Contest Take 3 - Amount up for grabs $2400L

It's Summer finally!!!! (Ok. maybe officially in a month...rofl)
Trust me it's worth celebrating, some places in Canada had snow last week..THE HORROR! You might as well be swearing using the word 'snow'...lol

To welcome summer (early) in the virtual world, I want to know how your taste for clothing changes. How does your fashion sense reflect the weather in the real world. Ladies and gents, I give you the opportunity to sizzle the blog pages with your hot summer picks, your choice clothing for the season.

Good Luck and Enjoy!

You can send the pictures in world, or post them as a reply to this blog. I wish you the best!

1st prize $1000L

2nd prize $800L

3rd prize - $600L
(Contest ends - July 1st, 2010.)

~Silena Constantine~

Sartoria Review

(Photo by - Silena Constantine. Featuring Model - Garon)

To those that sent in their 1 paragraph write up, I do thank you for your time and effort, all entries will receive a 500L thank you gift in their account for said task. Congrats to the recipients!

The winner of this particular contest was Nic Lacombe, who I dear say rivals my own fashion adoration! His critic was short and sweet, having stated...

(Photo By Nono Nozomi, Featuring Model/Contest Winner Nic Lacombe)

"I've found the textures to be some of the most realistic available, with minor details such as wrinkles and shadows that give the fabric a wonderful 3d effect. Most of the jeans come with prim legs which by now, is almost required for sharp dressing in sl. Overall, a great shop with good selections and not bad prices." Very honest Nic, thank you for taking to time to share your thoughts about what you enjoy about this stores designs, enjoy your gift for your wonderful review.

I personally found Sartoria to have a very tame, but sophisticated take on casual male clothing. It maybe a bit predictable, but very well made and with great detail. I don't particularly see many men on SL wearing a plum feathered hat with horns and a few diamonds (Gah, the horrid thought that it may exist...lol), but a nice casual sweater, with wonderful textures and a nice pair of jeans, that allows for that sense of masculine individuality, most definitely.
Sartoria's formal male clothing as shown below was very well made, with a great eye for small details, that gave the ensemble just the right edge it needed. I find the suits merely accentuate the male form, without overpowering the models frame, it does not make the model look overly buffed and as I call them 'roid droids' (steroid user, for our laymen), there is something to be said for quiet demure, that serves to merely add to the individual, than overpower their being. Great work Sartoria, I must say I am impressed and so to are your loyal customers.

~Silena Constantine~

For more pictures of Nic Lacombe in his fave Sartoria outfits, taken by Nono Nozomi. A YouTube link for your viewing pleasure ladies and gents!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8sWIpAAKu8

This piece again is accompanied by the exquisite Britpants, Valerie blouse and Gingko Flexi Dress/tulip (undershirt). And that has to be one of the reasons I tend to shop at LeeZu!. The layers... undershirts, shirts, jackets you have your pick. You can wear the entire ensemble as is or mix and match to your hearts content. It gives you the freedom you need to be that individual, allowing you the choice to add that personal flare to anything you wear.

This outfit is the "NOiR - Van Elisabeth Dress" by LeeZu! With it's sexy curves and plunging neckline, this outfit is far from conservative, but embodies the elegance one would expect from a formal gown. The hat is my favourite part of this outfit as it adds to the whimsical charm of the entire piece. The dragon eyes caressing the bust-line at first were alarming, but one could not help but be drawn into the allure of the ideal, gems were common place, the eyes add a touch of that sl design edge we have come to adore from LeeZu!.

This outfit is comprised of the Margo Jacket, and Britpants by LeeZu! To me this outfit says classic suave, with a scandalous edge. It pushes the boundaries of fashion on SL, giving me personally the feeling of sexy meets bad ass. And the gun adds that extra bit of "I dare ya"...In all it's two of my favourite pieces by this designer mainly because it allows me to pair it with a lot of different options, allowing for versatility, impeccable textures, without losing that very sexy feminine feel.

My personal view on SL fashion is honest...

I don't care if your rocking a 50L or a 5000L outfit, it's not and never will be how much you spent on it, but how you wear it. Don't think because your shoes costs more than your skin you look fab, cause honey it's just drab...
In real life I have seen many make Chanel look like bargain basement crap, and there are many on SL that do the same, to some very pricey yet horribly uninspiring pieces.

Clothing to me is the complete freedom of expression of the individual behind the avatar. As it is in real life. The brand you wear does not make or define you and doesn't define your social standing. What you wear should merely frame what is already there, the individual
My goal is not to discredit designers, but hope to point out their many lovely pieces and voice what I think can be done to improve future designs, giving the many readers/consumers the chance to be heard, and win some great gifts to their favourite stores.

SL gives us a very different way of judging items, the quality of a product is not merely in the fabric and the colours, exquisite details, shape and flow of a ensemble, but the ability for fashion to transcend the norms of real life fashion and take on it's own essence in SL.
If anything, we see the shift from merely copying real world fashion, to the creation of a very unique inworld fashion evolution. In SL it utilizes the intellect of programmers and the eyes of designers, creating a unique team dynamic or allowing an individual to transcend real world limitations.
To me all these factors combined is what makes a piece palpable, the uniqueness, the ability for the product to convey to all a sense of individuality, the details of the physical and scripted product to give all consumers that touch of being tended too and last but not least, customer service of a store, for it is your customers satisfaction, that promotes you and your product.


~Silena Constantine~

Just to give you and idea of my fave things about cloths, I reviewed three of my fave pieces from one Designer - LeeZu! Baxter

1st Designer

I wanted to start my blog on a positive note, so I chose a designer from a list I could really support. It's not even female clothing, shockingly enough.
I have noted a rather limited selection for men in the fashion department, and as a group of 3 spent hours scourging the grid for wearable male clothing, we were disappointed at our meager finds.
As my friend Jonny phrased it ever so eloquently, "There seems to be 2 categories for clothing on SL, female and unisex"... it dawned on me, why not start my blog with a male clothing store?

It is time to represent your ideas and let the designers know your thoughts guys, so I am giving you a chance to step up to the plate and get in the game.

Thus my first Blog will be on Sartoria
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Velvet/121/65/23

This is how my blogs will work, you have 1 week (Due - April 9th, 2010. BUT since I have exams and won't be writing anything until after April 22nd...you have until then...lol) from my first introduction of the store to check it out and send in a 1 paragraph description of this store and the freedoms it gives you -: such as what it means to you as the customer to be met with great customer service/great cloths/great accessories etc.
I will choose one to be added/quoted into my review and the chosen paragraph will win 'S500 - Sartoria Black Trench Coat' (New design at the door ^_^ worth $550L )

1st Option you can post directly on this site
2nd Option - Send me a note-card in world.



Happy Shopping, and Have a Great (Easter) Weekend

~Silena Constantine~