Day 77: Fashion Show

Welcome to the New Citizens Plaza Fashion Show and Fundraiser! Its my first fashion show as a designer (RL, SL, or in my dreams :P), and let me tell you what an experience!

You know how in Real Life fashion shows, they always seem to be hectic and crazy backstage? The models are running around half dressed being chased by designers trying to pin things on them, while the show coordinator tries to keep everything moving. Well, thats pretty much what happened at today's show. But in RL, you dont get the added fun of having the sim crash on you. Four times :P

As I understand it, each sim in Second Life can house 40 avatars. The Fashion Show used 2 sims: one for the stage and audience, and the second for the backstage area. That way, the designers, extra models, managers, and DJs dont take up valuable sim space from the audience.



So this is the backstage area, where models and designers get ready. There were 9 designers presenting in the show. The designs ranged from trendy, to casual, to Victorian, to Scottish.

Each designer presented 3 sets of outfits. There were 8 models broken roughly into two groups. One group is dressed and queued up to go on stage, while the second is working with a designer to get ready.



Here is a group of models queued up to go on stage. The designer goes out on stage first, does the introduction, then presents each piece, one-by-one.



This is what it looks like from the audience perspective. This is one of the designers giving her presentation.

All this sounds relatively easy...but as in all things, there were a few glitches...Actually, at times we were joking about calling the whole thing off and just go get drinks by the pool!

For one thing, it was a busy day for Second Life. There were over 18,000 simultaneous users online during the show. Also, the audience sim was at full capacity during most of the show, with 40 avatars. At times, the models could not enter the audience sim!



And oh, the audience sim crashed 4 times, sending everyone (including the audience) to limbo. Here is a photo of one of the audience sim crashes. The area in front of me (girl in purple dress) should have been the back of the stage. Instead, objects are just rezzing...scary! :)

When it came my turn to present, we were on a hunt for models still left in the backstage sim. A few of the models crashed out while on stage in the audience sim. So I hurriedly chased after the 3 models with outfits and sizing instructions (and things like what hair to wear, etc).

Then they announced I was on, and sent me running on stage. I mentioned ways to cope with lag in a previous entry. I did all that and more (turned off Particles, Trees, and Grass; reduced rendering details). But it was still like walking in slow motion to the stage. And I didnt even have Sexy Walk (designers can walk like robots :P). I tapped my "W" key gently, one push at a time, afraid to fly off stage at any moment.

I cut and pasted my speech from a prepared Notecard...that was the relatively easy part, cause I didnt have to move. But I know how tough it must have been for the poor models struggling to walk and pose around the stage! Modeling *IS* hard work in SL!



Unfortunately, I could not take photos while I was presenting (because of lag and the need to keep the flow). But here is the backdrop used during the presentation. It was blown up to 20M across and 10M tall! For a few brief moments, I was a giant! :)

In case you were wondering, here is the text of the speech:

     Hello, I am Natalia Zelmanov. And I am a mermaid.

     OK, seriously, I came today to pay tribute to NCI, Rainbow Drake, and her wonderful Adv Clothing Design class.

     Without them, I think many of us fledgling designers would still be wondering how we can get the Alpha Channel on cable.

     Sirena means mermaid (and siren) in Spanish and Italian.

     Being a mermaid is about being beautiful, seductive, playful, feminine. Thats what Sirena is all about.

     Today, I like to show 3 outfits that represent the spirit of Sirena:

     The first is the Unicorn Tapestry Dress.

     This dress is made with 2 panels from the famous Unicorn Tapestries at The Cloisters museum in New York.

     This outfit comes with a matching prim belt and transitions to a black flexi-prim skirt at the bottom.

     I designed it for attending any Events listed under "Arts and Culture" in the Search Menu. :P

     The second is the Grey Sweater Dress.

     This Autumn/Winter outfit was inspired by a RL fashion magazine design.

     The outfit comes with a colorful knit scarf, patterned knee socks, wrist and neck cuffs, and a flexi-prim skirt bottom.

     Definitely the outfit for stylish casual fun somewhere cool, but not too cold.

     The last outfit is the Yellow Salsa Dress.

     A bright yellow dress that hugs your hips seamlessly until it opens up to double layers of moving skirt.

     This dress comes with 2 separate flexi-prim skirt layers.

     Wear it with long dance hair. Slip it on, find a poseball, and see what happens...

     If you want to see more outfits, check out my blog at http://slnatalia.blogspot.com.

     Thank you for coming today, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the show.



At the end of the show, all the designers came out wearing out texture map templates, both as a nod to the tools of our trade, and as a tribute to Rainbow Drake's excellent class!

If you are interested in the designers or information from today's show, drop by New Citizens Plaza. There will be a fashion show catalog containing information on each designer, along with photos of the 3 outfits.

Ahhhh...Im done with all the craziness this week!!!! First the Miss Second Life Formal Wear event, then starting a business, then building a store, and finally the NCI Fashion Show. I think I just plopped in my chair when the fashion show was over! Now I can get back to normal: making outfits and exploring SL! :)

Oh...I almost forgot! I had an appointment with Santa today!



Santa...Ive been an awful good girl this year.
Think of all the fun Ive missed.
Think of all the fellows that I havent kissed.

Can you slip a sable under the tree for me?

A '54 convertible? Light blue?

The deed to a platnium mine?

And oh, a ring...and I dont mean on the phone!

Next year I could be just as good...
If you check off my Christmas list :P