Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of virtual world and MMO fashion
Culture Shock is a single-sim fair with an international flavor, and an array of designers covering almost the whole fashion spectrum. Running until May 22nd, each shop also has items that are exclusive to the fair and benefit Médécins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), and if you follow many designers you've probably been seeing a lot of teasers for them. The best thing about these kinds of fairs is not the exclusives, though--it's the opportunity to stumble across new-to-you shops and catch up on ones that you've overlooked recently. Today I've got a mixed bag of my favorite items to share, and you can grab them and more at Culture Shock. [Click here to teleport to Culture Shock in PROJECT DONATE]
Tableau Vivant's Breaking Apart [Click here to teleport to Tableau Vivant at CULTURE SHOCK]
Tableau Vivant is going to be a showstopper for SL artists and photographers. The brand is a collaborative effort between M4rilyn Magic and Aida Ewing, and focuses on dark and dramatic SL photography accessories. Breaking Apart is a series of prim attachments and alpha and tattoo layers that give your avatar's head the appearance of disintegrating into a stream of inky petals caught in the wind, and the effect is completely breathtaking.
I've paired Breaking Apart with the Ophelia Cameo Pendant by Jackal Ennui of Lassitude & Ennui [Click here to teleport to Lassitude & Ennui at CULTURE SHOCK]. Even if it wasn't coincidentally named Ophelia I would still be all over this pretty pendant which comes with HUDs to change the metal, pearls, and even the cameo face itself.
Keep reading for more Culture Shock swag!
Nemesis' Bastille Bow, Notre Dame Blouse, and Palais Royal Belt [Click here to teleport to Nemesis at CULTURE SHOCK]
Like a lot of other women with their heads in the clouds I feel really drawn to the city of Paris, so Calypso Clip's brand, Nemesis, easily caught my eye. She's named a series of coordinates after Paris landmarks and used matching palettes for each to allow for a variety of combinations. I picked out the Notre Dame blouse in beige, and used the Palais Royal Belt and Bastille Bow, both in brown, to draw on the blouse's brown accents. I did notice minor seam flaws along the waistline of the blouse, but it wasn't enough to ruffle my feathers--the overall chic and feminine look of the ensemble is enough to outweigh a little seam.
I'm also wearing the super sweet Penny hairstyle released by Kavar Cleanslate of Exile [Click here to teleport to Exile at CULTURE SHOCK] for the event, as well as the puffy Amalfi Pants by Sienia Trevellion of sur+ [Click here to teleport to sur+ at CULTURE SHOCK]. Kavar's styles seldom disappoint, and I love the subtle print on Sienia's design.
Donna Flora's Clessidra [Click here to teleport to Donna Flora at CULTURE SHOCK]
If I had to choose one brand to live the rest of my virtual life in, I would choose Donna Flora. Designer Squinternet Larnia's work is a blend of history, femininity, and fantasy, complete with absolutely decadent details and accessories. Clessidra is a beautiful example of her work--the hourglass waist makes use of alpha layers to create a truly impossible silhouette, while the fabric of the dress is glassy and almost opalescent. I'm also wearing the Malvia Pumps from Donna Flora's shop at Culture Shock. These shoes still have Squinternet's signature uniqueness, but they're a little more vanilla. They also have a prim foot attached, so if you're as abysmal as I am at tinting them consider yourself warned!
One last thing: Since Culture Shock was placed in the Destination Guide it's pretty busy and consequently pretty laggy. Crank down your draw distance, and remember your fair etiquette!
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.
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