carnaval brasileiro, austin, 2009

in carnaval gear............................

pax, juana, and teop...........

i was dressed rather modestly, though i had rouged. i didn't wear the pasties. later i was told that my bra was transparent, but i didn't notice it at the time. i ditched the hat, and wore the mask all night. i also stuck with the seamed fishnets though i liked the other hose i had better (striped) but that other pair wouldn't stay up on my skinny little legs.

the shoes were utter death. but fabulous looking. omg i could barely walk in them. and worse to dance in them..........there were parts of the night where i literally had to remove the shoes and hobble along on the icy floor.

the corset was very spectactular though i don't recommend it. there was a point where i thought i was hyperventilating, because it was squeezing me an i had a horrible sensation of unbearable constriction. it was almost like claustrophobia. it is just bearable when standing upright, but sitting in a corset for long periods is nearly unendurable.

pax went as nacho libre.......

he'd been to lucy in disguise, which is a funky costume place on congress. very austin, very old school. he got tons of compliments and was photographed a few times. he was a bit cold though. we were joined by a friend of mine from work and we also had been trying to find poet. i didn't expect him and the vast cavernous auditorium was pretty dark and loud. it was not a repeat of last year's shouting but there were plenty of texts going back and forth and we just were totally unable to see him in the mass of people.

finally he told us to just go to a particular corner and so we did, and while we were loitering around staring at the various plumage that was parading before us, we happened to look over at one of the makeshift portable bars, and there he was, tying his shoe. i had to laugh because even bent over doing something as mundane as this, poet is still incredible.

poet looked spectacular, as usual................

he wore the same outfit from new year's. last year he wore a similar ensemble but it was black. it amused me very much as he was wearing combat boots (last year he had bare feet) and the sole was taped with duct tape on one foot.

but no matter. teop's adornments were his incredible physique, and amazing skin. he was utterly mesmerizing and it amused me because drunk besotted women were totally flinging themselves on him and hanging on him, staring up at him with completely adoring faces.

this was actually the last memory of poet at carnaval i have, for i left for home afters...........................



there really is no way to express accurately or describe the pageantry of the night. and it boggles the mind to imagine that this little event is completely nothing compared to the real brazilian carnaval..........

the EGL glam girl

Originally uploaded by al-zahra

Heavens! it is amazing what happens when you are just busy being a librarian. i was standing at the second life librarian reference desk when one of my acquaintances arrived in the most splendid outfit........i had to find out what it was and where it was from, and she spoke the three words that have now become so powerful as to put me under a spell.....The Black Canary. When i visited it amused me much because while i was binging i was given a cup of tea and company by the sweet salesgirl.

Of course i don't take things straight up and so i added a collar and cuffs from different places, and a cigarette holder too. I wore this to Troy's second fundraising party, because his house just screamed out for it. And it amuses me to as this is probably one of my more librarianish gowns.

the stats for miss juana:

hair rose: GF suede Black rose hairpin
dress:
TBC Lady Marra
collar: Crimson Shadows White Shadow collar
cuffs: Ookami Ningen Remains of the Night cuffs
hair: Magika Lucy
necklace: Tekel'li Immaculate heart
skin: Nomine ultralight vamp blood red
cigarette holder: Mika elegant animated cigarette holder
shoes: bax boots

carnaval gear

Originally uploaded by al-zahra

i have most of my outfit ready. i had a little mishap with the car getting the corset, which was a tad spendy, but omg. it's steel boned and satin, and a more perfect corset i can't imagine. the laces are very very soft, and it is quite comfortable. i noted that many people were going burlesque, and so i guess this outfit when worn will look sort of vaguely burlesque--more like garden variety ho-ish i suppose.

while i was there i bought pasties, fingerless gloves, a bra, seamed fishnets, and a nice jewelry set. the shoes i have had already for quite some time. the only thing i think i need now is a mask.

gothic oiran

Originally uploaded by al-zahra

i meant to post this earlier but sometimes it seems an outfit evolves.....i found this magnificent outfit from a place called "Illuminati." I didn't realize at the time that it was based on an actual outfit worn by a j-rock band. I have always been fascinated by courtesans, and oirans completely enthrall me. when i first got this outfit, i went to a dirty peepshow sim to dance, thinking that it was appropriate for an oiran. but then i laughed because i am sure my friends wondered what the hell i was doing there.

i wonder though what i am truly saying in kimono-ese, to those in the know, but what struck me was the gothic styling of this, and the distinctive front tying obi, which distinguishes it from a geisha's outfit. so i removed some of the pieces and added some gothic accessories like armwarmers and pants, thinking that this is what a cybergothic oiran would wear as she paraded down the street going to her next assignation.

my new favorite outfit
Originally uploaded by al-zahra

this first version stats:

kanzashi: Ookami Ningen Silvered Kanzashi
hair rose: GF suede Black rose hairpin
gothic oiran kimono: Illuminati Ouka Saki Some ni Keri
tother clothes: Susie Armwarmers barbed wire, trick pants, Goth boots
hair: Magika Lucy
skin: Whispers of Night Deathly F Lost Gloom Stalker
fan: Sweetaholic Rose particle fans
Abranimations Geisha dance

troy's party

we were both blabbing and came up with an amusing plan to make little skits. troy called it a viral invitation. the cool thing about SL is that you can have anything, and so the demonic trash talking tedi of our imaginations is creepily doable.

x

hungover at troy's

hungover at troy's
Originally uploaded by al-zahra

i went to troy's party on monday at odaesan house. it is an amazing place. it seems to scream for a formal so i wore a nicky ree gown. grady was there, and wearing a magnificent dracula style tuxedo from schadenfreude (i think). troy wore a suit with winklepickers and emoish hair, very nice. i didnt know anybody else.

i have decided that geisha ish things are my mania right now so i wore a february kanzashi (plum blossom) even though it's still january because it matched my dress. i have this cigarette mania too, even though i don't smoke.

but then the next day troy came by and we were gossiping and we were giggling about having a little skit about being hungover the next day. he made me laugh hysterically at the IM dramah happening behind the scenes. this is why i don't IM hosts because i know it must be nuts for them.

miss juana desmond is ready for her closeup now:

skin: lessthan3 kyla cries pale
hair: mia wild woman hair
gown: DNR nicky ree Ms Doodles gown N Dress Chocolate
shoes: Shiny Things Skyliner shoes black
sunglasses: Tesla Solaris
cigarette: Primitive Design
bracelets: Tekel'li Malice

the fashion olympics; or what i wore to grady and momo's party

i had originally posted this in december, because following my custom, i'd never worn it "out" and kept this as a reminder, because after a week one forgets what an outfit looks like when it's just a list in inventory.

it is an amusing fact, that for grady and momo's party, which ranks as the SL fashion olympics, while everyone fretted over their outfits, and even i went on a massive binge, what i ended up wearing was this outfit. i found a set of plaid fans to go with it, which was pretty cool.

i adore goth loli, and count myself as one of its most devoted adherents, and wa-loli as well. this seemed to be a mix of it. i also wore it for sentimental reasons.

it was a spectacular party, with many luminaries in attendance. Of the people i remember there were:
Lucifer & Io, incognito,Rev & Munch,IsaDaft, Cristiano,Gabe, Zorena & Lance, Kavik, Tya, Envoy, Willow,Fmeh, Dancien and Spooky, Ash, Arilynn,Vertigo,Beezle & Titter, Rev, Affinity, Beebo, Lum, Moo, Troy, Vares, Willow, Aki, Aisuru, Ramonna......tons more but they all elude me at the moment.

The chief ornaments i thought of course were the two birthday girls. Grady wore her outfit from the Hello Avatar post, a killer blend of the Brood outfit, with bax boots and wilted wednesday collar. Momo wore a net top with a bra under, a flounced asymmetrical skirt, combat boots, bracers, with black hair and her fairy ears.

Isa was distinguished by the beauty and brevity of her costume. Monna too stood out in my memory because she appeared blonde and in pink, which suits her well although it is not her usual look, actually. She danced skyclad later, with her flowing hair and tattoos reminding me very much of a druidess. of the men Envoy appeared in the most extraordinary outfit in my estimation, in a sort of liberace in a space opera outfit. it is late and I will try to describe it but it is hard because it had an amazing level of detail. He wore a long figured gold cloak, with a long collar, sort of winglike. There were gyroscopes (I think) arranged around him. Vertigo also impressed me because her avatar was anime-like, and tiny, in purples.

liner notes:

miss chrysanthemum juana is wearing:

wa-loli kimono, fur collar, & obi: Sweetaholic
skin: Eat Rice Willow
hair: Zero Style, Tita
armlet: Grim Bros
maple kanzashi: JetDoll
rose hairpin: GF rose hairpin red
leg ornaments: Ronjas Golden Snake Leg Silks
stockings: K*S from white polkadot dress
boots: SiniStyle Deception boots plus platform add ons

poor mermaid

poor mermaid
Originally uploaded by al-zahra

i'ld been on a binge looking for clothes to wear for grady and momo's party. while searching like mad, i found this impressively detailed japanese mermaid outfit. my conception of mermaids has always been a bit dark, reinforced by the scene in onmiyoji where lady aone eats mermaid flesh to remain young forever--and the bone dress graphite version, which i have struggled with, seemed to fit really well with it. and so this is my favorite outfit now.

i went to the whale basin at alpha auer's sim, syncretia, and made my poor little avatar dance underwater.

Mermaid costume and AO and dance by Kami-Hitoe, custom skin by Nomine, nosering by AVZ, black rose ring from GF, skirt, tophat, and chest attachment from Graphite Bone dress by Cutea Benelli.

grungy punky video

I thought it might be funny to take videos instead, since i can't take pictures for bok. and so i went and made myself look sort of silly. :)

maybe i will just do this instead, it is sort of fun, actually.

these is one of those outfits where it literally comes from everywhere. :)


stats:

miss grungy punky juana love is wearing:

skin: Nomine female ultralight vamp blood red
hair: Spelunker tr_hd01k_so longtail
hairbow: Nonko Hakama set
ring: Nonko youru lingo ring
nose ring: AVZ skull nosering set
necklace: Dark Eden Midnight Oshun set
earrings: Spica Suicide earrings
armlet: Sweetaholic Arm belt
bone armlet: Grim Bros. Jolly Roger
armwarmers: susie Punk Jacket mono sleeves
jacket: Katatonik pink space cake hoodie
hair rose: GF Rose Hairpin Suede wine
belt: Needful Things Cargo Pants belt
pants and leggings: Snatch Voodoo Lolli
socks: EtchD Roughed up socks
legwarmers: Primitive Design wired legwarmers (black red)
boots: susie Goth/Punk Odeko Boots

neo-techno-priestess of tezcatlipoca

there is something so very perverse and fascinating to think of an ancient cult surviving into a harsh world rendered mystically sterile by high technological advances. mesoamerican mythology has always been my bag, and it obsesses me almost to imagine my avatar as an undead representation of various mythical figures or folklore legends.

today thanks to XStreet SL, (formerly known as SLexchange) i can mimic one of my favorite deities, tezcatlipoca, the god of the smoking mirror.

it amused me to pretend i needed a sacrificial victim, and with this pretext, i wandered the city, peeping in nooks and crannies, and even breaking and entering, in that strange SL non-criminal exploratory sorta way.

the priestess is wearing:

skin: :: Hybrid Prod :: Skin : Shaded Black Waspoid (F)
hair: EMO-tions Maya hair (rings option on)
belt & pants: Digit Darkes & Synthetic Dreams Lots a BotsBelt (gold) and Leather Studded heart underpants
skirt: +*susie*+ Vampire Skirt
shirt & leg silks: Ronjas Virtual Attire--Golden Snake
jacket: <<>> Gamine girl camisole
bracelets: !Retox! Bloody BoneHead bracelets
bone armlets & necklace: Grim Bros/Cutea Benelli Jolly Roger bracelet, Bone dress upper arm, LPG Skull n bone collar S
Dagger: Cortech Cyber Dagger v3.0
hair rose: GF-- Rose hairpin suede (wine)
nose piercing: AVZ Skull Nose Piercing
earrings: +SPICA+ Suicide Earrings
boots: Dark Eden Thetis Boots
pose: Body Language by SLC Haruka Modeling Poses set.

steampunk dollymop

From merveilleuse

what is it about victorian hookers that is so wonderfully appealing? perhaps it's the prim dress that makes even turning tricks in the dark dank sewers and alleyways of Hangars Liquides seem so dignified, in a starchy uptight sorta way. so long as it's not Whitechapel i suppose.

Miss Manuel is wearing:

skin: Whispers of Night Deathly F Lost Gloom Stalker
hair: Fluff by JetDoll
rings, and hair rose: all from GF-- Rose hairpin suede (wine), Rose Lace Gloves set red & black (red ring)
nose piercing: AVZ Skull Nose Piercing
bracelets and earrings: Violet Voltaire Dia de Los Muertos set
dress: Rfyre Tangled II
chest & spine attachments, hat: Cutea Benelli Graphite Bone dress
boots: Bax Coen BAX Ankle boots Black
pose: Body Language by SLC Haruka Modeling Poses set.
tattoo: Mia Snow CANDYbleedingHEARTtat

gothic fun

my adventure exploring in crimson shadows today ended up with me in the erm, servants' quarters?

it's actually like a gigantic gothic superstore, with lovely outfits and things like that. and really creepy and churchlike, so goth it makes your teeth hurt.

and rivers of blood, mighty tempting for a vampire, or immortal-type.

and i have never been back here.

um.......such cheerful motivational inscriptions.

like a heathen i came here because i thought it would be a nice place to wear the new Brood outfit from KC Fashions, that i saw on Achariya's blog and uncontrollably salivated and obsessed till i had to come in-world and buy it.

i posted these too on the show your style thread, which is a trifle for everyone but for me a very scary thing to do. i don't know if i have totally crashed the car, but nobody bit my head off so i suppose it's alright.

miss vampy juana is wearing:

skin: Whispers of Night Deathly F Lost Gloom Stalker
hair: Fluff by JetDoll
bracelet, necklace, rings, and hair rose: all from GF-- Wild Rose Choker set, Rose hairpin suede (wine), Rose Lace Gloves set red & black (red ring)
nose piercing: AVZ Skull Nose Piercing
armlet: Sweetaholic Belt Upper Arm (from Koukou set)
jacket, skirt, pants: Brood outfit by KC Fashions
boots: Armidi Gisaci Kyoto Boot Black/Black
badass obsidian dagger & sheath: Cortech Obsidian Dagger 3.0
hummingbird emitter: Kolibri Emitter 4 Gruen (unknown)
pose: Body Language by SLC Haruka Modeling Poses set.
tattoo: Mia Snow CANDYbleedingHEARTtat

pyehole's testicle

Originally uploaded by al-zahra

today i chatted with pyehole, for the first time in about a year. i thought he hated me but it turns out he had merely forgotten to reply to my email.

i was given a message from him on new year's from arjuna, and so today i called him. he'd been in the hospital recovering from a twisted testicle.

i have missed him. we are throwing out ideas of having a benefit for him. i'd totally pole dance for him. :) when i discussed this with him he was highly amused.

and in keeping with his pyehole style, when i said good bye, he merely said, don't be a stranger. it was as if he'd just left five minutes ago.

new years..........

teopdances
Originally uploaded by al-zahra

this is teop, or calanthe, who is manifesting so strongly as a uncontrollable force of nature right now. he is probably the most beautiful person i know. this new years eve he was set to perform at a masquerade with the hipnautica collective at teh club copa downtown.

he wore a version of what he normally wears at carnaval. namely, body paint and the skimpiest of loincloths, with little legwarmers since he dislikes to show his lower legs.

although i missed the firedancing and performance part, i hung out with him for a bit outside where he obligingly let me capture his dancing and take a few blurry pics with my crackberry.

this whole outfit was made by a friend of his who is a seamstress, from a skirt obtained from a second-hand shop. he was wearing his dancebelt underneath it, and a mask that he'd decorated himself to match.

he is such a hummingbird and such a presence that i spied him immediately on the dance floor in the dimly lit club, and he was standing outside smoking and chatting with me in about 40 F degree weather, and seemingly insensible to the cold.

he also has the power to attract stares and downright adulation, and it amused me very much this evening to see him in his finest form, soaking up all the attention, and converting it into a kind of focused energy which he then threw back into the crowd.

i myself decided to go goth this evening. generally i glam it up on my birthday and wear ballgowns. but i thought given the masquerade, that it might be more interesting to go in pure goth style. normally i like to wear a mixture of things, not really favoring one particular style. i do tend to like punkish gothish stuff though, though most often i am found in jeans and a funny t-shirt.

i will make a terrible admission. i do go to secret october, and workclothes and more, and legs diamond, and any number of indie store, but often i cheat and go to hot topic, the mall goth store. it's a dreadful thing, but i am so lazy and barely have time to make my SCA dresses.

i am sort of picky though because generally the gothy things they have i don't like. i think it's interference from the costuming that i do, that makes me abhor some of the clothes that are out there, with their mishmash of corsetry nightmares, and badly made too. but i found a nice little dress i liked, and a fishnet shrug for sleeves, some silly wristlets, rhinestone and skull earrings, and banded fishnet stockings. the dress reminds me some of dickie's actually.

i wore a little plastic ring, my new lion's head torc, and my beloved doc boots. and dressed my hair in pigtails.

i was wildy amused because when i arrived at the second party, all my friends crowded around me and scrutinized my attire very closely. they were the ones who discovered that the little hanging tabs on the skirt were actually garter belt attachments (though only in the front, so what gives with that?) and that the zippers on the armlets actually were functional. so theoretically i could secret items in them.

the only thing i would have wished was to have legwarmers, but i will have to figure that one on my own. alas.