Break them in

Bela Tolsen always does jeans for her TuttiFrutti line, and her spring collection offers some sophisticated yet form-fitting takes on the old classic. In addition to a faded pair splotched with clouds and a light pair, she’s created the dark and flowered pairs Portia models today.
Since I am still planning to succumb to the Server Side Baking apocalypse, I’ve been feeling pressure to dress Portia in everything she’s not yet worn. That means finding some silly stuff in the closet. Do these puppets make me look fat?

Credits to creators
pic one: *TuttiFrutti* Denim Mesh Jeans – Dark [XS] (NEW; ty Bela!)
pic two: *TuttiFrutti* Denim Mesh Jeans – Blossom – [XS] (NEW; ty Bela!)
Tee*fy, Ana Slouchy Satin Tank Grey Sheer S (old Collabor88)
.:* LOULOU&CO *:. – Horns :: LIBERTAD :: V.2 (special event, prolly Zodiac)
Glam Affair – Margot – India Clean – Red (at Collabor88)
Aeva // Eyelashes // Long Lashes
[JB] Juicy Box – Beautiful Mess Tattoo
>TRUTH< Elisha w/Roots – copper
CHANTKARE, PONY AROUND RING (old gift)
*REDGRAVE* Audrey2 – PlateauHeels
MONS / Shocking eyes – brown
puppets are an old CuteBytes hunt gift
prop is Glitterati Shopaholic Closet
GIMPed for your pleisure

Casual glamour

I think of them as “my ladies”—the talented women who send me their creations so that I may share them with you. My ladies have been busy, so Portia is drowning in spring/summer wear, and I have blog posts planned through the end of next week. Yesterday, I showed you h.m.a.e.m’s new mod-inspired slim-fitting slacks. Today, Zib Scaggs of Zibska also recalls the 60s with her striped linen Chloe palazzo pants. In real life, I am short and dumpy but I can wear palazzo pants, so I think of them as the ninth wonder of the world. Zibska’s palazzos are big but sexy because they sit below the waist and curve elegantly around an av’s belly. The Chloe pants come with a coordinating halter top, but I didn’t want Portia to look too bare at this time of year, so she’s wearing a cutout crop top from Ozi. In addition to the aqua version shown here, the Chloe outfit is available in lime, white and gray renditions. One last note for today: Portia is wearing Margot, one of Glam Affair’s affordable skins for May’s Collabor88. I was chuffed to discover that the 288L pack contains the red-lipped glamorous look advertised on the vendor and a “clean” version of the skin, which offers a dewy daytime makeup with a pale lip.

Credits to creators
Zibska, Chloe Trousers ~ Aqua [2] (comes with an aqua-blue halter top) (NEW; ty Zib Scaggs!)
{.:Ozi:.} ORGAMI CROP top V2 TANGO – xxs
Glam Affair – Margot – India 03 – Dark brown (at Collabor88)
*Dura-Girl*28(Sienna)
[7891.] Total – Gold earrings
-REDGRAVE – Shoes Helena – 12colors (NEW)
Tee*fy, Colour Blocking Minimalism Bangle Critus (yesterday’s 50 L Friday)
Adore & Abhor, Lambie (special event item, but there are other versions)
Alouette, Bibliotheque Chair (old Arcade gacha)
GIMPed but not pimped

Mix those messages

The five stages of male denial: I never promised you a rose garden. What made you think I promised you a rose garden? Who promises rose gardens nowadays? Why do you think you deserve a rose garden? I suspect you’re unstable.
I met a fellow scholar in the cafe where I write four hours a day. I’d seen him there every day for a year. Comfortably trapped in a depression-powered, safety-glass bubble, I had spent that year refusing to interact sociably with anyone on the premises. Until the new manager insisted that baristas take customers’ names. Suddenly we were family. (I can walk in and order the usual. I always thought “the usual” would be some exotic cocktail. Shame about my alcohol allergy. And my aversion to night life. Night period.) Around Thanksgiving, I finally responded to my fellow cafe denizen’s friendly passing remarks. I even let him watch my computer while I went to the ladies room. (If you knew me you’d say “Woah.”) His dissertation sounded feminist. He wasn’t afraid of me. I decided to try to get past the problem of his looks: typically handsome and thick-necked muscular. (I prefer tubercular-looking British boy/men. Bad teeth optional. This is the consequence of growing up goth. Damn you Peter Murphy.) After two months of chatting and indirect conversations about sex—the scholar’s specialty—he mentioned his wife. He never wears a ring. He never said anything about spending the holidays with her. He spoke in the present tense about the difficulty of meeting women he could relate to. I was hurt and angry about this lie by omission. But I decided not to do what I’d done in the past. No intimacy-building confession of pain. No consciousness-raising confrontation about the disrespect he’d shown me and, much worse, his wife. No obligation-creating request that we work together to establish new boundaries. And I resolved that if he asked about my sudden distance I would borrow a phrase from the last coward who dumped me. I’d tell my cafe friend that his failure to acknowledge his wife “raised a red flag.” That’s a phrase that is so perfectly clinical and cliched that it means nothing except “The conversation is as over as the relationship.” This latest bad experience leaves me feeling proud of what I’ve learned over the years: I no longer give anyone the opportunity to do the denial dance. On the other hand, it sucks that, once again, my armour isn’t coming off. Not to mention my pants. (Damn you pants!)

Credits to creators
cuffs: Zibska, Ute Deux (part of a full set) (NEW; ty Zib Scaggs!)
skin: Al Vulo, Alyss skin and Lolas Tango applier (group gift)
lip tat: old Heartsick gift
bags: Handverk, Valentine’s clutch gacha (NEW) [g'damn—I wanted the Spank Me clutch!]
hair: Dura, #40 (resizable by menu) (NEW)
bouquet: Vita’s Boudoir (Tainted Love Hunt item, 1L)
arrow harness: Contraption (Tainted Love Hunt item, 1L)
crown: Tee*fy (past Collabor88)
boobs: Lola’s Tango
stockings: League, side-gartered stockings
pose: LAP and bouquet pose
GIMPed for your pleisure. And dedicated to Shortcake Sugarplum.

Tropical cool

I like to do a resort post in the dead of winter. Instead of bathing suits, I’m featuring Indyra Originals’ mesh Memoire skirt, which comes in packs of four variations for only 295L. Portia’s clutch is by Amarelo Manga. One can change the leather, metal and stones via menu. The best part is that it comes with an AO offering four awesome clutch-clutching poses.

Credits to creators
Look one
Indyra Originals Mesh: Memoire’ Pencil Skirt: White/Pink S
Tee*fy Basic Tucked Tank Grey S
[Amarelo Manga] – Clutch Bag Style (ty Luana Barzane!)
Glam Affair – Lilith – Africa 02 D
N D Salon [Naomie Dirval creator], J I L L Hair Dark
THE BOYS – cassie Earrings Gold Light (free at N D Salon)
^^Swallow^^ Bad Ring Gold & Pink
[ glow ] Beachwood glasses GOLD (resize)
[Diktator]-DARE (S PINK)

Look two
Kyoot – Mila Bodysuit (Cold Sea) (on sale no and then on Marketplace prolly)
Indyra Originals Mesh: Memoire’ Pencil Skirt: White/Silver S
[Amarelo Manga] – Clutch Bag Style (ty Luana Barzane!)
al vulo- Eleonor * candy dark brow chocolate (former TDRF)
N D Salon, J I L L Hair Dark
LaGyo_Wishbone earrings silver
LaGyo_Wishbone necklace silver
Dark Mouse Vintage Nouveau Bangles (store is closed)

Never been a night owl

I’ve never been one of those people who can’t believe she’s starting her work-shift at the ungodly hour of 1PM. Love this geek chic: new from Wasabi Pills, Lumi 2 features curly hair with the cute colour-change hat from Lumi. Lumi 2 is adjustable mesh, so if you found the original too big for your noggin you are sure to enjoy the sequel.

I’ve never been one of those people who wakes up to her surroundings around 4PM. The Lumen dress is not the latest offering from Nevery Lorakeet of LpD, but it is one of my favourites. I can never resist a paisley pattern, and the batwing sleeves are fun to photograph. The Lumen pack includes a poncho version as well as the dress. It’s available in washed-out red tones, shown here, as well as pink, black and blue tones. Do note that LpD has changed location, so you will need to use the new URL listed below.

I’ve never been one of those people who starts studying at sunset.

Credits to creators
/Wasabi Pills/ Lumi 2 Mesh Hair – Gingerbread (NEW; ty MissAllSunday Lemon)
*LpD* – *Lumen* Dress Red Tones (Mesh – Size M) [a quick fix for anyone who finds the alpha layer too big: narrow your av's shoulders] (NEWish; ty Nevery Lorakeet!)
fri.day – Basic.Turtleneck (Salmon)
fore, lace zip Leggings
h.m.a.e.m. – raining boots – brown cream (NEW; ty Riri Ninni!)
:Curio: Petal Frex [Light] Party Girl-Potion 2 (NEW group gift fatpack; search for “Gala and Rita”, not Curio, to find the group)
:FANATIK: My bad girl ring Copper
Tee*fy Wooden Bow Necklace Black Strap
[KAMOURASKA] Rouyn Porcupine Cuff Matte Ebony
(vive9) Risky Readers [abyss] (old gift)
all poses built into the furniture
location: library
GIMPed before 9AM

Blogged out

She wanted to pose on clouds (who doesn’t?) in her spacesuit (get it?), but she didn’t have the energy to hunt. So she sits and she waits for a new idea. Any second now, she thinks, a powerful visual concept will send me into orbit. Ten, nine, eight, seven….

One-hundred percent gravity simulation.

Houston, we have a problem.

Credits to creators
outfit: Tee*fy, Modern Spacesuit (Project Themeory item)
hat: Tee*fy, Planetary Headgear (Project Themeory item)
glasses: Vive9, Risky Readers (old gift)
hair: Lamb, Bang Bang Bob Ink (I think this was a special 50L Friday item and not a general release)
skin: Dutch Touch, JoSJe Caramel Eyeliner Lip EBBlond FR CL2 (VIP Group Exclusive for a very limited time; 250L join fee)
boots: J’s, Thigh High Boots Black
leggings: &bean, Slick n Shiny Silver
couch with three poses: Y’s House, Sofa 01
location: Baffle!

Turn on the bright lights

I finally saw my favourite band, Interpol, live. Why it took me ten years to get around to it, I don’t know. I had a ticket a few years ago, but my father was hospitalized just days before the show and I had to fly home. Portia’s outfit, the combo of the big ginger hair and the royal blue feather-print dress, is what the live show would wear if it was a woman. I guess it’s no longer summer in Interpol land. Keep your ears peeled for the new album, dropping in North America on September 7.

Peacock week is coming to Pleisure. Why should sharks have all the fun?

Credits to creators
dress: Tee*fy, Pookie exclusive Feather Print Loose Dress (99L only at Pookie Promenade)
hair: Kik, Kath
skin: Sn@tch, Solstice Skin (Tone 2-Clubbing/BR) (comes in four tones as an IrEn Village hunt gift, until August 19; look for a strawberry in each participating store)
blush: Sunny Soon Su, Prim Blush (freebie)
socks: H+K, gacha-03(white-cheshire)candy socks (at iTuTu Cafe festival)
leggings: AOHARU, part of BT_RuffleRomper_BlueFlower
boots: Bukka, Leather Boots Red (old LB)
bag: Sn@tch, Messenger Bag (subo gift at IrEn Village location)
nom: Pididdle, Peacock Feather, part of Hungry for a Holiday Cardigan Olive
necklace: Tee*fy, Bangle Necklaces (Pookie location dollarbie)
photobox: Sn@tch, Dark Photo Box
pose pic one: Mela, Team Lizzie Poses

Tie one on

Oh Friday, you were so fab this week. Not just with the L fifty but also with the Fore, and the Tiny Birds like little maids all in a row. *Hic!* (That’s how an oldster indicates drunkenness. [I aim to educate as well as please.])

I hear that Surf Couture’s very popular Somer Dress will be released in more colours. I took off the lovely prim trim so that Portia could sport Fore’s new group gift, which can be worn as a tie alone or a tie with white collar. The ad for the men’s version is dreamy with hipsters. If I had a dorm room, I would post those boys.

These are the cutest of the flats I picked up at Buttons’ recent sale. With Shoe Fair starting, you probably won’t have time to visit, but file the name away for a fed-up-with-heels day.

Make Monday’s return to work a little brighter. Not by packing your lunch the night before. As Cajsa Lilliehook demonstrated in her series, Sn@tch is not just for sluts. Unless you are humping for great prices. (I can’t believe I just wrote that. You can’t believe I didn’t edit it out.) There’s a sale this weekend, and I grabbed the Slutwear Finantial pack, which combines the top and tie with a rainbow’s worth of delicately hued multi-colour striped capris. The top can also be worn without the tie, which is stretchable for those of you who like your slutwear avant-gardeable.

The Summer of Love Fair is ending. I took a last tour and came away with the fatpack of Dernier Cri’s Heather hair and a dress by Plastik that caught my eye because of the gorgeous tattoo. If Portia looks amazing here, it is mainly due to the skin, which was a bargain at Heartsick a few weeks ago. Their skins treat this face right. There’s a little bit of Kate Bush in the pouty mouth, and that’s a win for me, as she was one of my idols when I was a teen.

Credits to creators
eyes: Amato, Mist 01 (freebie)
emotion: Adorkable Poses, Emoter HUD (freebie)
fag: FNKY!, Cigarette II

Fabulous Friday
dress: Surf Couture, Somer Dress-Tomato (50L Friday item)
skin: Cupcakes, Fantasy Copper (old gg)
tie: Fore, Collar+Tie (current gg)
hair: Tiny Bird, Sodom South Georgia Natural Red (former 50L Friday item)
flats: Buttons, The Fashionista Chic Flats
glasses: Duboo, Summer Glasses [Picnic Flower 1] (former 50L Friday item)
bag: Tee*fy, Little Tote-RedRed Circle (gacha, probably first round of Albero event, so it’s gone)
tattoo: Cockles, Je Suis une Fille (dollarbie at main store, which closes soon)

Gloomy Monday
outfit: Sn@tch, Slutwear Finantial (part of the storewide sale this weekend; new releases and bargain pit items not on sale)
skin: Heartsick, Wish / Illusion / Shimmer
hair: Dernier Cri, Heather Smoke (SOL fatpack; ends today)
shoes: Surf Couture, Nantucket Spectators Black
bag: Chuculet, Maya Bag Grey (hella cheap!)
bracelets: Ticky Tacky, Twinkle Bangles (50L Friday bday. party freebie; was still out at 5pm Saturday)
tattoo: Plastik, part of Floratia outfit (SOL exclusive; ends today)

Let’s be aw(ar)esome

Trapped and unable to express oneself: it’s an image of depression. I admit that an arty fashion photo may not be the best way to raise awareness about mental health issues. And yet, in the wake of last year’s earthquake, I became more active on Haiti’s behalf because I respect the work of Radio Signals and was attracted to the benefit sale she organized. If mental health awareness is important to the creators who inspire us, and who are outstanding members of our SL community, then maybe it should be important to all of us. The Summer of Love Fair is, on balance, a highly pleasurable way of learning about mental health issues. And education is the first step to changing our negative attitudes towards people who are coping with mental illness. Depression is not half as depressing when we unite to recognize it, empathize with those who are suffering, and help them to overcome it.

Now, if I could just get Portia out of this box—and find a cure for lag—I could snap up some nice summer clothes along with an education.

Credits to creators
top: Glam Affair, part of Mime Dress (ZombiePopcorn Festival item)
leggings: Tee*fy, Cirque Forest
shoes: Coco, OxfordShoes(Two-Tone)
skin: Glam Affair, Sofia Dark Skin – Dressing Room /2
eyes: Glam Affair, Stella Eyes n4 come with skin
hair: Epoque, London Import II Blacks
glasses: December, Glasses No. 52 (Lucky Board)
pose: Del May, Mime/in a Box

Taking flight

Portia heard that I’m going to Berlin and thinks she’s meeting me there. Awkward.

The really annoying thing? She looks so much cooler than I ever will. Check out the Pleisure Flickr page for a closeup shot of Lamb’s new hair. The detail is delicious.

Pleisure will be back in a couple of weeks.

Credits to creators
jacket: Mimikri, part of Thrill Olive
top: Tres Blah, Romantic Chemise Beige (Tableau Summer Festival)
leggings: Tee*fy, Cirque Lemon (Tic Tac Toe Summer Festival)
hair: Lamb, Sleepyhead Mango (Tableau Summer Festival)
skin: Mango, Mango, Sileny’s 3rd Rezday Gift (subo)
shoes: Kookie, The Dressing Room Icecream City Wedges (TDR item)
transportation: Balloon (freebie at Tic Tac Toe Summer Festival)