Should I Or Shouldn't I? Part 5

Dot Lane contemplates the mysteries of Chinese (Japanese, actually) food at Ayumi Ryokan.

Soba noodles and sake!

Other posts in the "Mysteries of Chinese Food" series:

Should I Or Shouldn't I?, Part 1 (this is still one of my favorite pics of myself)
Should I Or Shouldn't I?, Part 2
Should I Or Shouldn't I?, Part 3
Should I Or Shouldn't I?, Part 4

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When In Rome, Errr, Tokyo?

Smoke 'Em If You've Got 'Em

(click photo to enlarge)

My tour of Japanese shopping sites continues, this time at Bad at Croquet in Motomachi. I bought the "Susan" outfit there and then saw this sign. I'm not sure what it says, but I'm assuming that smoking is required so I lit up. I found Bad at Croquet via their kiosk at in another SIM which I found because of a landmark I had for Heroin Shape, which strikes me as a particularly bad name for a store but oddly appropriate in SL, given the number of exceedingly tall skinny people I see running around. I suppose I will have to open a store called "Cruller Shape" for short round girls like me. I love plaid, so this outfit was a must. It includes small and large belts, small and large skirts, small and large sleeves, and small and large collars (I'm not wearing the collar, because I have my own) to make fitting easier--I appreciate the extra effort involved. Unfortunately, I had to dial my ass down to zero to make even the large skirt fit properly. Perhaps a visit to "Meth Shape" is in order?

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Should I or Shouldn't I? Part 4

Dot Lane Contemplates the Mysteries of Chinese, err, Japanese (?) Food at Shimokitazawa

Just Look at Those Chopsticks Go!

Shop Seu sells a lovely bowl of food for 5L and it includes a little whirling animation which makes the food move around in the bowl and lets me seem much more competent with the chopsticks than I really am. In the bottom photo I'm wearing the **DP**yumyum "BC yellow" sweater. If you stop by **DP**yumyum and camp for 10 minutes, you get a swell set of socks for free!

Other posts in the "Mysteries of Chinese Food" series:

Should I Or Shouldn't I?, Part 1 (this is still one of my favorite pics of myself)
Should I Or Shouldn't I?, Part 2
Should I Or Shouldn't I?, Part 3

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A Bitch of Gifts!

Pochette's "Militari" jacket, Skinny jeans by G.L.A.M.,
and the awesome Mellie2 skin in Cream by Blowpop!

Second Life Typo Funnies!

While shopping at Pochette with Kit.....

[5:36] Kit Maitland: omg
[5:36] Kit Maitland: darling jacket
[5:36] You: and a binch of gifts!
[5:36] Kit Maitland: lmao
[5:36] Kit Maitland: I thought that said a bitch of gifts
[5:36] Kit Maitland: I was like
[5:36] Kit Maitland: wow that's some collective I've never heard
[5:37] You: I will have to start using it
[5:37] Kit Maitland: I got a whole bitch of gifts!!
[5:37] Kit Maitland: haha
[5:37] You: exactly!

In any case, Pochette has a number of lovely things just waiting for you and they're nothing to bitch about, including some knit socks, camouflage camisoles, and the military style jacket you see above....

I Do Feel Better

Helena Listening to My Problems

It Is Hard to Be Depressed on a Flume Ride

Commiserating

Is That A Free Gift on the Floor Over There?

We Do See All The Evil, However

Kicking Back

Don't Put Your Fingers In Your Mouth!

My friend Helena took me out in an effort to cheer me up. You know what? It worked.

Post-Christmas Blues

Riding the Ferris Wheel at Koreshan Pointe Amusement Park

The Gritty Kitty "Roboto" Belt

I haven't been feeling particularly motivated to write the blog in recent days. The holiday gifts vendors were kind enough to give out in the days leading up to Christmas have left me with an inventory backlog and I'm steadily working my way through them, trying them on, thinking about future blog posts. It's hard not to get a little down on oneself; after all there are so many more creative things I could be doing besides taking pictures of myself and writing snarky comments.

I'm also sad because I put on a belt last night that I hadn't worn in months, and suddenly realized that my friend Books had recommended the store where I bought it. Books is no longer with us in SL, but I want to take the opportunity here to thank her for being a wonderful, stylish, creative, caring friend who helped so much in making my Second Life a positive experience. Who else would have made me earrings which looked like Dots gumdrops for my birthday or spent far more time than she should have to make me a anchor tattoo? But that was Books--always curious about how to do something, always generous, always there to listen to me prattle on about whatever was rattling around in my head. In all the holiday excitement, I forgot how much I miss her. Be well, Books.

Books in Her Fabulous Hat

Have You Kissed This Girl Reporter?

Mistletoe!

Mistletoe!, A Better View

Chapeau Tres Mignon sent out this charming mistletoe mounted to a headband so I've been wearing it around, shamelessly begging to be kissed. The dress is from Bossa Nova's Christmas ornament hunt and I'm standing in the train station in Fleur. I want to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season.

Act Naturally

You'll remember my previous post, where I hinted that I might be in an SL sitcom. Well, dreams do come true and this girl reporter has now been immortalized in the second episode of DiVAS. See if you can spot me--I'm dancing in the club scene. Thanks to Phaylen Fairchild for including me and everyone else for making this such a blast. Watching it made me laugh, and I hope my readers enjoy it as well.

Hanging With the Beautiful People

Kiss Kiss!

The Universal Signal for "What the Heck is Wrong with Dot Lane?"

Shoot the Dinosaur Behind You!

Hold Still, Hold Still, There's A Mosquito on Your Face!

Passed Out After All the Excitement

(click photos to enlarge!)

Being an intrepid girl reporter (side note: when is someone going to make a "Girl Reporter" outift? I'm thinking Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday, but I'm flexible), I'm always out and about meeting people, finding out what makes SL tick, and reporting the news back to my readers. Actually this isn't really true. Everything I know about SL comes from friends of mine who drag my lazy butt somewhere to do things, which makes me like a real life entertainment reporter, except I don't get gift bags or expense account lunches.

The pictures above show me with a real SL celebrity, Phaylen Fairchild. I met Phaylen, creator of the DiVAS sitcom and other cool things, when Kit Maitland roused me out of inaction to be an extra for an upcoming episode. Now I know what you're thinking. You're thinking "I always figured Dot's first movie would have a 'wow-chicka-wow' soundtrack". What? You weren't thinking that? Well, the joke is on you! You'll have to wait to learn more but I promise you won't be disappointed as long as my footage isn't left on the dressing room, errr, cutting room floor.

As it turns out, Phaylen is as sweet as Irish coffee and we spent some time poking around Fashion Victim HQ the other night where we piled into the photo booth and took pictures. I hadn't realized the photo booth would seat two people so it was a pleasant surprise to see how well they turned out. I'm so happy I met her!

Added bonus: His Girl Friday clips!

A First Class Ticket to Beauty

The Station Entrance at Fleur

Waiting For My Train

On the Platform--Where are the Pullman Porters?

In the Dining Car--I Haven't Even Started Dinner and the Wine Is Half Gone!

In the Dining Car, Showing the Tete a Pied "Fleur" Skin in Blush


Skating Near the Fleur/Nouveau Border

(click all photos to enlarge)

In the past month or so several amazing sims and stores have opened. I'm particularly taken with Le Zoo, the Fashion Victim HQ sim, and the skating rink at Chapeau Tres Mignon. In a world where too many places resemble strip malls in Florida, these three have stood out as places I want to visit again and again. To this list I'm adding Fleur, the new home of Tete a Pied.

Fleur takes its inspiration from the golden age of rail travel, leading the visitor through a series of landscapes, utilizing a clever trick. One enters the train station via a gleaming reception hall, with the ticket counter before you and departure lounges to your left and right. The vaulted ceiling departure lounges display Tete a Pied's skins and clothes, which I have raved about before. Once your train is called, you head to the platform and board a Pullman coach. I quickly found my seat and the trip started. I had dinner (well, most of a bottle of wine, really) in the dining car which made me feel like Eva Marie Saint in North by Northwest, (see Eva Marie Saint on the train here) surrounded by elegance as the night lights flashed by outside. I woke up the next morning, disembarked at the Nouveau Station, and found myself in an alpine setting. I changed my clothes and was ready to ice skate.

The attention to detail in the sim is first class, from the little enameled plaques on the front of the station which read "Place du Gare" to the news stand displaying magazines which link to various SL fashion sites (perhaps you'll see me there someday!) and the furnishings in the station and on the train. The concept of having one simply walk through a train to get from one station to another station (the train doesn't actually move) is intuitive and seems like it should be obvious, but I've never seen it in SL before. Congratulations to CJ Carnot and Roslin Petion for executing such a compelling vision of what SL can be.

Oh, um the clothes I'm wearing. Right. Let's see....in the departure lounge I'm wearing CKS Designs "Beat" outfit and Shiny Things "Lolli" shoes. The gown in the dining car is "Stella" from Bossa Nova. Ice skating is the "Annabel" sweater, tank, and tights from CKS Designs with a green a-line skirt from WRONG. Hair by Calla, the skin is the Tete a Pied "Fleur" in blush, the collar is from Eat Rice. The vintage suitcase is from Argyle (and to think that I thought I wouldn't have a use for it--ha!) The skates were free.

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Bad Habits, Good Dress

Kit Maitland is a bad influence. There, I've said it. She gave me this flask and the next thing I know I wake up in the morning with my tights all ripped up. I can't complain too much though, because I'm wearing a grey flannel dress, the "Leah" from Hubby's Boutique. The super cool ripped tights are from Sheer, and are available in a variety of styles.

Have You Seen This Girl Reporter?

Dot Lane Incognito, Except for Um, the Shirt

I find it hard to believe, but it has finally started to happen. Friends are reporting back to me that they're meeting people who read my blog for fashion advice. These aren't just normal people--these are complete strangers to me which means I've reached the third degree of separation. Oh, you poor, poor, misguided girls!

It used to be that the only sort of recognition I would get from random strangers was the German guy who found my name since I had started the "Girls With Glasses" group or people wondering if I were in fact pregnant. The German guy would IM me once or twice a week and ask to meet me because he wanted to talk about glasses ("How strong are your glasses?" he would ask). While this was entertaining the first time it happened, I really wasn't looking to meet glasses fetishists so I quickly had to string together all of the German I knew to dissuade him: "Achtung! Ist verboten! Gott in himmel! Hasen pfeffer!" This served merely to excite him--apparently the idea of a very forceful woman who wore glasses and shouted randomly in German was even better than just a glasses wearing girl.

Evidently you're not here for the glasses, so I'm flattered that you take the time to visit, read, and maybe even follow up on some of what I've written. If you see me out and about, say "hi"--like most celebrities I'm just an average everyday person.

p.s. The "Celebrity" t-shirt is from Bossa Nova and might still be available.

All Your Cute Are Belong To Me!

And the cute just keeps on coming: Betty Doyle at Ingenue is giving out a gift every Monday until Christmas and I'm like a four year old on a sugar rush trying to be patient. I know the Clash once sang "Monday's coming like a jail on wheels" (as an aside, some designer should use the name "Black Maria" for an outfit. Even better, a designer should use "Dot Lane" as the name of an outfit--who is going to step up and immortalize me?) but there will be no fashion crimes committed when you put on this week's present, the Christmas version of "Girl Next Door". Would you look at that little Santa hat? Everyone say, "awwwwwwwwwww"!

The tattoo is from Ink Stain, the skin is the "Clara Bow Red Stratus" Sin Skin, hair is Calla "Im So Preddy v2" and the charm collar is from Eat Rice!.

You Can Say That Again

If you've chatted with me recently, you might have noticed that I'm being repetitious. It is some sort of SL glitch where I say something once and it appears over and over--I really don't have a stuttering problem!

From a recent IM with a friend:

Dot Lane: sl hates me [13:06] Dot Lane: sl hates me [13:06] Dot Lane: sl hates me [13:06] Dot Lane: sl hates me [13:06] Dot Lane: sl hates me [13:06] Dot Lane: sl hates me [13:06] Dot Lane: sl hates me [13:06] Dot Lane: sl hates me [13:06] Dot Lane: sl hates me [13:06] Dot Lane: sl hates me [13:06] Dot Lane: sl hates me

So true! I think I killed a Linden in a previous life and karma is biting me on my ample ass.

Little Black Dresses Part 1

I've wanted to do a project involving my SL friends for some time--after all how much blogging can one possibly do about oneself, and, more to the point, how much can people possibly read about me? (Hey--don't answer that!). With the holidays upon us, what better to feature than little black dresses? They're the cornerstone of any wardrobe from high style to neko to fetish so I've asked friends to take pictures of themselves in their favorite little black dresses. If you don't see yourself or you haven't been asked to participate yet, don't worry--I'll get to you. This project is going to stretch into the new year judging from the response I've had. The production time for this initial installment was more than I bargained for but seeing how each of my friends has taken the theme and interpreted it makes it all worthwhile.

Now, without further adieu, friends and little black dresses!

(be sure to click the photos to enlarge them--you'll be glad you did!)

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Chartreuse Muni

Chatreuse writes The Excellent Second Life of Chartreuse Muni blog and has one of the most intensely personal styles I've seen in Second Life. She introduced me to Eat Rice and has been a continual source of inspiration. When she IMs and says "Hey have you seen......" I know whatever I teleport to is going to be great.

Chartreuse Muni Little Black Dress 1

Chartreuse Muni Little Black Dress 2

Little Black Dress: "Patsy" by Artilleri (Artilleri/91/123/26/)
Hair: "Jenna" by Refuge (Koreshan/53/92/24/)
Skin: "Plague" by Draconic Kiss (Koreshan/193/93/25/)
Shoes: "Diva" by Tesla (Dreamworld South/230/221/22/)
"Ring Master Tights" & "Ocelot Scarf" by Kyoot Army (Endicott/225/153/130/)

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Vidal Tripsa

Vidal is the co-creator of Extropia and is a perfect doll. If you want to see a singular vision of the future head to Extropia and see the lovely work she's done. You can also read her blog, Dressing Vidal or the Extropia blog or both!

Vidal Tripsa Little Black Dress 1

"Olivia" by Adored Clothing

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Helena Wade

Helena is a fashionista with a devilish sense of humor and a keen eye for detail. We first started talking because we noticed we had on the same skirt from Luminosity and have become fast friends.

Helena Wade Little Black Dress 1

Helena Wade Little Black Dress 2

Helena Wade Little Black Dress 3

LBD1: SweetDreams Black Sweet Latex Dress

LBD2: Armidi Limited - Tunic A001 Tank [Black]

LBD3: SweetDreams Black Latex Cabaret Top, SweetDreams Black Latex Sizzle Mini Bottom

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Creamy Cooljoke

Everyone knows (or should know) Creamy as the editrix of the SL Free*Style blog. She helps people get the mostest for the leastest and if you haven't joined her group, you're missing out. What? You're still here? GO JOIN HER GROUP!

Creamy Cooljoke Little Black Dress 1

Creamy Cooljoke Little Black Dress 2

Creamy Cooljoke Little Black Dress 3

Creamy writes: The dress in the pic with the hat is in a free set from [Heart] Cupcakes. I felt like being naughty today so I paired it with these ripped stockings which were part of a group gift called "Concubine Trash" from Savvy. The shoes are free Mary Janes from Tesla and the hat was a free gift from Elegance Hats at Ivalde. In the other pic I have combined 2 group gift dresses from Bossa Nova. Top half is the "Christina" dress and the lower part is of a dress which I can't remember the name right now. [Ed. note: it is the Lucia dress, I think].

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Be Holder

Be is a friend from A Woman's Touch 2, where I like to dance. She's one of the first people I saw in SL who really caught my eye as someone who took a great deal of care in her appearance--she's always so well put together and a great photographer as well.

Be Holder, Little Black Dress 1

Be Holder, Little Black Dress 2

Be Holder, Little Black Dress 3

Be Holder, Little Black Dress 4

Pic 1&2 shows the "LBD" from Blaze, the creator is: Blaze Columbia.
Pic 3&4 shows the "Hot Black Sheer Dress" from WRONG, the creator is: Kaysha Sion.

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Kit Maitland

Long before I met Kit Maitland, her CKS Designs was my favorite store in SL. It still is, and she's one of the best friends a girl could have. She does high style like no one else and if you don't believe me, visit her store and you can see her starring in her own advertisements.

Kit Maitland Little Black Dress 1


Kit Maitland Little Black Dress 2

Kit writes: In choosing a lbd for this article I decided to go 'vintage' with a look reminiscent of the queen of the lbd herself, Audrey Hepburn. The dress is called 'Sophia', a 'vintage' piece from the original 'Dazzle' line created by the late and sadly missed Ginny Talamasca. After selecting the dress, I decided to pair it with some 'vintage' (aka retired) hair and shoes from ETD. The hair is 'Grand' in Copper...I thought the little tiara was just the perfect Audrey touch...and the shoes are 'Noir T-Straps', both by Elikapeka Tiramisu. The skin is Tete a Pied Vivant Biba 2 in Buff by Roslin Petion & CJ Carnot. I felt the dramatic eye and luscious red lips were the perfect balance for the simplicity of the dress. It also doesn't hurt that it's my favorite skin like...ever. :P I wanted to keep the jewelry simple, so I went with the 'Silver Circle Earrings' from Valena Glushenko of Diamonde for their striking but simple retro appeal...and for the finishing touch I'm holding the 'Aly Gold Bitchstick' by LupineFox Paz of Foxy's Smoke Shop.

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Thanks to everyone who participated in the first installment of this project--I love you all!

Editrix's note: If any of the slurls don't work, please let me know asap!

The Red and the Green

Mixing and Matching for the Holidays

Photos taken at Nemesis Magical Musical Ice Caves

The holiday season means plenty of red and green and SL's designers haven't disappointed--I'm currently holding my breath as I look as my inventory for fear of causing an avalanche of Christmas clothes to fall on me if I make a loud sound or sudden movement. Kit Maitland of CKS Designs has just released her "Party Girl" ensemble in several colors, including the red sheer shirt and halter you see above. I'm not wearing the "Party Girl" pants (if only I had a linden for every time I've said that!) so I've paired the shirt and halter with an a-line skirt from WRONG which was given out as one of the daily Christmas presents. The stockings are CKS Designs "Annabel" and the shoes are "Lolli" from Shiny Things.

If you've been a good girl you can join the CKS Design group via subscribe-o-matic and get yourself a shiny silver version of "Party Girl" as a gift. How cool is that?

Dot Lane Old and New

Dot Lane, As She Would Have Looked in Late July 2007


Dot Lane, 9 December 2007
Apparently All She Has Discovered are Tattoos and Lipstick
The Massive Blood Loss is Inexplicable


Argyle's Vintage Suitcase


Argyle's Vintage Suitcase, Close Up

When I was very young and poor in SL, I spent a long time deliberating which clothes to buy. Now that I'm sadder but wiser (and still poor) I've decided to revisit one of my earliest outfits, the Tres Blah "Mod" ensemble and to introduce a new favorite store, Argyle.

When I arrived in SL I had a vague idea of wanting to dress myself in a style reflecting post-WWII American fashion but was disheartened by what I saw. Lingerie and mini skirts and low rise jeans and leather and latex seemed to rule the SL fashion universe and the boxes of freebies people dropped on me did more harm than good. Inexplicably, I hadn't even thought of looking for SL fashion blogs, which would have saved me a great deal of time and energy. What was a girl to do? Well, I asked questions (which is how I found CKS Designs) and started to be more creative in my searching.

I did a search for "mod" and Tres Blah popped up in the results. When I arrived at the store I was thrilled to see turtlenecks and pedal pushers and all kinds of things which just seemed to be me. Best of all, the prices were excellent. I picked out the "Mod" ensemble because a turtleneck, shorts, and stockings seemed very reasonable for 90L (although a quick check at the store says 125L). The black turtleneck and grey shorts meant I could provide color via jewelry so the outfit was flexible to boot. I added a pair of suede flats from Yuka Shoes and I was all set. The picture above shows me as you might have seen me in July 2007. In addition to the Tres Blah outfit and shoes mentioned above, I'm wearing the "High Roller" bracelet from artilleri, a freckled fresh Stratus skin from Sin Skin, the Gurl 6 "Seduction" hair in elektra, and my trusty Mobius "Betty" glasses. This look has served me well for months--what better way to show off a new pair of stockings or fabulous accessories? I look forward to seeing new clothes from Tres Blah very soon. If you want to learn more, check the Tres Blah Blog.

What does this have to do with Argyle? Well, both Tres Blah and Argyle have shops in the recently opened Le Zoo sim and they seem to be working the same side of the street in terms of quality and value and even style, up to a point--I find them to be very complementary. (FYI, I work both sides of the street) I came across Argyle when I visited Le Zoo the weekend it opened and picked up the amazing "Les Animaux" charm bracelet Argyle made for the occasion. I returned after the crowds had died down to do a little more poking around and immediately had to buy the purple argyle sweater you see in the second picture. At 45L, the sweater is a bargain and perfect for winter. And since it is winter, Argyle also has a range of gloves and scarves in beautiful patterns. Feeling skint? Pick up an Autumn freebie gift box for some treats! Finally, how can you not love the vintage suitcases? They're completely impractical so of course I bought them. I'll have to chalk them up as being a coup de coeur. Need more Argyle in your life? The Argyle Boutique blog is here.

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