A Balancing Act:

The Beachwear and Lingerie Expo is in full swing at Vanity Universe. I stopped in this morning to have a look around and was fairly impressed with the selection of high quality fashions available…and I picked up a couple of gifts while I was there, also.

In the end, though, I looked at my overloaded inventory and realized that I had more swimwear than I need, so I decided to beef up my lingerie collection in an attempt to even things out.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love love love a long, flowing bedroom jacket over my lingerie. (I offer my need to wear Digit Darkes’ Determined Coat almost daily as Exhibit A) So, when I walked into the Nicky Ree shop at the expo, there was no question as to whether or not to purchase the Vicky Lingerie Set. The textures are beautifully detailed from the embroidered lace on the edge of the jacket to the little ribbon tie on the brassiere. The set also comes with a lovely, satiny chemise for when you want a little more coverage, but still look sexy and chic.
It seems that each time I wear a babydoll anything, I’m greeted with the inevitable “Preggers?” question from Guy. I doubt he’d find anything remotely maternal about this stunning little bit of nothing from Casa Del Shai, though. The hand-drawn design is captivating and the modestly cut panties are demurely enticing. The sheer teddy skirt on the Malena Lingerie Set can also be removed exposing just the tiniest ruffle underneath the breasts.

For shoes, I made a mad dash to Stiletto Moody and picked up the Mary Jane Sandals in Johns Silver and the Gladiator Sandals in Tan-Brown. Though, I could kick myself now for not splurging on the color change option. Oh, well, the Shoe Expo is going on, so I’m sure I will find something worthy of my hard earned Lindens there…but that is another post for another day.
Some other details…I toned down my usual raspberry-hued lips and opted for a glossy, pale pink, but kept my signature cat-like eyeliner (I could kiss Roslin and CJ for this Vivant Feline skin from Fleur, it is indeed my very favorite and I’m rarely seen in any other). My nail color is Super Nova from Nevermore Studios. And for hair, the blonde wig I’m wearing is Lindsay by Dernier Cri, and the brunette is Eva II in Caramel by Maitreya.

That’s all for now. Be sure to visit the Swimwear and Lingerie Expo, it’s going on until July 26, 2008. As for me, I’m off to count my pennies and head back over to the SL Footwear Expo. Four sims of treats for my toes, all to benefit the ASPCA. Stay tuned for more info!

A Red Letter Day

On Saturday, July 5, 2008, Second Life residents will finally be able to experience, first hand, the highly-anticipated unveiling of CodeBastard Redgrave’s new sim, simply named, Rouge.

Codie, as she is affectionately known, is the creator of the infamous Boudoir Rouge portrait series, developer of the MachinimaCam and Dramavatar fashion line, and owner of the Code Red Lounge and Gallery. Apart that, she is also a very close friend of mine.

Having had the opportunity to watch the transformation of this sim from barren desert to work of art at the hands of legendary builder, Eshi Otawara, I can honestly tell you that Rouge is, indeed, one of, if not THE, most unique and beautiful builds I have seen in Second Life to date. And it is quintessentially representative of it’s proprietress.

From the official CodeBastard Redgrave website:

“ROUGE — CodeBastard “Codie” Redgrave, photography artist and content designer, has the immense pride and pleasure to announce that her brand new sim, Rouge, will open it’s doors to the public with a smashing huge party happening Saturday the 5th of July, starting at 2PM SLT. It will end up several hours later to accommodate friends from both the American and European timezones.

A press conference will be held Friday the 4th at 6PM SLT for all bloggers and journalists interested to know more about Rouge and the opening event. I will also offer a guided tour preview of the sim after the press conference. Those interested can ask for a press pass directly to CodeBastard Redgrave.

The party will include an impressive lineup of DJs to entertain you, including Nexeus Fatale and Amanda Shinji, among others awaiting confirmation. There will be gifts distributed all night. Boudoir Rouge artwork will be on display for you to enjoy, or to acquire those exclusive pieces to support the sim activities. Many surprises awaits on this unique and magical night to come. The dress code is anything red, or lingerie, or naked (you read well).

The Rouge sim is a unique and amazing piece of work created by building and design luminary Eshi Otawara. The whole sim is a concept never done before in SecondLife both in the aestethical and spatial organization sense. It’s purpose is to host the new version of the legendary Code Red Lounge, the new Rouge gallery walk and a new store, just called Rouge, that will sustain financially the sim’s cultural and artistic activities. The Rouge store will include products from multiple content designers, of course most of it themed with the red color.

The new sim will be hosting various events, from art events to fashion shows, and will be available for rent to any organization needing it for holding special events. It is also an awesome leisure resort where Secondlifers can come anytime they want for a good time in good company, in a very spectacular setting. It is a VIP club but will be open to the public as soon as the sim is officially launched.”

The official schedule for this event has also been announced via the website and includes a who’s who of Second Life DJs each cranking out their signature shows to keep the crowd energized. They include:

• 2PM-3PM – DJ Azufr3
• 3PM-5PM – Digital Francis
• 5PM-7PM – Nexeus Fatale
• 7PM-9PM – Amanda Shinji
• 9PM-11PM – Init Hubble
• 11PM-1AM – Eris Alexander
• 1AM-3AM – To be determined
• 3AM-5AM – To be determined
• 5AM-7AM – Nephie Eerie – Stella Errans

Several of Second Life’s most prominent designers have signed on as sponsors of this epic event and will offer special gifts to invitees. (Note: I’ve had an opportunity to preview a couple of these gifts, and you won’t want to miss out!) The sponsors list includes:

• Tesla
• Casa del Shai
• Juicy
• Bluebell Productions
• Mairead Fitzgerald
• Callie Cline
• Alexx Markova

Due to the expected high demand, access will be limited to Code Red group members. IM CodeBastard Redgrave for a group invitation and come join the fun. I’ll be there…and who doesn’t want to party with me? See you at Rouge!

I Love The Nightlife…

The last couple of weeks have seemed like a tangle of parties and events. I’m exhausted! But looking back on the pictures, I am remembering all of the fun that was had. It is always great when friends, old and new, come together for dancing, conversation and, of course, mischief-making. So, I thought I’d share a few of them with you…just for kicks.

Plurk/Twitter Meet Up – L to R, Front to Back: Osiris Pfalz, Washu Zebrastripe, Jun Kuroda,
Dakota Blackmountain, Tenebrous Pau, and Timothy Lilliehook

I mentioned in a previous post that Guy and I hosted a party at our home, The Retreat at Balboa Beach. It was a fabulous time, but I was so busy playing hostess that I totally forgot to take any pictures! Bad, Gabby, Bad!

Not to worry, though, last week Damien Fate, Codie and I snuck around with Guy and Nexeus Fatale to throw a surprise 5 1/2 year Rezday party for Washu Zebrastripe. You read that correctly. Washu is older then Second Life. She is an original Beta Lifetime Member, but has sadly NEVER celebrated her Rezday (It falls on the day after Christmas…so mark your calendars). Damien made confetti launchers that went off whenever anyone said “Washu,” Nexeus played all of her favorite tunes (and a few not-so-favorites…mm bop, anyone?), and lots of friends made their way over to dance and celebrate with her. It took some sneaking around, but we managed to keep the secret. Codie even had to find a way to eject Washu from her group so that she could send the invite without raising suspicion. It worked and a grand time was had by all. That is, until the powers-that-be decided to do a sim move in the middle of it! But, such is life in Linden Land, right?
Then came yesterday’s Plurk/Twitter Meet Up organized by Osiris Pfalz and held at the Code Red Lounge. Tenebrous‘ sploder weakness was brought to light, the dancing poles were filled and 60’s/70’s/Disco fashions were the style du jour. These meet ups give us an opportunity to meet, in avatar, those with whom we share insight, witticisms and random minutiae when we are not in world…and sometimes even when we are. There was an excellent turn out and everyone had a great time!

After all of that, there was a fashion show and yet another party hosted by Mony Markova and her friend Sigmund Leominster at their new home. I’ve had a great couple of weeks, but have had very little time to work on some of my pet projects, this blog being one of them. So, I hope that the next few weeks are a little slower as I have some great posts planned (hint: I’ve been exploring my darker side lately). Stay tuned.

Hair Fair 2008 – A Call To Designers

Coming soon to a sim near you…Hair Fair 2008. Preparations are underway for the colossal event that will fill four full sims! The Hair Fair committee is on the hunt for vendor applications for the third annual event that will benefit Locks of Love that will fill four full sims August 22-September 7, 2008

Designers, visit the Hair Fair Blog today and get your applications in by July 1, 2008. Residents mark your calendars for this out-of-this-world event.

Born To Hand Jive, Baby!

Both Guy and I are huge fans of MaxMarine (I’ve previously blogged about my love affair with the Swordfish 40 here), so when we received the invitation to a Grease-themed party from MaxMarine owner Maximilian Milosz and Artilleri’s own Antonia Marat, we knew this was one event we would not miss. And, let me tell you, boys and girls, we were not disappointed!

(Line Dancing on the Bar. L to R: Antonia Marat, Mira Raymaker, Amethest Peck, Anais Paperdoll, Kaedon Sao and Pixie Honey)

Dressed in our finest 50’s/Retro/Rockabilly-inspired duds, we joined a fantastic group of revelers and danced the evening away. Max passed around Strawberry Milkshakes, Pixie Honey led a rousing trivia challenge, Amethest Peck and Anais Paperdoll kept the crowd excited, Otawan Fouquet kept the music going and Antonia was, indeed, the Hostess with the Mostest.

As for me, I pulled the look together by adding to my already bulging Artilleri collection. What can I say, the party was intended to celebrate the end of Artilleri’s big sale (*begs Antonia not to make us wait too long for the new releases), so I had an excuse to shop. The Amy Winehouse-inspired hair and sky-high heels complimented perfectly the red and black ensemble I finally decided on.

Enjoy the shapshots from the party and keep reading for captions and style sheets.

Alla Ruff of Veschi (foreground) and Antonia Marat cutting a rug.

Guy and I taking a break and enjoying a slow dance together.

Style Sheet:
Shirt and Pants: chacha! mix 2 *black/red* by Artilleri
Hair: Amy by Aden Breyer
Glasses: Greta by Artilleri (part of group gift outfit)
Earrings and Necklace: Fancy Dices by Artilleri
Shoes: *KL* PlatformHighHeels Kiss Black by Kittie’s Lair
Skin: Fleur Vivant Bronze Feline 3

On Guy:
Jacket by Rogue
Jeans by Artilleri

Color Come To Life: The eLDee Fashion Show

Picking up where I left off, Saturday evening was as busy as Saturday afternoon, and the highlight was attending the eLDee Fashion Show at the JM Models Fashion House. Lilyana Dryke, the L and D of eLDee, is quickly becoming one of my favorite designers for her easy-to-wear style sensibilities and dressy-casual chicness.

Our host for the evening, Eddi Haskell (sorry, have to giggle just a little here as that name calls to mind fond memories of one of my favorite childhood TV shows)…oops, back to the post…Eddi described the featured designer in this way:

“Lilyana is a designer with a fondness for beautiful rich colour, stunning unique textures and simple yet striking, fun, flirty and sexy casual designs in her outfits. The collection you are about to see tonight will appeal to every taste and personality, especially for the girl who likes to mix n’ match her wardrobe, these outfits are a must.”

This is my second time attending a show at the JM Models Fashion House, and I have to tell you that I just love the facility. This time I even hung around for a little bit after the show and everyone was just so friendly (why am I always shocked by the friendliness in SL? I’ve yet to meet a truly boorish av). I only wish that I had taken more, and quite frankly, better pictures at the event. For pictures from the live show, please visit the JM Models blog.

Click the jump for more info, photos and style sheets.

After the show, I hurried over to eLDee’s flagship store on the Sapphire sim to pick up several of the outfits featured. I would suggest you do the same.

eLDee Eva in Blue, ETD Ashley in Blonde, Shiny Things Francoise Flats in Blue

eLDee Panze in Yellow, ETD Davina II in Blonde, Kittie’s Lair PeepToe Pumps Tease! in Vine

eLDee Bali in Yellow, Armidi Glamourous II, Maitreya ChiChi Pumps in Black

eLDee Line in Orange, ETD Wynn in Blonde, Kittie’s Lair PeepToe Pumps Tease! in Snake 01

eLDee Atoll Swimsuit in Lemon (this Limited Edition suit was a gift for show attendees), ETD Brenda in Blonde

In all photos: Skin: Fleur Vivant Bronze Feline 3

Meetups and Openings and Shows…Oh My!

Saturday was a very busy day on the grid and I did my best to make the most of it! First up was the Twitter meetup where I had the opportunity to visit with all of my new twitter friends.*waves* I only wish I’d thought to take more pictures.::sigh::

(What? You don’t twitter? You simply must, darlings! Ha! I even talked Guy into it!)

Harper Beresford and CodeBastard Redgrave hold court at the Twitter Meetup.

While at the party, my new, fabulous friend, CodeBastard Redgrave, invited me to attend the opening of the Arthole gallery with her. I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the exhibits in abject amazement and then dancing and laughing and taking part in general mischief making.

When you arrive at Arthole, you are given a notecard that reads, in part:

“Arthole is a new collaborative project between Arahan Claveau and Nebulosus Severine. Having successfully worked together for the first time in 2007 on the exhibition Salon Du Disruptif for the Heldscalla Foundation, they were eager to establish a permanent space for their work.

Split into three separate levels, the gallery has been very consciously conceived to be a continually evolving space, that will strive to challenge and surprise the visitor. The environment has been designed to encourage exploration at a more considered pace, and those that choose to do so will likely be rewarded with a much more immersive and satisfying experience.”

In fact, you will find several notecards as you study the individual works. Read them. They are full of information that will enhance your enjoyment of the exhibit.

Instead of regurgitating that information to you here, I’m going to leave you with some photos and captions and brief little snippets…and a direct command to visit the space for yourself. I promise that you will not be disappointed. Click on each photo for a larger view.

Located on the third level, which will be used for exhibits by visiting artists, this photo was taken in the space created by Arthole’s first guest, Ichibot Nishi. The installation is titled “λ.mnemonic” and there really are no words to describe it, you must see and experience for yourself. Codie took the above photo of the two of us inside the giant vagina. Please click this link to Codie’s Flickr page to view more of her photos from the opening…and then browse around to see ALL of her amazing work…DO NOT skip the Boudoir Rouge series.

Like so many of the exhibits, both Simulacrum v2 and Untitled v2 are scripted to provide a multi-dimensional display. Simulacrum v2 shows subtle changes in movement and texture that will mesmerize the viewer and Untitled v2 is comprised of a series of overlapping images creating an ever-evolving work of art.

Null will really draw you in. When you first teleport to the level, it appears to be simply a bright white room with pyramidical walls. Walk into the space, though, and you will notice that the walls follow you. Go ahead, fly around, they’ll keep up. Did I mention that you need to turn your sound up when visiting the gallery? No? How remiss of me! Please, do make sure your sounds are turned up, it will really enhance your experience here. Especially when you turn away from the Null space and enter the Fontana exhibit.

My favorite exihibit, though, is titled Fuck me/Shoot me. Each of the eight colored panels is comprised of tiny, repeating images of an anonymous, shirtless British soldier holding a gun. (The inset picture here, showing the detail, was taking from the notecard provided by the artist) As you walk or fly into the panels, the color will change on contact. The interactivity, and gravity, of the piece is awe-inspiring.

Oh, and I did mention the party, yes? Of course, I remembered the party! What a fabulous time! I must thank Codie again (and again and again and again) for inviting me…we danced up a storm, laughed hysterically and held a very *cough* serious *ahem* discussion as to the pros and cons of jiggly prim breasts.

Oh, but the busy day did not end there. Later that evening, Guy and I attended the eLDee Fashion Show featuring the designs of the uber talented Lilyana Dryke. Tune in Monday for pictures from the show.

Now get thee to Arthole tout de suite! Right after you open that twitter account, of course. *wink*

An Evening of Fashion

Last night, I was fortunate enough to attend the Alchemy and Angels Fashion Show produced by JM Models Fashion House. And, to make the evening complete, Guy was able to escort me to the show…~smile~ The show was beautifully produced and the models were stunning. The real stars of the show, however, were the designs by Constanza Volare of Alchemy and Isobel DeSantis of Angels. Gunther Allen, our emcee for the evening provided the best description of these two talented designers.

“Constanza is a dress designer with a fondness for bold colors and rich, shimmering textures in her stunning designs. Her dresses take you back to the golden age of Hollywood glamour – but with a contemporary twist.

Isobel makes some of the finest shoes and accessories in Secondlife, delicately crafted with amazing detail and a range of color choices to match all the outfits Constanza makes.”

Below the cut you will find more pictures from the show and photos of the new Alchemy Releases provided by Constanza Volare.

In the above pictures you see the first model of the evening preparing her walk down the runway, one of my favorite outfits of the show, and the aptly named Adorable outfit.

The following pictures were taken from Constanza Volare’s flickr page, with her permission, of course. To view larger images, please follow the link to flickr. You can find all of these designs at Alchemy.

To purchase any of the fashions seen here, along with all of their other beautiful designs, just follow the SLurls to visit Alchemy and Angels in world.

Oh, and as for me, I’m wearing Alchemy Unique in Yellow with the system skirt option, along with my go-to hair and skin of choice – ETD’s Davina II in Blonde Burnt and Fleur Vivant Bronze Feline 3. And Guy, well, he’s all in black…go figure…*S.

Friendship Week At caLLie cLine

“A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg…
even though he knows that you are slightly cracked.”
- Bernard Meltzer

It is friendship week at caLLie cLine and what a fun week it has been so far! Last night, I popped in to pick up the Day Three gift and, of course, shop around a little bit (I managed to exercise a bit of self-control for once, but I know it won’t last the week, so you can be sure there is a CC shopping spree in my very near future). As is the norm in caLLiefornia, you can’t stop in without making a new friend (or five) because all of the girls in the Cal Gal group are just so amazing! Taking advantage of the poseballs caLLie has set out, Joonie, Sky2, Kurvy, Chanteusse, Clover and I set about creating our pyramid (that’s me at bottom center). I think I need to find a good chiropractor.

If you haven’t yet joined the Cal Gal group, now is the time! And not just because caLLie is so generous (though I gotta tell you, she lavishes gifts on this group like no other I am, or have been, a member of), but she is also an amazing designer. I simply can’t resist picking up each new release and by now, I think I own almost all of the first floor.

Big hugs to caLLie and all of the Cal Gals for making this the best week ever…you all rock!

Oh…and one last thing…I was playing around with a black and white skin that I picked up from La Sylphide at the Rue d’Antibes sim opening, so I took a couple of pictures and sent them to Tucor, who added a little lighting effect to come up with this finished product. Here is a different take on the Fun in the Sun Dress, Fat Belt and matching bracelet that was the Day 2 gift.

What I’m wearing:
Dress: Fun In The Sun (Friendship Week Day 2 Gift) – Callie Cline
Shoes: Stiletto Moody Pumps (Color Change Version) – Stiletto Moody
Skin: Liliana Black and White-Noir – La Sylphide
Hair: Davina II in Black – ETD