Theodora by Lady Thera
Theodora by fashion designer Thera Taureg is a masterpiece - a work of extraordinary skill, an artistic achievement. Whenever, I wear this outfit, I marvel at the ingeniuity and creativity of its triple layer design and how everything just flows together into a graceful whole. Its a strikingly lovely dress, and I'm very excited to have it in my wardrobe. Theodora can be found at Lady Thera's Art and Fashion where it sells for L$990. Theodora was inspired by one of my favorite persons from history - Empress Theodora of Byzantium. She was born 1,510 years ago; but, Theodora is a woman for all ages.
Click on the pictures to enlarge them to their original size for better viewing.
Empress Theodora (c. 500 – 548 AD) was one of the most influential and powerful figures of the Early Middle Ages. She was the empress of the great Byzantine Empire which she jointly ruled with her husband, Emperor Justinian I. Of humble background, she had been an actress and a courtesan prior to her marriage. A delicate beautiful, a delightful wit, and a keen political acumen endeared her to Justinian who appealed against an old Roman law forbidding the marriage of officials to actresses in order to marry her. Justinian considered Theodora his full intellectual partner. The pair took control of the empire following the death of Justinian’s uncle and father by adoption, Emperor Justin I, in 527 AD.
Empress Theodora from a mosaic in Ravenna, Italy
They were a dazzling couple who ushered in the most brilliant period in Byzantine history. It was a renaissance of power, conquest, and culture in the former eastern Roman empire. During their rule, Theodora and Justinian transformed Constantinople, the capital of the empire, into one of the world’s most splendid cities. And among their many monumental public works in Constantinople is the magnificent Hagia Sophia - Church of Holy Wisdom – once the greatest church in Christendom and a grand achievement in Byzantine architecture.
Empress Theodora on the Throne of Byzantium
As joint ruler of the empire, Theodora had a real effect on political decisions within the empire. Most noteworthy, her participation in Justinian's constitutional reforms resulted in an expansion of women’s rights that was unprecedented for the age. Forced prostitution was prohibited, women were granted more rights in divorce cases, mothers given guardianship rights over their children, the death penalty was instituted for rape, the killing of wives accused of adultery was forbidden, and laws were established that allowed women to own and inherit property. Today, we recognize her as an early pioneer and a heroine of the women's rights movement. Theodora died from cancer in 548 AD. She is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Theodora by Lady Thera comes with jacket, blouse, underblouse, underblouse, pants, gloves, and 3 triple flexi skirts - mini, median, long gown - which give you 3 different looks. I am particularly fond of the mini which I have highlighted in the previous pictures of this post.
The long gown is elegantly regal. In this look, the triple layers in the skirt creates a 3-dimensional effect that is truly magical.
The midi skirt gives a very sexy look that is sure to attract attention. It's perfect for parties and a night at the clubs.
The hair that I am wearing is from DrLife and is called Boachai. Boachai was designed by my dear friend Leena Ying, owner of DrLife, and sells for L$350. Boachai comes with 9 colors - red, silverin, platinum, honey, blonde, black, brown, golden brown, dark brown - which you select with a menu.
In real life, I made a memorable trip to Istanbul and explored the magnificent Hagia Sophia and touched the remnants of the great wall of Constantinople. So I am glad that I can bring you this little taste of Byzantium. And consider taking a trip to Lady Thera's Art and Fashion and aspire to the Imperial Throne of the Byzantine Empire.
Lady Thera's Art and Fashion:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sylvhara/98/172/27
Pictures were taken at the Frank Lloyd Wright Virtual Museum, Villa Amorosa, and Kingdom of Sand.
Frank Lloyd Wright Virtual Museum
Villa Amorosa:
Kingdom of Sand:
A marvelous website with fascinating audio lectures on the history of the Byzantine Empire by historian Lars Brownworth.
Other posts for Lady Thera's Art and Fashion:
Lady Thera & Vincent Van Gogh (January 24, 2009)
This post was recently featured in the Facebook page for the movie Little Theodora:
This post was also cited in Mosaicology
these outfits r so cutte and helpful for my dress up day thanx!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAmerican child actress, CHRISTINE MASCOLO, will be portraying Little Theodora in the upcoming 3-hour epic feature, "Theodora, The Movie!" We're featuring your images on her Facebook character page. Great job!
ReplyDeleteAn a practising Orthodox Christian, I find this "Theodora" tribute very disrespectful.
ReplyDeleteI wish to know exactly what you found disrespectful. Was it my selective citing of history? Much of what we know of Theodora comes from the writings of the Byzantine historian Procopius, who was a contemporary of Justinian and Theodora. He painted a very flattering picture of the royal couple in his The Wars of Justinian. It was this picture of Theodora that I drew on for my post. Of course, you may also know that Procopius wrote another book called The Secret History in which there is an entirely different portrait of Theodora, one that is highly salacious and vulgar. I discounted this portrayal as just mean spirited rant drawn from the slanders of the couple’s political enemies; after all, he claimed that Justinian and Theodora were demons whose heads left their bodies each evening to roam the palace. That obviously revealed Procopius’ state of mind at the time.
ReplyDeleteThe history presented in the post was my tribute to Empress Theodora. Perhaps you found the fashion disrespectful. My statement that the fashion was inspired by Theodora is technically a misstatement. Lady Thera is inspired by works of art, and the virtual dress was inspired by the famous mosaic at Ravenna, Italy, not by the person of the historical Theodora. You can recognize the dress as that pictured in the mosaic. The dress is Lady Thera’s tribute to that work of art. Moreover, all three versions of this virtual dress are arguably very modest by our contemporary standards. And so are not in any way disrespectful of the modesty cultivated by Theodora after her conversion to Miaphysite Christianity.
ppl say that you are the most beautiful avatar in SL. They also say that you are smartest woman in SL. Reading that reply i can believe it.
ReplyDelete