Goodwin and the first hint of autumn

The evenings are getting colder now and the breezy outfit you picked out for the warm day may not be enough come twilight.

It's time to pull cardigans and jacket out of the deep recesses of your inventory, time to trade sandals for boots, and above all, it is time to adorn your lovely collar with the best accessory of them all: the scarf.

Presenting the Goodwin scarf set by yours truly. Named after a notoriously blustery street in my town, the Goodwin scarf will keep the chill off your neck from the dawn of autumn into the deep recesses of winter. The Goodwin scarf is a semi-flexi fine knit scarf that has three styles in one! Above you can see the basic scarf which wraps cozily around the neck and shoulders with asymmetrical tails. Perfect for autumn picnics and walks in the park.

Autumn breezes sometimes turn into gales, and the Goodwin scarf has you covered!

The Goodwin scarf has a chilly nights attachment that reached above the lips to keep the biting wind off your face. The extension is a separate attachment that is worn on the lips so your face won't poke through. Extra cozy, the second style of the Goodwin scarf is great for late-night walks through the city or anytime you desire to be incognito.

And when the first frost descends unexpectedly, the Goodwin scarf has another trick up it's sleeve. The Goodwin headwrap keeps your ears warm and dry during the heaviest snowfall.

The Goodwin headwrap is cozy without being cartoonish or bulky and accommodates many hairstyles. Furthermore, it can be worn with or without the chilly nights extension. Versatile!!

The Goodwin scarf set contains three pieces: the scarf, the extension, and the headwrap. It features a dainty dots and floral pattern that is tintable to match any outfit (it is tinted green in the pictures here) . It is also modable, so the size of the pieces and gravity of the flexi-bits can be adjusted to your liking. It can be bold or demure depending on how you tint it and it is always lovely. Also, it is great for any Harajuku outfits you might be creating!!!

It only comes in one pattern now, but i think I will make a few others as I am fond of this creation and may (perchance) sell it someday. I'd love to know what you think, so if you have any constructive criticism please don't hesitate to let me know.

As always,
Noelle

Im capped

I have only been away for a couple of days, but apparently my IM capped. If you tried to IM me, please send it again as I most likely didn't recieve it.

Sooooo many posts. coming soon. promise.

Love,
Noelle

More Legwarmers by me

I swear I'm not obsessed with legwarmers...

So, fueled by my recent success in creating a clothing object, I decided to try a more sophisticated item of the same type.

Presenting, Megumi legwarmers in cherry blossom.

Megumi thigh-length legwarmers feature a hand-made texture of butterflies, flowers, and fans. The legwarmers are rolled up at the top and pool around the feet at the bottom. As a special touch, each legwarmer features a Japanese geisha on the calf.

Each legwarmer has three parts: the top scrunchie prim, the legging which uses the socks layer, and the lower legwarmers prim. The texture is slightly distressed and features subtle highlights got a more realistic look.

I like these legwarmers because they are cute, comfy, and still show of the lovely curves of your leg. I think I'm getting pretty decent with making stuff now and it is really exciting. Maybe one day I will have a store. For now though, I enjoy just experimenting.

IM in world if you would like a pair for FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Legwarmers by...me!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

While putting together my Harajuku outfit, one of the hardest things to find was prim flared legwarmers. Sure there were a lot of Flashdance style ones and the chunky ones by Gritty Kitty that I finally settled on. There were even a couple of flared ones made using the pants layer. But none really suited what I wanted. I was looking for a pair that could be worn with a dress or skirt (and thus could not negate the glitch pants) and I wanted them to be shaped like pant cuffs that covered the shoes.

Wondering what to do, it occurred to me that... perhaps... I could try making them myself. And THIS is the result:
I have named them Rainbow Dream Harajuku Legwarmers. Simple and fun, these legwarmers add some colorful flair to any outfit. You can wear them with skirts or pants too, so they are versatile.They are only 2 prims a piece. They are not flexi, so your feet wont break through when walking and also lets you do sweet moves like this:
They feature a hand-drawn texture (by me!) with a lovely asymmetrical striped pattern in muted rainbow tones. Colorful, yet not primary.

This is my very first creation and I am pretty happy with the result. I plan on making more elaborate ones featuring stitching, bunching, and pooling around the feet. I'm sure I will post too many pictures of them when I do:-)

If you would like a pair, IM me in-world and I would be honored to give you a pair for free! I even made a pair of glitch socks for taking pictures at certain angles.

As I reflect on my accomplishment at the end of the day, I wonder where I will go from here. Accessories? Clothing? Shoes? The possibilities are endless. I have already started work on a long flexi-hair style with a fantasy vibe too it. I would be finished with it too if I wasn't griefed so much in sandboxes. Why I get so much grief is beyond me.

Don't hate me 'cuz I'm beautiful griefers! Lol.

FRUiT Flavored Fashion

Japan has great urban fashion, but you don't see a lot of it in Second Life. Kimonos...of course. Anime and cosplay...sure. Neko style is probably the closest to Japanese street fashion, but it is grungier and less eclectic.

For those who are not familiar, there is a thriving subculture among the young people in Tokyo(the Harajuku district in particular) famous for their colorful, over-the-top fashions. This street fashion is chronicled in the magazines such as FRUiTs and Fresh Fruit.

I love Harajuku style but I certainly couldn't pull if off in RL. So... I decided to make it in Second life!

Isn't she lovely?!? I am so proud. Putting this outfit together was actually hard work. But it was so worth it. So, here's the look:

Skin: virgo by BP*- Great Japanese skin for only $L300!!! There are many other styles, so check them out!!
Hair: Boho burgundy by Cake!- I had already chosen a hair for this outfit (which I will blog about later when I write on Japanese designers in SL. I have been sitting on that article for a month at least now. Damn my perfectionism.) Then I happened upon an ad by Canimal that featured this hair and I became manic. I HAD to have it. It was just too perfect. So I emailed Canimal and begged in the forum for someone to PLEASE tell me where it came from. All the while, I am TPing to every decent hair store I can think of trying to find it by accident. This went on for a day. I was desperate and distraught. No hair looked even passable now that I had had a taste of what could be. And then, miraculously, I went to Cake for a completely different reason (socks) and THERE IT WAS! This flexi hair has a perfectly placed beanie that is scripted with 20 different textures. My new favorite hair hands down. Canimal never responded BTW (:-s).
Eyes: Black by BP*- Bettie Page makes a bit of everything and they are all great values. These eyes are darling and have a lovely highlight for that sparkling doe-eyed look.
Black undershirt by me- Inspired by a freebie turtleneck, I needed an undershirt with a similar lolita vibe. So I made it, simple but cute. And every outfit needs a touch of black, right?
Dress: Orange LAME Stripey Jumper by Sh*t Happens- Although many "FRUiTs" wear lolita dresses, I wanted a look that couldn't be mistaken as anything else. I wanted a smock shirt or jumper and Sh*t Happens was the only store that really delivered. The dress reminds me of the first attempts of crafty mothers to DIY a toddlers outfit. And I love that. I wanted something that looked homemade and bright. This dress comes in three lovely colors and they are only $L100 a piece. Nice.
Tights: fruit punch by Sh*t Happens- I had originally wanted striped leggings for this dress, but when everything came together I liked the contrast in patterns throughout the outfit. These leggings are a steal at $L25 for 6 pairs in bright colors.
Legwarmers by Gritty Kitty- Legwarmers were one of the hardest pieces I had to find for this outfit. There are a lot of leggings out there, but classic Harajuku leggings are usually one of two varieties: big poofy paw-like ones and loose fabric tubey ones. The Gritty kitty legwarmers are certainly the first type. You get four set for $L200, which is a pretty good deal. They are big and bulky, but they have great button details as you can see here.

Armwarmers: by Canimal- This are simple, cute arm warmers with little buttons down the side. The set comes with 6 colors and two textures. The plain textured ones are a little plain and flat, but the knit textured ones are nice and understated. The colors are subdued and pleasant.
Gloves: by Sand Surf Shack- These gloves came with the free outfit Urban October that you can purchase at the Gnubie Store for $L1. I thought they were the perfect wild touch.
Shoes: Strap Shoes by ***Angelic Doll***- I got this black pair of shoes for free and they are pretty cute. You can pick up a pack with 3 colors for $10.
Necklace: Inyannyan Choker by [Yuki]- You may know [Yuki] for her feather-soft hair, but she also has a few accessories including this adorable silver kitty choker, I thought it married nicely with the undershirt.
Earrings: Harajuku Girl CHIYO by PuNk Couture- I got these for free during the PuNk Couture clearance sale. There are four girls to choose from and you can mix and match to your hearts content. The images are super cute, but you can only see them from the front.
Umbrella: Ami by *TWEET*- I love this umbrella. It is so cute and cheery. The Pack comes with silver and gold detailed umbrellas and a matching scarf. You can get this umbrella in four lovely colors and it is perfect for a rainy day. *TWEET* seemed like an up-and-coming designer, but there hasn't been a release since 2006. This is a shame since all of her designs are darling and unique.

I submitted my new look in the Second Style Diversity Fashion Challenge. I figure I might not have been traditional enough, but I wanted to showcase diversity within a culture as well as showcasing some of the great Japanese SL designs. You can see my entry here. Normally I would say something like "vote for me!" but voting has been down and I'm not really sure what is going to happen.

In conclusion, I think you can agree that FRUiT-y fashion is quite simply...lovely :-)

Camping

I thought this was so funny I just had to share it:

Strike a Pose

If you are an amateur SL photographer like me, I'm sure you are interested in model poses. They add an element of character and emotion to your photos. And lets faces it, the standard animations get a bit boring. But I'm not a professional photographer nor a model, and I have not reached the point where I am willing to shell out $L50-100 for a single pose. So, here is what I do to get great poses on a budget.

First of all, there are all kinds of free animation boxes you can picks up in the newbie zones around SL. Yes, most of them are silly animations where your head spins round or you do a zombie dance. However, you can find some decent poses amongst the fodder and they are not always labeled obviously. The best thing to do is to take the time to go through them, delete the useless and rename any good poses so that you call recall them later.

While you can find some decent poses in free animation boxes, they aren't model poses per se. The free animations are more useful as narrative aids than for showing off fashion. Unfortunately, free model poses are not nearly as prevalent as the zombie dance-type animations. However, I have found an excellent box of free model poses made available at
ESB Photography Studios

Just look for the pink box which contains ~30 very useful standing and sitting poses. I use these A LOT.

**UPDATE** I found another great set of free poses at Sirena Hair and Fashion. There are a few repeats from the ESB box, but some great new ones as well. It even has a pose bracelet you can customize for a quick and easy AO. Go to the store and look for the board that says Tutorial Supplies. At the very top of the board there is a poster that says Stand Animations. And that's it! If you want a tutorial for how to put an AO into the bracelet or another object, check out Natalia Zelmanov's AO Tutorial.

**UPDATE** Lots of awesome free poses at Builder's Paradise Freebie store. Look for boxes labeled Free Poses, Free Animations, and Free Sexy Poses. There are many different boxes (there is no real organization here, so check everywhere. The labels are clear.) so you should be set for a while.

Other than the rare freebie box, model poses are hard to come by. One thing to look for is a free pose included with an outfit, skin, shape, or accessory. Some designers will include a free pose with an item or even in their store freebie box. Keep a look out for these when you visit your favorite stores. You might walk out with more than just a outfit.

Another option is to consider items that contain AO scripts. Yes, these items do cost money. Think of it this way: you are going to buy shoes, purses, and accessories anyway. Why not lean towards items that contain an AO script?? Basic items will only contain a sexy walk, but some items contain 4 or 5 standing animations and even sitting animations. These animations are wonderful for exploring and modeling pictures. And you can turn the AO off when you don't want it, so you don't have to worry about high lag areas.

Speaking of pictures, I haven't taken any lately. SL has been so wonky lately it has been near impossible. I have had much trouble with failure to rez and the search function being down. In addition, I lost some items out of my inventory :-( Hopefully things will be back to normal soon so that I can have something to blog about!