White Shoes?!

Oh my. I've been unintentionally MIA! I hate it when bloggers pull the "my real life got in the way" thing so I won't say that. It's just been really busy in Kristianne-Land and while I've been pulling together some great, great outfits, I haven't been taking the time to photograph them. So I'm sorry, my loyal readers (all two of you!) - I promise to do better.

To compensate, I'm going to do a few quick-hitters that get the look out without all of the verbose narrative I like to use to fill in the gaps. I'll still include the detailed pictures and the Product List from Hell (as I've dubbed it), but I'll cut back on the length of the posts while I play catch up! (Well, that's the idea at least!)

So, let me ask you a question. Does your avatar follow established rules of fashion? You know, no white shoes after Labor Day; don't mix your black/brown leathers for your belt and shoes, etc? My guess is that most of the fashion-conscious SL residents will say that yes, in a lot of ways, their avatars follow the "rules" - even if the rule is to break the rule. (How do you think we wound up with the gloriousness of Winter White?) So, last week I was getting dressed for a job interview (got it! Woo hoo - more later!). I put on this great little suit outfit but the fabric colors where a bit cooler than I would usually go for in the Fall. I gave myself an out because the SIM I was going to is a bright and cheery build that resembles the beach fronts in the Carolinas. I'd actually feel strange going in a heavy wool, anyway. But when it came time for shoes... I couldn't bring myself to wear white in any way. Poor Ben teleported me in to look at some new land (we're shopping around - our neighbor is a nightmare!), and there I stood all dressed up but standing barefoot. "Where are your shoes?" he asked. (Actually, he didn't. I don't think he noticed that I wasn't wearing shoes, but that just made a far better transition than what actually happened...) "I can't decide what color to wear." "White," he answered. I don't know if my intake of breath was audible. I'm guessing it was as he quickly said "Or not." "I... can't bring myself... to wear white shoes... after Labor Day." It sounded so silly even as I said it. But I knew it was true. And so the next morning, off I went to my interview - wearing a delightful pair of red shoes!

I love this skirt. I love the structure of it. I love the fit through the hips with the flair mid thigh. I love the buttons and the fabric and the color. This skirt is what I built the whole outfit from, trying a variety of combinations of shirts and jackets and shoes and accessories. I finally decided I liked how the aqua pulled at the seersucker stripe in the skirt and the texture of the blazer was robust enough to not look too springy or too flimsy. The upturned collar of the button down plays with the angles of the sheared hair to give a bit more of an edgier frame to the face. And the cuffs of the shirt just polish it off nicely.

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Jacket - Hooded Blazer, Blue - Jacket Layer, Prim Hood Spine Attachment Decoy Fashions http://slurl.com/secondlife/Southern Paradise/18/102/23/

Skirt - Crinkle Stripe Sailor Skirt - Prim Pelvis Attachment, Glitch Pants on Pant Layer Boing Fromage http://slurl.com/secondlife/Overdrive Island/162/139/37/

Shirt - Sheer Buttoned Shirt, White - Shirt or Jacket Layers Persona http://slurl.com/secondlife/Axenfall/131/61/22/

Shirt Bottom: Celine on Underpants Layer, Last Call
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Dazzle/68/11/27/

Shirt Collar: Pacifico Ladies Shirt, Prim Spine Attachment, plus NINE
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Teffelaw/8/29/21

Shirt Cuffs: Celine Sculpted Flared Cuffs, Prim Forearm Attachments, Last Call
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Dazzle/68/11/27/

Shoes - Talyn Pumps, Sangria/Black - Shoe Base and Prim Foot Attachments Enkythings http://slurl.com/secondlife/Orbiuna/181/142/342/

Necklace - Black Wrapped Bead Necklace, Low Shine - Prim Chest Attachment Bonita's Jewelry and Furniture Shop http://slurl.com/secondlife/Malra/45/86/66

Glasses - Danielle Black Glasses - Nose Prim Attachment Insolence http://slurl.com/secondlife/Emmelia/93/166/65

Hair - The Short V, Mahogany - Prim Head Attachment Armidi http://slurl.com/secondlife/Armidi/135/127/26/

Skin - MM-Light SkinGloss-20s Minnu Model Skins
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Glam World/118/136/23/

Once you start...

So I was lamenting the belt yesterday and how truly impossible it is to get one to fit properly. And then, I went to Shiny Things. I picked up every belt she had in the store on a guess that Fallingwater has probably mastered the art of belt design as well as she has shoes. The first belt that I wore last night with a great little outfit fit with just a bit of adjustment. And it actually looked like a belt and not a hula hoop. So I had high hopes this morning when looking for the extra punch for my outfit today. And the belt I chose DID almost fit. Almost. And so, I pulled up my edit screen to see if I could just close those last few gaps......... and a half an hour later, I was left with a belt that fit and looked great with my outfit - but didn't really look like the original belt I purchased. In fact, this was supposed to be a double wrap belt and I got rid of the second wrap. Oops. So sorry, Fallingwater - I do love your original design. But I guess my hips are too wide....

Anyway, yesterday was a very successful shopping day. I stumbled in to Decoy and picked up some great stuff. This blazer comes in several different colors and I loved them all and bought the Fat Pack. It has three hood options - sculpted, sculpted with strings and prim. It was the perfect topper for a preppy little look today. I' m really impressed with the quality of the hand drawn pieces from Decoy. They have an appearance of weight to them that is the result of great texture and seam work. I picked up some jeans and a few scarves and a dress, too. And the "oohs and ahhs" emitted when I got home to try them on landed all of the items in a special "Decoy" folder under the "Designers" area in my inventory. Those are the Designers I know I'll go back to.

I've read a lot of clenched teeth recognition of Ginny Talamasca and Last Call in the past several weeks. And you know, say what you will about her but she's a problem solver if I've ever seen one. She's perfected the layering options and the extra detail is what makes her designs so incredible. The prim cuffs on this shirt add a needed element to the outfit. The button-down itself was a bit too low cut, so I tossed on an undershirt. I concocted some new glitch pants that work with the bottom of the button down on the underpants layer. The skirt is also an edited version of the little black shift dress that also came from Last Call. (Gee, I'm an editing fool today).

I'm also digging the locket from Caroline's that was distributed to her group members the other day. It a great romantic accent (and a real locket!) that completes the look. I'd nearly forgotten about this new hair from Calla. It's perfectly coiffed and sure not to be forgotten again. Some nice charcoal tights and then the pop of brown tuxedo pumps and we've got my spin on a preppy coed. While brown and black historically don't belong together, it's a mix I've always done in "Real Life" and find it works with the right color palate. In this case, it's the green jacket that welcomes the addition of brown.

And while I don't usually mention my skin, as they're all from Minnu and all delectable, I do have to say that this is by far my favorite. It's one of the first that I purchased and I love the tones of the purples against the fairer skin and dark hair. While I don't wear it all the time, every time I do, I smile happily.

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Jacket - Hooded Blazer, Forest Green - Jacket Layer, Prim Hood Spine Attachment Decoy Fashions http://slurl.com/secondlife/Southern Paradise/18/102/23/

Shirt - Celine White Shirt - Shirt and Underpants Layers, Prim Cuff Forearm Attachments Last Call http://slurl.com/secondlife/Dazzle/68/11/27/

Undershirt - Kadesh Sheer Tank - Shirt or Undershirt Layer Last Call http://slurl.com/secondlife/Dazzle/68/11/27/

Skirt - Ginny Shift Dress - Mini Prim Stomach Attachment (self-designed glitch pants and stretched mini prim in this outfit) Layer Last Call http://slurl.com/secondlife/Dazzle/68/11/27/

Tights - Cozily Tintable Stockings, Gray - Sock and Underpants Layers (part of Cozily Outfit - just sock layer worn in this outfit) Veschi http://slurl.com/secondlife/Fuzzy/193/229/34/

Belt - Pouch Belt, Brown - Prim Pelvis Attachment Shiny Things http://slurl.com/secondlife/Shiny Falls/173/181/37/

Shoes - Tuxedo Pump, Brown - Shoe Base, Prim Foot Attachment Shiny Things http://slurl.com/secondlife/Shiny Falls/173/181/37

Necklace - Caroline's Special Cameo Locket, Gold - Prim Chest Attachment (special edition) Caroline's http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lo Lo/126/210/24/

Earrings - The Dauphine Earring, Silver/Jet - Prim Ear Attachment ~Muse~ http://slurl.com/secondlife/Linji/143/152/49/

Hair - Spanish Jasmine, Dark Mahogany - Prim Head Attachment Calla http://slurl.com/secondlife/Callatropia/125/194/24/

Skin - MM-Light SkinGloss-20s Minnu Model Skins
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Glam World/118/136/23/