Cracking the Fashion Code

Cipher ++Padlock++ Choker

Cipher ++Padlock++ Choker Close-Up

Cipher Knee Sox in Pink

Cipher Knee Sox in Pink Showing Badge Detail

Cipher Leather Single Anklet

Cipher Knit Muffler Rusty Nail

Cipher Knit Muffler Stripe

Cipher sells punk inspired skirts, jewelry, and boots, including their line of SPLMMS. What's a SPLMMS? It's a ShortPants-Less Micro Mini Skirt, of course, and you're warned on the vendor to "Please Wear Panties". Those of you in the habit of taking upskirt photos of panty-less girls will be very disappointed by this warning (and you know who you are!) I will be taking a picture of me in my SPLMMS just as soon as I can get the adjustments right. Speaking of adjustments, I had three friends complain yesterday about the problem of fitting skirts over their hips and asses. I don't think this is a result of an SL obesity epidemic, but more the result of girls wishing to look, you know, like women, with glorious curves. I've never quite understood the aesthetic of looking like Pamela Anderson above the waist and a teenage boy below, but I suppose this goes hand in hand with no panties under miniskirts. Still, I'm tired of having to make a new shape every time I buy a dress or skirt--could we at least have two skirt versions in an outfit? How about one for an ass set at "0" and one for an ass set at "30" or "40"? Is that too much to ask for?

Dot Lane takes a deep breath.

Vidal mentioned to me yesterday how what I was wearing made me look ten years younger (I was wearing an outfit I will blog about soon, I promise) and I told her about my early days in SL when people thought I was both under 18 and pregnant. There's a winning combination for certain fetishists! I pulled out the skin I wore for months (the Sin Skins Freckled Fresh Stratus) to show her my look from the early days and I was shocked at the difference. I've grown so used to wearing lipstick and heavier make-up that the return to the classic Dot was a little jarring. I continued to wear the skin yesterday to see what would happen. I met Helena for coffee at the Selby Waffle Cabin and she noticed the difference right away as well, so I decided to take today's pictures wearing it. I have updated my hair: the red hair is "Missy" by Truth in auburn, the black hair is ETD's "Maaliyah" in black bronzed, but the glasses are also classic Dot.

So now that I've bitched to you about skirts and talked about people you don't know, I suppose I should tell you about what I'm wearing in the pictures. As I mentioned, Cipher is truly generous with the free accessories, including the padlock choker, which is going to give my Eat Rice collar a run for its money. I love the detail work on the collar and the padlock makes me feel so 1977, which I missed by several years. You can also pick up the scarves I'm wearing in four versions and the knee sox in five versions, which can be worn with or without the badges. I don't think the leather anklet is still available, but you might check the other Cipher locations apart from the main store. If you're a ponygirl, you may wish to look at Cipher's boots which are shod with horseshoes. I've not seen anything in SL like them, which I suppose is the highest praise one can offer.

p.s. The t-shirt is from Hanauta and the skirt is a full permissions freebie. If you want a copy of the skirt, just let me know! It's a mainstay of my wardrobe. The shoes are "Lollies" from Shiny Things and are, sadly, not free.