2009 Mariko Magic Honor Roll

It’s the year’s end and also the completion of the first year of Mariko Magic: Fashion in Second Life. And I'm very happy with the attention and success that the blog has enjoyed over this year. Mariko Magic is not your typical fashion blog. It's never about what is new in the stores. It’s about the thrill of finding that special outfit that creates magic for us. Grace and Sophistication. Sensual and Sexy. Cute and Whimsical. There are many elements that mix and flow to create fashion magic. It takes a special talent to get it just right. Over the year, Mariko Magic discovered and featured a rare collection of magical fashion designs.  Each post in my blog is a homage to the design and its creator. And, at year's end, I'd like to feature the entire collection once again for another round of applause as the 2009 Mariko Magic Honor Roll.  So, in alphabetical order, allow me to present this year's honor roll:

Click on the pictures to enlarge them for better viewing

     ALB Dream Fashion
     Item: ALB Anna
     Designer: Analee Balut

         Argrace
         Item: Argrace Beanie
         Designer: Rika Owen
         Item: With You (top)
         Designer: Air Winx

              Armidi
              Item: Lima Trenchcoat
              Designer: Juju Armidi

       Baiastice
       Item: New Yippie (top)
       Designer: Sissy Pessoa

             Bijou
             Item: Gig
             Designer: kotobuki jewell

         DrLife Silk Girl
         Item: Skins
         Designer: Leena Ying
 

          INDI Designs
          Item: Rebecca
          Designer: Jamie Holmer
 

        Jador Fashion
           Item: Apala
           Designer: ziamola Loon

Lady Thera's Art & Fashion
Item: Vincent Van Gogh Spring Blossoms
Designer: Thera Taureg
 

Lemania Indigo Designs
Item: Russian Snow Princess
Designer: Lemania Indigo
 

   Madame-Haute Couture
    Item: More or Less
    Designer: Madeliefste Oh
 

     MEB Fashions
      Item: Anette
      Designer: MariaElena Barbosa
 

MEB Fashions
Item: Sorbonne
Designer: MariaElena Barbosa

Prism by Journey
Item: Fierce
Designer: Journey McLaglen

Staged Skin and Fashion
Item: Staged Summer Suit
Designer: Dezi Jarvinen

TRUTH
Item: Tropicana Halter Dress
Designer: Truth Hawks

And  lastly, I want to thank you, the readers of Mariko Magic and its syndicated posts. I write to inform and to entertain and to share with you the magic of fashion in Second Life.  I am looking forward to your readership in Mariko Magic's second year.

Thank you,

Mariko Nightfire

Russian Snow Princess

Russian Snow Princess at Lemania Indigo Designs

I have been wanting to photograph this fabulous creation for some time. The outfit is Russian Snow Princess and was designed by  Lemania Indigo, designer and owner of Lemania Indigo Designs. Lemania is a highly prolific designer, and the main store of Lemania Indigo Designs abounds with gowns, dresses, and outfits influenced by Lemania's love of Classic Hollywood movies. The collection is a unique blend of retro, nostagia, and modern that will appeal to women of style.

Click on the pictures to enlarge them to their original size.

I first saw Russian Snow Princess in a series of photos featuring my friend Annyee Lindman who is a model at Lemania Indigo Designs.  Annyee, modeling the outfit, was breathtakingly lovely in the photos. That was last February, and Russian Snow Princess had been withdrawn to make room for the spring fashions. Happily, the outfit is available once again for this winter season at a price of $560L. With winter scenery coming to many sims, I now had the opportunity to take my own set of photos of Russian Snow Princess.

A snow princess needs lots of pretty snow. As if bowing to the demands of the princess, my dear friend, Jaysun Dagger, created a magical winter wonderland around his island residence. Jaysun has a discerning artistic eye for the beautiful and the sublime. I am  thrilled over how well Russian Snow Princess photographed against Jaysun's gorgeous winter scenes. As always, my photos are marvelously windlight free.

Russian Snow Princess comes with corset, pants, gloves, stockings, footwear, a fur hat and a number of fur pieces, a flowing flexy skirt, and a prim skirt. By enlarging the photos, you can appreciate the exquisite details of this extraordinary creation. And imagine making a beautiful statement strolling the season's winter sims dressed in Russian Snow Princess. There are other looks available with this outfit that are very suitable for indoor wear. By replacing the large flexy skirt with the prim skirt, you can create a look that is elegant and sophisticated. I love dressing down to just the top and pants to create a casual sexy look that is perfect for snuggling against your special someone before a warm fireplace.

I was feeling very Anna Karenina. So I also wanted to photograph Russian Snow Princess in a European city with an appropriate historical ambiance. Jaysun brought me to the perfect backdrop. Second Life is wonderful. It even had falling snow. It is a homage to Bruges, Belgium by the talented SL builder, Painter Meriman. Very picturesque, Bruges is called the Venice of the North. I got the ambiance that I wanted. The period buildings along the recreation of the city's canals made for a great photo session.

I do hope that you enjoyed this long look at Russian Princess. Be sure to explore the extraordinary breadth of fashion magic at Lemania Indigo Designs. At the mainstore, there are very friendly and helpful models displaying the day's specials. The specials are very good deals. And there is always a nice group of devoted customers, self proclaimed SL Divine Divas, at the store. It is a fun place to shop, and I might see you there.

Lemania Indigo Designs Main Store:

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lemania/110/101/22

Painter Designs:

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Ocelot%20Valley/36/146/24

The photos were taken at the residence of Jaysun Dagger and at Painter Designs. I would like to thank Jaysun and Painter Meriman for allowing me to photograph their properties.