Ophelia's Gaze: SL's Jewelry Fair Has Overdone Builds, But Elegant Masks

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

Jewelry Fair 2011 has recieved a bit of bad press, in particular surrounding the somewhat overdone Element-themed builds. While it doesn't have the cleanest layout, it does have dozens of talented designers. I actually ended up buying more at this year's fair than I have in any previous years, from brands that are old favorites as well as onces I'd never come across before.

Take a closer look:

My very first purchase at the fair was this detailed Filigree Mask by Elbereth Nightfire of ~*Star Kindler*~, one of those brands that was new to me. I picked up the platinum version, but there was also a golden mask with a slightly bolder design. As you can tell from the closeup on the left, this piece is very primmy. It weighs in at a startling 158 prims, in fact, and a close look at the construction makes this piece feel a little dated. While this mask may have benefitted from a slightly more conservative and efficient use of sculpties, I can't really complain about the stunning overall effect of this ornate and fragile-looking creation. I especially love the emphasis that this mask puts on the eyes, and the shape of the eye-holes is beautifully suited to a smokey cateye makeup. It's worth noting that the shaping of the mask around the nose allows for a reasonably close fit on my avatar, though this will ultimately depend on the shape of your face. It is modifiable if you feel up to the challenge of fitting it to your face or tinting it to match an outfit-- but remember to make a copy first, in case you make a mistake!

I picked up this mask in Jewelry Fair's "Fire" sim [Click here to teleport to JEWELRY FAIR FIRE]. Remember, the fair closes on September 25th, so check it out while you still can!

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

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[lorelei]

I think theres alot to be said for using or not using sculpties to make things in SL from details to skills to lots of things. All really depends on the person.
But really the use of prims and so much details for the mask reminds me of Random Calliope - Random only worked with prims and made the most awesome stuff!

[designer rings]

These are very elegant looking masks. Kinda the ones you'd see in royal balls or luxury cruise dress parties.