Ophelia's Gaze: Second Life's Japanese Designers Band Together for "Move for F of Japan" Sales

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of virtual world and MMO fashion

Move for F (short for "future") is a fundraiser for Japan disaster relief spearheaded almost exclusively by Second Life designers based in that country, who are offering special items at their main shops in SL, with proceeds going to help fellow Japanese in need. Yes, it's been over a month since an earthquake and tsunami rocked Japan, and for SL residents, the subsequent fundraising frenzy is starting to die down. But the need is just as great, so before you settle back into the languid fashionista routine of breedable pets and weekend sales, take some time to shop for these these awesome items located around the grid!

Here are some of my favorites from the event:

Stripe Tanktop by WHO? [Click here to teleport to WHO? in HAWK]

It's next to impossible for me to resist anything with ruffles these days, so this creamsicle-colored top from WHO? was a no-brainer. Although I opted to shoot it in an autumn setting, It would be adorable with a pair of denim shorts on the beach. I'd never heard of WHO? before, so I was very impressed by the shading and overall quality of this top. I do wish the ruffles were  little more rounded along the inside edge, so they would join the neckline a little more naturally, but that's a detail almost too negligible to count. Also pictured is the Kirio Special hair by Sadistic Hacker [Click here to teleport to Sadistic Hacker in FARLEY], an awesomely edge anime-inspired hair brand that just seems to get better and better with every release.

Keep reading for more Move for F must-haves!

Chat et Ruban and Immature dresses by Dimbula Rose [Click here to teleport to Dimbula Rose in PETIT PAS]

I'm almost embarrassed that I didn't know about Dimbula Rose until Move for F led me to them. This shop is just plain adorable, with plenty of lolita and hime-inspired outfits for any Harajuku fashionistas to fawn over. I love the use of prints, especially when so many designers still stick to solid colors (which are admittedly a safer choice with the SL mesh). Even if these two super sweet doll-like dresses aren't for you, consider the super-sweet Berry Smile Doughnuts I'm also wearing, which you can grab around the corner from Dimbula Rose at Kyoko Couture. [Click here to teleport to Kyoko Couture in PETIT PAS]

Allure dress by Lo*momo [Click here to teleport to Lo*momo in PETIT PAS]

Lo*momo is another shop that I adore for its adventurous use of the most charming prints, and is yet another adorable shop in the petit pas sim (which might become my new favorite shopping sim at this rate!) Floral is really big this spring, and Allure is an ideal example of Lo*momo's ultra feminine floral styles. It suffers somewhat from being a little busier than many of their other designs, in particular with all the lacy extras that are included with the dress, but if you aren't afraid to remove a couple pieces here and there and style the dress to suit you, it can be a very versatile piece. I've gone for a waitress look, and topped it off with some food accessories from poche's Clam Chowder and Raisin Roll cafe sets, both of which come with the supportive "You are not lonely" sign. [Click here to teleport to poche in BANKSY]

Be sure to check out the Move for F's blog, where they post donation receipts regularly along with new items and a list of all participating brands. This will likely be my last fundraiser post for a little while, for fear of exhausting the cause any further, but if you're not burnt out yet be sure to make the trip to Project FUR Japan, which is still open and definitely not to be missed!

Iris Ophelia (Janine Hawkins IRL) has been featured in the New York Times and has spoken about SL-based design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan and with pop culture/fashion maven Johanna Blakley.

Comments

[Sasy Scarborough]

you look great in everything, and a wonderful idea to have an ongoing help event.

xoxSasyxox

[Seymore]

I wish there was a male equivalent of Ophelia. Not that I'm into normal male fashion, idk, like robots and cool vehicles and stuff.

[kanomi]

There are many wonderful Japanese designers unknown to us, it would be a full time job to track them all. They deserve some DASHBOARD DASHES!

One little-known designer I highly recommend for super affordable gothilolita and layered outfits (look upstairs) is Zephiris Singh:

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Rebin/58/149/25/

[kanomi]

Sorry, she changed her SLURL just today, it's now:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sannomiya/148/41/27/