One Last Post... For Today Anyways!

As a final nod to ~~Ivalde~~ & -L'Abel- Appreciation Day, I wanted to re-post some images that I originally blogged in December 2007. At that time, my wardrobe was chock full of ~~Embla~~, ~~Ask~~, and ~~Ivalde~~ content. I created a series of collages, showing off all of my "Look Of Ivalde". They are my most viewed images on Flickr, with over 6,500 views each, and if you click the image, you will see the full outfit credits too. Just a small peek at the many faces of ~~Ivalde~~, and the reason I named my blog Second Life Fashion Addict. There are eight collages in total. And they are so popular, they still register up to 20 looks a day on my Flickr stream. Even Linden Labs felt they were able to use them without asking in their e-mail ads pimping out the new XStreet SL acquisition. Enjoy!















~ Ketsy

~~Ivalde~~ & -L'Abel- Appreciation Day - Thank You Bloggers!

I wanted to say thank you to each and every blogger, blog feed site administrator, and blog reader for their participation in ~~Ivalde~~ & -L'Abel- Appreciation Day.






It has been an amazing day, reading through the over 45 posts dedicated to Neferia Abel's work and person, and I know that when Nef gets her internet connection back, and looks at all the love and appreciation, the kind words and memories, she will be overcome with emotion. Nef has always kept a low profile, and seems to almost doubt her own skill in the most charming way, so your words and comments, your collective effort in participating in this meme, will really astonish her.

You can read though the amazing posts, and see all the participants names in the Blog Participants List. The list will continue to grow as I discover other posts on the various feeds, or if I am sent the links. I hope when you stumble across a look you adore, you leave a comment for the blogger in question. Sometimes we have our looks done weeks ahead of time, so preparing for a meme like this in just a few days meant a lot of people working diligently on very short notice.

Thanks again to each and every one of you for making today happen, your efforts are appreciated more then you can imagine.

~ Ketsy

Golden Years [Ivalde/L'Abel Day Post 3/4]

It has been amazing watching Neferia Abel's skill and range grow over the two plus years that I have known her. She has gone from making reproductions, to branching out and making "inspired" looks. She looks at the fashion of a particular era, seems to be able to distill the flavor of that time period down, and then make a look that is not only classic and familiar, but also timeless and unique. This ~~Ivalde~~ Ranka Gold Dress is a perfect example. It has the flavor of the sixties, but is also incredibly trendy and fresh. I adore that Nef includes stocking with so many of her looks, as she does with this look. The details are also spectacular, look closely at the tiny round buttons on the back of the collar, things that she could have easily skipped and would have gone unnoticed, but her inclusion of them just makes the outfit all the more perfect.



I pulled in some adorable ETD boots, and a bag from [gisele] to round out the look. Accessories includes a great Bangle from [Armidi Gisaci] and a ring from (Caroline's). Hair is by TRUTH, with skin by -AnaLu-. I just think this look is perfection, great for any party occasion, or a day of shopping in the city.

This look makes me smile, largely because it makes me see Nef's talents in a new way. These are truly her golden years, she is now producing on a whole new creative level. She has gone beyond mere reproductions and has become an entirely different sort of content creator, creating what is new and innovative, catering to her customer base, and making herself happy in the process. Nef has always struck me as a wonder woman of sorts. She is a mother of six, a devoted wife to her amazing husband Brumm, her RL work has been in a caring and often selfless vocation, and she is unfailingly generous with her time and talents. I have seen so many pictures of her family, including her dog, that I have lost count. I have spoken to her about the pressures of owning a SIM and managing a SL business, and we have shared our love stories. We live in entirely opposite time zones, so we rarely got a chance to get together, but when we did catch each other, our conversations would go on for upwards of an hour, and cover all manner of topics, always ending with hugs and kisses and "I love you". She calls me her "Ketzmin", and she is my Nefmin, my dear Nef.

Shopping Details:
Dress - ~~Ivalde~~, Ranka Gold Dress
Shoes - ETD, Kristin Booties (Natural)
Bag - [gisele], bag/maman ecru (front)
Bangle - [Armidi Gisaci], (Left) Healing Giraffe Bangle - Brown
Ring - (Caroline's), Natural Gold Bead Ring
Hair - TRUTH, Linda - Black & Whites (Night)
Skin - -AnaLu-, *InRainbows* NAT13 .brownish.
Lashes - MMS (Now LeLutka), Thora Lashes
Eye - Miriel, Standard Eyes - Sunlit Tree

If You Want To Be Happy For The Rest Of Your Life... [Ivalde/L'Abel Day Post 2/4]

What is ~~Ivalde~~ the brand best known for? Capturing Vintage and Retro looks and making them appealing, fun, and oh so feminine. I knew I wanted to blog at least one of my hundreds of ~~Ivalde~~ retro looks today, and so I decided that the one that best captured Neferia's attention to detail was the Kassandra Blue Dress. It includes the adorable rubber gloves and the apron. This dress makes me smile for so many reasons, not all entirely innocent. I wore it to a "Dysfunctional Family Dinner" event at PIN UPS, I wore the blue dress alone for a date night on Retrology with Draco, and I did one of my first Photo Shoots for my own pleasure with this look, doing a "50s' Demo Kitchen" look. That was before I even started blogging. I even wore just the apron and gloves with heels to make some very sexy pictures for Draco's birthday that year.



I love Nef's attention to detail, going so far as to make colour and fabric choices that suit the era of the design, combining both hand painted and photo-sourced elements seamlessly, and always making it almost impossible to choose any outfit in just ONE colour. I decided to go Stepford Wife and added in this fabulous feather duster from BLONDE, stockings from 1-800-Bettie's, and shoes from Maitreya. Jewelry includes the perfect pearl necklace from Decollage, and opal earrings from (Yummy). Skin is from Celestial Studios and hair is from Retro-rific Ingenue.

So, as the Jimmy Soul song says "If you want to be happy for the rest of your life, never make a pretty woman your wife, Go for my personal point of view
Get an ugly girl to marry you". Well, I think there are going to be a lot of unhappy husbands, because any woman wearing ~~Ivalde~~ is simply beautiful. Thanks Nef, for making my retro dreams come true.

Shopping Details:
Dress - ~~Ivalde~~, Kassandra Blue Dress [Includes Apron & Gloves]
Stockings - 1-800-Bettie's, Stocking By Bettie's (Taupe)
Shoes - Maitreya, Antie's Enchants (Black)
Necklace - Decollage, Bubblegum Pearls [Tintable]
Earrings - (Yummy), Opal Studs [from Opals & Pearls Set]
Duster - BLONDE, Feather Duster [Spring Launch Preview Gift]
Hair - Ingenue, Lamour (Blue Black)
Skin - Celestial Studios, Charmed Skin (Tone 20, Blue-Sea)
Eyes - Miriel, Hazel Eyes (Big)
Lashes - MMS (Now LeLutka), Thora Lashes

Love At First Sight [Ivalde/L'Abel Day Post 1/4]

When trying to decide how to tell my story of my love for Neferia Abel and her work, I decided I needed to start at the beginning, with the very first gown I purchased. According to my inventory, I purchased this in March of 2007, and I must say I had never seen anything like ~~Ivalde~~ when I first set eyes on the shop.

I was busy working at PIN UPS nightclub, then only two months in business, and we were looking for vendors for the upper gallery of the club. As always seems to be the case, it was my sister Anessa who grabbed me the moment I logged that day saying, "You have to come here and see this store, OMG you won't believe these clothes, all vintage!". I jumped on her TP and discovered myself in the midst of a large wooden shop, with huge panels covered in vendors, on a Norweigan SIM with a fishing village outside the door. I think the next twenty minutes were a blur, as I purchased at least ten outfits that day. But I remember my first, as most women do, and it is still so very special to me. This is the Janette Orchid Dress by then brand ~~Embla~~.



Within the week, Anessa had managed to get Nef to take a spot in our club, and so began a love affair that involved a lot of me shopping while DJing as my tips rolled in (I kid you not). When I really first met and spoke to Neferia, there was a joy and mutual respect instantly, a common love of fashion and things from the past. She is a most astonishing woman, and I have said to her more then once, "Do you sleep?". This dress holds a particularly special place in my heart, as I wore it on one of my first dates with Draco, when we went to Phat Cats and danced the night away, this is also the exact Celestial Studios skin and ETD hair that I wore that night. The Lya shoes and the stunning *KessKreations* jewelry are new, but looks perfect with this dress. A girl never forgets her first true love.

Shopping Details:
Gown - ~~Embla~~ (Now IVALDE), Janette Orchid Dress [Purchased March 2007]
Shoes - Lya, Nichelle Pumps (Pearl)
Jewelry Set - *KessKreations*, AnnMarie White Pearl Jewelry Set
Hair - ETD, Couture Collection, The Unique (Maroon)
Skin - Celestial Studios, Charmed Line (Tone 20, Earth 4)
Lashes - MMS (Now LeLutka), Thora Lashes
Eyes - Miriel, Standard Eyes - Sunlit Tree

Kind & Generous

I wanted to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude to Callie Cline for spear-heading the "Blogger Appreciation Week" of the past week. I also wanted to thank those who helped to organize the events, and gift distribution within the Fashion Bloggers group, you know who you are and you are all angels.



The designers that sent gifts, or even expressed their gratitude to those of us who blog with their kind words, your creativity is what drives my passion, and that's why I say, "I would be naked without you". This includes the often uncredited pose and animation designers as well, for you are just as vital. Fashion is one of my many loves in-world, and blogging is always something I have done primarily for my own amusement. It is my pleasure to display your creations and discuss the details that I appreciate in your work. So once again, thank you for giving me the access to materials that make my hobby possible. I love to shop, and I love to share, and blogging is a way for me to do both, capture my evolving style, and the evolving face of fashion in Second Life.

To my fellow bloggers, I also have thanks. You make me want to be a better, more consistent, and more professional blogger. Together, we are a community, perhaps codependent and dysfunctional at times, but we are like a family in that way. We all do it our own way, and have our own stamp that makes our work unique, yet we share a common love when you strip away all the rest of the politics and drama. So thank you for making what I do part of something bigger and more sustaining.

~ Ketsy

Under My Skin...

No Fashion Today, Just An Opportunity for Fellow Bloggers and Content Creators to Open up a Dialogue about Review Blogging and The Responsibilities That Come With It.



I am not a review blogger, I have said it before, and I think I need to reiterate that before I start this discussion. I do not solicit review copies, although I do graciously accept them, because with my tight schedule, I know I am bound to miss a lot of wonderful items out there on the GRID. I do not guarantee I will even have the time to look at what I receive, and as someone who does a "Look Of The Day" blog, for the most part, I only really have time to do one outfit a day. I do not just throw on folders of clothes and snap away, I take time to put an outfit together, choosing the hair, skin, eyes, lashes, accessories, and I do it with great care. So while I receive many wonderful things, I can only put one look per day on my blog, and that is no slight to anyones review copies, it is just that I cannot manage more then that and keep up with a post per day goal for myself.

My Question Is:
Is the responsibility of independent bloggers to investigate review copies of items that they have received to ensure that they are not contributing to, or supporting, content theft?

I am sure that we can all agree that content theft is absolutely irreproachable. It is unacceptable, and it hurts us all. Similarly, I think we would all agree that proven questionable content should garner no support on the feeds, and even if we have cherished and supported that fraudulent content unknowingly, we should refrain from showcasing it further. But is it the responsibility of the Blogger or the Content Creator to get the word out when a DMCA is about to be filed?

I cannot possibly be aware of all the DMCA actions going on in-world, and I am certain there are hundreds if not thousands of cases under review. But how can we know what is safe to blog, and what is not. Is there some data-base I am un-aware of where pending disputes are listed so I can stay away from those items until resolutions are found?

As bloggers, must we go back and delete all the posts that have included the objectionable items, do we edit our blogs? Do we post a statement to let others know our stance on the situation? Do we act before a resolution is reached, and what happens if we all act after hearing only one side of the story, or do we wait for statements from both parties involved in the DMCA.

Why do some content creators opt not to file DMCA Cases if they are certain they are being victimized? Is it ignorance of the process? The Hassle of the Forms? And if you don't file a DMCA, is it still OK to make statements against another party in a public forum?

Why do some content creators choose to go public with these issues, while others don't ever bring their cases to light? I am really interested to hear from content creators who have or have not chosen to go public.

PLEASE COMMENT! You can respond anonymously of course, and all comments will be published. Is there a way we as a community can come to some agreement about how we should deal with this issue that can prevent hurt feelings and regrets?

~ Ketsy