It’s not about the model, it’s about the designer’s clothing that they are wearing.

It’s not about the agency for which the model works, it’s about the jewelry maker’s jewels that adorns the model at a public event or in a magazine print ad.

Any model or agency who says otherwise, really doesn’t get it and wont be able to affect a designer’s bottom line in a positive way.  Lets face it folks, modeling is not a form of art, it is a business.

While it can be argued that the designer’s job is artistic, the same does not hold true for a model.  A model is a person who works hard to look good so that they can make wearable products look good and thus get sold.  Her job is to take care of herself, be healthy, be the right body type needed for a product, and otherwise keep herself in top condition.  His job is also to know how to work with people, how to work well with others and how to put a designer at ease.  Her job is to know what to do when pointed at the runway or told to pose in front of a camera.  He knows his body well enough to make it and thus what he is wearing, look good on camera!  A model is a type of sales person!

In the real world, at a fashion show, it is not the models who style the designers clothing — there is a stylist who is hired by the designer and given instructions for the clothing as to what the designer’s vision is and how the designer wants his or her fashions to look and be presented.  NOT the model!  She just wears it and knows how to move her body so that it looks amazing when it is walked down the runway in front of all those potential buyers and reporters.

In Second Life, their are a few industry constants that seem to have run away with the business of fashion and modeling.  In Second Life, somehow, it has become the individual model’s job to style a designer’s fashion to their pleasure.  In SL, the models have become artists in their styling, and their goal seems to be to get the most attention for the most extravagant styling of whatever it is they’re wearing … not necessarily for the ‘correct’ styling for that outfit.  Somehow, a fashion show in SL has become about the models, their styling and about the agencies they represent … that is if the audience comes out of their IM’s long enough even to look at what is going on on-stage in the first place.

I cannot remember the last time I’ve been to a show that I did not produce, where I had a clue what was going on on-stage, knew what outfits were made by who and where to go to buy them when the show was over.  Usually, I leave dazed and confused as to why I was there in the first place and just go on about my business.

The industry in SL has lost its way and fashion shows have become a form of theatrical entertainment, and models a type of actor, the goal seems now to be outdoing the last show from the last agency with something even more outrageous in theme and in model styling.  All I can seem to ask is … but what about the designer’s needs?

This is not the Avante vision.  Wont you join us as we begin the journey back to basics and truly help our clients sell their products to a market who is starving for their designs, not for a model’s often unrelated styling of a fashion they can no longer see through the mystique of the persona of the model.

NV Jewelry changes everything!

By Filipa Thespian & Lacy Muircastle

You’re wearing the perfect gown, amazing shoes, and the most unique and intricate jewelry and accessories. The men are in their tuxes and the sim is full of elegant guests — you can positively feel the hum and excitement of this big society event. Everyone sparkles and shines and it’s so exciting, if a little difficult to wade through the thick lag sauce, but you don’t care because you feel FABULOUS and you look AMAZING … until the announcement comes over voice, “please remove your jewelry, heavily primed accessories and scripted items to reduce lag…” UGH!

You had taken such time to put together your stunning look. You focused on every little detail and created something that shows off your taste and sophistication with the perfect accessories. You were so excited to go to this event … to see and be seen … and now, everyone is asked to strip down to nothing … the indecency of it all … when will it ever end?!?

Well let me tell you dear readers … it ends TODAY!

Nu Vibez Magazine was fortunate to obtain an interview with the illustrious and difficult to pin down duo behind some of the most amazing mesh jewelry on the grid today … Mui’Kenn Ronas and Saphire Cobalt. “The classics inspire me. The glamor of the early days of the movie industry is a never ending source of that inspiration that fuels our work at NV Jewelry,” Saphire shared with us.

So why do we here at Nu Vibez Magazine feel this jewelry is so significant to event coordinators and audience members? Think of it — in days gone past, jewelry like this would have consisted of hundreds of tiny little prims each with multiple facets, each facet covered with a texture, and each prim would be glinting back at each person on sim with scripts running bling. Heck, one of these old-school necklaces could take down a sim when coupled with just a few more of a similar nature.

Not NV Jewelry! What looks like hundreds of prims, in most cases represent a prim count (or LI) of only four, maybe five … yes, FOUR or FIVE! “I had an idea of who (from RL) I wanted to emulate in style and went around gathering parts from all over SL to put myself together in a way that reflected the look I was after. This was a natural lead-in to designing and creating within the fashion world for me. I love to play with outfit templates too and feel this is another layer of fun in adding to my image of a classic star,” Saphire continued. “Over time, this ‘playing’ with templates and creating styles brought us to where we are today, creating truly unique and totally custom mesh jewelry for Second Life residents,” Mui’Kenn added.

For those who do not understand why this is important, picture if you will, a simple cube which has 6 sides (i.e. facets) – seems harmless enough. Then, we texture that one cube’s 6 sides giving us 6 textures for the server to load. Still seems simple enough. Ah but a necklace has more than one prim in it so leaning to the conservative side, we’ll say our necklace has 100 prims in it (that’s low for many upscale jewelry pieces). The server must now read and load 600 textures on 100 prims. Let’s add other audience members now. Keep it simple and small and say we have only 50 people on sim (again, low for a society event). Now your one necklace is being called on 50 times (once per person on the sim), forcing the server to load those prims & textures 50 times. Well, do the math, that’s 5,000 prims, with 30,000 facets rezzing textures (yes, that’s 30,000 textures to load) … BAM! LAG SAUCE GALORE and we haven’t even discussed the scripts yet.

“We came across a smattering of mesh jewelry from other creators. This got us to thinking about how we could do the same thing, but in a unique way,” said Mui’kenn. “The idea of creating 3D mesh gems was the catalyst for starting our company. With some technical assistance from our dear friend Shaz, our company gemologist, we came up with gems that we feel are truly unique in SL.” This combined with Saphire’s creative designs, and Mui’Kenn’s intense skills in creating mesh, lead to NV Jewelry’s unique look and feel.”

“Each piece is named for a glamorous star, and inspiration is garnered from jewelry designs in the real world, such as the pieces you see worn by movie stars of yester-year and some of today,” Mui’Kenn shared. “Emulating that style of high fashion jewelry is the cornerstone of our company where we don’t just make jewelry, but strive to inspire experiences and memories through our creations,” Saphire concludes.

When you slide that stunning diamond and sapphire necklace around your slender throat, you will feel the weight of the quality of the piece, not the lag. There is no scripting beyond the ONE used in the color and resize hud and no textures are used, it’s all just color. No bling is required because when you look at it, it’s reflecting light and depth all by itself. How all of that affects you when you’re wearing it, wasn’t apparent to the ladies when they first came up with the jewelry. A friend of theirs had to spell it out for them when she realized what they had.

Don’t believe us? Head on over to their store where you will find each piece actually on display!

While you’re there, don’t forget to stop and admire the centerpiece of the store which is itself, a stunning piece of low-prim/low-lag artwork in its own right. Apparently Mui’Kenn‘s, brother Mar’Kenn has a knack for statues and Saphire thought it would be cool to have one as an art-deco center piece. Thus, “Vickie” was born! Laying back with a smile on her face as she is draped in a thread of 440 diamonds with a giant emerald at each end. She is a sight to behold when you think about the fact that the gems are unscripted, without textures, and reflect light so naturally, and represents ONLY 50 PRIMS! What a true testament to the talent behind this team of content creators and their supporters, their brothers Mar’Kenn Ronas and Robin Colinsgrove of Armana Designs!

So, while everyone else is forced to remove their glamour and glitz to save the sim from lag at that high society event, you will be able to slip into your smile of self-satisfaction, knowing that you are the most stunning person in the room because you are wearing NV Jewelry and you do not need to remove your jewels to save the sim!

Originally Published in the October 2014 issue of Nu Vibez Magazine.

The “Sultan of Suave” as he was so often called, began his international rise in the 1960s when he became one of the couturiers who dressed Jacqueline Kennedy – and his career dressing First Ladies and leading figures from on-screen to real-world royalty began.

“He was a true, true gentlemen, in the truest sense of the word – a real bright light – and this is just a terrible terrible loss for the fashion world,” said Alina Cho, fashion journalist and editor at large at Random House, to CNN.

“Oscar was the epitome of classic elegance, shunning the garish runway garbs that so tempted other designers. To be dressed by Oscar de la Renta was to be dressed as royalty,” reminisced Kylie Sabra, fashion designer and owner of Sabra Style in Second Life.

Diagnosed with Cancer in 2006, it was announced last year that he was totally clean from the deadly disease. And yet, his wife, Annette de la Renta confirmed to the NY Times, that his death was from complications of cancer.

“Cancer is a monster and the fight is going to be long and hard. Today there are more cancer survivors than ever before. They are living longer but in the end it is still a terrible death,” said Kaiila Mahoney, long time organizer of one of the largest Relay For Life (RFL) teams in Second Life (SL).

Former first lady Laura Bush stated Monday night, “we will always remember him as the man who made women look and feel beautiful.” He had designed her daughter Jenna’s wedding dress.

“It is always sad to hear of the passing of a legend. His creations were not only pieces of fashion to be worn but rather pieces of artwork to be displayed,” shared Avante Model Adriel Huntress when asked her thoughts. “He paved the way for designer’s who followed and despite not being here in body, his spirit and soul will live on in the designs of all who he inspired.”

We know the now, but what about the in the beginning? The youngest of seven children and ‘lucky’ enough to be the only boy, at 19, Oscar de la Renta studied painting at the Academy of San Fernando in Madrid Spain. For extra money, he would draw clothing for newspapers and fashion houses which gained the notice of Francesca Lodge, wife of John Davis Lodge, U.S. Ambassador to Spain at the time. She commissioned De la Renta to design a gown for her daughter which appeared on the cover of Life Magazine that very fall. After that, he grew interested in the world of fashion design and began sketching for the top Spanish fashion houses leading to an apprenticeship with Cristobal Balenciaga, one of Spain’s most renowned couturiers. And that, is as they say, was that!

“Myself and the entire fashion community both RL and SL mourn the loss of Oscar de la Renta,” stated Anastacia Konstantin, designer for LivGlam here in Second Life and owner of Opium Evolution Production House, one of Second Life’s leading fashion show production organizations. “He brought such elegance and beauty from his Latin roots. His designs were worn on every runway and every awards show. He was truly an icon in Fashion and we will all feel his loss. I am sure he is now in heaven designing for the royals that have been awaiting him,” Ana concluded.

Creator of the ivory tulle gown worn by Amal Alamuddin when she wed George Clooney in Venice, De la Renta was determined to stay at the top of the Haute Couture charts, achieving fame in two pivotal areas, as a couturier to socialites and as a “red-carpet king.” What really kept him at the forefront was how he embraced the cultural shifts and technology, unlike his counterparts in the industry. He was quite the social media networker apparently.

Many may know of the vintage fashions created in Second Life by Sonatta Morales, but few know that she works for a large fashion house in RL and has studied fashion RL as well. When asked for her thoughts on Mr. De la Renta, she had to say, “Oscar de la Renta left us but his legacy will live on. He made dresses we all would love to wear, and to be loved like that in the fashion world is surely an achievement. His work was chic and precise, a fashion designer who knew how to make a woman look elegant and glamorous without resorting to silly gimmicks. He wasn’t exactly a revolutionary in terms of fashion; de la Renta was instead, a man of balance and temporal beauty. He made First Ladies and red carpet celebrities glow in a magical kingdom of fine taste and discreet luxury. I was quite moved to see that de la Renta appointed Nina Ricci’s artistic director, Peter Copping as creative director of his brand before passing away. He was careful with his choice and I’m sure he left his name in good hands. As Oscar himself once said, ‘the trees you plant you may never see in their full glory, while the ones you enjoy now were put there by people who may never have seen the results of their work.’”

“It is very upsetting to know one of the greatest fashion designers in the world has passed,” expressed Avante model Kramer Snookums. “He has done so much for the men and women in fashion and his legacy will live on forever in the fashion world both here in Second Life and in RL.”

At New York’s 92Y ‘Fashion Talks’ series in June of 2013, Mr. De la Renta told the audience, “the only realities in life are that you are born and that you die. We always think we are going to live forever. The dying aspect we will never accept. The one thing about having this kind of warning [cancer] is how you appreciate every single day of life!”

“We hope that someday, cancer will be as treatable and survivable as diabetes or high blood pressure. But until then we have to continue the fight and fund research in order to find the cure,” RFL’s Kaiila Mahoney adds. “Please, join the fight against cancer in any way you can,” she pleads. “Help those who can find a cure and prevent such tragic losses as that of this great man. Please go here http://acscan.org/research and sign the petition to Washington for more funding for cancer research and consider joining a Relay for Life team near you either in Second Life or in First Life,” Kaiila continues. “Each year, residents of Second Life raise hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars for this pivotal research from their amazing efforts and events held on the grid. You CAN make a difference!”

“He was a visionary, a fashion genius and as a child I remember taking magazine pictures and hanging them on my wall. One of my favourite designers, he will be missed,” shared Solde Rothmanay, fashion designer, photographer and blogger in Second Life.

Always remember to cherish each day and each person in your life, don’t let something like Cancer need to be the catalyst to learning how to live your life, rather than just exist. Get up, get out and get moving. Life is what you make of it and I for one intend to make it a thing of beauty, as did this great man.

Oscar de la Renta, you will be sorely missed!

Originally Published in the October 2014 issue of Nu Vibez Magazine.

By the flickering glow of firelight, the gigantic footfalls of prim-booted feet crunch in the dirt lining the floor of the cave. So loud, so clunky, until finally our stalwart adventurer stumbles over his huge prims resembling boots, into the first of many chambers of treasure he is to discover on his virtual archaeological expedition.

His eyes grow wide with wonder when he makes the miraculous discovery that is to save us all from the use of prims where prims just don’t work … the sculpty.

But this adventurer is greedy, always wanting more, sleeker, more realistic. And still, he is not satisfied; his curiosity and need for more keeps him traversing on. These sculpty boots are amazingly realistic until you see the bubbles of prims when you zoom too far out and so, he keeps searching for that perfect replacement.

Finally, reaching what must be the deepest tomb in this massive cave of discovery, he pushes the cold stone door open. It scrapes ominously along the cavern floor, grinding until -thumpf- it touches the wall behind, leaving an opening for our adventurer to enter, and discover.

And what to his wandering eye doth appear but the shimmering delights of … mesh!

Mesh is truly amazing, it gives us such realistic opportunities and in building can save a lot of prims. But it does limit the playing field when it comes to our content creators. Being able to do the 3D modeling it takes to create mesh is no simple or cheap task.

To combat that, there are many who are buying templates on sites like TurboSquid and others, buying products there and bringing them into Second Life as their own. Problem is, they’ve created a situation in intellectual property rights, and in the process, helped to give Second Life such a bad name that TurboSquid, and other sites like them, now mention Second Life by name followed by “any other virtual world” as illegal platforms into which to take items purchased from their services or designers.

Then there are the free mesh items that are available on the Internet if you know where to look. These pieces now liter the listings in Marketplace, in quadruplicate, by Avatars claiming the work as theirs, all seeking to turn a quick buck.

Many creators now-a-days, rely on purchasing the templates available on Marketplace, not knowing for sure if it was actually made by or just bought by, that Avatar, but they take it and make their own product. Copies of the same outfit crop up in stores all over and the uniqueness, the art of it all, seems to be fading into yester-year.

So where has the art gone? Is it now just a commercial market with creativity and uniqueness gone forever? Nicky Ree, Son!a Luxury Fashion by Sonia28 Jie, GizzA Creations by Giz Seorn and UTOPIA by saby Clary are just a few whose quality and beauty give me pause and wonder and I still buy their prim-wear designs! Stunningly unique and creative with amazingly hand drawn textures, these creators took what we had to work with and raised the bar beyond what was thought possible to create realism out of nothing and stunning attire to adorn the top models in the SL universe. Still to this day even though mesh is “all the rave,” the fashion and modeling industries still rely heavily on these magnificent artisans, saving the mesh-wear mostly for everyday or knockin-around clothing.

There are some creators compensating for the public’s craving for mesh and their own creativity and need for artistic expression by using mesh templates as they did with sculpty pieces they’d buy. These templates, not full outfits but just pieces of, are used as “part” of a complete outfit, not the outfit as a whole. A mesh top is finished off with a clothing layer bottom and a beautiful free flowing flexi-prim skirt – perhaps some custom jeweled adornments – and voila, the artist has taken something they didn’t make (the mesh) that had inspired a creative thought in them, and turned it into something truly unique, artistic and theirs all while continuing to show off their amazing abilities and providing an even greater level of quality attire and accessories for us to use to adorn our lovely pixels.

So … the next time you’re out shopping, in-world or on Marketplace, take a good hard look at the art of the item you are considering – especially in clothing. Is this just another version of the mesh dress you saw at the last store? Or … is it a free flowing, intricately drawn and well pieced together piece that shows the creator’s obvious talent and imagination, leaving you certain you are buying a truly custom-designed work of art – a true high fashion original seen on the best runway’s in Second Life?

Please, dear readers; don’t forsake the prims for mesh. The models on the runways are not and they get paid to know how to shop and adorn themselves “to the 9’s.” What is it they know, that the rest of us do not? The Prim’s day has not passed and our artists have so much more to give.

Always strive to be unique, to be a Sax Fifth Avenue customer, not another department store “off the hangar” shopper. This is Second Life, the place of dreams and limitless skies, why do here what you can do in the real world? Our creators make our experiences in this magnificent world possible, without them, we have a serious problem.

So think ahead to the future … support the creative spirit, not just the economic machine. For all things there is a place, for us, there must be true creative spirit. It is Second Life’s founding principle, let’s get back to basics.

Originally published in the February issue of Nu Vibez Magazine.