Look what I found in my Brown Gowns Folder!!!

Well I’m still looking for that gown to blog about for my readers, if I have any yet.  And when I start sorting thru gowns I get very distracted when I find something interesting and unusual.  This gown from Zaara’s really caught my eye and I decided I wanted to style this dress today.  We’ll do a big fluffy gown another day.

For those of you who have not been to Zaara, first check your SL Fashion pulse because it’s non-existent!  But Zaara is a store filled with beautiful clothing that has an Indian flair to them.  For those not familiar with the clothing styles of India, they tend to be flowing material, bold colors and prints, materials wrapped around the body.  Although this dress is a bit more understated when it comes to colors, it has the flow and feel of Indian Couture.  Along with the draping you would expect you can find some very intricate beadworking in both the skirt and the bodice of the top.   And check the back of the top where it’s practically backless with the exception of a few ties to keep the shirt in place.  What I like about this top is I could wear it with the full flowing skirt or pair it with a pair of leather jeans.

Now mind you, Zaara has beautiful jewelry but I’m really trying to avoid using all one line of clothing when I build my looks, so I found this gorgeous bronze color jewelry I bought from Exodii, was probably there buying skins and found this lovely set that fits perfectly for the style.  And underneath that skirt there are shoes.  I went with a must have for any fashionista – D’Orsay from Stiletto Moody.  I respect that prim toes are the style for feet but when I’m wearing pumps or slingbacks, don’t make me try to match the damn skin.  I bought this pair during a Moody Sale and made it a point to get the fatpack.

What excites me the most is the hair.  One of the new SL fashion must-haves are the hairbase hairstyles.  That’s a skinlayer of hair with an attachment to give a very sleek stylish look.  For the longest time these styles were not something I could use – I was a redhead and people tend to forget us when they do fun hairstyles.  But finally LAQ made a hairbase redhead style and now with the Face Tattoo layers – I can use that hairstyle with just about any skin I want – today it’s with a very exotic look from Unique.  I hope you enjoy this style as much as I did putting it together!

HAIRBASE:  Miamai Hairbase Red.  Acquired June 19th, 2010 at 22:39.  I bought this during a very fun shopping spree with my dear friends Kate Stockholm and Cheercoach4EJS Gymnast.  BTW want to make shopping more fun – hook up with skype while shopping with your closest friends!   http://slurl.com/secondlife/Amat/56/241/24

SKIN:  Tiffany_4B_by_Nany_Merlin by Unique Megastore.  Acquired Sept 20th at 23:43.  I was in a skin rut and Sabine Blackburn showed me this set.  It’s a good skin but I haven’t used it as much as I should, but I do have the whole set.  I do remember using this set for an MEB show I did for Venus Agency.   http://slurl.com/secondlife/UNIQUE%20MEGASTORE/199/194/38

DRESS:  Zaara : Frawla *nude*.  Acquired May 22nd, 2009 at 00:34.  I do recall a major shopping spree at Zaara back last year.  http://slurl.com/secondlife/Zaara/136/132/25

JEWELRY:  :: Exodi :: Jesen Set.  Acquired Jan 6th, 2010.  I do remember that Exodi was having a skin sale and I bought a fatpack at the time.  They happened to have a few jewelry sets that I really liked and this was one of them.   http://slurl.com/secondlife/Exodi/130/146/1002

SHOES:  Stiletto Moody d’Orsay Fatpack (I am using Gold for this shot).  acquired Dec 17th, 2009 at 17:47.  If you want the history of every major sale at Stiletto Moody just look at my inventory.  They sell for 40% off and I always end up with something.  Make sure you get to the room with the classic styles to find these shoes. http://slurl.com/secondlife/Stiletto%20Moody/82/212/726

ALBUM ENJOYED WHILE STYLING THIS OUTFIT:  The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill – I never understood how someone like Lauryn Hill could put out this absolutely amazing album, won all these Grammy’s and she has never done a follow-up album.  And this came out in 1998.  Ms Hill is so poetically creative and rumor has it she may come out with another voice.  But still I have this hair and I do listen to it at least once a month.

INVENTORY TIP:  Nothing is more fun than doing dress up with your inventory but if you don’t think something will ever be worn again then get rid of it.  I end up boxing the no transfer outfits and those that can be transferred (but not copied) I put in a special folder and share with new models I meet.  It’s a nice way to form a bond with a new person and start them off with a positive experience in SL Modeling.

Not ready to do a Gown yet, but getting fancier!

Anyone who knows me knows this simple truth – I do not like styling gowns.  Don’t get me wrong – I own so many absolutely stunning gowns – but when will I ever wear them all.  I thought perhaps day #3 I would do a gown but hidden in the folder of Pink Gowns I found this beautiful gem from Moonshine Design.  Now I know designer Shellie Toomie from way back.  See when I first started SL, I met some people who played a game called “Tiny Empires”.  It’s one of those turn base games you play within SL that has a bit of a pyramid scheme to it (although no one is making SL Lindens off of it).  People build kingdoms and then you hang out and do fun stuff together.  It was corny although I did reach Princess title and awarded the title Wine Cellar Mistress!  Anyhow, Shellie Toomie was in my kingdom and she’s just a lovely person.  And I use to shop at her store which is where this gorgeous pink tea-length dress comes from.

Check out the how this dress is put together – it’s so pretty but yet sexy.  I love the overflowing tea-length skirt of satin and tulle but it’s the top that really ties this all in with the wide band wrapped around the chest and then a very sheer but dainty top over it.  I figured since I was doing the “Pretty in Pink” look I’d work it with Pink heels from Alatiel Fashions and Jewelry from Haysuriza.  I think Alatiel was having a big sale when I picked up those shoes and they weren’t the original shoes I picked for this outfit but life is too short to deal with Prim-Toe shoes that are impossible to tint.  I figured out the Alatiel but the other pair – packed away.  The Haysuriza flora l necklace I picked up while picking out shoes for a fashion show I was producing.

As for the skin, it’s nice to have friends.  I thought Pacadi was gone forever but designer Lotta Shelman may be coming back and she sent me some skin samples.  I love the dainty makup with this skin and I matched it with soft flowing hair from Truth.

DRESS:  MOONSHINE - MS-Mimi Petal RFL 2009.  acquired May 22nd, 2009 at 20:20. Since this is RFL it was probably at last years clothing fair.  http://slurl.com/secondlife/Imogen/176/119/23

SHOES:  :: Alatiel Fashions :: Marian shoes.  Acquired October 12th, 2009 at 03:12.  Atatiel was having a big $99L sale and I bought alot of stuff from the store including these shoes in about 5-6 colors.  http://slurl.com/secondlife/Alatiel%20Fashions%20Boudoir/131/136/23

JEWELRY: HAYSURIZA-Printemps-Necklace-Set – Earrings, Necklace & Bracelet. Acquired Friday Jun 12th, 2009.  I bought these while helping the show designer pick out shoes for the BlackNoir Fashion show with Glance.  THat was my graduation show btw.  http://slurl.com/secondlife/Rhizome/86/124/34

SKIN:  OD4 Heidi -Rich- /02 Sugar Eyeliner from Pacadi. Acquired June 19th 2010 18:06.  This was a gift from designer Lotta Shelman.  She had to close her store for awhile but she’s back and rumor has it Pacadi will be opening again.  So no LM but Lotta if you read this and you do open a store I will be happy to share it with everyone!

HAIR:  >TRUTH< Gogo – carrot.  Acquired August 10th 2009 at 00:01.  I think all models have this hair – it’s a standard for sure!  http://slurl.com/secondlife/Truth%20Hair/104/43/26

MUSIC TO INSPIRE YOU WITH THIS OUTFIT:  Damien Rice’s ‘O’.  Mind you I’m a rock & roll chick at heart but something about Damien Rice’s voice will just make you swoon.  I’ve seen him 5 times in concert and he’s got this amazing Irish accent – the guy could talk about dog poop and give you goosebumps (and yes he did at the 3rd concert of his I saw).

INVENTORY TIP OF THE WEEK:  Prim-Toe shoes are major investments.  If you can’t figure how to tint them property then pack them away.  I’d rather see a model use the same pair of shoes over and over again with a perfect skin tint than one that looks like she doesn’t have a clue what’s she is doing.

Raiding the Boyfriend’s closet

Today I found some fun items in my closet that I wanted to showcase.  Like any gal, I’ve dated a few guys in my lifetime and nothing defines sexy like wearing  something you might have found in your boyfriend’s closest.   As I was looking thru the various black shorts that I own and I found a pair of Boyfriend shorts I bought at a shopping spree at Kungler’s a few months back.  I figured since we’re doing that fun look of looking feminine while wearing stuff you raided from your boyfriend’s closet, I would stick with that theme.  I wanted to keep a bit tomboy style to my look.

The shorts have a slightly baggy look to them so I thought I’d add a sexy undersized man shirt from Rebel.  Looks like something your boyfriend forgot to put in the goodwill bag when he cleaned his room out in junior high school.  Because it’s undersize there’s a sexy matching black lace bra also from Rebel.  To finish the look I added a pair of pink rubber boots from Urban Bomb Squad.  definitely a tomboy look with a side of feminine.  BTW the Jewelry is from -:[3D]:- Jewelry and I have to confess this set is 2 years old and I bought it back during my stripper days.  But it’s good quality jewelry (once I removed the bling) that I have used for several shows & photoshoots!

Since we’re doing the tomboy look, I thought a really short hair.  I have several favorite short hairstyles but  found this folder in my hair folder called “RED KEEPERS”  I guess they were a few styles I thought were my favorite styles of red but honestly, they’re just old styles and most will end up in a box in my storage.  But I better check them all because in that folder was CAKE’s Cruise hairstyle in Chocolate.   In RL I was watching the movie “Hackers” and the hair really gave me a look that would remind you of a young Angelina Joile in one of her earlier films – that dates back to 1995.   To complete that look I used a skin from Den-Dou, I think I bought this around the same time and same Mall that I found yesterdays skirt.  This skin has to be almost a year old but it still has a great look.  Here’s a secret to a good skin – either heavy eye makeup or heavy lips – never both or it’s just too much makeup; a bit overkill.  This skin has those heavy charcoal eyes but just a touch of lipgloss on the lips.

SHIRT:  REBEL sexy shirt set in Grey.  acquired November 3rd, 2009 at 10:04.  I was doing a show for Rebel and was looking at their clothes at the store.  http://slurl.com/secondlife/Funky%20Islands%202/40/166/24

SHORTS:  (Kunglers) Boyfriend’s shorts  - black.  acquired February 21st, 2010 at 00:53.  Did a huge shopping spree at Kungler’s that night.  http://slurl.com/secondlife/Enchanted%20Forest/62/211/726

BOOTS:  UBU PinkPsycho Rain Boots (Boxed).  acquired June 24th, 2010 22:31.  My boss Journey McLaglen has an UBU vendor at her store and we were testing the vendors so I bought these.  Their most famous shoes are the Pornstar Hi-Top Sneakers.  You can find UBU inside the Prism store at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Bal%20Harbour/125/55/23

JEWELRY:  Onyx Cross with Black Pearls – Earrings, Necklace & Bracelet from -:[3D]:- Jewelry.- I’m sure some pervy guy has a photo of me in all my glory with nothing but a g-string and this jewelry set.  But gals, it’s a fashionable set – a bit Madonna like!  http://slurl.com/secondlife/Bay%20City%20-%20Oldtown/211/102/27

SKIN:  OD4 Heidi -Rich- /02 Sugar Eyeliner from DEN-DOU. Aquired March 13th, 2009 at 21:39.  Probably the same time as the skirt I wore yesterday.  http://slurl.com/secondlife/Enchanted%20Forest/62/211/726

HAIR:  CAKE – HAIR – Cruise – Chocolate – Flexi Hair.  Acquired August 24th at 00:54.  http://slurl.com/secondlife/FNKY%20Cake/110/56/24

MOVIE TO WATCH WHILE WEARING THIS OUTFIT:  Hackers:  Staring Jonny Lee Miller and Angelina Joile.  A store about high school computer hackers who broke into the wrong computer and how they managed to catch the bad guys.  Probably one of Angelina’s first starring roles and she ended up marrying her co-star Miller soon after filming finished (marriage lasted 4 years).  Angelina goes for the butch cyberpunk look in this movie.

INVENTORY TIP OF THE WEEK:  Seriously – you need to clean out your hair inventory.  If you know the style is old and dated then toss it.  I usually just make a box and put all my unwanted hairstyles in there.  Plus it’s alot of fun going thru your hair inventory and finding stuff you never knew you had – like this style I wore from Cake.

My first outfit today – Classic finds

So the evolution of this outfit started with a new pair of shoes I found at Mimi’s Choice.  The shoes are toe shoes from Kittie Lair (*KL*) and just a perfect pair of pink strappy sandals that were easy to match my toes.  I liked the idea that they were only one piece per foot.  Most Prim-Toe shoes use 2 pieces which makes them difficult to wear if you have slacks with prim cuffs.  I respect that Prim-Toe shoes are the standard for all SL fashionistas but I wish more designers would be like KL and keep them to one piece per foot.  I suspect these pink shoes will get alot of wear in my inventory.

So while looking for white pants to wear with my shoes, I opened my white skirts by mistake and saw a skirt from YumYum.  Remembering how much I loved the pleats to the skirt and how the skirt hangs low on the hips to give it a sexy look, I decided to work with the skirt.  YumYum calls the skirt ‘white’ but honestly, it’s more cream or winter white.   Sometimes when I find something I haven’t worn in awhile in my inventory I make a journey back to that store and see what new items they might have.  I see they still have the skirts, so definitely go pick one up for yourself, I have it in several colors.  But one of the new items for sale was headbands.  Most of us don’t put much thought into headbands since it’s usually something built into a hairstyle you’ve bought.  But I like the idea of owning a few headbands that I could mix and match with the hairstyle of my choice.  So I ended up with both fatpacks and found one that would work with my outfit.

Next I went for the shirt.   I’m wearing pink shoes so I thought I ought to tie in the shirt with the shoes.  However all my pink tops seem to be bright pink or heavy sweaters, I wanted something softer and fit for the season.  So in my Pink Tops (I sort tops by tank tops, sweaters, jackets and tops for everything else) I found a shirt called AS-Silky.  It’s full perm so who knows where it came from or how I got that top.  But it was the perfect shade of pink with a gold trim.  And if anyone who reads this thread sends me an IM in SL – I’ll send them a copy of the shirt.

Now we have an outfit, so on to the rest of the body.  I’ve been ready for some new skins and currently trying out LAQ’s Julie, another skin made especially for us redheads.  Thankfully this redhead skin comes with and without hairbase.  Us redheads have special needs and too many designers just assume we’d want black/brown eyebrows so it’s nice to have red ones.  Since my look was creating a fun summertime look I thought I’d pile my hair on top my head with a fresh style from UncleWebs.  Hair is another issue with me – I’m a redhead and I’ve found that many of the top hair designers just don’t have decent reds.  Either they’re too stop sign red, they are borderline brown or some designers just skip over it.  This shade of red from Uncleweb is a bit light, almost a strawberry blonde, but I thought it was a cute style!

June 27th wardrobe:

SKIN:  LAQ ~ Julie – 04 [Fair] Glow skin.  Aquired Jun 13th, 2010 at 17:00.  http://slurl.com/secondlife/Laqroki/174/125/27

HAIR:  [Uw.7R]  Hinata-Hair   size-S   Evening sun.  Aquired Jan 12, 2010 at 19:09.  http://slurl.com/secondlife/Yamashita/56/83/21

NAILS:  Studio Nails:: French Pinks Square.  Aquired August 28th, 2009 at 20:29 (for a Glance Fashion Show).   http://slurl.com/secondlife/Computer/35/162/24

SHIRT:  AS-Silky Set Shirt.  Aquired Feb 18th 2009 at 22:57.  The designer is Agent Case – if he/she contacts me I’ll be happy to promote the store, but I see nothing in that person’s profile that even a store exists.  However this is a full perm shirt and I will send a copy to them.

SKIRT:  Light pleated skirt /white skirt.  Aquired Mar 13th, 2009 at 21:47.   http://slurl.com/secondlife/Computer/35/162/24

SHOES:  *KL* Sandals03g Nadia Pearl01.  Aquired June 26th, 2010 at 00:36.   http://slurl.com/secondlife/Kitties%20Lair/85/130/29.  Bought at Mimi’s Choice -http://slurl.com/secondlife/Deep%20House%20Island/208/10/23

JEWELRY:  Crystal Rainbow Opal set.  Aquired July 30th, 2009 8:33 as a gift from designer Stargem Winkler.  I had done a fashion show that used her jewelry. http://slurl.com/secondlife/SmartVest/223/241/21

HEADBAND:  **DP**yumyum:Feather Katyusya(white).  Aquired June 26th 2010 at 21:34.  http://slurl.com/secondlife/Computer/35/162/24

MUSIC CD LISTENED WHILE STYLING THIS OUTFIT:  Galore (The Singles 1987-1997) by The Cure.

INVENTORY CONTROL TIP:  I always keep my hairstyles sorted by designer.  Every designer has a unique look to their product and usually I pick based on the overall effect I want and shades that they make.  I usually put all like styles in the same folder and label the folder with what basic colors are available.

What’s in Herradura Baar’s Inventory?

So the other day I rented the movie “Julie & Julia” – based on the RL story of this woman who decided to cook everything in Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”.  I mean is it crazy?  This random woman out there in the world thought of a crazy idea for a blog and next thing you know she’s a best selling author and a movie based on her life.

Now, I highly doubt that anything that profoundly grand will ever happen to me.  But after 2 years as a member of Second Life along with purchasing way more skin, hair, clothes, shoes, accessories, etc. etc. etc – I have come to a stark realization!  I have no clue have the stuff in my inventory!    So this crazy notion hits me – why don’t I blog about everything in my inventory.  Mind you there is no goal other than trying to post something tomorrow.   The spirit is willing but the motivation can sometimes suck!

I guess you could say it was a bit of a shopping addiction that went overkill.  I mean who could begrudge a new pair of shoes or pretty dress when it only amounts to what equals $1-$2 USD?  Only problem is that was my justification for EVERYTHING I bought.  Sure I got plenty of free clothes too – Fashion shows I walked in, magazine ads I’ve done, gifts from designers both established and Up & Rising.    But most of it was from shopping and I can assure you I never made enough in modeling to pay for my shopping addiction.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not here to bust on any designers, if anything I admire the ability for anyone who knows how to photoshop since well, I can’t photoshop worth a damn!  Instead my goal is to TRY (and sometimes that is a challenge) to post at least one outfit in my inventory whether it’s a complete set or bits and pieces I put together.   I mean, I’ll randomly open a folder and put on a dress and wonder *WHEN THE #)%* DID I BUY THIS???!!!!.

And usually my inventory is organized amazingly well but today my inventory is a mess.  So that needs to get organized too.  I’ll try to share with you some of the tips of organization.  Just as an FYI – inventory is currently 33,325K.  That’s actually average for an SL model but I also have a giant closet filled with stuff I don’t use but refuse to toss away.  Probably 40-60k in that closet.  If SL brought the show ‘Hoarders”, I’d be a prime candidate!

So here are my very noble blogging goals:

1. Try to post 1-2 outfits per day built on items I find in my inventory.  I can only use each item once.  With Clothes I have to use a unique outfit but with shoes, skin & hair I can re-use them only if I use them in a different color and/or makeup.
2. Include links for purchasing all clothes except mind you, some of this is from retired lines.
3. Include any history of how, when or where I might have bought the outfit
4. Live within my SL budget of what I earn each week.  I paypal my rent so this will be based on any modeling work I do along with my salary from Prism.
5. Purchase absolutely NO NEW CLOTHES unless required by a job or charity related.

Let’s see how long this crazy idea will last!!!

So perhaps you’ll enjoy this blog and find some neat stuff or perhaps I’ll be one of hundreds of SL blogs no one