Dressing Vidal

Whoops, I Moved!

2008-08-05T05:00:00.000+01:00

It seems unlikely that anyone was just watching this blog, or was, in fact, following it at all, however just in case, you should know that the articles here have now moved. Dressing Vidal has been absorbed into my leaner, more doll-focused Vidal's Dolly Realm and is there to stay. It will mean that the fashion articles are a little harder to find alone, but as I write them so infrequently anyway, I'm sure that won't be missed.

Hope to see you there!

Vidal Jetson

2008-05-18T14:17:00.010+01:00

I cannot deny it: I am in a very Jetsons kind of frame of mind right now. It's all stemmed from a work engagement, in which Botgirl Questi reminded me of the greatness of this cartoon. In the greater scheme of raygun futures, The Jetsons is surely one of the strongest icons going.

In seeking out fun screenshots and promotional art from the series, I was also reminded of Judy and Jane Jetson's wardrobes. They may shop just about as much as any digital person on the Grid, but their outfits are often the same from one week to the next. Darned cute, though, and it's a wonder to see such vibrant pinks in the future.

So, putting the models' vaguely disturbing facial expressions to one side, I was thrilled to find these hallowe'en costumes online. If First Life girls can have Jetsons cosplay, why can't Raygun Vidal?

Along comes Jetdoll. I'd been here once before, probably on the back of a search for plain "doll", and enjoyed its rockabilly ranges. It's a shop which does carry a hint of appreciation for the same Extropian futures that I enjoy, however having a specific Judy Jetson costume (and the only one on the Grid at that) makes it that bit better in my books.

...and there it is. It's a lightweight outfit - a flexible collar made of triangular prims, a shirt and 'pants' layer of mesh clothing and a cylindrical prim skirt. At least the Jetsons never had to worry about ARC.

JetDoll also sells a hairstyle made especially for the outfit, and I find that this is the best achievement. The perky little gravity-defying ponytail really puts me in the Jetson mood, and it's textured quite well.

Texture is, sadly, the one point I feel is missing from the ensemble. It's only L$99, but comes in a sort of rubber look which, while cute still, seems to go against my idea of Judy in... cottons and lycra, perhaps. I also ended up having to tint the skirt to a slight grey to have it match the leggings. On the other hand, if I want to update that texture, I can add my own. The outfit is modifiable and copiable, so I can't really go complaining.

Photographs from Google images (uncredited fancy dress costume designer), JetDoll's blog and my own collection, shot in Extropia.
'Whisp sultry red' skin by Sin Skins
'Party pumps' by Shiny Things

Feeling Bloated

2008-03-24T21:16:00.007Z

This is me in the one item of novelty that's brought me the biggest grin I though possible. 'The Inflatable Woman', by steampunk and dolly powerhouse Curio Obscura. It almost defies description, really. I have been transformed into a thing of pure rubber. I squeak when I walk. I have a tube sticking out of my neck and when I sit down, I'm spread legs akimbo. All of the above should make the next Extropian board meeting a very amusing one indeed.

There's not so much to say about the clothing in this ensemble, though the options are very generous. Miss Inflatable Dolly comes with a bodice and three skirt lengths (I opted for the shorter here), a choice of Victorian-style skirt ruffles or a big, pretty bow, and the option for gloves and stockings to come or go. Oh, and two hairdos - one up, one down. Best of all, though, are the skin and facial details. The limbs are lined with that plastic tagging so synonymous with inflatables, and your dolly facial expression can be altered to suit the mood or situation. I flit between 'kissy' and 'smiling' in these shots, but there's also a sultry 'neutral' and explicitly authentic-looking 'open' to choose from.

As if the comical waddle, squeaky sound effects and utterly fantastic stare weren't enough, this inflatable comes with a rather kinky option for anyone curious enough to hug you, or if you feel so inclined to attack yourself with a bicycle pump.

"Huff, huff..."

"Hup, there it goes! Whoah, can't balance..."

You get the picture. The whole ensemble is just lovely. Thought out so far that the AO alters to reflect your expanded state, giving you the appearance of trying to stay on the ground just as much as move anywhere. You're also given no license to squeeze into dinky armchairs or lay daintily upon the ground. It's limbs spread, belly squeaking or nothing, honey.

"What's more embarassing, I wonder? Stumbling into an office to find a discarded inflatable love doll there, or being that love doll? Well, with a figure this good, I'm not ashamed."

Stepping Out in Pink

2008-03-11T18:35:00.009Z

My first post here in far too long and I thought I should probably strike out a little. Introducing 'Brenda' by Nicky Ree!

Designing Nicky Ree is a shop that skits around my radar a little. Consistently spectacular, great for providing multiple options in the way of skirts, trousers and tops, but priced to match that quality and therefore such a horrific black hole for my cash whenever I visit. I broke this stalemate recently after Miss Ree announced her 'April' collection, a pricy but lusciously tempting ensemble that seems to want to wrap layers and layers of silk to my body and hold it there, tightly. What's not to like? Perhaps one day I'll manage to afford such treats.

Luckily, Designing Nicky Ree is a hard shop to walk empty-handed from. 'Brenda' caught my eye by the door for its wonderful range of colours but also the fine work on the trousers. Truly, this is an outfit that glimmers, and at L$250 I had to have it. These photos are the result of that - an unquenchable desire to just show myself off. That doesn't take much, but no other outfit I've owned has seemed so vibrant this way.

My favourite mixture in all this probably not intended in its design. 'Brenda' comes with a top, skirt and trousers, either with or without the hem at your hips, and prim skirt attachments for the flouncy gown. As my body fundamentally disagrees with any mesh skirt I leapt straight into the trousers, but in adding two of the three skirt prims I seemed to adopt this sort of silky, bipedal mermaid type of look. It may seem a little daft at first, but I came to love it. It's a little bit disco, and certainly the sequined look to the top and tight silky trousers would seek to encourage that, but paired with the right hair I hope I might just skate along the right side of eccentricity.

Of course, it's only right that I show the dress option too, and don't get me wrong; it's a fine dress. But something about the ensemble, perhaps my choice of colour, seems to demand much more. Best of all, the trousers on their own are bound to be a well-loved addition to your club wardrobe.

Now that I have the taste for ridiculous flares, goodness knows where this disco doll will find herself in a week to come.

Hair: 'Secret' by Khai Sinister for The Abyss
Skin: 'Whisp's Jewel Dust' in amethyst by Portia Sin for Sin Skins
Outfit: 'Brenda' by Nicky Ree, 'Lulu' pumps by Fallingwater Cellardoor for Shiny Things

KISS +10

2008-01-06T15:25:00.000Z

As soon as I saw this, I just thought "Yes. Yes, yes, yes. Yes. Please."

So, although I'm sorry for breaking tradition with these posts and am instead focusing on something available to First Life alone, I will not hesitate any longer in asking that somebody make this in-world. I have never seen lips this shiny, and to be accompanied with a porcelain skin would be to fulfil some of my deepest dreams. It's a bit of a curse not to be able to re-paint myself, but if another doll-maker were to grant me this wish, I'd be overjoyed, I can tell you. :)

Clingy and Confident

2007-12-18T16:04:00.000Z

In a poll for 'Second Life's sexiest wardrobe options', Asian Catsuit Reloaded by Sintimacy would rate very highly, possibly highest on my nominations.

With many thanks due to Sexy Second once more, I was led to Sintimacy's new store location in Bartolome d'Alliez. I've visited Sintimacy once before and was impressed at their range of club wear and catsuits, if not the suitability to my own tastes. Still, if this number is any indication of the path that the shop's designers are taking, I shall have to watch this store with a keen eye.

Asian Catsuit Reloaded is, I assume, an improvement on a previous design. For just over L$300, you can grab yourself a slice of this over-layer body tapestry with copy privileges included. The outfit is 'no mod', but to be honest I see little reason to want to modify anything save for the trousers, and lo, they are the one item that can be tweaked. As I prefer my outfits to be as tight as possible, I simply brought the trouser cuffs in from the flared standard.

So, to the details. The outfit comes with the trouser and jacket options you see as well as some fairly decent shoes to match, called Confidence. To be quite honest, these really are the sorts of heels that could have you stride the world, they're so deliciously mean and stilettoed. The latex gleam to them does seem to distort a little with the strange angles this will bend your foot into, but in an outfit like this, it seems unlikely anyone would be looking to your feet.

Sintimacy have done a good job of wrapping nice extras into this package. Though they're not to my tastes, the curious may avail of the body lighting system in here. It's so good, I actually didn't notice I had one until I saw a strange attachment on my chin when making this an automated outfit. Subtle illumination always earns a brownie point in my mind. There's also a lip piercing in here, with all privileges attached so it can be moulded to your tastes. As dolls cannot actually be pierced without much heavy drilling, I skipped this extra too. Oh, and there are a set of gloves. These are made to the same pattern as the catsuit, but probably suit a darker skin than mine. With the clothes so dark on their own, I found my own image was being lost when I covered my arms up.

Now, then. As much as the generous extras are a neat addition, this is not why I bought the suit and is almost certainly not why it may catch your eye. This suit has the sort of neck and chest line that just has me screaming.

Where can one begin with a suit so beautifully shined up (check out the bum in particular), such Barbarella-worthy striping across the neck and back (so perfect as to 'strobe' my monitor), and cut so divinely around a woman's best features? As a fan of long hair myself, I tend to opt for waist-length ponytails or fluffy shoulder styles with many of my outfits, but this one has me fumbling for the shortest wigs I can manage. I had no idea a woman's derriere could look so small and pert until I clapped eyes on the sharp angle at the small of the back. The latex panel over the shoulder blades also lends a superb touch to a smooth waistline, while the front has an opposite effect. Not an outfit for a cold day by any means, I am in awe at the way one catsuit can cut so cleanly around breasts and torso both.

It is, alas, a costume for women with such ridiculous anatomies as mine, and though I have been thoroughly bowled over by its sculpted look, it seems that women with shapely forms as First Life intended may not gain quite so much from such a revealing garment. Trying the top on in anything 'B' cup or below seemed to lose much of the eye-boggling composition. Likewise, the torso panels seem reliant on a corseted waist to achieve their full effect. The leg and backside patterning, on the other hand, seems to take best to a wide pair o' hips.

So, if you live by the rule of "got it, flaunt it", I heartily suggest you try this clingy beauty. I'm not saying that I've "got it", necessarily, but if I didn't before I certainly feel I'm close now thanks to Sintimacy.

Credits:

Asian Catsuit Reloaded by Istephanija Munro for Sintimacy
Rigel hair by Helyanwe Vindaloo for Deviant Kitties
Biba Sultry 2 skin, available from Tete a Pied

Ripped and Sheer

2007-12-11T12:21:00.000Z

I'm a doll who has an unnatural predilection for lycra. Skin-tight fits are sexy, there's no doubt about it. I'm often at my flirtiest when encased in some shimmering catsuit, my every curve pushed and pulled by breathable fabric where my 'skin' doesn't actually need to breathe. There's another side to this sort of clothing, however, and it's one summed up rather neatly in Barbarella, now I think about it.

Stockings and tights are occasionally torn. It's a fact of First Life, and while before now I would have sneered at a laddered garment, something about Sheer convinced me that there's something very fine indeed about the grungier look.

It was the glamourous Miss Dot Lane, girl reporter, who introduced me to this nylon emporium. Dot's done a lot to direct my interest towards the more 'punky' walks of fashion since I met her, and Sheer is one such place I've plummeted giddily into, Linden dollars fluttering in my wake. My whole outfit here was bought from there, though I don't have the names of each piece to hand thanks to service outage.

Still, the store has three such fine dresses on sale in quite a prominent place. I opted for one with a nylon undershirt (by appearance only - Sheer sell nylon vests and suchlike seperately) and a very cute frilly miniskirt. Much to my surprise and relief, the skirt fits an hourglass form like mine without any modification. The dressmaker has also been very generous in offering many options for wear. One may wear the dress with or without that nylon collar, and on any layer of their choosing. A perfect set-up for someone like me whose 'underlayers' are reserved for sheen!

Sheen are also pretty cunning. One prominent piece of my outfit is the tights. I've never been one to try stripes before, but I saw these and simply had to give them a shot. The fact that the box comes with torn and 'clean' varieties simply sweetened the deal, and for just L$150! The trouble then, though, was that my steadily darkening image was showing my arms as far too pale and boring. But lo and behold, just around the corner, cheap nylon gloves. Again, two options are included, for lengths to the wrist and elbow. Though there are no torn gloves here, the pair will only set you back L$50 a piece. So, add-ons within Sheer are a big must, and a sore temptation. Still, with all pieces going copyable and transferable, it's hard to pay the shop any ill feeling for reducing me to a dribbling wreck.

Now then. I have a set of nylons and a ruffled dress that set the perfect scene for a well-played-with doll, with a look that I imagine pays some degree of homage to Blade Runner's Pris. I have dark hair to match, and a freebie spiked collar that sadly seems to have to replace my beloved 'sub' collar just to keep this noir look going. But what about footwear?

I've always been more fascinated with pretty dresses and costumes than shoes, which means I've let my inventory down in this regard, but once more I lean on Shiny Things to help me through and find the perfect match. The shoes I opted for are a steel variety of 'clompers', if I recall correctly. Given my lack of nice heels (the pair of 'Vixen's I've been tramping about all these long months leave much to be desired), I'm sure that as well as having this new tragic doll look to exploit, I'll also be set for shoes for some time to come.

My apologies for the lack of reliable credits in this post. I'll try to update with all the SL URLs and brands you could need when the Lindens open my imaginary portal back to this dream world we call Second Life.

Sea Doll

2007-10-29T22:44:00.000Z

Recently it seems I've developed rather a curious taste for the nautical life, without doing much sailing. I'm not one who particularly fetishises uniforms, but there really is something about the sailor's outfit that just gets me squealing excitedly. Quite a few designers in this world have made their own take on these outfits, as with any other associated with kinkiness, but to find a decent one takes a little patience. Thankfully not much, though.

Here I stand aboard the finely-swabbed decks of East Blue's battleships and aircraft carriers, either playing pin-up or Matey bubble bath model. I'm undecided yet. What I do understand is that cute plaited dress uniforms and ribbons match superbly with Japanese fighter jets and ack-ack turrets.

This ensemble by Artilleri, entitled 'Savvy Sailor', is probably one for the Nippon-curious. Looking a little more Japanese schoolgirl than naval pin-up, it still does have a slight nautical theme to it in the blue and white stripes, topped neatly with ribbons seeming as though they were taken right from a band leader's lapels. I'd say it's more doll-friendly than most naval uniforms, though. Cute caricature rather than a lusty re-interpretation of what we may recognise as navy.

More in line with the 1930s and '40s ideal of a sailor gal are outfits like that which Last Call has on offer. 'Sailor Girl' has quickly become a firm favourite of mine, and I hope you can see why!

From the cute, skewed little hat to the neat striped highlights created in the ribboning, the porthole-shaped belt and delightfully well-made miniskirt, this whole outfit seems to show off all that can be achieved from such a look without being tarty or intimidating.

I'd suppose it's very much an American idea of naval uniform, but white is such a hot colour that it's easy to forgive. I doubt the Royal Navy, much as I love it, could have such a lusty flair for cuffs and skirt lines as the force that inspired this dress. In wandering the innards of East Blue's flagship, I even got something of a Shirow complex, imagining myself to be one of the kinky robot sailor maidens from Man-Machine Interface. In that respect, this outfit gets a firm stamp of approval amongst my dolly wardrobes. Just imagine a whole crew decked out like this...

Yes, I do claim I don't fetishise uniforms but perhaps my distractions do this claim no favours. Still, if you'll forgive the pun, one major happy outcome from this foray into naval attire is the fact it's buoyed me into considering other staples of the pin-up era. Perhaps a little army action some day? A rollerskate-clad waitress uniform, maybe? Now there's a good calling .

Red Dragon Goth

2007-10-23T22:29:00.000+01:00

As much as I like shopping and the random goodies you can find while doing it, I've actually not enjoyed much of a track record so far in finding great shops of my own. But, one fateful day when out looking for animé-inspired animations to make my puppeteering easier, I found Mamesando Rings.

It's one of a network of shops, going by the number of similarly-named landmarks boxed in with their products. Mamesando Rings does not appear to be your typically over-swamped boutique, either. It's noticeably Japanese in its merchandising and overall influence; though I can't tell from the kanji mouse-over prompts, the shop even seems to sell manga, although its main business is in custom-design avatars and their outfits. The most noticeable of these, to my eyes anyway, was 'Red Dra Goth'.

Pretty little ensemble, isn't it? Pretty but deadly.. I think that's what caught my eye.

There are a number of really fine choices in the whole getup, originally a character design by Youki Yogo that seems to have been translated into actual prims by the shop's owner, Bonkkyu Bonetto. From the fascinating scaly ribbons in the dashing blonde pigtails to the unparalleled majesty of the collar, eye-catching lace underwear and wonderfully Japanese skirt and boots combo, the outfit alone stood out as something unique and.. well, doll-like. It's kind of like Fifth Rozen Maiden Shinku re-drawn into some old-school gothic guise.

My hat is also doffed to Miss Bonetto's fine skin work. The makeup on this outfit really stands out, and while the skin tones over the legs in particular do jar with my typical array of smooth, porcelain highlights, I can't really argue with the effect it has on my eyes. Cute with an air of malice, I think.

This isn't all. The avatar outfit comes with a set of wonderful add-ons in the form of wings and a sword to lend it that 'red dragon' look. The Red Dra Goth brandishes a sword not unlike Isabella Valentine's deadly snake sword, and can seem to sprout immense draconian wings at will. These come in two shades, translucent and opaque. I tend to lean to translucent if I do feel I want to dominate the room, only because the effect is ever so slightly less impactive for it.

You may be wondering how all this fits together, as the outfit comes with over a dozen add-ons, all considering. The jacket spines are as solid as you'd expect, and although my not having to edit any of them to fit my shape may not be everyone's experience, I'd guess they do fit to most body types with ease. My comparatively larger doll's head meant some tweaking of the hair had to be done to fit my scalp, but this was no more painful than you'd expect for a quite large style. The hair has been constructed so that the bunches at the back of your head can be tweaked without even touching the rest of the pigtails, and yet in seconds you'll have a style to fit, unlike the individually-stranded styles you sometimes see.

The only downside to this pretty awesome-looking assortment of ribbons and plaits is their physicality. At the slightest twitch of my head, such as to follow the cursor around my HUD or in walking, these helium-light bunches will shoot upwards and hang for a second or two. Though I've a suspicion that one can edit physical properties of objects if they're rezzed like normal objects and then unlinked, it's a scary old process just to get a lovely hairstyle looking a little more realistic. It's a shame, given that the weight of the tassles on the dress jacket seem to hang just as they would in reality, and the snake sword too manages to dance around as though it were really being flung around in some martial dance. The wings, by contrast, don't have a single sign of motion to them.

One way to extend the physical nature of this outfit is to invest in Mamesando's unique AO for this and its other whip-like warrior outfit, 'BDSMoon'. Though many of the poses fit the 'panty shot' mantra of most manga, some of the sword dances look very impressive indeed, though their effect is lost if you're simply trying them out in civvies.

Though I declined to buy this add-on, I'm impressed with the care and detail that's been put into making the Red Dra Goth character a reality. Just like the manga characters that accompany the downloadable comics in the lobby, you are investing in a complete idea. In a way, I think I'd like to extend a 'collectable doll' label to this look as it sits on me. The whole outfit is modifiable, and theoretically you could tweak the ribbons and skirts to your heart's content, but I end up thinking "why would I?". I get to be a sword-wielding school-age doll with awesome taste in lingerie for the day. That'll do me alright!

'Red Dra Goth' is available as a complete set for L$680 from Mamesando Rings, Hibiya
The 'Red Dra Goth' animation overrider is also available for a further L$500, or L$35 per individual pose

Femme Fatale

2007-09-23T22:55:00.000+01:00

This is me modelling Femme fatale, a stunning ensemble from Last Call. It's not a shop I've visited often, and in fact the lag there lately has really put me off regular visits, however my hat is tipped to the owners for showcasing some fine and very reasonably-priced designs. This is a saucy little number as you can no doubt see, and has gone some way to guiding my overall wardrobe leanings. Dark, sexy and just the little bit flouncy. I particularly like the effect that the underskirt layer has over my own grungy tights.

Admittedly I'm not sure what to say for this outfit. The truth is in the look. Should you want a risqué but smart-looking suit to wear for casual or appropriate business meetings, you'd be sure to draw some gazes in a getup like this. Even if not, the bra included is actually rather a fine and versatile one.

Tryst hair in Eclipse by Aleri Darkes, available from Diversity Hair
Biba Sultry 2 skin, available from Tete a Pied
Femme Fatale dress by Ginny Talamasca, available from Last Call
Tina tights by Vidal Tripsa, available from Designs By Vidal

Photospheres and Fishnets

2007-09-18T12:36:00.000+01:00

I bought a new toy recently. This is me inside Kyoot Army's photosphere, wearing the Lollie dress from Artilleri. Just a demo for the sake of it, really. I've left this blog rather for dead recently, you see!

Get Shiny

2007-08-26T14:26:00.000+01:00

A vital part of my doll life has been looking at skins and trying to maintain a porcelain look. Following a slew of horrific experiments trying to get back into skinning myself, I have thus far reached out only to bought skins. The world of skin shopping out there is rich and bountiful, but to find one for dolls? Not quite so easy.

Let me start by saying that I'm still not satisfied in my personal search. I'm a picky sort anyway, but I've found few solutions that don't involve reaching out to clothes, which of course means hacking away at my best outfits to fit shininess in. I've only found skins that suggest plastic to me. They're fine skins all, but I can give a conclusion now that so far, finding decent dolls' skin has proven near impossible.

My current look is achieved by combining regular skins with latex overlays. It's not the most economical way of doing things, and can cause some wardrobe difficulties where layers clash, but the advantages lie in being able to shine up any number of skin tones instead of just the one. Until recently I'd been using Transparent Latex from Entradista, Inc. At around L$200 you recieve a really quite good sheen to your skin, appearing in best detail around your collar. It's a perfect accompaniment to a wide variety of dresses and low-cut tops. The rest of the body doesn't enjoy such attention to detail, however, and if you're looking for a truly doll-like shine this won't do quite so well. Too shiny for a plastic mould doll, but too airbrushed for porcelain. Of course, if all you want is a transparent latex outfit, go for it! The price is great.

The solution to my problem came from Kayliwulf Kingdom's Sticky Latex.

I apologise for not showing the whole effect. The disadvantage of using human skins underneath any amount of shine should be apparent. Suffice it to say, I think the results elsewhere on the body speak for themselves. Here, I'm wearing one of Deviant Kitty's china skins, named Glurple. The reason for this is a porcelain effect, and although lighting conditions would have some part to play I'm pleasantly surprised at the realism.

This particular style of Sticky Latex is called Irridescent, and sells for around L$1150. Not a comfortable price for most, and certainly I would advise caution given that the sheen is sold 'no copy'. Great for gifting, but it will take some guilt-complex begging of the kind shop owners to have the item swapped out for a copiable garment. I always hate pestering other shop owners for this!

Someone looking for a longer-lasting and more versatile effect would probably be better off looking at Kayliwulf's actual skins (L$995), but you're rather limited here for makeup choices. I can vouch for the latex shine looking much the same on these, although another advantage Irridescent has are the subtle changes from blue to pink and purple tints on your body.

That's not to say having surrogate skin is a closed door. I find that the skin goes exceptionally well with quite skimpy outfits, like a tanning oil for the bikini babes of Second Life, but looking more like the Borg Queen in Star Trek: First Contact. Minus the veins and actual cybernetics, of course. Again, this does rely on some good balancing of the underwear layers and your jackets and shirts, so plan ahead if this is your thing.

There is also some fun to be had by placing the latex on top of your other outfits. Kayliwulf have at least been generous enough to provide a shirt and trouser-layer version for your money. I decided to apply it to my KDC Lycra Catsuit from the previous review, and quite apart from showing the true extend of alpha channelling on the Sticky Latex, it also has the curious effect of making me look like an actual rubber being.

A pleasing effect, to be sure, but of course this is all a little moot if you're looking for a dolly garment (it's easy to get sidetracked when looking all shiny...). I think it says a lot when one garment can expand your horizons a little and transform other clothes into something previously unimagined, however the cost of this suit and the 'no copy' state of it will create serious doubts in any casual browser's mind.

My opinion is that there are few outfits out there which will match this for making you look and feel very hot indeed. The differing colours available also lend themselves to some quite fantastic fetish looks, so if rubber dolls are your thing then you can do no wrong. I'm also quite happy with the effect it has on the majority of my doll outfits. You can see some of the effect on my favourite lolita dress in this Flickr shot, as it renders a subtle sheen on my then-pearly legs.

In summary, if you're willing to go to some effort to re-arrange outfits, add these clothes on seperately and also sacrifice a lacy glove here and there to keep your hands as shiny as the rest of you, then no outfit out there will top Kayliwulf's Sticky Latex for realism and sheer boggling shininess. If price is a problem, it's easier to think of this as a surrogate skin as the combined effect would indeed cost upwards of L$1200 in any skins market.

Rigel hair by Helyanwe Vindaloo, available from Deviant Kitties
Sticky Latex in irridescent by Lazarus Luan, available from Kayliwulf Kingdom
China white Glurple skin by Helyanwe Vindaloo, available from Deviant Kitties
Electro Pear leotard by Terrace Orman, available from Heaven4D Techpanty
Squeak hair by Kin Keiko, available from Kin
KDC Lycra Catsuit by Khyra Abbatoir, available from KDC
Phobos gloves & boots by Kitten Khan, available from Dark Eden

Catsuits by KDC

2007-08-22T17:05:00.000+01:00

One of the outstanding abilities one has in Second Life is that of instant teleportation. Though lag may tear us from it at times, instances like that a few nights ago in which I had my gaze completely distracted from the lovely Laverne by Miss Wright and her fabulous latex catsuit do restore my faith in this world. Our fellow shopper pointed us towards somewhere I'd not heard of before: Khyra Design Concept.

My time at the shop was brief, but the sim itself is a pretty appropriate venue for such fetishy wonders. From the electrically-charged opening portal to the dark rocky corridors which guide you around the experience's many wares, there's a good feeling of foreboding to the place. The shop has apparently earned itself a lasting reputation for fetish gear, and its stocks certainly appear to earn this acclaim. Their clothing, which is what Laverne and I were most interested in, is of a quality I've not seen elsewhere for this price.

The catsuits here (modelled by me in the purple and Laverne Donat in the blue) are simply known as 'KDC Lycra Catsuit', but as I'm sure you can see, the shimmer off them is anything but simplistic. Perfectly complimenting any like-coloured hairstyles or skins, these suits show off female form at its best while also being surprisingly modest, almost in a Star Trek frame. As Laverne's demonstrating, they have a curious affect when coupled with mechanical attachments, like one of a new-born gynoid (hmm, gynoid romper suits...?)

I opted for the more dance-themed look, donning a rather unconventional garment for dolls, I grant you. Still, when accessorised with garments like Dark Eden's 'Phobos' boots, one can skate quite happily along the imagined borders between goth and cyber with the catsuit as a happy focus. However in my humble opinion, at least for such a bold colour as purple, I don't feel the outfit lends itself well to much more mix-and-match than that. Fair play for an item generally considered lingerie or a specialist fetish anyway, but unlike some other lycra garments this one really does do a good job of dominating. The positive spin on all this, of course, is that no-one could fail to notice you in it! I do feel the point needs making for those perhaps considering such accessorising, anyway.

Laverne:

Acidity hair by Helyanwe Vindaloo, available from Deviant Kitties
Vivant Rebelle skin #1, available from Tete A Pied
KDC lycra catsuit by Khyra Abbatoir, available from KDC
Mech Stilettos, available from Publik Image Limited

Me:

Luv hair by Kin Keiko, available from Kin
Evolution Glitter skin by Nyte Calligari, available from Nyte 'N' Day
KDC lycra catsuit by Khyra Abbatoir, available from KDC
Penny Edition ballet shoes by Fallingwater Cellardoor, available from Shiny Things
Phobos boots by Kitten Khan, available from Dark Eden

Going Vintage

2007-08-20T13:43:00.000+01:00

One aspect to my wardrobe which has gone largely unfulfilled is my vintage look. As well as complimenting some of the best dolls made in First Life (in that they too are considered vintage), I also enjoy the chance to fit in with my vaguely art deco surroundings in Shirow Street.

In the course of my usual browsing I have found smatterings of good outfits amongst more common gothic or Victorian-looking clothing, however on stumbling into Nicky Ree's Deco emporium, I discovered a rather welcome treasure trove. So, bowing entirely to the blog post which led me there, I invested in Nicole.

The effect "Nicole" has is one of overall elegance, I find, with the gown in particular flowing in spectacular fashion right to the floor. The trick here is finding the skins and attachments to compliment the outfit, as there's a lot of detail here which could be lost in dominant styling elsewhere on your person.

Luckily, being a doll I have quite pale and smooth skin, which the outfit compliments with a fabulously coarse texture all over. The lacy cuffs and collar help make this a fine wardrobe addition too, although with add-ons like the trouser suit and shorter skirts, one might also consider this adequate for traditionally vintage avatars.

I'd recommend having a vintage-looking hairtstyle, too. Avoid styles so long that they hide the small of your back, as the jacket comes with an ingenious skirt attachment that really shows off an hourglass figure. I opted for "Bebe" by Helyanwe Vindaloo for Deviant Kitties as it has the length to suit trouser combinations too, which call for a different visual balance, I suppose.

Nicole in black by Nicky Ree, available from Designing Nicky Ree
Vivant Sultry skin in cream, available from Tete á Pied
Transparent latex skin undewear layer by Ihaveabuginmyeye Oates, available from Entradista, Inc.
Bebe hair in white & purple, by Helyanwe Vindaloo, available from Deviant Kitties
Ankle strap shoes, a freebie by an anonymous designer