Style
second Issue #40
The best of Second Life clothing, hair, skins, accessories and more
A COLD DAY
IN HELL
Style Icon
Trace Osterham
YOUNG MORTICIA
Momento Mori
contents
issue 40
Main Features Fresh Faces 8
14 A Cold Day in Hell by James Schwarz
Fashion Furnishings 10 Editor’s Pick 23 Costumes 30 The Look 32 The Devil’s Labyrinth 44 To Top it Off | Zombie Couture 52
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64 Style Icon: Trace Osterham by Sophia Harlow 76 Momento Mori
by Elysium Eilde
76 Young Morticia
by James Schwarz
editor’s note The best of Second Life clothing, hair, skins, accessories, and more
Issue #40 Publisher, Editor-in-Chief Senior Layout Designer HeatherDawn Cohen Managing Editor Advertising Director Felicity Blumenthal Senior Staff Writers James Schwarz Gabby Panacek Tenshi Vielle Staff Writers Rylan Carling Elysium Eilde Jennaa Loire Alicia Chenaux Sophia Harlow Fayne Khandr Founder Josie Hamilton
http://www.secondstyle.com
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October in Second Life is one of my personal favorite times of year. Actually, scratch that, it is my favorite time of year in either SL or RL. Second Style Magazine has a great tradition of producing a fun filled Halloween issue each year to celebrate, and I hope we’ve not let you down yet… This issue James Schwarz has created a very eerie spread, and in addition to that, given us a look at one of the more fashionable Adams family members. Jennaa Lorie has dug around and come up with just the right way to decorate for this festive time of year, without over doing it. I’ve worked out a quick go to costume guide in addition to my regular accessories piece, and Tenshi Vielle found you a great place to explore and get yourself in the Halloween mood. Meanwhile Rylan Carling has taken a departure from her usual self, and will scare the pants off you with her Look for the month. Fayne Khandr introduces us to auTre, and we have an amazing interview this month with Sophia Harlow’s Style Icon – Trace Osterham. Keeping up with our Halloween theme, Elysium Eilde has treated us to a spread full of fright! Finally Gabby Panacek shows the Zombie ladies how to add some couture to their night of flesh eating. Don’t miss next months issue where we take some time out to give thanks!
~Felicity
Fresh Faces | auTre by Fayne Khandr Bribery in the form of twizzlers and cherry poptarts will be accepted. Welcome to the quirky world of Aurora Tremont and auTre. Very new to the grid, auTre has been running for about two months - Aurora confesses she’s not good with dates, but reaching into the distant (three months) past, she recalls her first creations in Second Life. “I had been working with friends at a modelling group and could not believe some of the ridiculous ensembles the models were wearing to runway practices. All the prims and scripts were creating so much unwanted lag so I decided to make them primless uniforms. After that I made a series of girly horror tees and then a pack of leggings.” It’s hard not to notice Aurora’s passion for fashion when she talks. “I love fashion. Always have. When I was little, I was a dress up princess - I didn’t just ‘play’ dress up though, I put on themed fashion shows for the whole family! I was too small to sew so I would cut off sleeves from one dress and staple them to another, creating a personal look!” She grins and tells me more about her first real life creation, her junior year homecoming dress made when she couldn’t find what she wanted on the high street. Coming quite a way from her humble beginnings sans needle and thread, Aurora recently graduated from the Art Institute of Chicago and is now attending grad school in Michigan. “It seems that SL fashion was just waiting for me. Here I’m allowed to be as creative as I want. I can simply design something and have it ready in a day rather then go through the sewing process. SL fashion fits my impatient personality!” Describing the current collection as a mixture of vintage inspired and boho chic, I’d agree with Aurora’s comments that her style is constantly evolving and in the short time I’ve been watching auTre I’ve seen some inspired pieces produced 8 | Second Style Magazine
with the quality constantly improving. The boutique is full of colourful pieces, mostly dresses although you’ll find some hats and separates too. Textures are a mixture of hand drawn and photosourced pieces, so whatever your preference you’ll likely find a few things that draw your eye. Pulling inspiration from every real life source she can find, Aurora seems to revel in the possibilities of design, taking an idea from something seen and restructuring, snipping and rethinking again until she creates something to her liking. “When I was new I kinda wondered from shop to shop and I was continuously disappointed because I could not find a shop that represented ME. I was overwhelmed with gowns and ittybitty jeans. Since then I’ve found some great shops that embody the trends and fashion of today’s youth and I’m just honoured to be counted as one of them.” Her own brand aside, Aurora shows a keen interest in the virtual fashion scene and speaks highly of her fellow creators. “I have met some designers that have inspired me beyond anything I could imagine. I have noticed that very unique designers tend to get lost here, small yet incredible shops that cannot afford to plug themselves in every available advertising slot and end up having to close. I’d really encourage people to seek out those unique creative designers because they do exist. Visit House of Fox, Lurani, Chapeau Tres Mignon, Maven Haus, Tres Blah, Teefy.... if only I could remember them all! There are so many great designers.” What can we expect from auTre in the future? “Evolution.” Aurora says. “I’m still a very new shop and I hope to evolve. I’d like to be able to keep pumping out designs, keep my prices low, and stay one step ahead.”
In brief: If I weren’t talking to you right now I’d be: working on a design. My personal style is: edgy with a splash of colour. Where do you hang out?: Maritima Mall. My favourite SL Fashionboi Landar.
Designer
is:
A phrase I use too often is: OMG and WTF. I’m good at: gettin’ pretty. I’m not so good at: networking. If I had no fear, I’d: eat cupcakes all day My most treasured virtual possession is: my LMK studded pumps. The nicest compliment I ever received was: Louise McWinnie blogging my stuff and comparing it to the BoHo styles of Sienna Miller and Kate Moss :) It made my day.
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Fashionable Furnishings | Halloween by Jennaa Liore
Haunted House: mainit Hellman & Veerus Tigerpaw. (Baustein &ExperiMENTAL Studios), Trees: vitrail Illios. (New Trails), Pumpkins: vitrail Illios. (New Trails), Crow: Pielady Smalls. (! Sprout ), Gravestones: Damien Fate. (TenFifteen ), Rain: Damanios Thetan. ( Damania), Fog: Dimitrio Lewis. ( ♦ DL ), Weather Vane: Elgyfu Wishbring. (Elgyfu’s Emporium), Grass: Alir Flow. (*aG*), Tree Stump: vitrail Illios. (New Trails)
Halloween is a time of the year when the spiritual and material worlds touch for a moment and a greater potential exists for magical creation. It has been considered for centuries as one of the most magical nights of the year; a night of power. Powerful, extraordinary and sensational décor is therefore the essential pre-requisite for the occasion. Halloween décor is derived from many sources including national customs, works of gothic and horror literature, and classic horror films such as Dracula and Night of the Living Dead. Elements of the Autumn season like pumpkins, corn husks and scarecrows are also prevalent. Colors of black and orange combined with themes of death and evil, and magic and mythology, all create what is recognized as the modern celebration of this historical day. The old beliefs associated with Halloween never die out entirely, and the way in which people decorate for the occasion, is a reflection of these beliefs. The powerful symbolism of the traveling dead is prevalent with imagery of crows, black cats and glowing candles. Images of crosses, gravestones, scarecrows and witches broomstick are all décor items that compliment the occasion. 10 | Second Style Magazine
Many believe that on the eve of Hallows Day, the normal laws of space and time were held in abeyance, allowing a special window where the spirit world could intermingle with the living. It was a night when the dead could cross the veils and return to the land of the living to celebrate with their family, or clan. Burning candles, bonfires, and jack-o-lanterns are all symbols of guiding lost souls, while evil costumes and ornaments were worn to ward off harmful spirits. However you celebrate Halloween and whatever your beliefs, decorating your home for the season is a fun and spirited occasion.
Dining Table: Colleen Desmoulins. (The Loft), Dinging Chairs: Colleen Desmoulins. (The Loft), Curtains: Atami Merlin. (Xstreet), Wine Bottle & Glasses: Yelo Uriza. (ARIA), Place Settings: Colleen Desmoulins. (The Loft), Chandelier: Minke Bailey. (MB), Candle, Skull, Pumpkin & Rat on floor: Minke Bailey. (MB), Art On Wall: Rouge Darcy. (!* REBEL), Pumpkins: vitrail Illios. (New Trails), Candles: Dendre Benelli. (Dendre’s sculpties), Broom: Damien Fate. (TenFifteen ), Potted Plants: Winter Thorn. (What Next), Bench: Colleen Desmoulins (The Loft), Rug: Vasanti Romano. (OneDom), Taken In: Vasanti Romano. (VRD)
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Fashionable Furnishings | Halloween
Trees: Kriss Lehmann. (Botanical), Pumpkins At Back: Callie Cline. ( pOsH fArmS ), Lights: Kriss Lehmann. (Botanical), Sunbeam: Yuki Aabye. (*rez*), Wheelbarrow: Minke Bailey. (MB), Cat: seu Ahn. ( Shop Seu), Plant at front: seu Ahn. ( Shop Seu), Stool: Minke Bailey. (MB), Ground Prims: vitrail Illios. (New Trails)
Trees: tetuma Kawashima. (napoliy), Barn: Turnip Sorbet.(Turnip’s), Hay In Barn: Turnip Sorbet. (Turnip’s), Shelf With Garden Items: Minke Bailey. (MB), Cat: seu Ahn. ( Shop Seu), Pumpkin Carving Table: Sway Dench. (Sway’s), Scarecrow: Soulkeeper Dreadlow. Soulless Productions), Moonbeam: Kriss Lehmann. (Botanical), Grass: Alir Flow. (*aG*)
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Style Icon Trace Osterham by Sophia Harlow
Photography by Trace Osterham
When I asked Trace to be our latest Style Icon, he was more than a bit shocked. He protested that he didn’t think he was a fashion icon. I love a modest man. A modest and talented man? Swoon. Trace Osterham is both of these things…and that is just the beginning to what he is about. If I wasn’t taken, I would be knocking on his pixel door. Something tells me that he would turn me down so politely that I would not realize it for a few days. Sigh. I will have to be satisfied by reading the following interview about the man responsible for bringing such huge impacting projects such as NOH8 and TwoThreeSixFive to Second Life.
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Style Icon | Trace Osterham < continued from page 25
SH: Tell me about yourself in 50 words or less. TO: Describing myself in however many words is always a terrible situation, because I’ll look back at it in two or three months and be embarrassed at myself for writing what I did. That being said, I’m an extrospective, absurd person who thrives on creative ventures.
der Trace was an a-ha moment for me, where everything came together and I realized I simply enjoyed creating.
SH: What is your proudest accomplishment in SL?
Design-wise, there really isn’t a single genre I haven’t at least tried. Although some ventures like skin making only resulted in a massively increased respect for designers who excel at it. I recently stepped into prefabs and will possibly be touching hair in the future, but furniture and decor are definitely where my heart is.
TO: Bringing the NOH8 Campaign into SL is one of the projects I’m proud of. I photographed 300 avatars in the span of a week or so, setting up a website and gallery to raise awareness for Proposition 8 and the damage it was causing. Human rights and equality are issues very close to my heart, and it has been very humbling to see it snowball into a large community effort in the past year.
SH: Your blog project is pretty amazing, I did one a few months back and I am guilty of not really opening up on mine. I know, shame on me. Some of them are so raw though, they stay with you long after you log out. I know since the project is your baby, you cannot pick one favorite…so pick three. Go ahead…whisper it in my ear…I won’t tell anyone.
On a less community-impacting level, I currently run a blog called TwoThreeSixFive that brings together 365 articles from different residents across the grid, one story per day. It started out as an effort to break down the social barriers that our virtual world creates, where everybody lives their own life on the hundreds of sims across the grid. By highlighting a different resident each day and having them share how their dual lives impact each other, I hoped that readers would find articles that resonate with them and voices that were similar to their own. So far we’ve had countless wonderful stories from talented writers to people who simply wanted to share a thought, and more raw stories from the heart than I could have imagined.
TO: This is such an unfair question, because there are nearly 200 well-written, fantastic articles to choose from. Really, I could never narrow it down to three. I do have a story that really changed my views on the blog, though.
No matter what project I take on, I’m fortunate to have very supportive friends that back me up and participate without hesitation. I think I’m more proud of them and what ‘we’ have accomplished, as opposed to my accomplishments. SH: Your store {theosophy} is this very cool mix of awesome furniture, accessories….shoes…and I feel like you aren’t stopping there. Care to share what your goals are? TO: Thank you! While furniture will continue to be the main focus of my brand, I’d definitely like to branch out into different areas. I’ve forayed into hair making in the past, and it’s something that I will be practicing for {theosophy} soon. I have some perfectionistic elements that won’t let me release a product until I’m completely comfortable with the end result. The recent Port Eynon Skybox got some great feedback, so I will probably be tinkering with builds as well. SH: What made you start designing? Are there any other avenues you may want to explore? TO: I picked up designing around 2 months into SL, after escaping the clutches of the neko stripper community. My first creation was some sort of mutant abomination feathered thong-skirt. And it really did look as horrifying as it sounds. I stumbled along the clothes making route for a while under a different avatar, before deciding that it really wasn’t my niche. Opening the furniture store un26 | Second Style Magazine
One of the repeating elements throughout the project has been the subject of death, and one of the articles that really stuck with me was Heather Connolly’s. Two Three Six Five happens every day in real time, as the concept is to interact with people’s lives. I wasn’t, however, expecting an email from sent from her phone that said her grandmother had passed away on the very day she had chosen to write about the three-year anniversary of the author being pregnant. The term ‘circle of life’ may be a bit callous to describe a personal tragedy that I can only comment on as an outsider, but it wasn’t until that article that the gravity of people opening their lives for us to peer into really struck me. The project is alive, brimming with thoughts and emotions, experiences and voices. I don’t think it would be an understatement to say that each one of these articles puts a face to the cold, technological grid of Second Life. SH: Please tell me you live in this amazingly decorated home in SL. If you are like most designers and live on a plain platform…I may cry. TO: Shucks, I’ve never made a girl cry before! My ‘luxury mansion’ consists of two 20x40 white platforms stacked on top of one another, one for building/importing and the other for a prim-hogging array of pose stands. As much as I love to create trinkets for the home, I’m not a huge fan of putting it all together– I’d much rather admire someone else’s handiwork in that field. It’s gotten to a point where my generous neighbor had to come put down trees on my bare plot since I rarely, if ever, set foot on the ground. When I was still new, I lived on a tiny plot next to a ‘NEW YORK MODEL’ named Jezebel who owned a gargantuan two-garage house and fancy sports cars. Of course she never said hello to a humble noob like myself, and I silently vowed to one day live in a fancier house than she did. Therefore at one point in my SLife, I resided in a pristine poolside beach house with a spa, kitchen and studio, but those days are far behind me. Continued on page 29 >
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Style Icon | Trace Osterham < continued from page 26
Also, I definitely lied about the ‘making a girl cry’ thing, because I got into a hair-pulling match when I was 7 or 8. In my defense, she was a sniveling brat. SH: What would be your perfect SL day? TO: I log in to find that both Windlight skies and shadows are magically working on my 3-year-old Macbook! Throw in a solid men’s shoe release, preferably boots, and I’ll be quite content. Really though, any sort of day that ends with late night debauchery and laughter with friends is a perfect day. The characters I hang out with never fail to make me smile. SH: How similiar is Trace to the man behind the computer? TO: In Second Life, Trace consists of antlers, thickrimmed black glasses, and scarves. I suppose scarves are the only thing that really cross over into real life. Anybody who knows me will make fun of my wearing a scarf in 95 degree weather or actually owning ‘summer scarves’. In fact, my whole style is definitely comparable in both worlds; accessories that border on statement pieces, fitted trousers, and a love for cardigans. Trace the avatar isn’t the scrawny half-Japanese kid I am in real life, but I like to think he mirrors a great deal of my personality and taste. SH: Since this is for the Halloween issue, I have to ask… trick or treat? TO: There’s something about a great practical joke that has me giggling all the way from conception to execution. While I don’t plan gigantic city-fooling escapades like Improv Everywhere does, I do confess to having a tube of theatrical blood in bag at all times. Because really, who *doesn’t* need a little dramatic bleeding in everyday social situations? The jokes extend into my screen. Last April Fool’s Day, I redecorated my Plurk timeline to that of a 54-year-old trucker from Kentucky which led to a few confused people removing me, and I should reveal that I have a 2008-born alt who is a charming and lovely middle-aged Christian housewife from Wisconsin. There’s a whole lot of fun to be had with a buck-toothed, Anakin Skywalker-haired lady that wears ankle support sneakers. Don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it. But of course, I won’t turn down anybody who offers me a bag of original Haribo gummy bears.
significantly improved if everybody lived by a set of aesthetic standards. SH: I am a firm believer in that we all have a life song… sometimes it is just one…sometimes it is a soundtrack. What is yours? TO: Oh, this is a tough one. Mostly because I cycle through ‘favorite’ albums weekly, so I’m never really stuck on one artist or song. As cliché as it may be, ‘No Day But Today’ from RENT has been a long-time favorite of mine. Sure, the concept of living each day as your last is something that’s been smeared across motivational posters for decades now, but it’s always a relevant and powerful mantra in my life. Sappy lyrics and life goals aside, my two current favorite albums constantly playing in my iPod are ‘Saved’ by Tinashé, and ‘Connect The Dots’ by Rabbit!. I’m sure they’ll be replaced with equally mesmerizing albums by next week. SH: Put one of your creations in everyone’s inventory… what would it be and why? TO: I’m certain this will change as soon as I release more things, but right now it would be the Port Eynon Skybox, my most recent creation. I’d been getting a lot of requests for a prefab in the style of my store builds, and once I started building everything came together– while I usually don’t use my own creations, it’s a skybox I would live in. SH: Do you kiss on the first date? TO: Contrary to popular belief, I’m an old-fashioned gentleman when it comes to dating. I can say without a doubt that there has only been one incident of kissing of the first date, and it led to all sorts of tragic happenings that I probably shouldn’t repeat in a public forum lest my former date happens across it. SH: Come on, it isn’t just me right? You now have a wee bit crush on him too? Who can resist that much charm… topped with a seasonally correct scarf. Trace, thank you so very much for taking the time to answer all my questions and letting us get to know you a bit more. I know I can speak for many of us when I say…I can’t wait to see what you come up with next.
SH: Let’s say you are given the ability to change one thing in SL for everyone…what would it be? TO: I would like to banish all tackiness from the grid. I’m not talking about kitschy decor or plaid bowties. I’m talking about any sort of bling, subtle or not. Any shoes with clicking sounds should be burned. Shoes that are only on the system shoe layer would magically disappear from inventories. Any non-metal objects with ‘Shine’ set to high, or everyday objects with over 0.5 glow must immediately be derendered. Second Life’s image could be Continued on page 29 > Second Style Magazine | 29
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THE LOOK | Zombie! by Rylan Carling The best time of year is upon us! Not only is the weather optimal for great clothing choices, but Halloween is here. The fun of SL is that you can dress up any time, for any reason, but Halloween can be even more exciting with so many choices. For this issue I wrapped myself up in a mummy outfit, one I found on xstreet from Angels and Demons: https://www. xstreetsl.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&file=item&ItemID=1805634 Happy Hauntings! 32 | Second Style Magazine
The Mummy Look: Bandaged mummy skin Pin Hair Long nails Stapled scars Pale eyes and prim eyes. Second Style Magazine | 33
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The Devil’s Labyrinth The Devil’s Labyrinth, located in the MadPea sim and created by MadPea games (website www.madpeagames.com), is a perfect destination for Halloween. The Labyrinth is a role-playing game of sorts, complete with interactive HUD and avatar proximity response. You have to wear the HUD in order to correctly interact with the sim. The Devil’s Labyrinth opens to you with a pentagram after you’ve grabbed your HUD for $25L from the book outside. You are told that no weapons from outside the
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game will work inside the sim itself, only weapons picked up inside will work correctly. After choosing your path (newbies can really only enter one way, through Path 1) you will find yourself in the bowels of the sim, wandering around and clicking various objects in the darkened rooms. Some will give you simple “You cannot interact with this object”, others will give you hints as to how to interact with them, or a similar object. Some will even flat out kill you instantly. It’s a perfect dark and scary place to explore this Halloween, provided the Lag Monster doesn’t get you first.
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Zombie Bride Ghost White Blood Juxtapose Posy Pose Djinn & Tonic Potter’s Field The Hired Gun Boot Sigma Jewels Siren Earring Laqroki Volcano A&A Fresh Corpse Skin Gracies Bridal Veil Canimal Boneyard Voodoo Tiara Paper Couture Times Square Diamond Ring Zombie Burlesque Shai Mein Herr Choker Gos Burlesque Boot Blopop Seamed Fishnet Tights Djinn & Tonic Hot ticket Zombie Eyes - Nocturnal Threads Nomine Zombie Stage 2 Skin JPB Diamonds Party W&Y Agata Model 5 Couverture Vaudevillian Hat
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Zombie Ball House of Fox Tres’or Rosery Fashionably Dead Eyepop Lamb Soma Shai Kimora Evening Gown LaGayo Battle Bracelet and Shield Rings Nomine Zombie Stage 1 Skin
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