“I’m a former hippie, so clothes are important to me – your clothes defined you in that period. I guess clothes still define people. But, I change a lot. I’m in my Brooks Brothers period now.” ~ John Hughes

Hippie Chic Ensemble

When I was a little girl, hippie and gypsy style clothing was the height of yum; it was long, straight hair and peasant blouses as far as the eye could see. So, when I saw the Ana hairstyle from Burley I had a squee fit that set off a David Gates soundtrack in the little girl lobes of my brain.

The bulk of this outfit comes from League, with the exception of the hair, the corset and boots, and I’ll get to those piece by piece.

First the Gypsy Tunic blouse from League is a nicely textured top with wonderfully billowing sculpted sleeves. League features some of the best textured system-based items on the grid today in my opinion. It amazes me how they convey so much character with the detail of their items. This gypsy style blouse is not an easy trick to turn (trust the girl who spent *years* in SL whimpering for peasant blouses). The system layer textures are delicate with minor folds and planned imperfections (like the lopsided, drooping tied bow). This detail is carried into the folds of fabric on the sculpts which lend femininity and break up the fixed shape that otherwise might come across as more bulk than breeze.

You see the quality in texturing again in the Merino Leggings that feature shade and highlights to create sheen without too much shine. So many creators in SL take this too far and you see girls wandering around in liquid latex instead of that whisper of luster that comes from silk-based hybrid textiles. IRL when a fabric like charmeuse is woven with lycra to make items like stretch leggings, they don’t cast a wet paint gloss. These leggings are perfect in the presentation of just a hint of shine while still providing the illusion of a tactile surface.

Hippie Chic Hair Problems

As you can see above, Burley‘s Ana hairstyle has a few drawbacks. Like all non-mesh long hair in SL right now it really only looks good when you’re staring straight ahead and bent slightly forward. I also reduced my breast size. These are unavoidable construction limitations for the moment and it’s easy to forgive them when you look at the detail in this style. The little fly-away loop that is caught in the leather band enchants me. And I love the way the hair is indented and shaded to emphasize the path of that band.

The base wig provides the long mane in the back and the chest-length sections in the front; there is a lower add-on section if you want to extend the front sections down to waist length. The style also comes with roots and no roots. IRL roots are not a style I embrace, but in virtual worlds I often find that things which don’t work in the real world are details that trick the eye and help with immersion. This is why often shadows work to build an immerse environment, even when they are placed somewhere that wouldn’t necessarily make sense with the light source.

The hair is heavily scripted and I had a moment of “ugh” when it showed up in inventory as no-mod, but that turned out to be an artifact of the scripts; I had no problem editing the hair manually or removing the scripts.

Hippie Chic Corset & Belt

The really great find of this outfit has to be the Celstine Dream Mesh Corset. If mesh provided nothing else but delicious corsets like this, it would have been worth the trouble. I love the antique brocade texturing and the oh-so-nummy chocolate sash and bow. The creator doesn’t seem to have much inventory, and as far as I can tell she’s only on the Marketplace, but what a hidden treat this item is. It comes with the necessary alpha and a notecard to help you adjust your body settings to make it work. I know many people balk at adjusting their sliders to fit mesh items for the moment, but is it really any different than sucking in and zipping up your skinny jeans? I’ve taken to making adjusted copies of my shape and tucking them into folders as needed. The whole point of a corset is that it changes your shape anyway, so it seems somehow appropriate.

The Crochet Belt with the little sculpted tassles attachment is another quality item from League. It comes with a matching necklace, but the long hair made that item moot and I had my eye on other jewelry. This crochet belt is a textured-on system layer item I would have killed to have back in the early SL shopping days. It is the perfect topper for making way-too-low bottoms slightly less low. My only complaint about it is that it doesn’t come in other colors.

Hippie Chic Jewelry

Switching to Truth‘s Velvet piggie buns to showcase some jewelry lovin’. This is the Coin Collector Jewelry Set, again from League. Other than little bell anklets it doesn’t get more gypsy than coin jewelry. You’ll have to click the image above to go to the full size verison (or take my word) to appreciate the detail at work. The gunmetal chain isn’t just a solid lace, but a linked chain and each coin dangles from equally detailed links. The aged copper and brass coins contrast well with their buffed gold cousins and the set features the necklace and a bracelet for each wrist. It’s a nice costume jewelry staple that will work for multiple earth-tone casual outfits.

Hippie Chic Boots

Last, but not least are the Cairo Mesh Boots from Celoe which you have most assuredly seen in every SL fashion blog. I’m sort of over mesh boots in general as every designer has come out with a pair, but these worked exceptionally well with the outfit and they are a quality item. Not much to say here that hasn’t been said. The modeling on this product is excellent with the rounded toes and the gathers at the ankles. The texturing is equally well done with highlights that provide that slight sheen of brushed suede where it’s needed and shadows where they’re needed.

I suppose that’s all for now — I’m off to find a VW van. Peace, love and all that jazz.

Where Does She Get Those Wonderful Toys:

Gypsy Tunic – L$185
Merino Leggings & Flats – L$95
Tassles Necklace & Crochet Belt – L$115
The Coin Collector Jewellery Set – L$195
League | Nena Janus

Celestine Dream MESH Corset – L$50
Celestine Dreams Marketplace | Celestine Neutron

Cairo MESH Boots – L$760
Celoe | Jaden Celoe

Ana Hair – L$285 (Color Pack)
Burley | Bella Earst