Clothes are never a frivolity: they always mean something. ~James Laver

How an entire year has gone by remains a mystery, and certainly my enjoyment of reviewing and blogging has dropped off a bit, but with the passing of 2009, I felt a silly desire to do one of these “Year in Review” entries, sharing a few of my favorite items that I picked up along the way.

Fair warning: I’m not trying to make a “best of” list or anything like that. What I am listing are my favorites of things I actually wore (for the most part) and enjoyed my virtual self in. Not all of these items were created in 2009, but 2009 is where I found them and they found me, so they’ll be featured here for that reason. While I will do my best to include the names of items and the stores and content creators I will not be listing prices because life is simply too short to go back and do that research. Also, I’m going to provide links to the images in my Flickr instead of embedding them in the blog entry. The WordPress/Flash bug makes posting a batch of images a form of torture that should be reserved for people Jack Bauer needs information from. If you want to see the Flickr image that goes with the selection, click on the word IMAGE beside the section title. I’ll try to get images for things that are missing added in a timely fashion, although for things like skin, hair, eyes, glasses, etc, they’ll be represented in other images, obviously. Yes, there are some editorial opinions here amid the rest of my blathering. If you expected different you obviously haven’t been a regular reader.

The whole messy year in review after the jump

Skin (Body)
Elin/Lacie Skins, Laqroki (Mallory Cowen)
I have to say that as skins go, it’s going to take a lot to top Laqroki bodies for me. The shading is always healthy without any harsh glowing or shadowing and the details are fleshed out with a great deal of care and quality. The face is clean and soft, the bits are tasteful and perky, and I stand by my previous review in terms of happiness with the product. Barring my insane desire to have nail polish that matches my lipstick, I don’t really have anything to complain over with them. Given the way the economy went in 2009, it’s also worth noting that in a market where designers frequently charge ridiculous prices, Malory Cowen seems to be one of the rare people who offers quality at a reasonable price while also managing to keep her fanny out of ridiculous FL fashion drama. My hat’s off to her on both counts.

Skin (Face)
Gala Skins, Curio (Gala Phoenix)
For make-up that is continually out of this world, Gala skins at Curio bear mentioning. While they are not my preference, the body on these is top-drawer (and, in fact, has the only full-body freckles that really deliver). It is the make-up that keeps a few in my inventory, however. When you’re looking for something really dramatic, these are the way to go, and in my opinion, impossible to beat. I’m aware that my presentation of brand/store names may be wonky here; I can’t keep track how they prefer to represent the brand. Feel free to correct in comments and I’ll adjust accordingly, if need be.

Hair
Go, Analog Dog (Queue Marlowe)
Mini, TRUTH (Truth Hawks)
Octavia, Zero Style (Rei Gully)
Green II, Maitreya (Onyx LeShelle)
My four favorite hairstyles (and, let’s face it, can anyone do less than four?) come from shops that have emerged as the top designers in SL in the current market. While I still own and frequently wear my ETD Patootie, it’s more for habit and familiarity than anything else because it just looks so dated in comparison to what’s out there now. The market has gotten more sophisticated; some designers have kept up and redefined, while others continue to play catch-up in a post-sculptie world.

Eyes
Babydoll, E! Handpainted (Eeron Kilian)
I have bought at least two dozen new eyes in 2009, but nothing has displaced my Babydolls. It’s a simple matter of preference — I prefer the larger iris and pupil. I also don’t mind the painted-on highlights. While I appreciate the new prim shine type eyes for their attempts at realism, it’s one of those cases where I don’t see enough benefit from the product to give up the things I like. We’ll see what 2010 brings.

Shape
Mine Too many tweaks over the years to be anything but custom.

Glasses
Courtney, Persenickety! (Persephone Milk)
Still my faves. About a half dozen people dropped new glasses on me to “try” but they were either too ornate or too something else. The Courtney is a perfect combination of simplicity in form and function that suits my taste and style. They also look great up close or zoomed out.

Nails
Sculpted Nails (Metallic/Color-Change), Pixel Mode (Tya Fallingbridge)
I came around to sculpted nails in 2009, although there’s still a lot about them that doesn’t quite work for me. When I do wear them, the only type I’ve found that I like are those from Pixel Mode. They provide a number of pre-sized options so that you get the right fit right out of the box, and they are touch-to-recolor simple.

Coat, IMAGE
Lima Trenchcoat Jacket, Gisaci (Juju Armidi)
There are a lot of coats I’ve liked out there this year, but the Lima from Gisaci was my favorite. I still find it hard to shop much at Armidi due to the fact that I dislike their business practices and I worry about the horrible rumors that continually circulate about how they routinely don’t pay their content creators what they’re owed. But I still grab a few things here and there and this was one of a handful of items I had to have once I saw it.

Jacket, IMAGE
Light Jacket, Miamai (monica Outlander)
Miamai was a new store for me in 2009, and while I purchased a few things, I wasn’t as impressed with the general wares as the friend that sent me to the store. I found a disappointing amount of their items to be textured sloppily and often over-shaded. But this jacket was a great find and hopped to the top of my favorites for the year.

Wrap, IMAGE
Desire, Sweetest Good-bye (Morphine Janick)
While I’m fairly certain this was a 2008 item, I didn’t find it until 2009 and so I’m putting it here. I absolutely frickin’ LOVE this wrap. It dresses up or down to perfection and accommodates a great range of moods from naughty and slinky to classic and chic. A top-quality item, sculpted and textured immaculately.

Peasant Tops, IMAGE
Gypsy Chemise, Wishbox (Wisp Jinn)
Peasant Blouse Set, Style Starts Here (Simone Stern)
Jane Ruffle Sleeve Shirt, Skin Flicks (Mavis McGettigan)
2009 was the year I finally got a full range of billowy peasant-style blouses. This is one of my favorite styles IRL (yes, okay, I’m a little bit of a throwback hippie girl, I confess) and while it had been touched upon, it hadn’t come into its own in the SL world. Happily, there are now a variety of designers who offer multiple variations of the peasant tops I crave, from the fairly average offerings of Mavis McGettigan at Skin Flicks to the “must have everything in the damn store” costume/vintage yumminess of Wisp Jinn’s Wishbox selections. And, of course, Simone did an awesome turn on the style when she took it by the sleeve. So much squee.

Jeans, IMAGE
Punk Ass Jeans, Worldwide Industries (Minde Mills)
Although I swore I wasn’t going to ever buy another pair of jeans in SL, the Punk Ass Jeans from WWI made a liar of me. Although everything in Minde Mills’ store tempts the neko/grunge/steampunk poser in me, these were absolute must-haves. It’s worth noting that Aikea Rieko’s jean sets at Plastik also came damn close to making me a liar twice over, but at L$700 a pop, I don’t care how good your damn jeans look, I ain’t buyin’ ‘em.

Dress, (Gown) IMAGE
Amala Gown, Zaara (Zaara Kohime)
I have fewer reasons to wear gowns in SL these days, and I’ve found my taste for them has dropped off a bit as well. When I needed one this year, I had an oddly difficult time finding something that really represented what I wanted and wowed me. The Amala from Zaara was exactly what I’d spent the better part of two days looking for. It was stylish and sleek with just a little hint of flounce here and there. It seemed unusual in that it was high-necked and sleeveless, lending it a quality that I call “clean chic.” The lace bodice was delicate and feminine touch that brought a variety of texture to the table against the shiny satin ruffle and ruched velvet.

Dress, (Lolita) IMAGE
Inaria Dress, Curious Kitties (Ameshin Yossarian)
I’m a total sucker for Lolita dresses, but in my experience, most of the SL offerings of this genre are simply just not as well made as they should be (those that are well made can be a mint and a half for a handful of options). The Inaria is a rare exception. Ameshin Yossarian takes a lovely, feminine spin on the girlish style and manages to keep it in range of regular casual dresses as far as price goes. An outstanding offering and one of my favorites of the year in any category.

Dress (Casual), IMAGE
Beatrix, MichaMi (Milla Michinaga)
H&V: Olive Garden Tablecloth Dress, Heartattack & Vine (Guerrilla Gobo)
My favorite two casual dresses of the year was the delightfully tartan Beatrix from MichaMi and the darling little modestly titled Olive Garden Tablecloth from Heartattack & Vine. I’ve seen a lot of MichaMi blogged about, but very little in the store grabbed me. I really like the “dressy casual” style they’re aiming for, but it always seems to just fall short of what I’d personally enjoy wearing. I found Beatrix in the half-off “attic” area and fell in love with it at the start of the holiday season. I don’t generally like asymmetrical skirts, but what can I say, it totally won me. On the other side of that coin is the Olive Garden Tablecloth dress which won my heart at first sight early this year. It’s vibrant, yet understated, playful, but chic. It just makes me squee from every angle. Also, in complete defiance of my much hated ps-textures-as-displays practice, it looks much better on an avatar than it does on the shelf. Brava!

Dress (Sensual/Club/Dancing), IMAGE
Sexy Slip Dancing Dress, Simone! (Simone Stern)
Minuet Dress, Blaze (Blaze Columbia)
When it comes to sensual club or dancing attire in SL, it’s difficult to thread the needle between sexy and trashy. While both have their place (depending on where your place is) I found that the Sexy Slip Dancing Dress by Simone! and the Minuet Dress by Blaze were clear stand-outs on the sexy side of affairs. The Simone dress offers a great mini-can-can style skirt, and shiny textured accented bottom and feminine lace half-bodice which all combine for a darling little slip of a dress that manages to retain its cuteness and keep it from the slut folder. Blaze’s Minuet is the ONLY dress I’ve ever seen use the crotch-prim option in a way that works flawlessly. Even after multiple poses, I was hard pressed to find it any more or less glitchy than an average prim or system skirt. Part of it is his flawless texturing and the rich, vibrant colors of the skin-tight mini, but the damn thing just works. An amazing effort from an amazing designer.

Dress (Scandalous), IMAGE 1, IMAGE 2
The Mini Net Sheer, Luck, Inc (CK Winx)
Rapture, Plastik (Aikea Rieko)
Moving on to the “omigawd I can’t wear that in public” selections that SL has in abundance, I’d be a fibber if I didn’t confess to owning at least a handful of slutwear (most of which, I am always disappointed in). First up is the painted-on Rapture mini from Plastik. This piece also uses the crotch-prim effectively, but it’s still far more obvious than I’d like. I really thought this was out-of-this-world hot when I saw it on another avatar at a concert (she had on a much darker skin than me and I suspect the delish contrast had a lot to do with it), and while I had fun tromping about in it for an hour or so, it just wasn’t really me. Impulse purchase regret aside, I think it’s an incredibly well textured item that represents the finest quality in slutwear. And speaking of impulse purchase regret, meet the Mini Net Sheer “dress” from Luck, Inc. I have to say, CK Winx really knows how to poke at the naughty girl hiding in all of us. Everything in the store makes you want to adopt gutter slang and go RP in a place like Midian for an hour just to have an excuse to wear it. I saw this outfit on an avatar at a concert and couldn’t get over how shamelessly faboo it looked on her. Although I still appreciate it as a wink and a smile, I wasn’t able to get it to work for me. The crotch prim was a painfully awful fit, even after endless tinkering and always stood out bad on my avatar unless I wore all three layers at once (jacket, undershirt/pants, shirt/pants). When I did that, the crotch prim blended just fine, but that left me no layers for things like panties and nipple tape. Of course, I realized if I needed nipple tape for an outfit I’d never be able to bring myself to wear it outside my own parcel, so that ended the adventure. I’m keeping it here because it was one of my favorite purchases for the shock-my-friends fun element alone and because it obviously can be made to look fantastic on the right avatar willing to take the time to fit it properly. I’m just not that girl.

Mini-Skirt IMAGE
Miniskirt Punky, Blow-Up (Lilith Reina)
For scandal I can (and do) wear, the all-prim skirts from Blow-Up are girlishly squeetastic. Blow-Up skirts ride the rails of 2009 because I got most of mine in December of 2008 — but I wore them with unapologetic delight in 2009, so I’m including them. I love the “punky” variety because of the little details like cigarettes, paperclips and locks that are tucked around the belt, but all the offerings are charmers for tartan addicts like me. They can be worn without any clothing layers at all (although, panties are obviously required to maintain the illusion of active good taste) and come with built-in resize scripts. When your inner tramp demands to come out and play, you can’t go wrong with these.

Costume, IMAGE
Cigarette Girl, Icing (Miko Omegamu)
Element, Plastik (Aikea Rieko)
The costume market in SL is often schizophrenic to me. On one hand you have a whole mess of stuff that is wretched quality because the designers figure people are only going to wear it once or twice for a holiday. On the other hand, you have a handful of quality designers who charge “are you fucking kidding me” prices for an item I’m only going to wear once or twice for a holiday. With that in mind, there were two costumes in 2009 that were both well made and within a reasonable budget range. First up was the hopelessly adorable Cigarette Girl by Miko Omegamu of Icing which is cute enough to set feminism back about fifty years because I don’t care how much it sells out the sisterhood to wear it, I’m keepin’ it. If only she’d included playing cards and yoyos on the tray, it’d be perfect. Second was the ultimate (and, one hopes, final) take on the thermal bandages outfit worn by Milla Jovovich as Leeloo in the film The Fifth Element. I cannot count the number of times I’ve seen the Leeloo outfit attempted in SL, and it’s always been done horribly in a low-quality manner that screams “cheap slut” in a bad way. Plastik finally took the costume out of the ghetto, textured it, shaded it, and put it out in a variety of colors that says “Cheap Slut” in all the right ways.

Costume (Way Overpriced Must Have), IMAGE
Claris, Edelweiss (Moeka Kohime)
Okay you know the type of costumes I just mentioned that cost way too much to even think about buying for the amount of wear you get out of them? I generally allow myself one or two a year anyway because I’m, you know, a fashion addict. This year, the Claris by Edelweiss was the clear must-have Christmas wear. In all fairness, the outfit I purchased was only L$500, but that’s because Edelweiss has a somewhat sinister method of making a full outfit and breaking it down into subsets to jack up the prices. The only other designer I know who does this is Nicky Ree and it’s a main reason I don’t shop at Nicky Ree anymore. I can’t help it — on some level it just offends me that charging L$500 – L$1000 for an outfit/dress isn’t *enough* for designers like this. They then want to piecemeal it off and try and gouge shoppers even more. I’m all for capitalism, but everyone draws their own lines and both Nicky Ree Designs and Edelweiss tend to cross mine beyond wanting to shop there. Still, it MUST be said that paired with the free Lucia Gift Hair from Calico Ingmann Designs, the Claris was an irresistible shopping indulgence for holiday photo-taking. It’s just a shame more people didn’t get to enjoy it and that it had to be offered in such a way that limits consumer options instead of improving them.

Lingerie (Ensemble), Image
Solange (Solange Cerveau)
Insolence (camilla Yosuke)
There is an ungodly amount of lingerie out on the grid these days, but for the most part, the best I’ve seen continues to come from two sources: Solange Cerveau and camilla Yosuke. Although neither of them update at the pace I’d prefer (true creativity and attention to detail comes with a price and I fear a lot of really good designers can’t help but suffer of it from time to time), they routinely and without fail deliver the best of the best in feminine godness. I wear their stuff when I build all the time just because humming “I Feel Pretty” and “I Enjoy Being A Girl” is easier when you’re in quality knickers, virtual or otherwise.

Lingerie (Stockings), IMAGE
Ferran’s Fishnets, Phobos Design (Ferran Brodsky)
Anything, Insolence (camilla Yosuke)
I separate stockings from lingerie only because stockings are such a basic must-have. In RL, the source of quality lingerie is often not the same from the place where you get your nylons. In SL this is both true and not true. When I’m in a trampy mood, I lean toward the Ferran Fishnets because while I’ve seen a million varieties of fishnets on the grid, these thigh-high kittens never fail me. Their where-textures-meet seams aren’t perfect, but they’re the closest I’ve found and they offer both a seamed and unseamed version (although if you’re not wearing seamed stockings, what’s the point, imho). When I go dressy (casual or formal) on the other hand, it’s straight back to my Insolence stockings and garters. I’ve been to stores all over the grid and purchased enough virtual nylons to store a full harvest of Vidalias, but these two creators still are the only ones that make my make-believe gams real-time happy-like.

Shoes (Heels) IMAGE
3Way Rose Pumps, J’s (JB Gazov)
My favorite heels of the year were J’s 3Way Rose pumps that came with a cute little matching clutch. The rosette on the toe and the layered satin fabric on the side panels made this a marvelous little dress pump that had enough personality to warrant a new purchase (because I only have 1000 black pumps in my inventory).

I know a lot of people who are going to stare in drop-jaw “is she kidding” blasphemy at my selection of these heels for 2009. I’m well aware that Maitreya and Stiletto Moody woo the market overwhelmingly in this niche. The only problem is, while I appreciate the obvious quality of both those brands, I don’t like either of their shoes enough to purchase them. In the case of Stiletto Moody, I don’t have a lot of use for what she puts out (by and large they’re all coochie heels) and the few pairs that I might consider buying for an occasion or two are priced at a level that, frankly, offends me. I don’t see a higher quality being offered beyond what Armidi, Shiny Things, or J’s has traditionally put out, so doubling or tripling the cost of established merchandise feels like an unnecessary inflation of the market in order to pimp up a brand. All’s fair in love and war, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It would be one thing if selections were being offered in color-changing variety or with options that warranted the price. It would also be another thing if the bulk of their shoes were offered at more traditional prices with high-end occasional offerings and/or limited editions, but that’s not what these brands are up to. Both of these shoe makers seem determined to drive the average cost of a single pair of shoes in a single color to L$900 – L$2k. That’s just silliness I’m not going to support. Until they get over themselves and reprice to something more in line with the rest of the market, my inventory will be happy without their inclusion and their shoes will remain, for me, just semi-pretty things on shelves that I’d rarely find the need to wear. In the case of SM, this is especially true so long as she keeps vandalizing her own creations with that hideous heart on the underside of the shoe. Why anyone would buy a lovely sculpted, textured item with a grotesque cartoon brand mark on it is beyond my understanding, but it takes all kinds. Obviously, some people have different priorities and standards than me and that’s simply the world as it should be.

Shoes (Boots), IMAGE
Ankle Boot – BAX Boots (Bax Coen)
I know for some it will smack of hypocrisy to rhapsodize delightedly about Bax Coen following what I’ve just written above regarding the heels market. The only thing I can say is that boots are, and always have been, somewhat different and I don’t mind spending a little bit more on a really good pair of boots so long as it stays within reason. I think this is because I wear boots so much more often. In the case of the ankle boots from BAX Boots, I am hopelessly addicted and rarely out of them. From the patent black to the brown suede (one variation of which was included with the LeLook freebies, btw) these boots tend to come in basic colors (black, white, brown, red) and go with far more than an average pair of shoes. I also spent the better part of December in Bax’s ice skates which were basically the white patent ankle boots with blades. Bax touches the edges of what I’m willing to pay for even the best quality of items in SL and I don’t think I’d continue to shop there if the prices went any higher, but for what they are and the wear enjoyment I get out of them, they continue to be my must-have boot. Absolute best quality in SL.

Shoes (Sneaks), IMAGE
Chucks, Elle et Lui (marie Ruggles)
No controversy here; my favorite sneaks of the season were the Baroque Chucks from Elle et Lui. Sculpties have really had an impact on the shoe market and that’s most evident in the case of sneakers, trainers, chucks, etc. The shading of textures and sophistication of the sculpt forms make anything that uses traditional prims look flatly dated. I look forward to more of this in the coming year — hopefully creators will hone their abilities regarding the necessary invisiprims which is the main element that seems to disappoint where items like these are concerned. Or Linden Labs could get off their ass on this issue, throw it into gear and actually allow us to … nah, sorry, I was dreaming for a moment.

Jewelry
Earthstones (Abraxxa Anatine)
When another virtual jewelcrafter even blips on my radar, I’ll mention it. Until then, Abraxxa continues to destroy my L$ balance on a regular basis and is pretty much all I wear as jewelry goes. I haven’t seen anything matching (or coming close to) her quality in SL during 2009. We’ll see how that holds up in 2010. I’d love to have more places to shop for jewelry, but everything I find just falls painfully short in comparison.

Tiny IMAGE
Kulam Tiny – Casa Del Shai (Shai Delacroix)
In previous years, Casa Del Shai would have been on my annual favorites list in multiple categories, but this year Shai and I just didn’t seem to connect much, except on one slam-dunk; the Kulam tinies she put out around Halloween (I believe it was halloween, feel free to correct my date) were completely irresistible. I do not generally buy non-human avatars or tinies (I have maybe 5 total in my inventory) but anyone who walked by this display and didn’t buy at least one has no soul. They are cuteness to the Nth degree.

Personal Attachments
A/O – Huddles (Keiki Lemieux)
Facelight – Ghosty’s Polite Facelight (Ghosty Kips)
Misc Tools – MystiTool (Mystical Cookie)
Mysti and HUDDLES aren’t new to me in 2009, and are mentioned only because they remain permanently attached to my avie, barring ungodly lagfest circumstances. Ghosty’s Polite Facelight is the new addition to my routine because it has delightfully replaced the usual dramawhore offerings in this category. This freebie (sure to be a casualty of tremendously stupid Linden Labs policy to purge freebies from XStreet) is an unobtrusive single prim (and as such, as single light source) that limits the aura of your facelight to a meter which prevents you from looking like one of those clueless girls trying eclipse the sun, but still lights your face with an appealing highlight. You can also change the color and intensity of the light with simple commands. Grab them while you can.

Store (Traditional Favorite), IMAGE 1, IMAGE 2, IMAGE 3
Simone! / Style Starts Here (Simone Stern)
I’m sure for some, it’s hard to pick favorite stores in an overall sense, but for me it’s easy. From early in my SL experience, Simone Stern has continued to produce virtual styles that fit my taste from toe to crown. Obviously, I don’t like everything that is put out by Simone!, Style Starts Here, and whatever other line she’s cooking up as I type, but that’s not the point; the point is that when I look over my favorite outfits, dresses, pieces, Simone consistently delivers style and quality that I want and wear. She remains the only designer who could make me pose in a virtual wedding gown just because it’s too damn pretty not to wear at least once. She puts out formal and casual wear at a pace that I can’t keep up with, and while there’s a lot I wouldn’t choose, there are always a few I can’t live without. An amazing designer that I hope continues to keep on top of the market in 2010 and beyond. Also one of the few designers I keep on my friends’ list because when she asks me for input she actually wants my input and not some sycophantic babble.

Store (New Favorite), IMAGE
Coco (cocoro Lemon)
In contrast to the above, I know next-to-nothing about cocoro Lemon of COCO other than the fact that I love every single thing in her store and have begun to anticipate new releases more and more. I was thrilled to find COCO in 2009 and continue to have high hopes for the brand into the New Year.

Store (Accessories)
Muism (Migi Voom, Icemocolo Voom)
Although nothing from them registered enough to rate as a favorite for the year, Muism remains my favorite go-to accessories outlet. Whenever I need a hat, scarf, handbag, or other dresss-me-up add-on, Muism is my first stop and deserves an honorable mention for that.