Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of virtual world and MMO fashion
Earlier this month, Modavia Fashion Week saw the launch of Fall and Winter lines from many popular brands. Though most designers in Second Life choose to release items sporadically, there's one brand known for sticking rather firmly to the season-based release format: Paper Couture. Their collections are always highly anticipated in the fashion community, so it's no surprise that their launch at MFW nearly stole the show. If you're unfamiliar with the brand, Paper Couture is a somewhat tongue-in-cheek group effort by several of the designers behind the Tableau sim, using alts that are (if you're ever fortunate enough to meet them) embodiments of stereotypical, over-the-top fashion designer cliché. Together, they bring original and runway-inspired designs into Second Life using the unique, hand-painted style that has always defined Tableau's shops. [Click here to teleport to Paper Couture in TABLEAU]
Their collection this season is labelled Femme Fatale, and one look at the beautifully evocative promotional stills by celebrated SL fashion photographer James Schwarz should illustrate why. It's a blend of vintage glamour and modern edge as suited to the red carpet of a movie premiere as it is to the bloody carpet in a noir murder mystery. They've also combined these pictures with a sultry soundtrack and some Ken Burns effect goodness to produce a video (embedded below) that inspired my own Femme Fatale picture above, in Paper Couture's Moira gown.
What's so great about Moira? Let me tell you:
Moira is easily my favourite dress from the collection. Though I love the subtle colours and the black lace bodice, the biggest reason that I adore it is that it's absolutely designed to turn heads. It's bold, it's glamorous, and it's impeccably well made. As I mentioned, Paper Couture's textures are all usually very painterly and meticulous, which makes each design stand out from your everyday dresses in SL. Every PC collection has had its issues, usually in the form of seams, and while Moira has a bit of a seam where the lace texture meets on each side, it's barely noticeable and absolutely isn't a reason to avoid this gown. Also pictured are a ruffled fabric and pearl collar from LaGyo, hair from LeLutka, and skin (though this specific makeup is no longer available) from tres blah.
You can currently pick up all of Paper Couture's Fall/Winter 2011 collection at their shop in Tableau. [Click here to teleport to Paper Couture in TABLEAU]
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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