Announcing a Second Life Fashion Design Contest: Create Styles Inspired by RMB City For Art, Glory, Linden Dollars!

I'm proud to announce a gala event for RMB City, the internationally acclaimed and long-running virtual art installation created in Second Life by my friend Cao Fei, which will showcase new Resident-made art inspired by her vision of modern China re-imagined for the metaverse. Second Life fashion based on RMB City will be central to this show, so I call on all designers, new and established, to send their works to Iris Ophelia, who'll handle the first round of judging. Deadline is September 10; submission details below:

• New World Notes' proudly announces a fashion contest, calling on designers to create styles inspired by RMB City. NWN style columnist Iris Ophelia will curate the submissions, with the final winners chosen by her, Hamlet Au, and the RMB staff, including the city's creator, famed artist Cao Fei.
• There will be three submission categories: Skin and Hair, Accessories (including shoes, tattoos, and jewelry), and Outfit.
• Winner of each category gets 10,000 Linden Dollars. Overall winner gets L$20,000 total.
• Winners will be able to keep and sell their designs, in addition to sumptuous coverage in New World Notes by Iris Ophelia. Finalists will be announced at an RMB gala party scheduled for September 13th.
• Creative guidelines: RMB City is a wildly imaginative metaverse rendition of modern Beijing that's fantastic and surreal. Create styles to suit it. And be sure to explore the city, the website, and the blog for ideas. While judges will put a premium on new and original designs, submissions may be derived from designer's existing items. Visit the RMB City website and the installation in Second Life for inspiration: [Direct SLurl teleport to RMB City at this link]
• TO SUBMIT ENTRIES: Send them in a folder labelled "RMB Fashion - [YOUR NAME]" to Iris Ophelia.
• DEADLINE: SUBMISSIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY September 12, Saturday, Noon SLT. 12:01am Thursday, September 10th.

If you have questions, please post them in Comments. As for the outfit Iris is wearing in this post, read her description after the break. They may help inspire your own designs for this contest -- or encourage you to go in a totally different direction.

What Iris is wearing in RMB: "So I looked at RMB City closely and saw a hybridization of many different parts of recent Chinese history, from the classical to Communist to the contemporary mix of it all. For my outfit, I went with reds and golds for obvious enough reasons. I tried mixing some more peasant-looking pieces like the fisherman's pants from Bijou with some modern high-style items like a bustier from Miseria, an undershirt from Bijou, and some jeweled sandals from Simone. I accented the makeup from Pink Fuel to give it a more decadent imperial costuming flare with the ornamental (as opposed to practical) Klee Dot prim lashes from Detour, as well as a parchment ear tag with red emblems to add a taste of religious tradition, and topped it all off with a thick braid from SixtyNine, chosen because of the popularity of braids for women during the Cultural Revolution."

Comments

[Ann Otoole]

Does that mean you guys will only consider fairly "rl looking human" style things?

I've never known the Chinese to willingly dress in uniforms although their government certainly prefers such looks. Especially in Hippihi where I was accompanied by a government representative everywhere I went and I was unable to determine how to wear the uniform I was told to wear so I left and never went back.

I was hoping to see something more fantastic and surreal.

[Hamlet Au]

Now's your chance to do so! RMB is pretty surreal and fantastic.

[soror nishi]

well, sorry Iris, but if you are on the judging panel I don't have a chance.

[Iris Ophelia]

Are you kidding Soror? It would be great to have you inject some of your trademarked vibrancy into this contest!