Fashion for the Holidays

Let’s face it; I’m a fashionista at heart. In the daytime, I can knock around in a T-shirt and jeans (sometimes supplemented by an “intelligent” Oracle cloak from Avilion Mist). Although I am considering adding in some proper daytime suits (grin). But at night…. Well, let me quote from a story by a writer I’ve found online (with permission):

[F]estive gowns were the largest part of the catalogue. Dannta explained it this way: “Work mostly takes place in the light of day, and is done well and to your best ability, and its clothing reflects that utilitarian time; colors change, but the basics don’t. So it is, to a lesser degree, with other clothing of the day.

“But the night is a time of relaxation, of celebration. The work of the day is done for the most part, and you rejoice in its good completion. Your friends are at hand, and you enjoy their company. There are arts to be patronized, entertainments to see, children to play with, parties to attend, and love to make with your lover. The creativity of the dress reflects that change in mood, for creativity lives in dreams, and dreams live in the night.”

I agree with that philosophy, and I try to uphold it in this place, where such a life is easily possible.

When I see a fantastic new gown, it’s hard to resist buying it right off. (I usually give in [sigh].) So, when I spotted these gowns while tag-surfing through SL fashion blogs and articles, I just had to rush out and snaffle them. They come from several different designers: two not so well known (at least I think they aren’t, but they should be for this work) — and, sadly, one who is not among us anymore. I’m modeling them here in photos I shot in a photosphere park.

Christmas Shopping, Virtually

It’s been a busy Christmas for Grid merchants as well as RL retailers, according to the BBC.  The Venerable Beeb’s presence in world isn’t large or well known yet, unlike Reuters; but their reporter Alison Swersky tells about how several SL merchants (especially fashion, of course) prepared for the holiday season and how they have fared.  The piece is excellent, and recommended reading.

(Thanks to No. 7)

Early Christmas Eve

…and the push is just about on us in Real Life. I have eight hours at the retail job I hold down, after which I’ll probably fall asleep in church because I’m sitting still in one place (grin). As for the Christmas environment in world, as noted by No 7, it’s a lot more easy and pleasant — no crowds, no traffic (except foot traffic at popular merchants), no overworked and overstressed shoppers or store employees who have forgotten the spirit of the season in the press of surviving this last day of commercialism.

If you go out in RL for those legendary Last Perfect Gifts, please be careful on the roads; and, before you explode at a store clerk who just can’t seem to understand or find what you’re looking for, please remember how much work they’ve probably see this season, and Who it is that the Christmastime is supposed to be about.

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As I more or less implied in my last post, I haven’t been able to write — or get in world — for the past week or so, prepping for Christmas out here in RL. But I slipped in for a little retail therapy last night before bed. As No 7 also points out, the Grid merchants and Winter Festival participants have been doing a good job of decking the halls. (Click for full size.)  Not the most spectacular job of decorating, but I’m a minimalist when it comes to such things. This is Platinum, part of the women’s side. What have been your favorite places in SL this season?

One Great Thing About Living in Second Life

I’ve had a fun morning out in the Real World. My mother-in-law is coming to visit us for three days at Christmastime, and my SO has decided to, shall we say, go off the deep end with clean-up projects. I spent the morning with a pressure washer, blasting the loose paint off the brickwork of our porch so we can repaint it this weekend. Oh, did I mention — the temperature is hanging around 40 degrees in my RL location. Fortunately, I managed to avoid most of the backblast from the wand, but my shoes still got soaked.

One really nice thing about Second Life? You may own a house that’s several stories high, with brickwork and windows to a fare-thee-well, but you don’t have to spend a lick of time in maintenance unless you want to change something, or have a building mistake to fix. And also, you can’t get your shoes soaked in very cold temperatures.