnifer in Platinum
Shirt: Aoharu – Gingham Balloon Dress Puffed Blouse
Skirt and Socks: Kuri Style – Rose Outfit
Boots: PixelDolls – Desert Boots (Black Option)
Scarf: Bare Rose – Peepul Outfit (Pink Option)
Manicure: Gianetti – Nails & Melee Claws in Rose Diamond
Lashes: Cake – Flutter Lashes

Poses:
LAP – Dude VI
Kuri Style (Only L$10 for three poses!)

For Slurls, see our Designer Locations and Photo-Shoot Locations pages.

Mo mo mo!

As a minstrel once sang, “I think I’m turning Japanese.” Lately there’s been an explosion of coverage on Japanese designers, thanks to Beanie Canning and others with excellent taste, making it easier than ever for us to indulge! Today’s look is a tribute to Sumomo Kawashima, a blue-skinned beauty and intriguing fresh face on the Japanese design scene.

Momo’s is a new store with a distinctly candy-coated aesthetic. Offering mix n’ match separates in bright sugary shades, it’s the perfect shop for young fashionistas with a sweet tooth. This time I’m only wearing her new “Yummy” dollarbie tattoo, but a quick glance at the feeds will give you a peek at the rest of her delicious designs. I first noticed Sumomo some time ago – as a pink-haired, rainbow-tattooed, blue-skinned little pixie, she’s kinda hard to forget – and I was happy to see her pop up on Fashion Finds advertising her creations. When I saw myself in this (Free!) fantasy skin from Heaven Sella, I instantly thought “Momo!” and tore through my ETD willow packs for a funky pink style. (I know it’s a bit attack of the clones, but it sure made me smile! Heehee) I slipped into my new L$30 dress from Parallel Love and took a quick trip to the ultra-cute tattoo parlor, and everything fell into place.

This is my first time wearing a real dress on this blog, which shocked me, because I’m fanatic in my real life. I actually spent every year from 17 to 22 in nothing but skirts and dresses – I bought my first pair of jeans since childhood last year, for work. And so, to mark this historic occasion, I decided to go as girly as I could. Frilly white socks from Rebel Hope and a matching ribbon belt add a naive charm to the look, and a Blanc daisy corsage keeps it fresh and summery. I’ve got a thing for yellow heels, especially when they’re only L$35 for three colors like these classy buckled pumps from Ryouta Works. I wore a yellow Pin Up Dolls hair ribbon to match, and added a quick coat of Candy Nail’s lemon Jel Drop polish for extra impact. For the cherry on top, I reached for a double-scoop of Aoharu’s Ice Cream Earrings. Seconds, anyone?

Skin: Heaven’s Skin & Shape – Blue Fairy (Free! At her uemachi location: uemachi (22, 71, 29))
Eyes: Free Speerit – Blue Eyes (Past Group Gift)
Hair: ETD – Eglantine in Cerise
Dress: Parallel Love – Heart Lace Dress in Purple
Belt: Rapis – Siro Dress
Socks: Rebel Hope Designs – Candy Socks
Shoes: Ryouta Works – Simple Pumps in Lemon
Ice-Cream Tattoo: Momo – Yummy Tattoo (Only L$1!)
Stars Tattoo: Shi*t Happens – Rainbow Star Tattoo
Corsage: Blanc – Gingham Check Dress
Hair Bow: Pin Up Dolls – Cindy Outfit (Tinted Yellow)
Earrings: Aoharu – Ice Cream Earrings – Blue Hawaii x Cassis
Manicure: Candy Nail – Jel Drops in Lemon

Poses:
Kuri Style (Only L$10 for three poses!)

For Slurls, see our Designer Locations and Photo-Shoot Locations pages.

Lucky Kitty

It’s Lucky Chair madness!!! Almost everywhere you go these days, there’s a board or a chair promising untold riches – and all you have to do is wait for your letter. This festive mini-kimono look has been a flawless good luck charm.

Summer is always a busy time for us (poor Van is working 18-hour days lighting up the summer rock shows), and SL play-time has unfortunately been cut back. But I have been using those precious hours wisely, to catch up on all the amazing freebies I’ve been missing. First stop was Beanie Loves Japan!, a lovely and indispensable guide to Japanese content on the grid, where I spied these anime-influenced eyes. From there I headed out to snag the B11 mall opening gifts, especially this gorgeous makeup by Heaven Sella which is funky, free, and comes with three color combos. I found this “Lucky Cat” mini-kimono at a neko and child avatar store called Green Apple. It was only L$150, so I didn’t feel too anxious gambling on a child’s outfit, but as you can see it fits us adults just dandy. I recently went back and bought the extra 8 obi belt options as well, for only L$30. My yummy pink and blue ice cream bar is available in the Aoharu lucky chair now, and the only actual lucky find I’m featuring, but most if not all these stores listed do feature lucky items (No less than 5 of which I won while Slurl hunting. It really is a lucky kimono!).

Yes, those ARE lucky cats in my shoes! These platforms are the first shoes I’ve bought in ages – for some reason they’re the hardest thing for me to spend money on – and I’ll tell you right now that I’m in love. She’s So Unusual Shoes! is fast becoming my favorite footwear stop, thanks to the original and wonderfully creative designs (not too mention the appealing price tags!). I even had an opportunity to brag on them recently when I ran into the always lovely and fashionable Miss. Olivia Connaught, part of the Free*Style team and thusly one of my heroes. I wanted to keep my hairstyle cute and young, so I chose these messy buns from ETD and added a couple of sweet hair-clips for good measure. The bow was a free gift from Accessories by Eolande, a store I hadn’t visited before the recent Ohana Isle hunt, and the pale pink daisy is part of the October Kanzashi set from Flower & Willow. I’ve spent a fortune on my kanzashi obsession, and I only want more. My tabi (separated toe socks) knee-highs were part of the free kimono available from Giorno Brando, and the jeweled nails are part of a staggering 100 free manicure gloves from Nonon Labs. Thanks Beanie! The goldfish fan was only $L8 from Demi Demi, with many more patterns available, including one with pretty particle fireflies.

Skin: Heaven’s Skin & Shape – Yuko Make Pop (B Option, Free!)
Eyes: Cabochon Eyes in Ajisai (Free!)
Hair: ETD – Brittany in Red
Mini Kimono and Obi: Green Apple – Kimono Dress in Blue Lagoon
Tabi: Giorno Brando – L$0 Kimono (Free, obviously!)
Platforms: She’s So Unusual Shoes! – Mishi’s Lucky Cat Platforms
Hair Bow: Accessories by Eolande – Bow for ETD Phoebe (Pink Texture, Free!)
Hair Flower: Flower & Willow – October Maiko Kanzashi (Pink Option)
Manicure: Nonon Labs – Nail 52 Pink (Free!)
Fan: Demi Demi – Goldfish Uchiwa Fan (Only L$8!)
Ice Cream Bar: Aoharu – Ice Candy 001 (Lucky Chair Item!)

Poses:
Izumiya Poses
Digital Dragon Designs – Vintage Pin-Up 1

Curious about some of the vocabulary? See Foreign Fashion Vocab for more information.

For Slurls, see our Designer Locations and Photo-Shoot Locations pages.