“Helene” by MEB
As we roll into February, we in the north still have some cold weather ahead. So MEB’s new jacket, “Helene” comes just in time to see us through the rest of winter.
Everything about Helene is warm and plush. The jacket itself is a rich velvet, available in either deep blue (shown) or black. You will feel toasty and cuddly, with that generous fur collar wrapped around your shoulders. Fur also graces the cuffs, and the jacket is fastened just below the bust with a single onyx button. Maria strikes that perfect harmony between classy and edgy. Worn alone, “Helene” is daring! However, if you wish a more demure look, you might shop around for a pale silk camisole to wear underneath.
“Helene is the “Outfit of the Month” for February. This outfit will be offered at a 35% discount during February. Helene is available for L$250 until 28 Feb; after that the regular price will be L$390.
Farewell to Spork
“The elegance of a young woman making her first formal appearance in society is a fitting image for Spork’s newest gown.” This was the lead-in for the description of “Debutante,” which was released Saturday. As it turns out, Debutante is Spork’s final release. I guess that’s irony, eh?
As I went to bed that night, after GM told me he was considering closing Spork, I had that heavy feeling in my tummy, like you get when saying good bye to a dear friend. For sure GM and Barb are not going anywhere, but Spork has been part of my life for a year and a half. GM entrusted me to inspect each release to find the smallest imperfection, so he could make it right before final release. I wrote many of the outfit descriptions that appeared in the Spork blog, and I was privileged to model in a number of store posters. Spork has been a rich and rewarding part of my SL experience, and I will miss it, I will miss the interactions. From the bottom of my heart, I thank the whole Spork team for the great ride!
On the bright side, GM is planning to get back into photography. Without a doubt, GM is one of the most brilliantly creative photographers in SL, so we can look forward to seeing more of that side of his talent.
In the meantime, between now and Feb 15, everything in the store is on sale for L$50 or less each item. There are some amazing clothes down there (for example the Ashbury skirt and tube top pictured above), so be sure to drop by.
“Debutante” by Spork
The elegance of a young woman making her first formal appearance in society is a fitting image for Spork’s newest gown. “Debutante” is a delicate, graceful gown of soft lace and satin. The colors of the skirt shimmer as they dissolve from a deep hue to pure whites. Over this lies a layer of gossamer-like lace, which gives an understated aura to the gown. The bodice itself is bejeweled satin, fit for a princess. and opera gloves with lace cuffs accent the gown. Bestowing the finishing touch, a lace train flows away from a jeweled wrap, tied in back with a lovely bow.The skirt comes in two flavors. For occasions where only the most formal attire will do, you can wear the full floor-length skirt. But at Spork they know how to be fun, and flirty, too. So Debutante comes with a second option. Change out the glitch pants for lace leggings, wear the open skirt, and suddenly you have a daring, sassy look! These two flavors may be as different as night and day, but you will experience the same plush sensations in either one.
Debutante is available in white, blue, mint, and pink, priced at L$400 for each color, available at the main the store.
Can I Be a Model?
Sometimes an acquaintance asks me, or sometimes someone sees my “LOOK Academy Director” tag and asks me. “Do you think I can be a model?” “Is it difficult become a model?” Well, let’s look at that.
Modeling is a labor of love; it requires a great deal of time and effort, as well as determination. You will put some money into it before you start to see a return. And there are no guarantees of success. But it is possibly the most rewarding experience you can have in SL. So if you are still interested, read on.
First of all, it doesn’t matter what you look like right now. In Second Life of course, we can have just about any look we want. But the students who go through my classes don’t undergo radical makeovers; rather, they work on fine-tuning and finessing their looks. So don’t let doubts about your look hold you back.
Modeling is time-intensive. It starts with your training. Some programs can get you through in a few weeks; if you take my full course at LOOK Elite Models, you will be in for five months (yes, that’s months) of nearly weekly training. And during your training you should start entering contests and castings. Graduating from a training program frees up your time for more contests, castings, and hopefully shows and shoots. You need to get your face out there. The more of these types of activities you can participate in, the more you will come to be known.
So here might be a good place to bring up the subject of determination. There are many, many beautiful models out there, and you will be competing against the best. As you get your modeling career underway, you will experience more let downs than successes. You need the type of personality that allows you to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get back in the game.
And speaking of let downs… You might run across agencies that promise you steady work once you complete their programs. Let’s just say, do your research.
A model’s attitude is so important. You can find successful models who are divas, and successful models who are humble. Perhaps my take on the matter is best summarized from a line in my profile box: “I seek to achieve success by collaborating with my peers, rather than their failure.”
What about money? Well, you have already probably spent a small fortune on quality skins and hair. Then there is the cost of training. Training programs can cost L$5,000 to L$15,000. Compared to what you will eventually spend in modeling, that 5 – 15K will be a drop in the bucket. So rather than shopping cost, look at what the program offers, does it match your needs, and are you comfortable with the staff. Buying clothes, accessories, and so on for all the contests and castings will not be trivial. I don’t think it’s necessary to spend hundreds of dollars each month on these things (I certainly never did). But the fact is, you will have to spend money on your modeling career. And fewer and fewer agencies now pay their models. I suppose that is because so many models are desperate enough that they settle for no pay. My feeling, however, is that a trained, experienced model should be treated professionally, and that includes pay. If you are fortunate, you may someday see a positive cash flow from modeling.
Have I scared you off now? I hope not. I just want you to go into this with your eyes open, and not be disillusioned down the road. There are so many compelling reasons to become involved in modeling. The designers are awesome, and I always look forward to meeting them. It is a privilege to show the fruits of their creativity on the runway or in a studio. Hard to describe that feeling. I have met my closest friends through modeling, and that is the richest experience of all. So, if you can go into it with this attitude, well, maybe you can be a model, and a happy one.
Envy Boots by Magnifico Exclusive
One of the things I love best about working in fashion is meeting designers. Last Saturday, Melusina Parkin introduced me to Magnifico Miggins, the creative talent behind Magnifico Exclusive. Magnifico, or “Mag” as she goes by, has a fabulous sense of humor and a sharp wit, and is great fun to hang with.
She also makes shoes to die for! The picture above shows her “Envy” boots in grey. I believed I had found nirvana when I wore these boots. The design is avante-garde and soooo sexy, and the realism is stunning. It just doesn’t get better than that. Envy boots are available in nine colors, hard to pass up at L$700 each.
Mag apparently sensed my weakness for animal prints, because I left her store wearing leopard print heels with prim feet. She has a lot of fun shoes at her store, including tennies, pumps, and ankle boots. Next time you are in the mood to feed your shoe fetish, you ought to stop by Magnifico Exclusive!
“Zooey” by Spork
Fur and lace. What comes to mind when you use those two words in the same sentence? Sexy elegance! And sexy elegance is what you will feel when you try on Spork’s new release, “Zooey.”
When the occasion calls for you to be queen of the cocktail party, you can strut into the room wearing Zooey as a dress. The fur collar, large lace pattern finished with opera gloves might at first blush seem overdressed for the occasion. But the unexpected pairing of those pieces with that oh, so short poofy bubble skirt makes the look utterly eye-popping! The bubble skirt attaches at three points, so, as short as it is, there is no worry about exposing anything as you dance away.
For more casual occasions, you can take the velvet gloves off and substitute long pants for the bubble skirt. The pants are low-rise, with a flattering waistband. Prim cuffs on the pants give a nice finish, and can be worn either with pumps, boots, or flats.
Zooey is available in six colors: black, gold, magenta, purple, red, and teal, priced at L$450 for each color.
Melu Deco
Sometimes in Second Life, someone who has has been hiding her talents will at last reveal them, like a flower blossoming in the spring. And so I would like to tell you about Melusina Parkin, who began the new year by opening her store, Melu Deco.
Melu Deco is an adorable little store tucked away in Bayou Noir, and it is the realization of Melu’s passion for art, furniture, and fashion of the period. Here, Melu has on display the art deco furniture and household accessories she has lovingly crafted these last months. In her store, you will find several tables and chairs, table and wall lamps, framed artwork, and a credenza, which I consider to be her pièce de résistance. Melu has selected lovely wood textures for her furniture, including redwood burl for a lamp base. You can also find rugs for sale, so finely textured that you can make out the nap on the surface. All of Melu’s pieces are very reasonably priced.
Bring a friend along with you, because after you have immersed yourself in Melu’s store, you will want to relax at one of the patio tables outside the store. Bayou Noir, despite its foreboding name, is a charming little New Orleans themed shopping district. So set aside a little time; a visit to Melu Deco is an outing you will want to savor.
L&B Black Label Productions
Yes, the rumors you’ve heard are true! Second Life supermodel Laura18 Streeter and socialite and top model Bourbon Zenovka are opening their own photo studio.
We have a cute little shop in the French Quarter, on Bourbon Street. We photograph portfolios, fashion shows, and custom products, such as tees with you and/or your sweetie’s pictures, and dressing screens with your silhouette.
Our open house is this Saturday, Dec 19, starting at 12 PM SLT. We have a free giftie for the first 25 guests, so be sure to come by!
Kakaue Kreations GoGo Boots
“Where have you been all my life?” is the question I asked kakaue Yoshikawa, as she was giving a few of us a tour of her store last Sunday. She replied, “You just never came to me in nearly 3 years in shoe biz ^^.” Point well taken.
What prompted my question were the palpitations in my heart as I was taking in her amazing array of boots. As everyone knows, a girl can’t have too many boots. And I admit to owning an enviable assortment of dress boots with stiletto heels. But there are occasions or moods that sometimes call for other styles. And if you are wondering where to start looking, your first stop ought to be Kakaue Kreations. Casual, cowboy, club, fantasy, trekker – you’re likely to find something at her store. She even has boots that can be changed into shoes using a menu-driven HUD.
Although it was her boots that first caught my eye, boots are only one of her product lines. She carries a variety of dressy and casual shoes, sunglasses, outfits, and products for designers and shop owners.
It may have taken me three years to discover Kakaue Kreations, but now that I have put you on to it, you have no excuse!
“Bella” by Tuli
This morning Tuli Asturias sent a few additions to her “Bella” line: “For Your Eyes Only,” and “For Your Lips Only.” In each of these packs you will find four makeups. As you might imagine, “For Your Eyes” emphasizes strong eye shadows with natural lip colors, while “For Your Lips” applies delicious lip colors, and keeps the eye shadow light. I’m shown here wearing F.Y.L.O pink.
In the Lip series, the lip colors are suitable for both daytime and evening. The Eye series is oriented more toward evening, although I am looking forward to wearing “Dusk” as a casual daytime makeup, as well.
“Bella” is a nicely balanced freckled skin; the freckles are clearly visible, but not overdone. Pale, fair, sunkissed, tanned, and dark tan skin tones are available. Each skin comes with three options for shading around the breasts, for a variety of cleavage effects. Each pack of 4 makeups sells for L$2,000, quite a bargain as far as I’m concerned.
“Bella” is pretty. I mean, take a look at that picture. Need I say more?
