A Little Bit of Style by Zoe Demar - Fantasy Week: Graves

"What's your kink?" is the tagline and perfect description of the fashions found at Graves. The creator, Jackie Graves, definitely knows her way around virtual latex.  Be ready to step into a mature sci-fi styled reality when visiting the store oozing out in a blue-green glow.


Graves' universe is made up of a huge variety of leather and latex creations that will get the blood pumping.  But pigeonholing the fashions to fetish only will cause one to lose an awesome assortment of creativity.  Mainly fashioned in black and white, one can still find a few shades of color in a variety of the outfits.

It takes a few rounds to really appreciate the ingenuity that Graves has placed into her creations.  There is a huge selection of women's fashions but she does have a decent selection of men's attire as well.  My current 4 faves are G127 Mantis, G200 Executive, G209 Eclipse (new), and G119 Nemesis (shown left).  It is difficult to pick only four!

And if this fantasy isn't your thing; there is footwear potential, awesome photography on display. and gift-cards available to give to friends that are.  Graves truly is the cornerstone in this market and if you feel like kinking up your look, this is definitely the place to do it!

TP to Graves

Enjoy!

Love, Zoe

Note: Images have undergone some processing



Credits:
Graves: G119 Nemesis
Analog Dog: Whimsy in Espresso
Dutch Touch: XaYa in Olive SmokeyEx (VIP)
MADesigns: Naturals in Happy Blue Pale Eyes
J's: ThighHigh Boots in Black
Pose by Del May

A Little Bit of Style by Zoe Demar - Fantasy Week: Chaospire

Chaospire is created by Devyn Grimm and is one of the first high detailed fantasy creations that I found on the grid and is still here today. When arriving at the store the creative details are even apparent in the build iteself.


Chaospire has a small collection in comparison to what you may find at other stores, but the quality of the items has always wowed me. When I spoke to Devyn Grimm years ago, I wondered how he was able to bring in such sharp designs. He did say that he created large then shrunk the textures down to import. Even his oldest creations still contain crisp details are still the top of today's quality.

A lot of Grimm's looks are based on medieval fantasy. Including druids, nymphs, and sorceresses as well as others. Though mainly catered to women he does have a couple outfits for the men. My all-time faves of his include the Woodnymph, Succubus, and Beledinoir (shown left).

And if fantasy isn't your thing, there are also swimsuits, t-shirts (new), and lingerie available. Even if you're just looking for a collection of wings to add to a look - Chaospire is one place you have to visit just to admire the work put into all of the creations.

TP to Chaospire

Enjoy!

Love, Zoe

Note: Images have undergone some processing



Credits:
Chaospire: "Beledinoir" 8-piece Gothic Tribal Bellydance Outfit
Analog Dog: Whimsy in Espresso
Dutch Touch: XaYa in Olive SmokeyEx (VIP)
MADesigns: Naturals in Happy Blue Pale Eyes
Redgrave: Eyelashes 29 Vampire
Bax Coen: Ankle Boots Black Patent
Striking Poses

A Little Bit of Style by Zoe Demar - Fantasy Week

Announcing a special feature that will start the Wednesday 21st and continue for 5 days discussing some of my favorite places to find fantasy fashion in Second Life.

Special Feature by Zoe Demar

I don't do this very often so it is a pretty big deal for me to change up my blog posts. The Taylor skin by League has been a very strong contender as a default skin, the only big thing is - my default look for Zoe is currently blonde which doesn't bode well since the Taylor skin has only had a dark eyebrow/hairbase option ...that is until now!!

Today Nena Janus (creator of League) released League Taylor Feline in Blonde!! Yes, I am more than a bit thrilled!

They are now available at the Harajukubox Skin Fair! (slurl here)

The skins include:

• Blonde Hairbase
• Freckles & Cleavage Options
• 8 Skins/Pack
• 4 Tones

Other Picture Credits:

• Bikini Top by Cynful
• Sweatpants by League
• Hair by Exile
• Eyes by LeLutka
• Pose by Diesel Works

Enjoy!

Love, Zoe

A Little Bit of Style by Zoe Demar - Holloway

I am a big fan of Mad Men after catching up with the series on DVD. We're nearing the start of the fourth season and thus I thought it would be fun to bring to life some of the Mad Men fashions to Second Life. Joan Holloway is the inspiration for today's look.

I knew straight away that I could find a dress that is suitable to Joan's curves at Icing. One of my all time fave stores on the grid, Icing has always offered a niche to the vintage style. Ultra feminine is this dress called, Femme en Noir. The pencil style skirt signifies a sensually elegant feminine figure which is accented by the stunning dragonfly pin.

No dress especially back in the 60s era would you be caught without some form of hosiery. I made a trip to pick up a thigh high lace-top stockings set from Blowpop. Seen here in sand.

The LeLutka Saffron pumps in nude are a bit more of a modern twist on the look. I opted to stay away from the typical black and stick with a neutral tone.

Joan isn't the type to over accessorize as she always tends to find the proper balance in her style. I kept the jewelry to a minimum with these earrings from the Antique Pearl Choker Set from Paper Couture.

Also being in the type of job she is she is constantly needing to keep an eye on the time. Thus this look would not be suitable without a proper watch. This watch called Naomi is from YV (by Yvette Vultee) and ties in a classic strap style with bracelet twist. And for future use there is a ton of scripted color options (black and white are sold together and are totally tintable).

Funny how it works out sometimes, but Truth's Zoe - which I have assumed was named after me (and even if not I'll say it is) really ties to how Joan keeps her hair. Maybe he had that in mind when designing it but it really fits well to how she wears it. I do hope that is a reflection of my own type of style - I do adore vintage styles but I know that I'm not alone! Truth certainly has not stopped creating - you can find new styles weekly which is quite an impressive feat on its own, especially if they weren't as good as they really are!!



I also decided to try a new skin brand called Mynerva. I saw Carissa Crimson blogging about it and went to check it out. I was pleased to see the different shades of eyebrows as well as cleavage option included with the skin. I wasn't crazy about all the make-ups but a few did catch my eye which I might go back for later. I really liked the glossy lips, and though typically Joan uses a darker shade - I thought this was still suitable. I did opt for the cleavage version because it didn't overpower the look. I do find that having cleavage options is nice but I also find there are outfits out there where no cleavage is necessary. The set I bought from is in a back room btw. There are also some tattoos for sale as well as elf-style ears.

Other tid-bits - I modded my shape to give a lil more curves to what I consider already curvy shape. The set that I used for background is by Click by Flix Saiman. I also reused LeLutka's Reflection eyes in Glory as she is a blue-eyed lady. One other thing that my hubby was mentioning, was that the actress that plays Joan Holloway, Christina Hendricks is not a natural red-head but a blonde! Huh!

I hope you enjoyed traveling back in time with Holloway!

Love, Zoe

A Little Bit of Style by Zoe Demar - City Chic

I've always been a big mix of a city and country - not necessarily the music, but living areas.  My last blog post was a bit of country so I decided to switch it up and bring a bit of country to the city.

The Lace Ruffle Skirt in White from Aoharu is the inspiration for this look.  The lace ruffles bring in a bit of the fun country flair.  It also comes in black and Aoharu certainly has many options of tops that fit with it nicely.  But this wouldn't be much of a city chic look if I kept it country.

To pull me out of the country and into the city I paired it with this Short Trench Jacket in Blue by Maitreya for a more city sophisticated look.  Maitreya has many color options of this trench, but I fell in love with the blue shade for a nice summer fresh appeal.

To accessorize the look I went with some of my all time fave earrings called Hamptons (by miabella) which are still available at LeLutka.  The subtle texture and colors remind me of water washing upon a warm sandy beach.

I also paired up some matching gray Dream Booties and Dream Catcher bag by Fri.day.  Originally I was going to pull out some white pieces but matching shades by different makers isn't the most easy option just like in RL trying to match one shade to another either in interior design or fashion.  Typically it is fine to do shades of a color but I didn't feel like there was enough contrast between the two to make it a proper accent and thus decided to pull the gray from the trench buttons into the hat, purse, and shoes.  I adore the creativity of the shoe design with the strap wrapped around the heal of the Dream Booties.  The sculpt work of both items are of high quality.



Probably my favorite hair by Fri.day along with all time faves of SL has to the the Yelena both original and the variant called Yelena 2.  Yelena is the style with hat attachment that is scripted to your choice of 24 texture colors!  And even if you're not a fan of this style, Fri.day has sooo many style options to choose from as well as great textures in all shades.

A new addition to my blogging is the Pink Fuel skins.  I've been aware of her skin making when I helped out with the Skin/Shape Expo of 09.  I was happy to give her newer Ember skin series a try and picked out the Maple tone in Pure.  There were a few that I will probably go back to pick up.  I liked the naturalness of this make-up to fit the look.

Last but not least - I pulled out a return to the Reflections eyes by LeLutka.  After photographing Aradia Dielli for last week's LE Look as well as a segment for Too Sexy - her eyes captured me again.  I've owned this pair of Glory shade for awhile and will probably come back to use it again.  I really like the color, texture, and lighting used.

Thanks for reading!  Enjoy!

Love, Zoe

A Little Bit of Style by Zoe Demar - Free Flyin'

It's summertime! I decided to put together a couple looks that lead towards or from the beach. Having spent some time across the globe at some beaches you don't always have the perfect weather to get to the beach without some form of cover.

My first look is inspired by Cynful's Kini in Green with yellow polka dots. Cyn has a new collection of bikinis available in different colors and patterns.

I paired it up with a set of Boardshorts from Reek - also available in a wide varity of colors. The boardshorts also come with an option of with or without prim - the prim/sculpted version is shown here are are very well made and easily adjustable.

Adding to the look, some of Reek's slides for easy walking on the rougher terrain before hitting the beach. They have these slides in a variety of colors as well as with or without socks (something I hope to feature in a later look).

LeLutka's highly detailed sculpted bag complete with draped jacket that is scripted to change to your choice of 4 colors. If you haven't checked out the other new accessories by LeLutka, I really highly recommend it - the detail that they put into their pieces are amazing. One feature I do need to mention is the fact that the bag comes with its own animations with hud (AO).

I adore the bangs that comes with this new style called Deanna by Exile. The whisps along the side are the remnants of the messy bun in the back. I do hope he develops more styles with this bang style.



The second look was inspired by Boom's Infinity bikini in Hibiscus Brown. Their are multiple ways to purchase from her huge assortment of bikinis. Their are two top styles halter and string (seen here) as well as a variety of bottom styles. Boom has a HUGE collection of all sorts of colors and prints. The prim count in her store took a hit with her offering of choices.

I paired the bikini up with a pair of shorts from a store that I hadn't heard of before called, Zoobong. Takeshi Kiama who I worked with recently for the LE Look shots this month told me about it. They make things mainly for guys but you will find a few items for the females. I really liked their store build too.

The shoelace sandals are from Surf Co. They also are teamed up with the summer festival going on at Tableau. Lots of cute items are out now for the festival if you haven't been yet.

The cute tote bag is by Tres Blah and says "I'm pretty" and "Neato" if you can't tell by the pic. Perfect for carrying a magazine, sunglasses or the all important sunscreen.

Perfect for the beach or swimming pool is the Secret Garden Keys necklace by Glow Studios. Its the one type of accessory that I always take with me when swimming in RL.

A new release from Reek is the hat with hair combo. This one is called Topeka 1 - other variations are also available. I had to go with Topeka because that also happens to be the name of the city capital of my home state of Kansas. The hat also has a variety of scripted options for textures with the leather braid (pictured with white braid texture) and some beads which can't been seen in this shot, but you can check it out at the store. It also has a necktie option that I did not use with this look.

One of the items that I wore with both looks are the realistic eyes by Miriel which are no longer available unfortunately due to her closing up shop awhile back.

The last item that I wanted to share is the Taylor skin by League. I'm extremely pleased with how it looks on my original shape as well as the overall quality. I adore the freckles especially which I'm happy to show off in this look.


Please note that all images are not processed

Enjoy!

Love, Zoe