Iris wears her Gritty Kitty locks
Exclusive to NWN, the elegant fashionista selects and models her favorite fashions for the season
While I look out my window and see nothing but rain and things which were once snow banks but are now mounds of crusted, coral-like sand, I know that somewhere in the world, Spring is a lot prettier. A new season for nature, and a new season for fashion are upon us, and I've kept my inventory neatly organized throughout the past month so that I could share my top ten picks for Spring with you. As per my last list, the items are organized by store name. However, this time I will be listing where to get everything else shown in the images, for the sake of your sanity... and my IM cap.
Nylon Outfitters: 2007 Skins
Bright but subtle, detailed
but handpainted, Nylon Pinkney's skins are really unique, and with her
2007 skins, even those who don't like the handpainted look have no
excuse not to get them. They're as fresh and fabulous as any skin in
SL, each one an absolute work of art. Period. [Shown: Skin from
Nylon Outfitters, Eyes from Sin Skins, Hair from Kin's Boutique, Dress
from Paper Couture, Necklace from Last Call]
BonBon: Feather Pendant set
Pearlie Pedro sprang on us
last month with a small release of whimsically styled earring and
necklace sets. Feather's the most versatile out of her initial
releases, coming in silver and gold versions.Pendants on long chains
are becoming increasingly popular, but can be problematic depending on
the wearerâs shape. No such problems here. The careful placement of
every little frond is intense, and I pray that Pearlie is with us for
the long-haul. [Shown: Skin from Naughty Designs, Hair from ETD, Dress from Pixel Dolls, Necklace and Earrings from BonBon]
I walk into Chic
Boutique and shiver. The attention to detail in every piece makes my
mouth water. Unfortunately, Chic Boutique was mostly lingerie and
bikinis, neither of which I wear all that often. Was. CB's
proprietress, Arielle Ceres, recently released a handful of intensely
intricate dresses. The one unfortunately unavoidable problem with these
mouth-watering pieces of raw style is that the skirts suffer a little
from alpha flutter (when two alpha/transparently cut textures overlap
and they fight over which one should appear on top.) However, a little
flutter should not be enough to keep anyone out of these brilliant
dresses. [Shown: Skin from Last Call, Hair from Naughty Designs, Dress from Chic Boutique]
Deviant Kitties: New Skin Line
Helyanwe Vindaloo's hair
has long been a minor fetish of mine, specifically for her exclusive
punk-tipped textures. Formerly sharing Curious Kitties space with
Ameshin Yossarian, Helyanwe broke off on her own to open the Deviant
Kitties sim, and released a flood of new products to compliment it.
While the body shading on her previous skins may have fallen a little
short of the competition, this season sheâs upped the ante. Her new
makeup designs would be hard to find elsewhere (pictured is Ice); not
for the faint of heart, nor for the typical fashionista, but definitely
a hot line. [Shown: Skin from Deviant Kitties, Manicure from Last
Call, Eyes and Lashes from Celestial Studios, Hair from Lash, Dress
from Pixel Dolls]
This release is likely to appeal
more to fans of Deviant Kitties skins, and it's a good reminder that if
anyone implies a season in fashion will have one distinct look
(especially in SL), they're either lying or ignorant. Noam Sprocket
(whose last name I keep accidentally replacing with Chomsky out of
awkward habit) has been getting his paws wet in the world of unisex
prim hair, and Aoi's got to be his most aesthetically satisfying one to
date. A pulled-back top, along with eartails on each side, Noam's
demonstrating that he's got the claws to tangle with the top toms of SL
prim hair design. [Shown: Skin from Last Call, Eyes and Lashes
from Celestial Studios, Hair from Gritty Kitty, Sweater from Gearshift,
Undershirt from Renegade]
LF: Strict Jeans and Revamped BioHazard Sweaters
Prim-leg
pants are becoming more and more common... Though relatively speaking
they are still pretty rare. Well if you remember my last top 10 list, I
mention how much I missed Launa Fauna's presence in Second Life. She
represents a certain edginess, without straying too far from casual,
and she's back, releasing new items like the Strict Jeans, and redoing
classics like the BioHazard sweaters. The jeans come in a boot version,
as well as having sets of prims for flat shoes and for heels. The
difference, if youâre wondering, is all in how it sits on the calves.
Launa's using prims cleverly in the revamped sweaters as well, creating
a slouching cuff that falls low on the wrist without being on a
skin-tight glove layer. It's the little elements like these prims that
can really set an outfit apart. [Shown: Skin and Hair from Naughty Designs, Sweater and Jeans from LF, Shoes from Shiny Things]
Paper Couture: Spring 2007 Shoes and Accessories
Paper
Couture releases seasonally, so naturally they would earn a mention
here. While their clothes are fabulous, the mention is actually for
their shoes and accessories. Shown are the Lierre ankle wrap sandals,
and the lilium drops earrings. I'm officially calling out for more
ankle-wrapped shoes this year, as I just can't get enough of Lierre.
Every season, the Paper Couture accessories and shoes get better and
better, and Iâm already itching to see what summer brings. [Shown: Skin from Naughty Designs, Shoes and Earrings from Paper Couture]
This dress came out with a release
of several dresses, including salsa and slip dresses that have been
hogging the spotlight. I'm here to shine a little of that glow on Aire,
a sweet, short little dress with a daring collar, poofy princess
sleeves, and adorable printed white wings on the back. It's breezy,
it's fun, it's what spring is all about. [Shown: Skin from Naughty Designs, Hair from Fetish, Dress from Pixel Dolls, Necklace from BonBon, Shoes from Last Call]
I have a bit of a
love-hate relationship with Renown. The shirts there (made by
Jesseaitui Petion) are typically clever and well made, featuring
designs ranging from meta-emo to Shakespearean. That's quite a range.
But, those are for the guys. The women's shirt selection is negligible
by comparison. Normally, I can sneak around this... But Jesse's a
little more hardcore about the pectoral shading than many designers of
male clothing in SL. True, I have a male avatar (good old Siris), but
it is a real mark of how much I love this barely buttoned shirt that I
can completely ignore how unflattering it is to my female avatar's
bustline, and wear it for days straight. Still... We'll chalk this up
as a Spring pick for the gentlemen. [Shown: Skin from Canimal, Eyes from Sin Skins, Hair from Fetish, Shirt from Renown, Necklace from Refuge]
Why no love for
mock-croc, Second Life? Crocodile skin is a pretty elusive shoe
texture, and it can be hard to pull off. No reptiles were harmed in
making Lyra Muse's divine Boardroom Bish stilettoes, which feature
vibrantly coloured croc-skin textures and golden accents, and more than
their fair share of attitude. [Shown: Shoes from Last Call]
My
list only has 10 spots, and there were a lot more great releases worth
sharing, so as always, I'd love to hear your picks for Spring '07. What
will you be wearing?
All images by Iris Ophelia. Visit her pose store, Orchidee-- direct teleport here. And read more from Iris at her blog.
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