Ophelia's Gaze: My Black Swan Fashion Top Five

Exclusive to NWN, Iris Ophelia's ongoing showcase of all things stylish in SL

I've been waiting for "Passions of Black Swan" to open with more excitement than I would for most store openings. While everyday fashion is the core of shopping in Second Life, most fashionistas hunger for the sublime side as well. The complex, the artistic, the immaculately crafted works that can turn an average avatar into a showstopping sight.  Presented by Rezzable (full disclosure, they are an NWN partner), "Passions of Black Swan" is the second round of fashions released by designers challenged to express the dreamlike Black Swan sim in their clothes, skins, and accessories. (Direct SLURL teleport to Black Swan at this link.) The resulting designs are the talk of Second Life's fashion and art communities-- and unlike the previous Black Swan fashions, these stunners will disappear on September 30th.

After the jump, my fave five dresses from Passions of Black Swan.

With the exception of the header, I decided not to take my pictures in the Black Swan sim. These looks are so popular right now, I wanted to present them in a slightly different environment than they are usually seen. After all, after buying these dresses most of us will be wearing them in a million other places as well, and Moire Georgette's L'Oiseau (available in blue or red) is easily the dress I will be doing that in most. The heart of Moire's designs is always beating from the 50s and 60s, and this dress is no exception-- it can move you from an artspace to a jazz lounge without any modification. It's impossible not to look like a million dollars in it. The stripped coque feather accents are especially dazzling, though this dress may seem like one of the more subdued ones in the collection.

Eshi Otawara's name may ring some bells for frequent NWN readers, known for her involvement in brilliant Second Life art initiatives and much more, and her Tutu creation for Black Swan is something that quickly made its way into the wardrobes of every virtual girl I know, from divas to debutants. It's a bit cliché to say that every woman once wanted to be a ballerina, but I think the ballerina still represents an ideal of poised femininity worth being idolized on some level. There are in fact two ballerina-inspired outfits in Passions; Eshi's, as well as one by Shai Delacroix, shown in the header image. Eshi's is a bit more lush than the latter, but I have a feeling Shai's dress will have a strong fanbase come Halloween.

The Volcana dress by AvaGardner Kungler is a perfect match for the special skins released by Tuli Asturias for Passions. I spent ages trying to find the perfect hairstyle that wouldn't hide the plume makeup detail by the eye. AvaGardner's dress is absolutely epic, and though it comes with a necklace as well, I found the necklace made the look a bit too busy. There is a lot going on in the upper half of this outfit already. I think this dress would make a particularly strong impact paired with one of the Phoenix Masks by Siyu Suen of Illusions so, look for this dress to reappear on lots of stylish avatars near the end of October too.

I would buy Munchflower Zaius' Magdalena dress just for the open-heart attachment (which is amazingly anatomically accurate). The dress itself is lengths of black fabric with blood dripped down all over. It's gorgeously gruesome, to say the least, and includes a layered veil and some bloody fabulous sculpted boots to complete the look. Gothic brides and vampiresses will definitely want to get their cold pale hands on this dress before it's gone.

Rouge Darcy's Liquid Flower outfit made me do a double take when I was browsing the Passions fashions. It's a pretty unique offering in comparison. It's lighthearted and fun, sweet and contemporary. It operates on a very different level than most of the other items available there. This is of course not a bad thing, and the best part of shows like Passions of Black Swan is seeing how every designer interprets the themes and goal differently, and Rouge gets double points in my book for presenting a very different point of view.

While all the participating designers created amazing pieces that compliment the Black Swan sim stunningly, I have to add that there was one designer I was hoping to find among the participants, but didn't, and I want to give her a little plug anyway. If you love the expression of the SL sublime, I strongly encourage you to check out four Yip's store, YIPs. I'd also love to hear your favourite picks from Passions of Black Swan, so check it out while you still can!

Iris Ophelia has been featured in the New York Times and has spoken about SL-based design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan.

 

Comments

[J7Sue]

I was interested in the oiseaux dress, not available at comme il faut, only at black swan, and not to be found at black swan. Not very helpful

[Emerald Wynn]

Thanks, Iris! I went to check out these dresses before I read this post. I thought they were all beautiful . . . but my inventory is still full of the creations from the LAST "Fashion Inspired by Black Swan" installment -- which I still haven't worn. :)

(I need to get out more.)

That said, it helped me to see these dresses in a different light/environment, so thanks for your great idea of shooting them outside the Black Swan sim. I may go back and actually buy a couple now. I too was struck by Rouge Darcy's contributions, as well as the L'Oiseau dress.

Love your work. Bravo!

[rightasrain]

you make the outfits seem even better! thanks for such an interesting and thoughtful piece. And yes Four Yip is amazing...must get involved on next work for sure. Loved the Garden contribution...