An Appreciation for the Classics

Today, I fell quite in love with Sand Shack Surf Co's new skins. While I hadn't been too sure if I liked how they looked on some others I'd seen wearing them, the moment the demo rezzed on me, I was sold. In my middle-years of Second Life, I almost exclusively wore Antonia Marat's handdrawn Lily skins from Artilleri. No other skin would tempt me, those were MY skins, I adored them. Until of course, some other skin did tempt me, and I fell into the deep pit of being a skin whore, and when I finally went back to my Lily skins, they seemed so blank and cartoonish to me, and they were guiltily forgotten. When I tried on Emma Gilmour's new skinline, it felt like coming home, and I instantly snapped up every makeup. I just looked so pretty, and innocent, and so *Niv*, the Niv I remembered from a time when buying skins and hair and clothes and shoes and everything was a major event, and I'd scrimp and save and laugh and play and all those other happy cliches from my salad days. After all, I can't do sexy. I'm cute. Cute cute cute! Completely reawakened my love for handdrawn skins. And handily happened to tie in with my thoughts of yesterday.

Those thoughts were: "Quality never goes out of style". I was going throgh one of my larger inventory folders earlier, in the naive hope of organizing it some, and I kept coming across all these designers who you never hear anything of anymore. Like, for years. And a quick check confirmed that most of them were still around, or at least still had stores open in SL, even if not active anymore, and their stuff is still SO GOOD, however old it might be. So my looks today are composed of (with maybe one? exception, aside from my lovely new skins) things that have been lying around in my inventory for years, and still rock. And I'm pretty sure are still available (I've tried to steer clear of some of my obvious favourites that are very much no longer around, such as Last Call and Savvy?).

My first look (above) is comprised of capris from Celestial Studios, which is one of my biggest cases of "Appreciation for the Classics", I still wear their skins alllllthetime, even though they were the skin of choice when I started SL, and seldom heard of now. My top is from a dress from Versteck, a store which I own pretty much all of, but didn't even realize was still around until I saw a post on Ana Lutetia's blog about some of their new releases. The cardigan is from Icing's Robot Love dress, which isn't that old and I believe was a hunt item, but gosh I adore it so, and the sandals are Fashionably Dead, long a beautiful handdrawn mainstay of my inventory, which I don't feel gets quite as much press as it should. And the hair is by Maitreya, from back in the days when they weren't so ubiquitous as hairmakers.

Secondly, a dress from a store long long inactive, but I was delighted to discover still has a location open. Argyle is a store I discovered in late 2007, about a week before the designer seemingly vanished from the face of the grid. Initially I loved Argyle for it's myriad vintagey gloves, scarves, and a neat-o suitcase with versions you could carry or sit on, what reminded me of them though was finding this dress, simple, unexpectedly elegant and a bit quirky, with exquisite texturing, like the whole store. The shoes are Jeepers Creepers' Lace Up Betties, a version of the first *good* shoes I ever bought in SL, and despite predating scupties, they continue to be a testement to how much things that were great back when they first came out can still be wonderful and current and stand up to all of today's shiny new awesomeness. And the hair, oh, the hair. I remember a time when this was one of perhaps three hairstyles I owned in Second Life, and Gurl 6 was the only hair store for me. Although today her textures may seem a little dated, my Gurl 6 folder still contains some of the most original, vibrant and versatile styles I own.

Finally, an outfit from a store that's very much still around, still active, but doesn't recieve nearly as much press as it used to. Nyte N Day used to be one of those stores all my friends used to obsess over, and now is all-but forgotten. And that's a pity, because their textures are beautiful, their prices good, and especially for basics, and components for mixing up your own outfits, they really are flawless. My shoes are Aphrodite Creations' Vintish, AC having been a massive staple of my shoe folder in times past, and are yummy. Gurl 6 for the hair again, another old favourite of mine, pleasantly informal and hippy-ish, with delighful curlybits at the ends.

A dive into your inventory can produce some great forgotten treasures, for those days when you're feeling a bit nostalgic, or just for awesomeness with the classics. Like the kind I have.

Credits:

Pic 1-

Skin: Surf Couture - Sun Care - Zinc Oxide - Gone Surfin'
Hair: Maitreya - Rae - Red
Shirt: Versteck - from Pipette dress
Cardigan: Icing - from Robot Love
Pants: Celestial Studios - Lulu Faded Cuffed Capris
Sandals: Fashionably Dead - Strappy Sandals - Black
Manicure: Celestial Studios - Deviant Nation - Black and Red Duo
Pedicure: Frick - Dark Red
Eyes: Miriel - Marine (standard) [in all pics]
Lashes: Sin Skins - Tipped Fluff Lashes [in all pics]

Pic 2-

Skin: Surf Couture - Sun Care - Zinc Oxide - Italian Ice
Hair: Gurl 6 - Softly - Strawberry
Dress and gloves: Argyle - Pete Plaid Party Dress - Grey
Shoes: Jeepers Creepers - Laced-Up Betty
Choker: Caroline's Jewelry - Kitten Cameo

Pic 3-

Skin: Surf Couture - Sun Care - Zinc Oxide - Flip Flops
Hair: Gurl 6 - Hard Candy - Strawberry
Outfit: Nyte n Day - Seraph Black
Shoes: Aphrodite Creations - Vintish - Black

Pose Credits:
Pic 1 - [LAP] (from the Simmer Down set but I forgot to make a note :(]
Pic 2 - [LAP] Cat's Meow - Starlet; Got the Time
Pic 3 - [LAP] Chubby set - C-Barbie1a; C-Barbie10