Please update any links or feeds to http://www.metromodels-sl.com/blog/ . This blog will no longer be posted in, as all the posts, comments, photos etc have been moved to the new location!

I’m thrilled to announce the site redesign is currently finished, after quite a bit of hard work on my end! The new blog merges seamlessly with the rest of the site, and the website includes service offerings information and pricing, an event schedule, frequently asked questions, the METRO Virtual Fashion magazine (and ad rates), and an up-to-date model roster.

<3 wordpress, for allowing me to seamlessly merge a blog with my own site using open source php.

After lots of hard work from all the writers, models, and photographers, the second issue (volume 2 issue 1) of METRO Virtual Fashion is available!

Find the .pdf version for download at http://metromodels.slfashiononline.com/book.html (as well as advertising information for the next issue.)

You can also read the magazine in world, in ThInc book format! Get it for free from any in world kiosk. Ours is located at the Metro Models headquarters.

If you’d like a kiosk for your land, please IM me (Alaska Metropolitan.)

In this issue:
F E AT U R E S
hair
Metro models share their favourite hair from around the grid… you might be surprised by what they chose!
Photography: Alaska Metropolitan
fabulous armageddon
A slightly sinister look at the colour black in high fashion, photographed in the Urban Decay wastelands
Photography: Valena Glushenko
fashion revolution
LeeZu Baxter’s Revolution series takes high-fashion artistry to the next level
Photography: Alaska Metropolitan
it’s a cinch
Waistline look bare? Here are some ways designers have gotten creative with the basic belt.
Photography: Mandi Catteneo
sexy moves
Sexy doesn’t have to mean bare-all. Anessa photographs 4 lovely (and classy) ladies in seductive outfits for the good girl.
Photography: Anessa Stine
A R T I C L E S
wahine o ke kai
trans. “Women of the Ocean”. Serenity spends some time getting to know the women – and the fashion – behind Second Life’s surfing world
by Serenity Mercier
jungle fever
In a unique blending of Second and First Life, r0bin and Alyse show the historical cultural fashions of Suriname, using location photographs as a backdrop.
by r0bin Helsinki
for the love of pixels
PixelDolls has enjoyed a longevity few can claim. Queenie shares some of PixelDolls Limited Editions in a tribute to this standard-setting designer.
by Queenie Extraordinaire
burlesque noir
From the vixens of the classic bump-and-grind houses via Vegas showgirls to modern rock chicks: burlesque is the new black.
by Honey Bender
M O D E L- S U B M I T T E D
not just another fundraiser
Another Fundraiser sold versions of Eloh Eliot’s skins to raise money for UNICEF. As a tribute, our models have taken self-portraits wearing skins from the charity.
F E AT U R E D M O D E L S
extraordinary queenie
Queenie’s had a long career in virtual modelling, and shows no signs of stopping! In this interview, Q discusses some career highlights and advice to new models.
covergirl nemi mccoy
This issue’s covergirl, Nemi McCoy is another model veteran. In this interview, Nemi talks about how she got her start and how she’s evolved with a changing virtual world.

(continued from previous post)

Now that you’ve got a House of Nyla original to look fabulous in this weekend, why not visit the Dublin sims for some Celtic fun?

At 12:30pm SLT on March 16th, join us at Dublin for a St. Patrick’s Day virtual parade! METRO Virtual Fashion is putting out a float, featuring a model in a Nyla gown, posed on the runway.

The parade is just part of a weekend-long festival, so check out other events going on in Dublin as well

It was a lot of fun to work on a parade float, having never done one before, and the 30 prim limit was challenging! I’ve come up with something a little glamourous, and hopefully it’ll capture some of what the magazine is all about.

Hope to see you there!

House of Nyla’s clothes are bright, cheerful, and glamourous, and her use of lime green in many of her designs makes her a perfect choice for a St. Paddy’s Day outfit.  METRO Virtual Fashion will have a special float in this year’s St. Patrick’s Day parade in the Dublin sim, and we’re happy to showcase a delightfully festive outfit on our float’s model.

Princess Lime of Hearts is just one colour of many for this adorable outfit, but the green is the perfect shade for catching some of the luck of the Irish. The poofy skirt has hearts sewn with fishnet and sequin, with a corset top. (model: Kyra Nemeth)

As you can see, the skirt’s layering is far from flat and will swing around you as you dance a jig (hopefully without spilling any Guiness.) Nyla’s ability with prims and attention to detail is, of course, similar to her attention to detail with her unique RL fashion label.

The parasol is adorable, with sculpty hearts and beads, and heart shaped lace trimmed panels.

If shamrocks are more your style, Nyla’s got a special release for this time of year. While many special occasion releases are fun yet a little cheesy, Nyla’s St. Patricia gown is stylish enough to wear any time of year. The top is a bit daring, covered in little shamrocks and emerald gems and not a whole lot else… but the skirt is simple, long, and elegant. A winning combination. (model: me)

I was happy to discover the St. Patricia outfit also came with a less formal option: flared pants. These are perfect for dancing the night away in an Irish pub.

Get your lucky couture from House of Nyla at: Starax (193, 11
Check out Nyla’s real couture at: www.houseofnyla.com 

The grand opening of LeeZu Baxter’s new sim, To The Nines, is tomorrow (Sat. March 1st, 10 am to 10 pm) and features a day packed full of fashionista goodies.

The morning’s entertainment is live music, at noon there’s a fashion show with new releases from LBD, dancing and more live music, and fireworks at 8:00 pm.

“Different Visions” is a photography exhibition (ongoing) at the sim with various interpretations of LeeZu Baxter’s creations. Metro Models is pleased to showcase the Fashion Revolution series from the next issue of METRO Virtual Fashion. Above is just one of the photos of the series, with Payton Heron modelling Coif Sushi hair, Stiletto Moody’s O-Wedge platforms, and the Revolution “Lola” outfit by LBD.

A preview of the upcoming issue of METRO Virtual Fashion magazine, with the lovely Nemi on the cover. This issue is packed full of fashionista finds from around the grid… highlights include an editorial series on LeeZu Baxter Designs, RL travel meets SL fashion, our favourite hairstyles, a special tribute to Another Fundraiser, and more.

Also a reminder the deadline for getting advertisements to be included with this issue is March 1st, 2008.  The current full page ad rate is only L$1700 for this issue only… next issue it will be increased. See the website for more details on advertising. The first 2- page premium spread is already booked.

Alienbear Gupte designs jewelry fit for a princess… or a queen… or a diva… or even for a dressed up night on the town. Through known for her stunning formal pieces complete with glittering diamond tiaras, there’s a bit of something for everyone at Alienbear Designs. Model: Mui Mukerji, Alienbear Designs customer service rep and Metro supermodel. 

Princess Gelasia (shown here with green stones) is a diamond concoction fit for lost Russian royalty… the tiered design is truly classic.
Also in photo: Zero Style “Yaya” hair, CS Vogue skin - Champagne (Classic Glitter Silver 1)

The fiery Costa Rica set, with rubies to symbolize active volcanoes, was originally designed for the beauty pageant. Now it’s available for the public, complete with crown.
Also in photo: Allure Volcano The Arenal dress, Zero Style “Chocolate” hair, CS Vogue skin - Pure (Vamp/Seduce)

The Red Wooden Ball set, available as affordable separates at L$10 each at Bijoux Or, is a striking combination of glittering gold and bold red.
Also in photo: Analog Dog “Amber” hair, CS Vogue skin - Cashmere (Classic Glitter - Gold 1)

The Yuriko set features large chunky highly-polished stones with dark pearls for an antiqued feel.
Also in photo: CS “Whitney” hair, CS Vogue skin - Champagne (Classic Glitter - Silver 1)

Oriental Tang - Mui Fei set is everything you need to feel like an ancient Oriental princess. The detail in the hair pieces is especially stunning with tiny stones and floral designs.
Also in photo: Nicky Ree - Tang dress, Zero Style “Nicky” hair, CS Vogue skin - Champagne (Spring/Fresh)

Who better to model the Miss SL Universe set than runner up, Miss Hong Kong, Mui Mukerji? Now anyone can purchase this set to feel like a beauty queen.
Also in photo: Nicky Ree - Silva dress, ETD “Roslin” hair in Smoke, CS Vogue skin - Champagne (Classic Glitter - Silver 1)

METRO Virtual Fashion will tentatively be published on the first or second week of March… and we’ll be bringing you some of our favourite things from the virtual world of fashion in Second Life! It’s promising to be another large issue with the beautiful high-quality fashion photography you’ve come to expect, and articles written by the models on what they’ve found on the grid to wear.

The current advertising rates are frozen for the March issue only! After this issue, we’ll be increasing them, so don’t hesitate to take opportunity of this fantastic offer… METRO Virtual Fashion’s ad rates are some of the most affordable you’ll find anywhere. Click here for more info.

Ad deadline for receipt of payment and image: March 1, 2008.

We offer design services!

Ananke Media Systems proudly announces the launch of PhotoStage, a revolutionary studio photography toolkit especially designed for the metaverse.

Please join us at spectacular Alexander Beach on 17th February 2008 at 12 noon SLT. A guided tour video will be shown, followed by a photo contest and the amazing music of Kromus Korobase.

During the photo contest you will be able to shoot our fabulous models and submit your photos to the judges. The winner will get a fully-functional PhotoStage, wall space at the unique NeAt trIcKs fREe GaLlErY to display their work, and a full spread on The Best of SL magazine.

Contact us for additional information at ananke.media.systems@gmail.com, and check out our website for the latest news and tips.

See you there!

Metro Models is pleased to have a couple of our models featured in the event, and we hope you can make it out to play around with this great product. We use the PhotoStage at our own studio for fashion shoots and love its ease of use and many features. As well, I’ll be judging the photography contest along with two other judges… good luck to everyone who enters, I can’t wait to see what you end up doing with the setup!

NEW SHOOTS II (feat. GHOST! and Aphrodite Creations) was held this past weekend, and I’m pleased to say we had great attendance (Sunday’s show filled the sim) and the models, hostesses, and live MC/DJs did a spectacular job. It’s thanks to the great team at Metro Models that our fashion events run so smoothly and appear so professional.

Any event attended by large numbers of avatars puts strain on the sim’s server, and lag is inevitable. It’s unfortunate when this happens during a fashion show, because the entire point is for the models to rez. The good news is, there’s ways to cut down on lag!

Much lag is actually client-side, meaning, it’s on your computer, not the server. By understanding a bit about how your graphics settings in Second Life work, and tweaking them a bit for the show, you can have a much more enjoyable event experience. I’ll show you the settings I tell the models backstage to use… load up your preferences (Edit > Preferences, or, Ctrl + P).

Under the General tab, change “Show Names” to “Never”. You can just change this back after the show… turn it off once you’ve had a look around at the glitterrati attending the event.

Under the Graphics tab, change your Draw Distance to 64. If the runway or stage area is further away, you may need to play with this a bit… the Metro stage, however, will be visible at 64.

Lots of things to change under Graphics Detail! Turn OFF Vertex Shaders. Turn OFF Ripple Water (you won’t need it for a fashion show!) I leave Bumpmapping and Shiny on because some accessories will use them. Change Avatar Rendering to Normal. Set your Lighting Detail to Sun and moon only (the stage is ideally orientated to look good under either forced Sunrise or Sunset.) Change Terrain Detail to Low. Lastly, move all the Mesh Detail sliders to a mid-point.

Now, under Advanced Graphics, change the Max. Particle Count to 0. This will get rid of ALL particle effects for Second Life, including mist, bling, poofers, fireworks, and the like. You’ll probably want to turn it back on after the show, so when you do, just increase the count to between 2,000 and 4,000. You won’t believe the amount of lag particles cause on your computer.

You can also do your part by attending the show with minimal attachments and accessories. You won’t need your AO because you’ll be sitting down in a chair to watch the show. You won’t need your facelight because you’ve turned off local lighting anyway. You should check on your hair, shoes, and any jewelry you’re wearing to see how many prims it is… to do this, right click on your attached item, select “Edit”, and under general info that comes up it will tell you how many objects, and how many primitives your item is (if that info doesn’t show up, click the “More” button). But keeping your outfit low-prim and low-lag doesn’t mean you have to look like a new player!

In this outfit, my only prims are in my shoes and hair. I’ve avoided sculpty prims because they take so long to rez, and I’m wearing a non-prim skirt. The dress is by Paper Couture, and they’re a great choice for low-prim style because of their high-quality texturing and use of the skirt layer. PC also draws a lot of their jewelry onto the outfit, so you don’t have to wear anything else to accessorize. Because I’ll be sitting down to watch the event, I’ve put on some tights under my skirt for modesty and a layered look. To match the lace trim on the tights, I added some lace fingerless gloves. My shoes are simple black wedge Mary Janes I’ve had in my inventory for ages, and the hair is a 40-prim fashion-forward style by Calla. Full credits below.

hair: Calla Narcissus in Black
skin: TaP Vivant Lustrous 3 in Buff
dress: Paper Couture Railway in Ocean
tights: OPIUM Everyday grey lace trim leggings (tinted dark blue)
shoes: JHD Mary Jane wedges
gloves: homemade fingerless lace gloves (bug me and I’ll send you a copy.)