Together

I love wearing kimono's on SecondLife. It's even more fun to wear them with others. Here a few pics of me wearing kimono's with others of my role play and real family. You may recognize my kimono's. The guys kimonos are most from Milky House. Don't guys just look so handsome in kimono's? :) The top pic, Ame is wearing a miko kimono or priestess kimono and we're dancing geisha-like. The second I have on a GD yukata and my rp son has his kimono from Milky House. The bottom is my fiancee and I. Yes you can ride horses in SL. More on that later though ^^

Enjoy!


Milky House

Spring Green

This kimono is very pretty and extremely flexi. The teal green is a perfect color for spring. The white and pink obi are cute and go well with it. It is a Mare kimono and available at the store. I'm not to fond of the skin I have on with it, so just look at the kimono and the beautiful background of Hosoi. Enjoy ^^

This is another sweet kimono from Mare.

Spring colors, Spring kimono!

-|| His skill with a sword was becoming a rival to the Shogun. Her lover's feats at battle were among the most skilled. The daimyo kept him close to him. Fearing his popularity, but knowing his true skill in strategy was most admirable. She smiled to herself as the women told stories of his battles and how undefeated he was. How his strength was only out weighed by his kindness. That he gave silver to an aligning child and showed mercy to women and children of other clans. This was unheard of, war meant clear death to all, but he challenged such thinking. She was proud of him and kept drawing the dragon and the phoenix on her rice paper. A skill she got from her mother. Each resembling the husband and wife. She was only hoping, dreaming that he would ask her. She didn't know if he would. Her father was now called to the Shogun in Edo. She now waited for both of them. ||-

Here I have another really nicely detailed kimono from Geisha Dreams. It's called Glorious Peony or Botan in Japan. Again, an unavailable kimono. Peonies bloom early through late May and June, and often have contrasting colors for center and petals. The colors here are amazing. I just had to share with you my love of this kimono and vivid colors of spring into summer.

Enjoy

April Showers bring May Flowers

At least, that's what they say. I edited this photo as if I were standing in the rain. The sky was dark and gloomy, just thought it looked like a rainy day. This is another of my kimono's from flower and willow. The shop that no longer exists, sorry about that. Like I said, I hope the creator comes back. Her kimono's are so lovely. This one is blue with purple flowers, I'm sorry, I don't know what kind. Usually this color kimono is worn in late summer, but it's so pretty and the whole raining thing, I thought it would be nice to show now. Everyone has blue rainy days. The butterflies are from a wonderful place called Botanical. They have so many nice nature things such as trees, butterflies, rainbows, sun rays, etc. Please go there and have a look ^^


~Botanical~

Falln's Mist's of Lilac Kimono

In SecondLife, you may find a creator named Azriel Demain. He is the owner and creator of Falln Creations. He is a gifted and talented creator, and extremely nice from what I've seen. He's appears very approachable, and if you find him in his stores, he may very well say hi to you! FallnAngel Creations Main store is in an old Church, gothic decor, and there you will find a large book of which you can teleport to any of his works. Believe me, he has so many to chose from. Kimonos are just a small part of his many beautiful creations. If you do purchase a kimono from Falln, I'm sure you'll love it as much as I do mine. This is one of his new productions, a spring kimono called a mist of lilacs. Isn't it beautiful! It has three seperate obi's and two different skirts. One skirt is a simple kimono skirt, the other is the hikizuri or "trailing skirt". Wearing kimono's like this one make you feel like your walking in elegance. I hope you join SL and find FallnAngel Creations as an amazing place as I do.


:FallnAngel Creations:

Out with old Heaven and in with new Heaven~

I go from showing you one of the most expensive, but beautiful kimonos in SecondLife, to now the free ones! Yes, oh yes, there are nice free kimonos in SL. All you have to do is know where to look. You can have an entire free collection of kimonos! Too bad that doesn't happen in Real Life, right?! First off, I have on my very first free kimono and skin free from a maker named Heaven Sella. Unfortunately, they aren't available anymore. It's was very soft and pretty, but next is the new skin and eyes from Heaven and a new kimono from Curea Bea. All of them, free! The skin even comes with it's own shape, and that's a real plus for anyone new to SecondLife. How cute is this skin! It rivals lots of expensive skins! Hard to believe it's free! The kimono is bright and lovely. Again, there is a whole collection of free kimonos at this link. The hair you see me wearing on the second shot is also free there. Both shops and several others have free gifts, so make sure you visit it as soon as you sign up for SecondLife! The freebie mall is here at this link.



--Freebie Mall--

First kimono

Ok, when you first go into second life. You are a noob. Your skin is noobish, your hair and your clothes. It's easy to spot noobies in SecondLife to those that have been there awhile. With that said, yes, I was noob and perhaps still a noob to veteran SL avatars. You begin looking for things to improve the way you look. Freebies are the first thing most people use in SL. Luckily, there are some nice designers that have free gifts to those that don't like spending money on the game. I've learned so many things along the way through this virtual place. This kimono was the first kimono I ever spent money on in world. I searched for a place that had the most ornate kimonos. Finally, I came across a kimono shop called Milky House. I thought it was elegant and beautiful and I still do. My fiancee is going to kill me for using these old pics though. Both of us have pretty noobish avatars at the time. *is going to hide from him* I wanted to show you how detailed the obi and dress were. I took some new pics of it today and here are some really old pics of my fiancee and I. Enjoy! *runs and hides*

Kimono: Milky House

Sakura Rain from Tenran

Another great place for kimonos is called Tenran. I love their kimonos' because they have two ways you can wear them. There is the normal hikizuri way, which is when it drags along the wooden floors of the tea house while Geisha perform. The other way is called a "hiked skirt". If you've ever seen pictures of Geisha's walking along the roadways in Japan, you notice they carry their kimonos up in their hand so it doesn't get soiled along the way. They reveal the beautiful juban underneath their ornate kimonos. Just as you see here, the juban is very pretty. I wanted you to also see the great detail made in the shadows of the collar/eri of the kimono. Kitty Pidgeon that owns Tenran is a talented kimono maker. Visit her store soon!

kimono: Tenran

Hime or Princess kimono

||= Outside the castle was forbidden for women, but the Princess was bolder than the women of her time. Testing dangers and pushing the limits, all for the sake of love. He was a samurai, born to nobility, and moving up in ranks to even challenge the shogun. She was young, and courageous and though the dangers were great, she left the safety of the castle down into the outlying village. Near the lake she knew he would be waiting for her. Her servant would have sent him the message. Even he risked punishment for seeing the hime without permission from her father. The moment their eyes met, all the danger and risks were like pebbles in the ocean compared to their need to be with each other. Closing her eyes, her slender fingers grazed over his armor into half clutched fists. She was joyous and sorrowful. Behind his ever present smile to her, she knew he was battle weary. The wars raged on and he was home only for a few days before she knew he would have to leave again. The village was quiet, and the cat tails that grew along the lake swayed gently as they held each other close. This moment wouldn't last, but they tried to make time stand still.=||

Gomenasai/sorry, I've been away for a bit, but now I'm back and ready to post something new. One of the prettiest kimono's I ever saw on Second Life is this kimono from Sweetaholic. It's the modern Hime or Princess kimono. It's so lovely and detailed. Even the fan is part of the outfit, how cool is that? You can purchase the skin, shape, eyes, hair, and accessories all at once at Sweetaholic. I will tell you this though; it is the very first version of this kimono and it received an upgrade, but I wanted to show you it in it's original form and show you the other later.

I have had more compliments on this kimono in world than any other. This is the hair and accessories that come with the kimono, the skin and eyes are from my inventory. If you really like detailed and bold kimono's, you'll be like me and go to Sweetaholic to see what they have new and old!

Kimono: Sweetaholic

Armor:

Shrine kimono

||-(the past) She knew going to the shrine at night was forbidden and dangerous. She didn't care, she didn't care what it took. She wanted to see him, wanted to be next to him. He was samurai and she knew he would be there. If she could only catch a glimpse of him, she would be happy. No matter what the perils lay between her and seeing him. Her eyes were bright when she thought of him. Her formal kimono would reveal to most her status, and increase her risk even more. She heard there was to be a meeting after prayers were given at the shrine. She hid behind red wooden pillar. The glow of the lantern softly lit her pink skin. They would soon walk past her. Armor clacking loudly, she held her breath. He removed his helmet as he passed by. Turning his head slightly to glance at her and smile. She bit her lip. Did he actually see her? She didn't know the answer, panic insued as she ran quickly back home. Her heart racing, the kimono rustled between her legs. She smiled to herself. She got her wish, just to see him, but even more, it appeared he had seen her too.-||



My fiancee and I, roleplay. I hope you don't mind me incorporating some of our story into my blog. Sometimes the kimono's just beg for a story to be told. Taking you back to ancient Japan and the times of the samurai. Brave men and beautiful women walking the roads and paths in kimonos of all colors.

Isn't this a great kimono. Sakura and black, a formal furisode hikizuri. There use to be a shop called Flower and Willow in SL. Unfortunately, it has closed, but there use to be some of the most precious kimono's there. Like this one for example. I hope the owner will reopen soon, but I just wanted to show you this one, it needed some attention. ^^

Bring on the Springtime!

What's better than one kimono you like? Many kimonos! Here you see a yukata, komon, and samurai kimono respectively. I hope you enjoy them! From all of us to all of you, have a wonderful spring!

Yukata: Geisha Dreams
Komon: Geisha Dreams
Aoi's kimono: Sweetaholic

A kimono for the spring, the komon.

||-Spring. It was in spring time when they met, she and her love. He is always fighting, always at war and away from her. She knows he will come home though. She prays for it every night, curling her slender fingers, one over the other, as she kneels before the kamis. Today, she strolls among the falling sakura and the trees burst with blooms of pink and white. A smile crosses over her pale pink lips as she remembers him taking her hand gently, and placing a kiss softly on her skin. For a samurai, he was extremely gentle with her, and for all his cold fierceness, she knew he could be warm. She watches as a gust of wind tosses blossoms in the air and pushes butterflies that flew around her. Would he come home before the last sakura fell from the trees? She truly hopes so, but for now, her soft smile, the pink blossoms and the trees will keep her company.-||




There are various types of kimono for all kinds of occasions. Refer to my table in an earlier blog. -Occasions- One such kimono I would like to highlight is the komon. It is a simple kimono that by definition has many fine patterns throughout the fabric. It is also an informal kimono for the most part, but you can dress it up with a formal obi. Both married and unmarried women can wear the komon. Mostly it is worn as a travel kimono. What better kimono to go Hanami viewing?

The komon I have here from GD or Geisha Dreams is an Edo komon. Edo komon have a special dyeing technique that originated with the Samurai class in the Edo period. This kimono can be worn for traveling and visiting others as a formal informal garment. You can find it now at GD for 200L.

Kimono: Cherry Usuai Komon at Geisha Dreams

More cherry blossoms? YES!! Sakura everywhere. Hanami, the viewing of blossoms has started. Where else do they look more beautiful than on a spring kimono. Who likes gradients? Well, I do! When one color fades into the next, a nice blending of two very different colors. This kimono was last year's special, the sakura kimono from Yumeji. She hasn't come out with the this year's, but I'm waiting! If you're into pink, she has many pink kimono at her store. Visit it soon!

kimono: Yumeji

April is the time for Sakura Festivals, or Cherry Blossom Festivals.

Usually from March 25th to April 4th starts the beginning of many Sakura or cherry blossom festivals in Japan. Viewing blossoms is what the Japanese call, hanami 花見, or literally, "flower viewing". I'll talk more about Hanami later. So, April has many festivals that include viewing Sakura at various castles and shrines, they also have parades and people dressed in early period custumes.

Why don't we have festivals like this? lol Well, we don't for our country, but we do have many Sakura Festivals in the US that celebrate that Japanese tradition. Washington DC holds an annual Sakura Festival at this time; so does Philadelphia as well as San Francisco. You might want to try going to these festivals one day, because you will see many people dressed in kimonos! Children and adults all wear kimono's during the festival.

Washington DC National Sakura Festival (Washington D.C., Va.)

The Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival (San Francisco, Ca.)

Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival (Philadelphia, Pa.)


There are a few other cities in the U.S., but these are the major ones. ^^ If you live in one of these cities, go check them out and enjoy Hanami!

In SL there more places for Hanami viewing, one of them is the Pluto Cherry Blossom Fesitval. It started March 27th and will last until May 1st. The trees are incredible and they have several places to take pics with poses. Hanami is much more enjoyable when you're with someone you care about. My fiancee and I took some pics there. Hope you like them ^^!

Pluto's Cherry Blossom Festival

I'm wearing Mare Sakura kimono and he's wearing Kabukokimono from Barerose Tokyo.