Punk’s not Dead!

Look 1

 

Punk fashion is the clothing, hairstyles, cosmetics, jewellery, and body modifications of the punk subculture. Punk fashion varies widely, ranging from Vivienne Westwood designs to styles modeled on bands like The Exploited to the dressed-down look of North American hardcore. The distinct social dress of other subcultures and art movements, including glam rock, skinheads, rude boys, greasers, and mods have influenced punk fashion. Punk fashion has likewise influenced the styles of these groups, as well as those of popular culture. Many punks use clothing as a way of making a statement.

Punk fashion has been extremely commercialized at various times, and many well-established fashion designers – such as Anna Sui, Vivienne Westwood and Jean Paul Gaultier – have used punk elements in their production. Punk clothing, which was initially handmade, became mass-produced and sold in record stores and some smaller specialty clothing stores by the 1980s. Many fashion magazines and other glamour-oriented media have featured classic punk hairstyles and punk-influenced clothing.

There is a wide range of punk fashion, in terms of clothing (including deliberately offensive T-shirts, leather jackets, Doc Marten boots, etc.), hairstyles (including brightly colored hair, spiked hair, mohawks, etc.), cosmetics, tattoos, jewelery and body modification. Early punk fashion adapted everyday objects for aesthetic effect, such as T-shirts, leather jackets (which are often decorated with painted band logos, pins and buttons, and metal studs or spikes), and footwear such as Converse sneakers, skate shoes, brothel creepers, or Dr. Martens boots. Hardcore punk fans adopted a dressed-down style of T-shirts, jeans, combat boots or sneakers and crewcut-style haircuts. Women in the hardcore scene typically wore masculine clothing.

One part of punk was creating explicitly outward identities of sexuality. Everything that was normally supposed to be hidden was brought to the front, both literally and figuratively.

[Wikipedia]

Look 2

When Shena gave me my trend for the last issue of the VERSUS Magazine, my heart jumped – Punk!!!

(Read the full Magazine HERE)

Being a punk myself and expressing that during my youth with cool and ‘weird’ clothing and all kind of colorful hair and crazy cuts, that was right along my alley. Certainly SL gives you even some more freedom to be crazy but in general punk is a certain lifestyle and even if you become more calm with your looks when you get older, the attitude will never completely vanish I guess – at least it never did for me.

But what does punk mean for the most of the people? For many it might only be a fashion trend but for some it goes way deeper and becomes a life philosophy.

Punk or Punkrock was born in the mid 70s in the UK. From there it started to grow over the USA and Germany and finally was known worldwide. It was kinda an offspring of the Glamrock and the opposite to the quixotic Progressive Rock. Later, genres like New Wave, independent and Post-Punk developed from it.

In the 70s, big bands like the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd became unreachable and evicted from their audiences while the economy in the UK went more and more down. Many teenagers could not find work after school and there was no social care system to take care of them so they ended up on the streets. They developed hate against the system and the slogan “No Future” became their life motto.

They started to dress up shabby and their hair turned into colorful weird and funky art pieces as a provocation against the system and society and to shock their parents and grandparents.

Punk politics cover the entire political spectrum. Mostly they are concerned with individual freedom and anti-establishment views. They as well include anti-authoritarianism and non-conformity.

To break it down, Punk for the most people is some kind of revolution, provocation and rebellion against the mainstream or the actual situation and society they life in. They want to make a statement with their looks and get attention for their views, interests and desires.

Look 3

To me it was the music first, that brought me to the punk genre. When I was younger, round about 14, my older cousin heard all kind of punk rock music from the Sex Pistols, Ramones, The Clash, NOFX , Slime and some German ones. Influenced by that I started early changing my clothes towards my ‘idols’ and with 15 I was allowed to dye my hair. I remember very well my first red and blue streaks πŸ˜‰ The more I did it the more my mom allowed me to ‘play’ with my hair and side – or under cuts were not far away :p

With growing up I started to understand the philosophy of punk and the more I did know the more I felt that is my genre. I never was a mainstream person and being called a freak or an ‘outsider’ because of my hair and looks, it was easy to turn more and more into being a punk and rebel. I really felt good to not look like anyone else and to provocate with my opinions and views about things. I never took anything as a given and questioned nearly everything what I was told. On one side it gave me a lot of knowledge about certain things but on the other side, it was hard to find friends especially in school. Outside of school it was never a problem, but the people in my class were all kids of doctors, lawyers and high society people. Probably that was the reason why I was getting in to the music scene very early and a long time I was the youngest. that had some advantages as well πŸ˜‰ I finished my school and as well studied, to become a teacher myself but right after exams, I had the great opportunity to get a record label contract with one of my bands. I did not continue with becoming a teacher and decided to live a musicians life for over 20 years, before I went back to the roots and to teaching at a school πŸ˜‰ I might have grown out of the uber shabby looks and the ultra colored hair, but there is a little punk, a sweet rebel still inside of me and that probably will never change. Maybe that’s why I enjoyed the styling for my VERSUS Magazine trends so much as they brought back good old times and memories πŸ˜‰

Look 4

Details

Look 1:

Clothing & Accessories:

Dress: .:EC:. – “Norena” (Maitreya)

Jacket: Aleutia – “Nova” (Maitreya)

Tights: Nanika – “Alina” (Maitreya Applier)

Shoes: Ducknipple – “Docs vs1” (Maitreya)

Headphones: Wicca’s Wardrobe – “Miwa Headphones”

Glasses: ANE – “Tehe Sunglasses”

Hair & Makeup:

Hair: KoKoLoReS – “Val”

Lipstick: [LB Lips] – “Eve Set 3” (LeLutka Applier)

Body & Tattoos:

Head: LeLutka – “Simone 3.0”

Body: Maitreya – “Lara 4.1”

Poses & Props:

Background Prop: anxiety – “%83”

Pose: Foxcity

Look 2:

Clothing & Accessories:

Coat: [sys] – “Carmen” ( Maitreya)

Top: Eclipse Design – “Belial” (Maitreya)

Skirt: GizzA – “Tartan Mini Skirt”

Tights: Nanika – “Alina” (Maitreya Applier)

Septum: [Since1975] – “Horn Septum”

Rings: MEVA – “Victorian Bento Rings” (Maitreya)

Piercings (Hand & Cleavage): MEVA – “Bento Hand Piercing 2” (Maitreya) & “Cleavage & Collarbone Piercing”

Nail Polish: DMZ – “Vinyl” (Maitreya Applier)

Hair & Makeup:

Hair: KoKoLoReS – “Leighton”

Makeup: Zibska – “Hecate” (LeLutka Applier)

Body & Tattoos:

Head: LeLutka – “Simone 3.0”

Body: Maitreya – “Lara 4.1”

Tattoo: [White~Widow] – “Inferno” (Maitreya Applier)

Poses & Props:

Background Prop: -VIXX- – “Mesh backdrop Harder”

Pose: Foxcity

Look 3:

Clothing & Accessories:

Top & Jacket: GizzA – “Vixie Leather Jacket Set” (Maitreya)

Skirt: Paperbag – “Red Tartan Skater Skirt” (Size 3)

Shoes: L&B – “Gothic Platforms”

Tights: Nanika – “Alina” (Maitreya Applier)

Collar: Wicca’s Wardrobe – “Asema”

Rings: MEVA – “Bento Maitreya Rings Silver” (Maitreya)

Hair & Makeup:

Hair: RAW HOUSE – “Sice”

Makeup: Zibska – “Envy” (LeLutka Applier)

Body & Tattoos:

Head: LeLutka – “Simone 3.0”

Body: Maitreya – “Lara 4.1”

Tattoo: [White~Widow] – “Vertigo” (Maitreya Applier)

Poses & Props:

Background Prop: anxiety – “%frostbite”

Pose: Foxity

Look 4:

Clothing & Accessories:

Coat: Asteria – “Anna” (Maitreya)

Top: Asteria – “Anna” (Maitreya)

Corset: Asteria – “Capretto” (Maitreya)

Skirt: [sys] – “Khan” (Maitreya)

Tights: Nanika – “Alina” (Maitreya Applier)

Shoes: **RE** – “Jassy Boots” (Maitreya)

Choker: [[RH]] – “Zipped”

Piercing – [CX] – “Drop Septum”

Hair & Makeup:

Hair: no.match – “No.More”

Makeup: alaskametro<3 – “Molten” (LeLutka Applier)

Body & Tattoos:

Head: LeLutka – “Simone 3.0”

Body: Maitreya – “Lara 4.1”

Tattoo: [White +Widow] – “Spotlight”

Poses & Props:

Background Prop: anxiety – “%nightvision”

Pose: Wicca’s Wardrobe

Model, Stylist & Photographer on all 4:

Wicca Merlin

Diversity in Black and White for SL Fierce

Dark Beauty for SL Fierce Magazine (https://issuu.com/slfiercemagazine/docs/fierce-feb17_final)

I love working for magazines and not too long ago the newest issue of SL Fierce was released.

SL Fierce, February 2017

SL Fierce is something special to me, as they (aka mainly Steele Sirnah, as SL Fierce is kinda his baby πŸ˜‰ ) always come up with amazing themes and as well with challenging styling requests, but you always have to use your own inventory and have kinda free reign of what you are doing without any given items or rules.

Certainly it is fun too if you get things from amazing designers, but it is a totally different workflow for me then. When you get a design, then you try to highlight it in your look. You want to promote the designer that gave you the item and with the focus on that you built a style around that. I would not choose one over the other as I like both and each is a totally different challenge than the other πŸ˜‰

This time SL Fierce was going for ‘Dark & Light Feathers’ as well as for ‘Dark Beauty’. When I was told, who I may shoot with, I totally was looking forward to the shoots, as I always feel an invisible band between me and her and she seems to think so much alike and always feels and gets my weirdness :p

I am talking about WrenNoir Cerise, one of the most creative and skilled artists I met in SL, when it comes to 2D art and as well a wonderful and kind lady.

Light Feathers for SL Fierce Magazine (https://issuu.com/slfiercemagazine/docs/fierce-feb17_final)

Working with Wren always means huge fun and as well amazing pictures πŸ™‚ She loves to experiment and while she does her set ups or looks for the right poses she is even getting more into her creative universe.

The first look of the 3 I started with, was the Light Feathers, since I thought that might take me the longest to style since white is not my total comport zone πŸ˜‰

First I thought about an angel, but what ever I tried it looked weird to me and so I decided to try something different. Something more fantasy and satyr or faun looking. I always loved the “Wisdom Angel Wings” from Astralia so much and now I got the chance to try something with them πŸ™‚ The rest kinda fell in place very smooth πŸ˜‰

For the Dark Beauty, I wanted a strong, dark diva look :p And with the outfit from Pixicat combined with the stole of *agp* it was easy to achieve that.

The Dark Feathers, that was the one I felt most comfortable with… that was my personal playground*giggles* I love to mis and match so I used a lot of different feather attachments for this look.

It is amazing to see how so many different outfit parts that do not really belong to ech other on the first view, can become a new outfit.

Thank you SL Fierce, especially Steele & thank you Wren for another amazing challenge and time working on those looks and having the photo shoots!

Dark Feathers for SL Fierce Magazine (https://issuu.com/slfiercemagazine/docs/fierce-feb17_final)

Details

Dark Beauty

Outfit: Pixicat – “Necromancer Body” (Maitreya)

Stole: *agp* – “Carla Fur Stole”

Gloves: Asteria – “Lady Faith”

Headpiece: DRD – “Dead Religion Headdress”

Mask: PurpleMoon – “Lost Heart”

Necklace: Kunglers – “Sahara”

Nails: Formanails – “Stiletto Nails – Maitreya Silver/Red” (Maitreya)

Makeup: Zibska – “Luise” (Lelutka Applier)

Lipstick: Zibska – “Greta” (Lelutka Applier)

Light Feathers

Outfit: Chocolate Atelier – “Thea Bodysuit” (Omega Applier)

Jacket: Moon Elixir – “Valhalla” (Gacha Item)

Wings, Belt & Bracelet: Astralia – “Wisdom Angel” (Gacha Items)

Legs: Astralia – “North Pole Faun Legs” (Gacha Item)

Thigh Bands: Promagic – “Ira” (Gacha Item)

Headpiece: PurpleMoon – “Savage Headpiece”

Rings & Handband: Formanails – “Handband & Rings 2” (Maitreya)

Hair: no.match – “No.Further”

Makeup: Nanika – “Gold Eyeshadow” (Lelutka Applier)

Lipstick: La Boheme – “Eve Set 4” (LeLutka Applier)

Β Dark Feather

Outfit Part 1 (Bolero, Bra & Corset): Moon Elixir – “Houdini”

Outfit Part 2: PurpleMoon – “Be Mine Catsuit” (Halloween Special)

Feathers 1: PurpleMoon – “La Mort Douce Feathers” (part of the outfit)

Feathers 2: PurpleMoon – “Poe” (part of the outfit)

Feathers 3: GizzA – “Glam Rock Suit” (part of the outfit)

Legstrap: Pulse – “Leg Straps & Chains”

Headpiece: PurpleMoon – “Creatura Headpiece”

Hair: EMO-tions – “Laeticia”

Eyepatch: [sys] – “Grimm”

Wings: DRD – “Devine Wings”

Right Leg: DRD – “Post Apocalyptic Prostethic”

Left Leg: Wicca’s Wardrobe – “Fleur Boots” (Maitreya)

Rings: Formanails – “Rings Simple” (Maitreya)

Makeup: Zibska – “Sammi” (Omega Applier)

Lipstick: Zibska – “Black Top” (Omega Applier)

All Poses: Poseidon

Model & Stylist: Wicca Merlin

Photographer: WrenNoir Cerise

Basics

Head: LeLutka – β€œSimone 2.3”

Body: Maitreya – β€œLara V3.5”

Eyes: IKON – β€œHope Eyes”

Shape: Selfmade

“Happy Valentines!” – Every Rose has a Thorn

Sometimes, strange moods can be very productive…

And exactly that I had today when I started to work on the styling for this post. It was a mixture of depression, sadness, the will to do something and the red all over because of Valentine :p .

I started with the “Oru” dress from [sys]. With it’s very cool and unusual shape, it made a great base for my look today, especially because it comes in such a bright and strong red πŸ˜‰ .

When I tried on the “Luzy” hair from EMO-tions with the “Oru” dress, it was clear this will become kinda crazy :p

Valentine’s Day is something we do not celebrate in Germany as much as the US or other countries do. When I googled it, it said the first Valentines Party was round about 1950 in Germany, even if the traditional custom of that special day goes way back in history. So the biggest fortune of Valentine’s Day in Germany probably goes to the florists πŸ˜‰

Anyways, I personally never was too much into Valentines’s Day as I do not believe, that only one day per year can tell how much i do love a person. To me it is more the steady and little things, than a bunch of flowers on one day.

But with all the Valentine advertisements and what not, you have a hard way around that and all the red at least inspired me for this post and the pictures.

The cool set I built with the “Tree of Nightmares” and “Koi Glitter Puffs” from E.V.E Studio. The red version of the tree really kicked my mind to go even more crazy with the whole look and so I decided to add some heavy makeup. Usually I am for either heavy eye makeup OR a ‘loud’ lipstick but today… It was calling for both πŸ˜‰ .

The more I was playing with my style and the set, the more the thought of the phrase “every rose has a thorn” settled down inside myself and it became a working title for this post somehow. Like every wonderful moment you have, always can be destroyed by one little ugly ‘thorn’ that hides on that beautiful rose. If you do not think about it, it all of a sudden hurts you. That reminded me of some recent things that happened and so the phrase became more and more something I kept saying to myself, to remind me about the beauty of the rose and not think too much about the thorns.

The leggings from Cureless [+] even more dragged into the darker side and together with the “Nemesia” ankle boots from Glamistry, the whole look got some kind of a rocker chick touch to me.

Every year I discover my own little Valentine thoughts and it always is a lot of fun to see how they turn out if I try to make pictures or posts during that time of the year. But in the end I always enjoy them and I always discover new visions and thoughts of myself about Valentine’s Day looks and red challenges πŸ˜‰

Happy Valentines!

Details

Outfit: [sys] – “Oru”

Jacket: Asteria – “Jane”

Leggings: Cureless [+] – “Baroque Corset Stockings”

Hair: EMO-tions – “Luzy”

Necklace: Empyrean Forge – “Levity Necklace”

Shoes: Glamistry – “Nemesia Ankle Boots”

Basics:

Head: LeLutka – “Simone 2.2”

Body: Maitreya – “Lara V3.5”

Poses: ALIUD

Set: E.V.E Studio – “Tree of Nightmares” & “Koi Glitter Puffs”

Model & Photographer: Wicca Merlin

Styling Challenge – It is all about a Bow!

Ok… I admit I am a little bot crazy sometimes :p, but most of you know that anyways πŸ˜‰

Anyways, today the reason for my style and pictures was a wonderful head bow.

A friend gave it to me, it is part of her new gacha and when I saw it, I just HAD to think about a ways how I could showcase it πŸ˜‰

So, where to start with… first of all, put the bow on. That already was a hard choice, because Twelve gave me not only one to choose from :p. In the end I decided to go with the”Black Snow” one. I always had an addiction for black, white and red so that one just really caught me.

First I thought about a lingerie styling for the bow only and went through my lingerie folder, where I found the “Claire” teddy set from Blacklace. When I did put it on, I realized only lingerie would not be what I would like for the ‘Bow style’ and I started experimenting with several ideas.

I tried some dresses and gowns, they all looked nice, but maybe too nice and smooth πŸ˜‰

Then I found the “Hisa” leather leggings from Lassitude & Ennui in my leggings folder and with the black and white combination they looked amazing to the bow, but had a serious break/collision at the hips with the lingerie. I needed something to cover that up without hiding one of both. Next step – I typed ‘shorts’ in the search field of my inventory. Oh man… I better should not have done that… I did not even realize before how many ‘shorts’ I have…

Ok… focus Wicca… focus… you need something to cover the waist area. Maybe some high waist shorts would be a good idea! Back to the search window – ‘belted shorts’

Bingo! The “Celine” shorts from Asteria popped up as oe of the first and when I tried them on, I knew those would be the ones to use.

Now the arms looked a little bare and I thought about some kind of jacket. After trying some long-sleeved jackets, which usually were either close or too close in the front, I came across the “Neith” jacket, made by [sys].

That amazing jacket with the scales looking fabric and the short sleeves was just perfect, with the great open front. That even gave room for the amazing necklace from Empyrean Forge.

A tattoo for the arms came to my mind first, but after trying som of my favourite tattoos, I realized I need something more subtile. The amazing slit and sheer sleeves from the “Occult Jacket” just matched awesome under the short sleeves of the “Neith” jacket from [sys].

Looking at the style from all sides I really was happy with it, just some shoes were missing. No high boots, that would take off too much from the leggings, but pumps or stilettos would be too ‘tiny’. All of a sudden an ankle boots came to my mind, which I got longer ago and never had a chance to wear them. The super cute “Wicked” shoes from Moon Elixir. They even come with an amazing socks option!

PERFECTAMENTE!

With that weird mix and match, I got the feeling, that no location, that I know of would fit and so I started to build my own little set for the picture. The “Kira” sculpture from E.V.E Studio is an ultra rare of one of Noke’s gachas. First I thought it would be too huge, but with the great liquid looking ground part it worked out so nicely. I added the “Ivy Bonsai” and some parts of the “Chained Roses”. First it looked like a whole mess, as I am not the greatest set builder, but after some moving and twisting and turning it fell into place πŸ˜‰

I never made a style based on just one hair bow, but I have to admit, that style would have never come together like this, if I would not have started with the bow :p

Maybe I should do that more often again… just start with a little accessory and see what it does lead me to!

Details

Bow: {1209} – “#7 Holiday Bow – Black Snow”

Lingerie: Blacklace – “Claire Black Lace Teddy Set” (Omega Applier)

Jacket: [sys] – “Neith Jacket”

Sleeves: ISON – “Occult Sleeves”

Pants: Asteria – “Celine”

Leggings: Lassitude & Ennui – “Hisa Leather Leggings” (Maitreya Applier)

Eyeshadow: alaskametro<3 – “Mariposa” (Lelutka Applier)

Nails: Koffin Nails – “Dominatrix” (Maitreya Applier)

Necklace: Empyrean Forge – “Benedictine’s Riata”

Hair: enVogue – “Sonya”

Shoes & Socks: Moon Elixir – “Wicked Shoes & Socks” (Maitreya)

Head: LeLutka – “Simone 2.0”

Body: Maitreya – “Lara 3.5”

Poses: Poseidon

Set: E.V.E Studio – “Kira”, “Ivy Bonsai” & “Dystopia Chained Roses”

Model & Photographer: Wicca Merlin

Black & Gold – Happy New Year!

 

Back & Gold… always an exciting and most of the time elegant color combination. To me it was always kinda powerful, as well as it is a great contrast between the dark and more matte looking black and the shining and bright gold tones πŸ˜‰

I started with the “Lily Dress” from United Colors. That dress really is an amazing design. It comes with a HUD, that lets you change the style of the dress from a ground long dress to the sexy upper body design and as a bra top style only! So with the purchase of the dress you will get 3!

I do love mix and match and layering clothing, to create interesting looks, that do not show everything on the first view and so I put the amazing “Ulla” bodice under the “Lily Dress”. With the delicate lace parts and the solid middle part, it was perfect to go with the amazing dress. To stay with the gold & black idea I added the wonderful “Metallic Arrow” tattoo from Izzie’s. The tattoo comes in a gold version and several silver shades as well.

The great bracelet on my right hand and the amazing eyepatch are made by Bauhaus Movement, while iI used one of the “Lady Faith” gloves from Asteria for my left hand – yes, I really do like non symmetrical accessories πŸ˜‰

The awesome fitting rings are designed and made by Ivi, Bing, owner and designer of Formanails, who did as well the amazing mesh nails with these incredible filigree gold topping.

The eye makeup I found at Nanika. With that golden tear andΒ  the golden dust around the eyes it was a perfect match for my todays look.

For the shoes I used the “Monarch Heels” made by Reign, which I picked up on the great Black Friday sale. The have a huge HUD for leather and metal colors and so it was easy to color them in black and gold as well, to match the styling πŸ˜‰

For the set, I was thinking a long time what to do, until I decided to go with a more minimalistic look. I only wanted something black and gold for the set as well and not something that totally overloads the whole picture. I decided to go with the amazing bath tube from the pose shop and the awesome “Confetti Balloons” from Apple Fall.

I wish you all some golden and amazing times for 2017 πŸ˜‰

Happy New Year!

Details

Outfit: United Colors – “Lily Dress”

Lingerie: Chocolate Atelier – “Ulla”

Shoes: Reign – “Monarch”

Glove: Asteria – “Lady Faith”

Jewelry & Eyepatch: Bauhaus Movement – “Aura”

Rings: Formanails – “Simple Rings Maitreya”

Nails: Formanails – “Stiletto Nails Maitreya Gold/Black”

Eyeshadow & Tear: Nanika – “Gold Sequins”

Lipstick: Amara Beauty – “The Matte Lipstick Palette”

Hair: enVOGUE – “Cassandra”

Tattoo: Izzie’s – “Metallic Arrow”

Balloons: Apple Fall – “Confetti Balloons”

Bathing Tube: the pose shop –Β  “Liquid Gold”

Model & Photographer: Wicca Merlin

Stand my Ground

TUNES

Stand my Ground

I can see
When you stay low
Nothing happens
Does it feel right?
Late at night
Things I thought I’d put behind me
Haunt my mind

I just know there’s no escape now
Once it sets it’s eyes on you
But I wont run
Have to stare it in the eyes


It’s all around
Getting stronger, coming closer into my world
I can feel that it’s time for me to face it
Can I take it?

Though this might just be the ending
Of the life I held so dear
But I won’t run
There’s no turning back from here

All I know for sure is that I’m trying
I will always stand my ground

Stand my ground
I won’t give in
I won’t give up
No more denying
I’ve gotta face it
Won’t close my eyes and hide the truth inside
If I don’t make it, someone else will
Stand my ground

[Within Temptation]

Details

Outfit: [sys] – “Cassie”

Headpiece: [sys] – “Hecate”

Shoes: Elysium – “Sophia Knee High Boots”

Gloves: Asteria – “Lady Faith”

Nails: Formanails – “Stiletto Nails”

Rings: Formanails – “Rings 2”

Jewelry: E.V.E Studio – “Broken Chains”

Earrings: Maxi Gossamer – “Tallulah Drop”

Set: E.V.E Studio – “Whispers Gacha” & “Broken Chains”

Horse: C L A Vv. – “The Death’s Horse – Rearing” (Gacha)

Model & Photographer: Wicca Merlin

LOTD 12/17/2016 – The Dust of Snow

The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Β 
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.
[Robert Frost]
Finally I had a little bit of time after 2 rough, not nice RL weeks, to sit down for a while and use styling as therapy again.
I have no clue why but making fun styles kinda really works like a therapy for me, to calm down and relax.
This time I started with the awesome “Provocative Thai” lingerie from Blacklace, which can be found at he actual round of the Kinky Event. It perfectly can be worn as seductive lingerie as well but I really wanted to showcase that it can be way more than that πŸ˜‰
The sexy shorts I chose to wear with the corset, come from [sys] as well as the mega cool scarf. Now I missed something for the arms.. We have winter Wicca dear’… i was reminded by a very close friend who was with me while I was putting that look together. Fine. since it is winter I can wear the amazing “Jane” jacket from Asteria, which iI anyways love so much :p Ok lets call it sleeves as it just goes to the arms πŸ˜‰
The shoes are made by my own brand – Wicca’s Wardrobe – for the actual round of the Liaison Collaborative event. The cool choker can be found at On9 made by Slackgirl – she made the amazing, cool earrings as well and I guess you will find those at her main store.
The super cute hair with the amazing corset lines at the sides are the item from EMO-tions for the actual round of Hairology. I totally fell in love with that hairstyle as it goes so perfectly with so many different looks πŸ˜‰
Now I just needed some wintery looking location and what could be better than the new decorated sim “It all starts with a smile”. The sim is made with so much love to the detail and has so many amazing corners and places where you can do awesome pictures! It is really worth a visit and maybe since it is Christmas you want to show their donation box, how much you like the sim, so they can hold it for many more amazing shoots, journeys and moments for all of us πŸ˜‰
Details
Lingerie & Corset: Blacklace – “Provocative Thai” – NEW @ Kinky
Shorts: [sys] – “Ride”
Jacket: Asteria – “Jane”
Scarf: [sys] – “Cozy Scarf”
Socks: AviCandy – “Overknee Socks”
Shoes: Wicca’s Wardrobe – “Faye Boots”Β  – NEW @ The Liaison Collaborative
Necklace: Slackgirl – “Turn Choker” – NEW @ On9
Earrings: Slackgirl – “Orbita Earrings”
Hair: EMO-tions – “Avril” – NEW @ Hairology
Poses: ALIUD
Model & Photographer: Wicca Merlin

Phoenix – A Modern, Steampunk Interpretation

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Sometimes the mind takes off and you just go with the flow…

That happened again after I got the amazing “Lavi” makeup from Slackgirl. I wanted to do something special as the makeup itself looked very different to me.

First I tried something simple, as I wanted the makeup to pop out, but what ever I tried, it never did satisfaction to the makeup to my feeling.

That usually is the point when I put things to the side and wait until the creative muse kisses me with the right idea. But for what ever reason I could not do it this time without again and again thinking about it.

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With the amazing shine of the makeup, I came across the idea to use the wonderful “Asgard Wings” from E.V.E Studio, that come with the matching head wing parts. So I slowly got a basic idea for what would like to go for. Wearing the cool head wing parts I had to find some hair, that go well with them without hiding too much or looking too funky. The ” Tommy” hair is the perfect choice to match my vision, which grows more and more in my mind πŸ˜‰

With the beautiful detailed top from the “Scarlett” lingerie – made by Salt & Pepper – I had the arms free for the awesome “Elowen” arm pieces from Wicca’s Wardrobe. The shorts with the cool garter straps come from Asteria and are named “Mady”.

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With the cool “Lavi” makeup and the “Asgard” accessories the vision of an steampunk Phoenix was born in my head… I can’t tell you why but it just got tsuck in my mind :p

For the set, which I built at my studio I used the incredible “Propelling Gears” together with the “Rosina’s Undergeound” and the “Eye of the Storm” made the perfect ambience for what I was looking for πŸ™‚

Now.. simple runway poses would not do justice to the Phoenix idea. I was trying quite a few but nothing really would work with my idea and finally Gryphon Vendetta, creator of Poseidon poses saved my life. I ran into Poseidon via Gryphons amazing flickr stream and his incredible pictures. I totally love them and drooled more than once over his pictures πŸ˜‰

He does very dramatic and expressive poses which are perfect for exciting pictures and moods. I rarely saw such motion looking poses, which still look human and not distorted for the limbs. It looks like that he has poses for every occasion you can think about whether it is weapons, running scenes or flying moments. Sometimes he even has props coming with them like the one I used for the dark bloody nurse post not too long ago (https://wiccamerlin.de/something-evils-lurkinin-the-dark/).

I really got kinda an addiction for Poseidon poses since I tried them first and with all those possibilities he offers, I guess that will not be the last post I used them :p (I spied a Harley Quinn set too and I LOVE Harley Quinn*grins evil*)

But for now I hope you enjoyed my person vision of a modern steampunk Phoenix πŸ˜‰

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Details

Pants: Asteria – “Mady Garter Panties” – NEW

Top: Salt & Pepper (S&P) – “Scarlett Top” (part of the Scarlett outfit)

Shoes: Reign – “Monarch”

Wings & Head Parts: E.V.E Studio – “Asgard Wings & Headpiece” – NEW

Hair: EMO-tions – “Tommy”

Makeup: Slackgirl – “Lavi”

Collar: Elysium – “Shena Collar”

Necklace: Asteria – “Celine Necklace”

Arm Parts: Wicca’s Wardrobe – “Elowen” (Gacha)

Poses: Poseidon

Set: E.V.E Studio – “Propelling Gears Clock” + “Eye of the Storm” + “Rosina’sΒ  Undergrowth M01” – NEW @ Enchantment

Model & Photographer: Wicca Merlin

LOTD 11/28/2016 – Mix & Match with Mesh becomes more and more difficult!

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TUNES

I’m gonna soak up the sun
Gonna tell everyone
To lighten up
I’m gonna tell ’em that
I’ve got no one to blame
For every time I feel lame
I’m looking up
I’m gonna soak up the sun
I’m gonna soak up the sun

[Sheryl Crow]

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Mix & Match… still my favourite way of styling even if mesh makes it more and more hard;)

With the mesh body rigged clothing it is even harder as it already was with standard mesh sizes, but if you try hard enough it still works somehow… mostly :p

Especially if you want to wander around with your mix and match styles in SL and not just do pictures, where you can cheat about poke through or bad back views πŸ˜‰

Sometimes it can help that you combine several parts of one designer, but not always you find what you want by just going through several outfits from one designer – plus I really do love the challenge to combine different creators as well πŸ˜‰

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I had a talk lately with one of my close friends about what is the advantage of standard sizes and mesh body sizes, because many designers do not even offer standard sizes anymore.

Part of that is that the SL community more and more uses the mesh bodies and standard sizes not always do fit on those, even if you can work many especially if you are not going to show too much skin. sometimes it does not matter for a simple pair of jeans, if you can alpha out everything properly what is covered by the jeans, or if you wear a full body suit with long sleeves for arms and legs. The more skin you show the more difficult it becomes because of the default alpha HUD for each mesh body.

But with the bigger usage of mesh bodies, certainly designers will tend towards the appropriate sizes and rigging to those as well. So I guess some when the standard sizes will be gone due the fact that they will not sell to well anymore.

And exactly because of this, I keep some parts even if they are older. I know many laughed when I told about my inventory numbers and called me a fool that needs to rezz forever, but for mix and matches sometimes if you sneak in an older part it can make it interesting again and as well spares you a lot of headaches by fiddling with fitted mesh only πŸ˜‰ (I am not saying i would use my hair from 2008 or really old looking accessories from 2010 all the time, but I do keep some things that are timeless for me and probably useful)

I am looking forward where SecondLife will go and with the new Bento possibilities it will be a new adventure like it was with every new possibility the past years – That keeps SL exciting to me… working out new things and new ways of importing likes and dislikes into a new way of virtual life πŸ˜‰

Maybe in 10 years we laugh about good old times with standard mesh sizes, like we do now about flexible prims and sculpts :p

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Details

Pants: [sys] – “Mellow” NEW @ The Liaison Collaborative

Top: Asteria – “Rhapsody Fringe Top”

Pullover: Asteria – “Michelle-Cardigan Hanging Shoulder”

Waistcorset: Asteria – “Capretto Corset”

Shoes: Glamistry – “Lantana”

Hair: EMO-tions – “Vera”

Necklace: Eudora 3D – “Dream Catcher” – NEW @ Enchantment

Braclet left: Enfant Terrible – “L’odeur du Cuir”

Bracelet right: [kunst] – “Conrad”

Poses: ALIUD

Location: StoryBrooke Gardens

Model & Photographer: Wicca Merlin

Autumn – when the season adds color ;)

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Autumn has not only the dark, misty and creepy side – It as well has the colorful, warm and cozy one πŸ˜‰

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Perfect for this time was the “Anna” outfit from Asteria, which I lately got. You have more color choices for that wonderful ensemble, but I decided to go with the light and brown looking one, as it just was matching so nice to the autumn colors.

The outfit contains 3 parts. The super sexy leather top, the high-waisted skirt and the amazing ‘over the shoulder’ hanging coat.

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I would like to drag the focus a little bit more on the amazing new “Hortensia” hells from Glamistry. The amazing platform pumps are decorated with a super cute lace, that ends in a beautiful little ribbon at the back heel. With the huge color HUD you have an awesome range of trendy colors to customize the shoes to nearly any outfit.

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What could be a better hair choice than the new “Leotie” hair from EMO-tions. Now available at the actual round of Shiny Shabby, that hair style just completed my look. With the light gypsy/boho feeling with the incredible little details and ornaments and the fabulous headband, it totally nailed my autumn feeling on the head πŸ˜‰

Since I am already at the “All starts with a smile” sim, I guess I am going to explore the sim a little more, enjoying the beautiful colors of the actual season and see, if I can find some more nice locations for future posts πŸ˜‰

Details

Outfit: Asteria – “Anna” – NEW

Shoes: Glamistry – “Hortensia” – NEW

Tights: Izzie’s – “Sheer tights” (mesh body applier)

Hair: EMO-tions – “Leotie” NEW @ Shiny Shabby

Poses: ALIUD – “Runway 2” – NEW

Location: It all starts with a smile

Model & Photographer: Wicca Merlin