Saturday, August 7, 2010

Shoe-Fair

The 2010 SL® Shoe Fair to Benefit Soles4Souls
is now open to the public.

Dates to remember:

08/07 (Today!)
Flickr contest open for submissions (for info visit site)
Blogger contest begins 
                     
08/07 at 12:00pm slt  (NOW!)    
Fair opens to the public

08/20 11:59pm slt
Deadline for flickr and blogger contest entries
                                                          
08/21 4:00-7:00pm slt
Kick up your heels at the Shoe Fair's Hillbilly Hoe-down!

08/22 6:00pm slt
Shoe Fair Closes

Be looking for more information to come soon!
SHOES!

Sunday, August 1, 2010

A Little Bit of Style by Zoe Demar - Betty

Blogged: The Betty Draper Blogged: The Betty Draper

In honor of having Mad Men back on the air with season 4 - I'm showing off the two very different sides of Mrs. Betty Draper. The first being a very memorable moment with some neighboring birds. The second hitting more of the glam model side that she fronts when out meeting Don Draper's clientèle.

The inspiration started this morning with the announcement of new 69 hair by Kumii Yoshikawa. The BE style reminded me of Betty's hair and is one of three new releases which is only open to 69-VIPs until August 2nd. I'm happy to say she now includes a resize script for her hairs which I can appreciate as they've never fit on my head without adjustments.

Blogged: The Betty Draper

Originally I was going to go for more of her everyday looks, but my husband brought up the time she had with the BB gun and thus this look was born. I headed straight to Artilleri to pick up the Wilma dress in yellow that reflects the time period extremely well with the button down styled top which you will see Betty wear numerous times on the show.

I wanted to find some yellow shoes to match, but as usual - color isn't always easy store to store so I picked up the Tuli pumps in steel and choose the golden bow texture from the menu option to match it with shades of the dress pattern. Shiny Things hasn't been producing a lot of shoes lately but it still definitely has the quality you expect from shoe makers of today.

The cigarette from FNKY is an oldie but a goody. The smoke is scripted to be turned on or off by touch and comes with a variety of other in-hand, mouth, or on land options. The shotgun was a freebie that I found on xstreet by Cisco Lane that is originally huge as it is supposed to be for Tank Girl - but I scaled it down to fit the image of Betty.

As far as marriage bling, I choose one of the best looking diamond rings I have seen in a modern style by Yabusaka. I stuck with the League's Taylor skin in blonde but in a new make-up called Angel - seemed fitting! I really like it on my shape and find it harder to switch it up. My other faves made it back are the LeLutka Reflection eyes in glory and Silhouette lashes in Au Natural (I wear these in both looks).

Blogged: The Betty Draper

For the more dressy Draper, I was actually going to try to not shop at Icing, because that felt too easy - but after shopping in another store I decided enough and pulled out another fave from Icing called, Evening at the Opera. I paired it up with another of Icing's creations of the glam stole that includes an AO as well as 2 ways of wearing it - wraparound (shown) or over the shoulder.

Again, I was hunting for something other than Paper Couture because again, I like to challenge myself - but in the end - I came back to pull out the sparkling sphere set. The closer to neck feature fits Betty's style of not being too flashy - but definitely having a wow factor. It kinda reflects her personality, trying to draw somebody in but rejecting them in the end.

The Shaken by not Stirred hair by Clawtooth is an instant fave - I wanted to go there to see if there was a more reflective style to Betty's hair and when I saw this I knew it would fit well. It probably could pass for a Jane style, but I thought still appropriate for Betty. So a lot of good hits for Tableau sim tonight as both Paper Couture and Clawtooth are located there.

Finishing off the look was Maitreya's Neyya heels in Pearl Leather. The right sheen to blend in with the top of the dress as well as classy enough to pull off with the style.

The pose used in the gun happy Betty style was a custom made by my husband today specifically for the blog. The pose for the Betty glam style is one of Dove's (of LAP aka Long Awkward Pose) 365 poses project. I highly recommend stopping by to check them out if you haven't recently.

Enjoy!

Love, Zoe

PS Comment who is your favorite Mad Men character!

Please note that the Gun Happy Betty image has been photoshopped - the Glam Betty is unprocessed.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

A Little Bit of Style by Zoe Demar - Showgirl

Blogged: Showgirl

Lately I've been helping my RL/SL hubby with SL photography. We had been visiting pose shops and one of the places we visited was LostAngels Industries. I noticed a new section was up with a few items and tried them out. The first thing I was thinking was, "OMG where the hell were these when I was working at Blacklace?" I contacted Evangeline Cortes to find out more information and requested to blog about it. She was excited that I showed interest and when I stopped by later on the next day we had a good conversation while she showed off the pieces.

The newness is called, Allure Retro' Multiposes Collection by LostAngel (official release today!). I'm not going to give you all the details here because you really should go see for yourself. But there are two groupings of furniture. One is what I'll call the Dressing Room, which I'm showing off the vanity and vanity chair. The other I'm going to refer to as, Music Lounge. Each piece of furniture holds on average 3-5 poses while others hold up to 10. I have enjoyed in the past the series that LostAngels puts out but was really happy to see something that related to what I spent a lot of time doing in SL.

Now for the fashions that this set inspired. I'm not going to go into detail of how I pulled the look together but the overall feel I wanted was vintage lingerie with a showgirl twist - which to me, meant bling with fur!

Enjoy!

Love, Zoe

Note: Image has been processed but clothing shown is not meant to be misrepresented

Credits:
Aoharu - Fur Coat in White
Ooh LaLa! - From Lined Corset in Pink
Ooh LaLa! - Seam Stockings in Black
Alienbear - Mimmi in Platinum Black
Maitreya - Verve in Black
LeLutka - Luisa in Blonde Fun
League - Taylor in Medium Blonde Feline
LeLutka - Reflections in Glory
Pose Set by LostAngels Industries

Sunday, July 25, 2010

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

Fantasytext-Animation558

Thank you for checking out Fantasy Week here on Z...complete over the past 5 days.

I think Second Life is a great opportunity to try out many of the different fashion creations available on the grid.  I really challenge yourself to appreciate what our fellow residents have created because our Second Life experiences certainly would not be the same without them!  

Chaospire, Graves, Deviance, BareRose, and Solange are awesome stores to check out for fantasy - but there are countless others striving to make their own marks.  Even during these 5 days I already thought of other places I wished I had mentioned and hope to give them their own highlights in the future. 

To the designers - thank you for creating fashions to write about and display over the past 5 days.  I couldn't have done it without your imagination, talent, and time.

Sincerely, Zoe

PS - Please leave comments with your favorite fantasy stores that you would recommend!

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

Blogged Fantasy Week: Solange!

Solange immediately makes me think of some Arabian nights with seductive dancers.  The creator, Solange Cerveau, and I share the same rez-day by 1 day.  And I do recall making my first silk purchase back in 2006.  I can pretty much guarantee that if you're a silk wearer you have at least 1 silk from Solange if not more.

Blogged Fantasy Week: Solange!
The reason?  The imaginative high-quality textures and prim fluidity that is standard in all that Solange creates.  Even an experienced Solange shopper can scour the walls and still come across something new - mainly because there is so much to look at.  The overall store design brings you back to a castle renaissance atmosphere which I feel properly reflects the time period of her attire (be sure to check out the underground for a fantasy setting).

Though the majority of Solange fashions are for the females, there is a good selection for the males in a multitude of colors.  A hint to the guys out there, a gift center is available if you would like to see your lady in silks.  If you're looking for a deal, there is a lucky board and bargain basement.  And if fantasy isn't your thing, Solange has a good collection of street-wear and lingerie as well as some business-wear, shoes, jewelry, and menswear.

If I scour the walls, I could pull out a few silks that catch my attention. Three of my favorite silk outfits are Goddess, Kadin, and Traction Silk (new & shown left - the gears animate!).

Now I need to find someplace to swirl around in silks for a day or two!  You seriously can't go wrong living out a fantasy in silk!

TP to Solange

Enjoy!

Love, Zoe

Note: Images have undergone some processing

Credits:
Solange: Traction Silk (not all options shown)
Analog Dog: Whimsy in Espresso
Dutch Touch: XaYa in Olive SmokeyEx (VIP)
MADesigns: Naturals in Happy Blue Pale Eyes
Redgrave: Eyelashes -29- Vampire
Redgrave: Girls' Biker Boots in Black
Pose by On The Cover (not currently available)

Saturday, July 24, 2010

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

Blogged Fantasy Week: Barerose

Probably the most decorated and established fantasy (and more) location on the grid has to be BareRose. I can't help but be in awe at the sheer number of high quality costumes and attire that line the walls at BareRose. June Dion is the headmaster and well known name behind this massive establishment.

Blogged Fantasy Week: Barerose
To my knowledge it has not been confirmed that June Dion is or is not the only designer/creator behind the numerous fashions. To find out, I sent an offline IM to Tori Heart, who is the CEO, Model Coordinator, and Web manager at BareRose. And if you're reading this - I have not had a response by the time I posted (no fault on her part because I didn't think about this till today).

**UPDATE**
Tori Heart has contacted me in world this evening and when I asked if there was multiple designers, Tori said, " June is our only designer, I run things for her and try to free her up as much as possible so she has time to design. It is a full time job for her. She does amazing work for sure and always tries to make quality in her work." [end of edit]

But this post isn't about rumors or breaking news - it is to showcase fantasy brands. BareRose has been and continues to be a fabulous location to shop for economically priced and cutting edge creations. Every time I go I can find something new that rattles my imagination. I especially enjoy that all colors are included in the pack - the only down side to this is having to sort them all out!

BareRose is also very good to both sexes having a wide collection of both male and female attire as well as unisex. And if fantasy isn't your thing, there are certain a number of outfits to suit any taste. I highly recommend looking closely at all outfits because there is always something that you could mix into another outfit already owned.

Over the years I have created my own collection of BareRose creations. Three of my favorite fantasy styled outfits are Neverland 2049, Over The Rainbow, and White Crow (new & shown left).

Maybe by the time I post this blog there will be even more new or old items to add to my highly creative BareRose collection!

TP to BareRose

Enjoy!

Love, Zoe


Note: Images have undergone some processing

Credits:
BareRose: White Crow (not shown with all included items)
Analog Dog: Whimsy in Espresso
Dutch Touch: XaYa in Olive SmokeyEx (VIP)
MADesigns: Naturals in Happy Blue Pale Eyes
Redgrave: Eyelashes -29- Vampire
Pose by TorridWear

Friday, July 23, 2010

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

Blogged Fantasy Week: Deviance

Deviance has been around for awhile but is one of the newer fantasy and costume stores that I personally have learnt about on the grid.  Surreal LeShelle first caught my eye recreating costumes of some rather famous characters such as Snow White.  But I had my first virtual experience when photographing one of her fashions for ROLE Magazine's wedding spread back in May 2009.

Fantasy-Deviance279
Deviance continues to catch my eye with her beautifully made creations that hit the mark with textures and color choices.  I can't say that her store reflects the vibrancy of her fashions, but it is easily accessible to her creations as well as the outstanding photography vendor displays.  LeShelle reflects her designs mainly on the more modern themes of costumes but has recently released some more items that come from a more fantasy based reflection.

Sorry guys but this store is strictly based for the female roles of Second Life, but I'm sure there won't be much complaining.  Deviance has a wide variety of items available for all sorts of costumes, role-play or fantasy experiences.  Some of my faves include Dark Elementalist  (new), Spring Fairy - Bluebell, and Enchantress (shown left)

And if this fantasy isn't your thing; there is a great set of casual wear including some awesome jeans (I own a pair or two) as well as lingerie and gowns.  There are a couple random lucky chairs and a discount section.  Deviance is definitely on my, "can't wait see what she does next," list!

TP to Deviance

Enjoy!

Love, Zoe


Note: Images have undergone some processing

Credits:
Deviance: Enchantress Fantasy Costume (Cream)
Analog Dog: Whimsy in Espresso
Dutch Touch: XaYa in Olive SmokeyEx (VIP)
MADesigns: Naturals in Happy Blue Pale Eyes
Redgrave: Eyelashes -29- Vampire
Anexx: Triple Fringe Pumpus in Nude
Pose by Reel Expression