Formalities.......

Ever had one of those days? I sat down to scribble something on here three times already today. Each time I laid a finger on my keys, a thunderstorm seemed to park itself over the roof my house and rain as if I had insulted its' mother. I don't know how the drivers coped, one minute dry road, next minute a passable impression of a river in flood. Climate change........don't get me started.

I've not worn a gown in what seemed like ages, so having found three gorgeous ones, I thought I'd share the looks with you, see if you like, that sort of thing........

The first is a limited edition gown from Countdown simply called "Cleo Gold". Antonia creates some simply lovely clothes for us to enjoy and this is definitely one to enjoy.

A shimmering creation in gold, silver and a touch of black, it really clings in all the right places. The neck of the bodice is quite high and modest, the arms are left bare with a floor length skirt sweeping along elegantly. Antonia thoughtfully included two lower skirt pieces to complete the long, elegant line. This is one for a late summer soiree.

Styling:

Gown - Cleo Gold Limited Edition - Countdown

Hair - Veronica Golden - Wasabi Pills

Earrings - Snowflake - Chop Zuey

Bracelet - Grace bracelet - Finesmith

Shoes - Sense Champagne - N-Core

Nails - Female Medium - Mandala

Eyeliner - Needle Black - Blackliquir

Lipstick - Vibrant Red - Izzie's

Sadly Bliss Couture is closing its doors very soon, a sad day for us all in Second Life. Amutey DeCuir creates some of the most sublime gowns anywhere in Second Life, including the spectacular gown she made for me for the Miss Virtual World finals last December. When I saw this next gown, I simply HAD to get one before they disappeared for ever.

This gorgeous gown is a limited edition again, designed in the style of Yves St Laurent. A lacey bodice runs down into this explosion of a skirt. Crafted from chiffon, its one of those gowns that makes you feel like royalty the second you step into it. The gloves lend a perfect touch of class to this perfect collection.

Styling:

Gown and gloves - YSL gown - Bliss Couture

Hair - SJ Calm - Magicka

Earrings and necklace - Circus Maximus Gold and Purple - Chop Zuey

Shoes - Cuore Black - N-Core

Hat - Valeries Hat - York (tinted) - Bliss Couture

Eyeshadow - Metallic Light Gold - Kosh

Lipstick - Vibrant Dark Red - Izzie's

The last installment of this fabulous formality comes from Mohna Lisa Couture.

Calista Ella, an old friend, invited me over to the Mohna Lisa store to have a look at this new gown, the "Hourglass Elegance". Once I saw it, I fell a bit in love, the styling and design is so opulant and classy. I was about to buy one when Cali bought it for me. Thank you !!!!

This colour is the "Lace and White" version of the gown, there are others available too. 

There are many different pieces to the gown from the mesh fitted gown itself, prim skirt pieces that fit lower on the leg, beautiful mesh earrings that complement the gown very nicely, jewels that fit to the chest and hip. There is even a bow that adorns the left shoulder and an optional shoulder drape that sweeps behind the gown.

It's the details that really caught my eyes when I was styling it, from delicate shimmering in the bodice material to the beautiful texturing on the skirt, I was just amazed how much one could cram into one gown.

Styling:

Gown and jewellry- Hourglass Elegance - Lace and White - Mohna Lisa Couture

Hair - Hat Hair and hair base Blonde - LOQ

Shoes - Shaori Black - Ahn-Ji

Hat - Miah Hat Red - Bliss Couture

Eyeshadow - Big Night Out Black - Chelle

Lipstick - Vibrant Dark red - Izzie's

Gloves - Jessamine Gloves Olympic Blue (Tinted) - Belgravia

Oh wow, it's stopped pouring with rain. the storms must have realised that I was not calling them rude names after all.

  

"Check This Out..." - New from Tres Beau

Tres Beau is probably one of the best-known and well-respected brands in Second Life. The designer, Kimmera Madison-Fall has had her designs featured in some of the biggest fashion shows SL has seen, including many Miss Virtual World pageants.

Charltina Christensen held her "Exotic" show yesterday, featuring many wonderful brands, including Tres Beau. So, naturally, I was delighted to find I had been assigned this gorgeous new outfit to model.

It's a fun, funky design with a leather-look bustier in black underneath a well-fitted jacket. The jacket design is very intricate with embroidery and an embossed design on the back.

The collar of the jacket is high and the shoulders are topped off with these amazing pearlescent epaulettes. The pearl trim can also be found on the cuffs of the sleeves. The pants are cut to just above the ankles and closely-fitted, patterned with a black and white checkered design that reminds me a little bit of a harlequin-type design.

I adore this design, I hope you do too, you can pick it up from the Tres Beau mainstore.

Styling :

Jacket, pants and bustier - "Check This Out" - Tres Beau

Ankle boots - "Casting" Noir Extreme - N-Core

Hair - Ula in Sookie - LeLutka

Necklace - Akoya Black Pearls - Zuri Rayna

Earrings - Pearl Mixeables Classic Twist Black - Eclectica

Pantyhose - Soft Shine 50 1 Black - Bax Coen

Eyeliner - Jewel Liner Scarlet - Blacklace

Eyeshadow - Flatter My Eyes Grey - BOOM

Lipstick - Dark red - Izzie's

Sunglasses - Electra - Solar Eyewear 

Cap - SwagTastiCap Black - Remarkable Oblivion

Well, I'm back :)

After a rather difficult patch, I am back into the groove again here in SL. One thing after another tripped me up in RL, from work issues to internet problems, but a family bereavement made me realise that I needed a break to spend time on sorting out my RL once again.

So, I had two months almost totally away from SL and I must confess I did need them. My RL had gone through a bad time, but well, back again into the wonderful world that is our SL.

I had been on a massive shopping spree just before I went on my break, so let me start with a gorgeous dress I picked up from the Liv-Glam store.

When I started to style it, I suddenly was hit with a look of a 1940's film noir, so I continued on down that road and came up with this :)

  The dress itself is from Liv-Glam, the "Imani" dress. This one is quite unusual in that normally when you buy a dress, it comes in the usual 5 sizes, but this one does not. Instead, it comes with a HUD that is worn, from the HUD you choose the size and that is delivered to you. It's a really neat idea, one that I have not seen much around the grid so far.

The dress itself is just about knee-length and has a fabulous sheen to it, fits like a glove too. It has a corset-style fitted top and a close-fitting pencil-style skirt. The jacket is a bolero-type fit, held closed by a delicate chain at the neckline and complements the outfit quite beautifully.

As I tried for a vintage look, I had to find some sort of a hat to complement the whole thing, I had a hunt through my pile that I rather stupidly call an inventory and found I had already picked up the "Valerie - York" hat from Bliss Couture a little while ago. A delicate floral piece, with white petals and darker detailings, it worked just so well.

Finding the right place to shoot the photos happened by happy accident. I was checking out a holodeck that I have from Horizons and found this scene in it that I had bought at least a year ago. It's simply called "Noir" and it recreates quite beautifully a film-noir style cafe, even down to the bar, piano and Art-Deco style decor. It is literally stuffed full of lovely poses and animations that I can't believe I did not use it before.

I am glad to be back and thank you to all of you who wished me well and supported me through what was a very difficult time for me.The avatars may be virtual, but the people and emotions behind them are not and they made a huge difference to me so thank you all once again xx

Styling

Dress and jacket - Imani - Liv-Glam
Hat - Valerie York - Bliss Couture
Shoes - Femme "Noir Intense" - NCore
Hose - Soft Shine Pantyhose Black 50 seams - Bax Coen
Glasses - Dorothy Cat Eye Glasses Cherry/Brown - Purple Moon
Gloves - Jessamine Gloves  - Olympian Blue Leather (Tinted) - Belgravia
Hair - DIVA Vintage hair (medium length) black - Tuty's
Lipstick - Dark red - Izzie's
Eyeliner - Needle black liner 1 - Blackliquid
Eyeshadow - Big Night Out (Black) - Chelle
Clutch - Stella Clutch [Noir-Silver] - House of Fox

Fashion for Life is almost here again !!

As most of you will know, Relay for Life is a huge event in both RL and SL. Raising funds for the American Cancer Society, it makes such a difference in the fight against this awful scourge.

So, I went over to the Media area at the FFL sim and picked up a few things to share with you, to give you a taste of what is available at this year's event.

The first that caught my eye was the "Ceres" gown, made by Vivien Emerald, the designer of Desir. OK, once I saw the name of the gown I went for it as I do love all things Greek!

Made from a rich deep blue fabric, the contrasting underskirt and white body of the gown do give this lovely gown a Greek appearance.

Styling:-

Gown - Ceres in Blue Turquoise - Desir

Hair - Demeter Sookie - LeLutka

Shoes - Tribute Neige - NCore

Jewellry - Miss Mundo 2012 Blue Diamonds - Zuri Rayna

Makeup - Grace Blue - Face Paint

Bliss Couture is a name synonymous with quality and elegance, and the "Bravin Sequin Gown" in pink is no exception. A close-fitting sleeve-type gown plunges into a dramatic skirt, the whole ensemble really does flash in the light quite beautifully.

Styling :-

Gown - Bravin Sequin Gown in Pink - Bliss Couture

Hair - Part of Me California - Exile

Shoes - Chic Rose - NCore

Jewellry - Stolen Kisses Gold/Pink Diamonds - Chop Zuey

Makeup - Metallic Eyeshadow Pink - Kosh

                Juicy Red Lipstick - 005 - Hush

Purple Moon has long been a favourite of mine, so how delighted was I to find Purple Moon items !!

This beauty is the "Cao" gown, I am wearing it in a colour called malva. It fits like a glove all the way down to the skirt and train that give this such a classy, elegant look. The neckline is enhanced with an embroidered collar and the gloves are a delicate lace. 

Styling :-

Gown - Cao Gown in Malva - Purple Moon

Hair - "Found" Blonde 10 - Elikatira

Shoes - Coquette Silver - NCore

Jewellry - "Wisteria Woke Me This Morning" collection - Chop Zuey

Makeup - Metallic Eyeshadow Purple - Kosh

                Raspberry Intense lipstick - Izzie's

                Cat eyeliner 01 - Izzie's

Another wet weekend......

There's a saying here, "When its not foggy you can see it's raining" Kinda true, the rain is hammering off my windows but I'm curled up snuggly and warm.

I cannot believe it's only been a week since the MVW finals, it's weird as it seems much longer than that. So, I thought "get back to it Kim" and dug around in my inventory to make a look for today.

I love this Baiastice jacket and Fanatik skirt, but I wanted to soften the look a little as it is quite sharp. I'd just bought a really sweet outfit from Agnes Finney's shop (thanks Irina xxx) called "Agnes Midnight White". It comes with all kinds of things, but the blouse was just perfect for the look I wanted. It's a delicate white lace blouse with a high, frilled collar and so so feminine.

Keeping with the minimalist palette, I added the gloves from the Agnes Finney outfit, some sleek N-Core "Femme Noir Intense" heels, black hose from Bax Coen and proclaimed myself satisfied. Its a very sharp look, but with a very feminine touch too. Hope you like it xxx

Styling -

Jacket - Evange Black - Baiastice
Skirt - Pencil Skirt Leather Black - FANATIK
Blouse - From Agnes 3 White - Agnes Finney
Shoes - Femme Noir Intense - N-Core
Hair - Wherever Blonde 10 - Elikatira
Hose - Black S01 - Bax Coen
Jewellry - Omochi Black - Mandala
Lipstick - Dark Vibrant red - Izzie's
Glasses - Electra - Solar Eyewear
Gloves - Agnes Midnight Gloves - Agnes Finney 

Pose - Diesel 

Finals Day

Sat 15th December 2012....................a date that will live long in my memory. After 4 months of work, headaches, joy and laughter, the day finally arrived. Have you ever been so nervous that you're convinced someone has replaced your stomach with a washing machine on fast spin? Because that's what mine felt like hours before the contest even started.

I have to confess that is was a fear/happiness reaction I think, fear of what was to come and happiness in all that had happened in the previous 4 months.

10am.........the curtains rose on the finals of Miss Virtual World 2013. At the same time the curtains rose, so did my heart rise into my mouth.

Our first walk was to show our National gowns, the gowns that reflected and were inspired by our countries. As I actually am a Cypriot, the influences were many and subtle, but I was just delighted with how the gown looked. This is my National gown, brilliantly captured at the final show by Tillie Ariantho.

This work of living art was designed and made by such a talented lady, Bouquet Babii of Vero Modero. It was very deliberately designed as a Goddess style as my country has a long history, profoundly influenced by many cultures, but possibly most by Greece. Now SL being SL, I wasn't able to open my notecards - OK I was dumb, I should have written it on Word and cut and pasted, one thing learned! This was my inspiration, thanks Persia and Kay for covering live when I couldn't shout this to the audience :)

"My country has a long history and I drew upon this for the inspiration for my National Gown.

The golden headdress harks back to ancient times and pays homage to the ancient peoples who left our shores thousands of years ago, such as the Greeks and the Phoenicians. The vines on the headdress and belt remember the many thousands of years of agriculture and grape cultivation in the valleys of South Cyprus and , of course, the ancient tradition of wine-making. The wings on the headdress remind us of Apollo, the Sun God and his huge temple built on the south coast of my country two and a half thousand years ago.

The pale green of the gown represents the explosion of colour that carpets the Troodos Mountains in Spring as life awakens after the winter months. The white train reminds us of the beaches of my country, with their gentle surf and 350 days of sun.

The white, green and gold is to pay respect to the flag of my country with its golden land, white background and green laurel wreath.

My heartfelt thanks go to Bouquet Babii, Vero Modero's designer for creating this piece of art for me to represent my country."

That's what I MEANT to say at the final, for some reason SL refused to let me open anything, well it happens!!

My formal gown I was just thrilled with when Amutey DeCuir of Bliss sent it to me. An almost ethereal lacy creation with a slit skirt and reminded me so, so much of an impossibly glamorous film star. You might see it differently, but that's how it struck me !

This was captured again by Tillie Ariantho in the final stage we walked. i dared not even cam around for fear of crashing, so great job Tillie xxx

This was the inspiration for my formal gown :

"My Formal Gown evokes many aspects of Cyprus. The flowing wave-like skirt is inspired by the Cypriot beaches, with their gentle surf and 350 days of sun each year. The Troodos mountains are a big part of my country and the delicate pinks of the formal gown hark back to the mountain violets that carpet our mountains as Spring arrives. The single shoulder design from Bliss Couture again reminds us of the long history of my country, bringing back memories of the ancient peoples of old who have left their mark on Cyprus, such as the Greeks and Phoenicians who left our shoes many thousands of years ago."

The part I was dreading was waiting for the other ladies to walk, but I found myself being drawn to watching and listening to their inspirations and admiring such incredible haute couture designs from some of SLs very best.

Time really did fly by during the evening and after the top 12 were announced, I was disappointed not to be included, but that is a part of the contest. So, I had a cry, opened a bottle of wine and watched with huge interest the progress to the crowning of the new Miss Virtual World. The top 12 were :

1. Meimei Shiu ✦ MISS V♛ CHINA
2. Zaara123 ✦ MISS V♛ ICELAND
3. Natzuka Miliandrovic ✦ MISS V♛ ITALY
4. Shinobu Istmal ✦ MISS V♛ JAPAN
5. Starline Igeria ✦ MISS V♛ KENYA
6. Ananya Mai ✦ MISS V♛ MALASYA
7. Dana Yotov ✦ MISS V♛ PHILIPPINES
8. Celestial Lunasea ✦ MISS V♛ TAIWAN
9. Ashia Denimore ✦ MISS V♛ THAILAND
10. Nice Wildrose ✦ MISS V♛ TURKEY
11. Leah McCullough ✦ MISS V♛ URUGUAY
12. Imani Enzo ✦ MISS V♛ USA

I tried to pick a winner right there and then, even though there were still 12 ladies to go, but I couldn't. So I listened to their answers to the questions posed and was struck by how thoughful all the answers were.

The top 5 were soon announced and they were :

1. Meimei Shiu ✦ MISS V♛ CHINA
2. Zaara123 ✦ MISS V♛ ICELAND
3. Natzuka Miliandrovic ✦ MISS V♛ ITALY
4. Starline Igeria ✦ MISS V♛ KENYA
5. Leah McCullough ✦ MISS V♛ URUGUAY

Soon afterwards after much questioning, Starline Igeria, the adorable Miss Kenya was crowned as the new Miss Virtual World. As I've lived in Kenya in RL, I was so delighted for her!

I can say, hand on heart, that this was the most demanding 4 months of my entire Second Life, but you know what? I would not trade one second of these past months for anything, not even gold. I poured my heart and soul into the contest and I have learned so, so much, not just about the skills of modelling, but about myself. I was upset not to make it to the top 12, but now after a little time has passed, I can deal with it much better. On another day, things may have been totally different, but on this day, the best lady won, no arguments!!

To those of you reading, if you be an experienced model, a new model or maybe thinking about starting, don't think "OMG I could never do that". You can, trust me. I am no veteran, I only graduated from my first school just over a year ago, so see, you don't need to have years of experience. Just have the desire and the will to give it everything until you have nothing left. 

What did I learn during these months? Too much to write here and that's a fact. I'll now do things I wouldn't have dared to before this started. I can deal with the inevitable rejections that come a model's way with a lot more grace then maybe I used to and that is a vital lesson I learned. The ladies I shared this time with, all of them were winners to me, such style grace and generosity.

My final thanks go to my designers who want above and beyond the call of duty, to all of the MVW team who somehow managed to plan and pull off this massive undertaking seamlessly and without a hitch. To my friends who supported me, pushed me and cried with me, I love all of you xxxxx

Here's to a great 2013, my wishes for you and your loved ones is for a peaceful and joyous Christmas.

SPONSORS FOR MVW

National Gown - Bouquet Babii - Vero Modero

Formal Gown - Amutey DeCuir - Bliss Couture

Hair - Kreolita DeCosta - Element Hair

Jewellry - Sequoia Nightfire

Poses - Isoldel Resident - Isomotions

Last MVW Challenges...oh boy !!!

Well, the wild ride that was MVW 2013 is finally coming to an end. I have such conflicting feelings. One half of me wants to scream and hide from everything, the other half never, ever wants it all to end. I bet I am not the first or last to feel those weird emotions, but it's a fair reflection of the committment and passion that we have for this contest that all of us have these emotions, well I think so anyway !!

The last 2 challenges were quite different and challenging in their own way, so as usual, I dived in to see what I could come up with.

The Apocalytpic challenge asked us to style an outfit showing how the world would end if it were ending tomorrow. After many aborted attempts to get something that looked right, I thought about global warming, the melting ice-caps (yes they are, but lets not get into that now) and decided that the end of the world would be brought about by water.

Finding this style was not easy at all, but after buying the gorgeous "Laylak" gown from Vero Modero, the style started to crystallize in my head. I found the perfect skin over at Boudoir and just upstairs from the skin was the ideal hair. I had loads of mermaid things so I decided to add scales to the skin to give a more aquatic look and BAM, there it was. It was just one of those things that happened by happy accident. I accessorised with a few small pieces and was just thrilled with how it looked.

This AMAZING photo was taken again by my photography sponsor, October Bettencourt of October Studios. Each time I look at it, I see some new detail or something I'd missed, just a wonderful capture.

A week later after I had submitted it, I had to pick my jaw off the floor as this image was judged to be the winner. I checked to see noone had slipped anything into my coffee but it was real, eeeep!!!

After this, Skip Staheli reshot the photo as the bonus for winning this challenge was to appear on the front cover of the December edition of the Best of Second Life Magazine. Little me on the BOSL cover, excited didn't really cover how I felt. So, I met up with Skip and he made this great image that featured on the BOSL cover.

Our final challenge I found personally to be one of the most difficult. All beauty pageants have a swimsuit section (steady boys!) but ours was not just a bathing costume!

We had to style it after the legendary Sirens of Greek mythology, aquatic women who lured sailors to their death with their perfect singing voices and alluring beauty. I tried very hard for a day, but what I came up with looked more like a mermaid than a Siren, so I had to scrap that look and start again. I went with a very cute bathing costume from Purple Moon and added parts of 5 different mermaid costumes to create the final look. The skin (again from Boudoir) gave it just that perfect touch of unearthy beauty I was looking for.

October again captured the look perfectly, so much detail in the photograph and JUST what I wanted! So again, a big thank you to her !!