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18 Years and counting...Got SL News? Get it Published! Contact Lanai Jarrico at lanaijarrico@gmail.com
Showing posts with label Eleseren Brianna. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eleseren Brianna. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Spotlight on The Edge- Supporting the Artistic Side of Fashion & Imagery in Second Life- Lanai Jarrico Reporting…



Fashion has always been a popular topic in Second Life. Since the beginning, fashion has given residents of SL a form of self expression and unique personal style. From runway models and fashion designers to residents who love to shop, Fashion is still a big part of the virtual world culture and definitely here to stay. One resident spends her time supporting the artistic side of fashion and imagery with The Edge.

Interview with  Eles (Eleseren Brianna)

Our individual style defines us visually in the real world as well as Second Life. Can you tell our readers what style means to you and what inspired you to be involved in the fashion side of Second Life?

Eles: What an interesting question. Style for me is a combination of expressing my individuality in an aesthetic way. It is also about feeling good about being me because I feel confident attractive and empowered in the clothes I am wearing. It is not necessarily about wearing the latest 'fashions', though that might happen. It is about making a statement creatively that expresses who I am and what I want to say about myself through what I wear. When we slavishly follow fashion trends we are not really saying anything about who we are as individuals, we are more likely wanting to fit in and be with the in-crowd. By all means wear the latest fashion if it really gels with who you are and what you love about clothes or accessories. I got involved in Fashion in SL originally as a designer, following my real life experience of training and working as a Designer Dressmaker some years ago (which is where my creative interest in Fashion started). I am also trained artistically in RL (as an illustrator) so Sl for me is a mode of artistic expression. That came out in my designing, but took off completely when as a model I discovered Styling in SL.


What is The Edge

Eles: The opportunity to create The Edge was a huge gift given to me by John Herring (Johannes1977) the powerhouse behind Windlight. When I came to the end of my year as MVW 2015 I had been looking for a way to follow my muse in exploring the edge where Fashion and Art meet, and where Fashion explores the artistic. The Edge was conceived as a way to support, promote and provide education on the most artistic elements of SL Fashion and modeling and bring them more widely to the public in SL. I hope we also have a role in influencing SL Fashion to be more creative and exploratory too.
The Edge has definitely evolved to have a mission of promoting original creativity within SL Fashion and Modeling in various ways, but especially it focuses on my love of Styling. Styling in SL doesn't really have too much of a RL counterpart (unless you perhaps look at the personal style of a few pop stars and the like). It is for me a true and valid form of creative expression using fashion as a medium, whether that is then displayed on a runway, or through imagery (which are both forms of creative expression in themselves of course). 

Not only is it a gallery, there is an emphasis on education as well. What can you share with our readers about that?


Eles: 
The Edge currently does cover the Gallery where artistic Fashion Imagery is celebrated and promoted, and the Edge Section of the Windlight Magazine where we cover topics that cover creativity in Fashion in various ways. I am proud though to have launched the educational side to the Edge through my Styling Bootcamp course (and there will be other educational events in time).
As I mentioned before, the Edge does have as one key mission, the promotion of Styling in SL. I remember when I was first learning to be a model, that Styling was something a little feared, a little mysterious even. Some Models were lauded as great Stylists but training never really seemed to grasp adequately how you could learn to become a really good Stylist yourself. How to style in certain genres was taught, and were definitely useful to a point, but truly how to *think* as a Stylist, for me at least, was lacking. I cannot speak for all the trainings out there or for what others have got from them, this is a personal viewpoint. I am a fairly analytical person and I developed my own ideas and techniques as I progressed as a model and a Stylist.
The Edge Styling Bootcamp course is a culmination of what I learned for myself, and is intended to show how to really think as a Stylist, which is a powerful foundation and facilitator to any Styling you do. Using the in-depth techniques and knowledge I give on my course should mean that you can tackle any aspect of Styling successfully, even when thrown in the deep end with a genre you don't know, or when you are asked to style totally creatively. I can honestly say that the Bootcamp course is the most sophisticated Styling training ever offered in SL, with original concepts and tuition, and it has to be, to be worthy of the purpose of The Edge.



Fashion and trends change often with pop culture. Do you offer styling courses for those interested in redefining their personal style?

Eles: The Edge Styling Bootcamp is not specifically for redefining or making over someone's style, but the tools and techniques it teaches do unlock more ability to style creatively and imaginatively, with more understanding of how to put stylings together. This means anyone who does the course will have the tools to experiment and explore and that would lead to greater self expression in their personal style. What the course does emphasise also is the benefits of gaining a knowledge of rl fashion trends, collections and designers. These are a source of inspiration as well as knowledge about what is happening with Fashion trends.

Fashion is not only for the purpose of looking good but it can also be artistic. Can you explain the line between everyday fashion seen in Second Life and artistic fashion for runway and Fashion enthusiasts?

Eles: I think this is probably similar in some ways to the difference between extreme Haute Couture and runway designs in real life, and the clothes people buy in stores, which basically boils down to practical wearability. This isn't always the case of course, this being Second Life, but I would say that artistic fashion for runway and enthusiasts is more extreme, and 'out there' stylistically. It makes a stronger statement and its not so much about the person who is wearing the design, as about the design itself being the centre of attention, and creating its own identity and its own message artistically. 



What ways do you like to Support Fashion and Fashion Imagery in Second Life?

Eles: The Edge, together with Windlight, aims to support Fashion in as many ways as we can. We have a mission to altruistically support the Arts in SL, including the Fashion Arts. For Designers Windlight offers free participation in its events, plus we have had some very notable fashion shows which we have hired Agencies to do (thereby helping to support Agencies too). The Edge Gallery offers an opportunity for anyone who makes fashion related imagery to show in well publicised regular Open Exhibitions. We also feature the work of our talented group of Edge Stylists in the Edge section of Windlight Magazine. The Edge section also features articles related to many aspects of Fashion, modeling and Styling. We run our Edge Styling Bootcamp course as I have already mentioned. To this we have added free E-Books, so far one on posing and one featuring our wonderful Edge Stylists (who have been chosen for their talent in both styling and imagery). We have future plans for the Edge yet to be revealed too.



Fashion Imagery can also be seen as art. Can you explain the difference between images you may see in a fashion magazine and the type of Fashion Imagery you support?

Eles: I think this is a hard question to answer, as images in Fashion magazines vary in their creativity, and there is some truly excellent imagery appearing at times in Fashion Magazines. The Fashion imagery that the Edge supports is imagery where yes Fashion is a focus in some way, but the image itself works as an art image. It is about the image being considered as a whole in an aesthetic and coherent way as a work of art. It is conceived and shot in this way when it is created. All of the artists we feature in the Edge Gallery have different styles but they all produce images that stand by themselves as pieces of artwork. I see a lot of images which feature fashion but there is no real aesthetic relationship between the figure wearing the fashion and the rest of the image, be it background, props, whatever. Those images would never make it into the Edge Gallery. I cover this in the final session of my Styling Bootcamp course, when we look at what elements should be considered in an artistic image, so I won't go into all the details here!



Where do you see fashion headed in Second Life and what do you thing designers will come up with next?

Eles: Again this is a hard question to answer as Fashion is so broad in SL and serves a lot of different communities, all with their own preferred styles. I am personally interested in high fashion in SL so will keep my answer to that. I see more and more designers starting to produce their own mesh, and designers getting more and more proficient in making their own mesh. This for me is leading to the beginnings of a creative renaissance in SL fashion as mesh designs are diversifying and getting more beautifully and imaginatively rendered. I am encouraged too that this burgeoning ability is meaning
that designers can make more and more original designs, perhaps inspired by RL trends but not slavishly following them.
I think also there is a trend now within SL Fashion and modeling to explore Art in various ways, and I like to think that Windlight and The Edge have played their part in it. Art and Fashion is not something that can be territorially claimed by anyone, the two have gone hand in hand down through the ages, and will continue to influence each other in the future.
I have also heard one or two designers saying they are getting interested in looking at Avant Garde designs again, and that would be something I am excited to see.

Is there any fashion advice you have for our readers or anything else you would like to share about The Edge?

Eles: I am not going to tell anyone what to wear, but I will say this. Do not be afraid to be yourself, and wear clothes that you personally feel good in. Don't feel like you have to follow the crowd, some fashions do not suit everybody. I am particularly fond of a quote by Orson Welles 'Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn'. I would say though dress in the best quality items you can afford because they will make you look much more polished, whatever you wear.
As regards the Edge, we have some very interesting projects to be announced, so keep a watch for announcements. The Edge will continue to walk its own path and support the Fashion Arts in SL, something i am very excited about.

Additional Information

Group: part of Windlight Group
Facebook: part of Windlight Magazine Page
Twitter: part of Windlight

Preferred Contact: Eleseren Brianna

Monday, April 4, 2016

Spotlight on The Edge; A New Addition to Windlight Magazine



Windlight Magazine features Art in Second Life and has quickly become one of the hottest cultural magazines available for the art enthusiasts of Second Life. The Edge is a new fashion reporting division in WM which features articles by Eleseren Brianna. She is a seasoned Model with an eye for fashion. Some of the article you will find showcase top fashion designers, new releases, jewelry, accessories, what’s in season, fashion shows and more.

The SL Enquirer caught up with Eleseren Brianna to learn more about her passion for fashion, The Edge and what to expect in upcoming features.


Interview with Eleseren Brianna




Hi Eleseren, congratulation on becoming a new addition to Windlight Magazine and for all your accomplishments in Second Life’s fashion Industry. Can you tell our readers about your background as a model and how it has impacted your Second Life?

Eleseren: Hi Lanai, I have been a model now for 3 years. I did my first model training basically so that I could make better vendor pictures for my store (Romance Couture which has now closed). What hooked me more and more about modeling was the creativity of it. It can be a performance art in a runway context, and a visual art when presenting fashion in an image. Styling itself is hugely creative, especially when doing 'out of the box' experimental stylings. SL has always been a creative outlet for me, ever since I rezzed in early 2009 and modeling has become a major facet of that.


Fashion comes in a wide variety of styles and trends. What are some of the things you like to do to keep up with the world of Fashion and how often it changes?

Eleseren: I follow Fashion in SL and in RL. In RL I like to keep abreast of the Fashion Weeks which showcase the seasonal collections of the major designers. I follow a lot of magazine, designer and styling facebook pages, which constantly keep me updated, and I of course love to treat myself to glossy magazines like Vogue for instance. In SL I check out as many Events as I can manage to get around and often follow up new designers who catch my eye. I also love to see people's blogs and flickr.




With Mesh being on the top of Trends in SL Fashion, do you have any tips for our readers who might feel a bit apprehensive about converting to mesh avatars, clothing and accessories?


Eleseren: Mesh has been around now for over 4 years and I think most avatars have probably at least experimented with it. It does initially take a bit of getting used to as it is so different from system clothing (having to hide parts of your body to wear it for instance). 

Mesh accessories are probably the easiest way to begin to experiment with mesh, and there are lots of wonderful designs now, exploiting the superb modeling and texturing potentials inherent in mesh. 

Mesh clothing isn't too hard to try either, just remember to wear the alpha's provided. You will find it hard to layer mesh over mesh, unless you are expert and experiment, as mesh will break through mesh, so I would avoid this as a beginner. There are lots of designs around though so you will have plenty of choice to find your own style.




Mesh bodies are definitely the most challenging to get to grips with, the huds can be terrifying at first, with their myriad of alpha 'cuts' to select (the mesh body is mapped out in areas which can be selected to turn alpha, to meet the demands of lots of different mesh clothing). Huds also enable other options, like adding tattoos and a form of system clothing applied to the mesh, plus things like skin sheen and sometimes even whether you want nipples or not! I do recommend persevering with learning the huds, perhaps with a help of a friend as mesh bodies definitely are a visual improvement over the default SL avatar body. You can have elegantly molded limbs, beautiful natural looking shoulders (and other parts!) and clothing looks wonderful on a mesh body (it looks tons better in photos too). Remember though, if you get a mesh body you will not be able to wear your old system clothing with it.

If you are not yet ready for a mesh body then get mesh hands and feet, which are simpler but vastly improve your overall finish. I even wear mesh ears for the same reason. As for mesh heads, they are ubiquitous now but I haven't succumbed yet. I don't want to be a clone and until mesh heads are truly moddable by the SL sliders I won't get one. However, that is me, and I will say there are more and more beautiful mesh heads out there, and more and more makeup and skins made for them.


We’ve come across dated avatars who don’t understand how vital alpha layers are to wearing mesh, can you explain why it is necessary and worth the effort to try it?


Eleseren: Alpha layers in essence make parts of your default avatar body invisible. They are vital for mesh clothing as mesh is not made to your exact sliders, and it doesn't change shape in the exact way your sl avatar changes shape when you move around. You cannot just try and pick a size big enough to wear over your avatar body, you will just look huge and there will still be problems.  Without wearing the alpha the mesh will constantly 'break' and look full of holes or ragged (it doesn't actually break, it dips inside your avatar body). If you wear an alpha you make the parts of your body underneath the mesh clothing invisible, so avoid the mesh breaking. Wearing the alpha which comes with the mesh clothing means you will achieve the smooth and perfect look that the designer intended. One word of warning here though, which has caught me out occasionally. Some designers now sell mesh clothing only for mesh bodies..with no alpha included..so check any mesh clothing you buy is also for 'Classic Avatar'.

You certainly know a lot about trends and the fashion industry in SL, and now you will be writing about Fashion for Windlight Magazine. Can you tell me about The Edge? 




Eleseren: The Edge has a mission to explore and represent the most creative facets of SL Fashion and modeling, and especially the most creative styling and fashion imagery in SL. As part of its general remit I do cover aspects of RL fashion, designers and trends for instance, but I will be focusing primarily on SL. I have a team of Edge Stylists who will be showcasing their styling and photography skills (both in the magazine, but also in other opportunities that arise as part of the Edge's wider work, promoting creativity in Fashion and Styling. The Edge has a section of the Windlight website and our Stylists can link their blogs to it, plus it covers other issues and features as they arise.



The Edge will be represented at Burn2 in the Autumn and there are other exciting projects in the pipeline. The Edge has also opened a Gallery, the first (I believe) in SL which features fashion and styling imagery. Fashion is an art in itself (at least an Applied Art and I think it can go beyond that, as shown by some well known RL designers like Alexander McQueen), and I am very happy that John Herring who owns Windlight had the vision to include a voice for it within the Windlight Magazine. 


Why do you think fashion is so popular in Second Life? 


Eleseren: Fashion is popular in SL I think for the same reason Fashion is popular in RL..it is a way of expressing and making visible our personalities and identity. It is a way of making ourselves look (and feel) more attractive and confident. It can be a way of making a statement or feeling part of a group of people we identify with. It can be used to seduce or intimidate even..there are so many facets to Fashion, whether that is in SL or RL. Plus, we can have perfect ever youthful bodies here and wear the things we would love to but dare not in RL! 


What are your favorite topics to cover?


Eleseren: I think I have alluded to them really in previous questions. My focus is to showcase the creativity in SL Fashion, and its related spheres of modeling, styling and imagery. I write about topics but also cover designers, competitions and trends.  My articles reflect my own personal interests related to this, but also pick up on wider issues in SL.


What can readers expect to see in upcoming issues?

Eleseren: More of the above! I don't plan months ahead and I am not formulaic in what I cover, ideas form organically and get covered.


Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?


Eleseren: The Edge is still growing in its concept and I am continually open to developing it in new directions. For instance I will be running styling seminars on the Windlight sim as part of the Edge fairly soon, and hope to explore the interaction of art and fashion in other ways as time goes on. The Edge isn't an agency, it is not a school, and it doesn't claim to be a full magazine in itself..its a Project, a Collective, and a platform to push the most creative aspects of SL Fashion, styling, modeling and fashion imagery.


Additional Information

Website: http://windlightmagazine.com/theedgebyeleseren/

Preferred Contact: Eleseren Brianna

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Spotlight on ROMANCE COUTURE; A New Elegant and Classy Collection in Second Life©- Lanai Jarrico Reporting…


The Fashion Industry in Second Life is on a constant high. If it wasn’t for designers dressing us up, we’d either be left to our own devices of making our own clothes (which can prove disastrous), or walking around with all our business half hanging out like a bunch of cave people. The fact is clothing helps define our styles and personalities. What you wear can tell a lot about you. For example, if you walk around Second Life in scantily clad attire, one might assume you were a streetwalker making lindens up and down that pole. If you are dressed in business attire, one may think you’re a big ballah', high rollin' in the Lindens.  Meet fashion somewhere in the middle and you create a style just your own. It can be an ensemble created by a mixture of designers or you found that one who really knows what you like. Whatever the case may be when it comes to fashion, work it because you own it and remember there is always room for something new.

Speaking of New, Romance Couture is a new store on the Second Life scene with high fashion designed by Eleseren Brianna. You may or may not have heard of her, it all depends if you have been to Inworldz. *Gasp* yes, I mentioned another virtual world but I am no traitor in the least. I’m celebrating the fact that such great talent and eye for design has decided to come back and bring her collection with her to Second Life. I had the pleasure of interviewing Eles and learning more about her and her collection. Be sure to welcome her back to Second Life by stopping by her store and even picking up an item or two. If you are anything like me and into shiny new things, you will leave with a handful of bags and a smile.


Interview with Eleseren Brianna

Saturday, June 8, 2013

ROMANCE COUTURE Grand Store Opening Event - Sunday June 9th 12-4 SLT




FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Romance Couture is moving from Inworldz to SL, and bringing its stunning range of high quality ladies' formal wear, cocktail wear, shoes, jewelry and accessories.

Sunday June 9th, 201312pm SLT-4:00pm SLT

Live Music performances by
  Subtlety Dalglish 12:00pm slt
 Jonas Lunasea 1:00pm slt
Ganjo Mokeev 2:00pm slt
  Maxx Sabretooth 3:00pm slt

 
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