Description: The first thing I thought of when I saw New years was the Celtic celebration Samhain, also known as the Witch’s new year. This ancient celebration inspired many other holidays such as halloween or day of the dead, but the original celebration brought in the New year for the Celtics. This was to celebrate the dead and to mark the end of summer, beginning of winter, which was associated with death. They would dress in animal heads and skins for these celebrations which they thought would bring them closer to the spirits and make them believe they were also undead. Many people believed that a portal was open to the otherworld and you would give sacrifices of crops and cattle to the ancient deities to have a plentiful year. I’ve dressed Amren in a traditional animal skull and flowers to match, she is wearing a long wispy dress to also mimic a spirit. She is seen standing behind a nice big bonfire which the Celts would also do for these celebrations. I hope this counts emo
Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2024 1:10 am
龙 The Dragon 龙 Challenge New Year's Designer Self Respect Model Elise Description Based on the Chinese Zodiac, 2024 is the year of the Dragon (龙). The dragon symbolizes nobility and authority that gracefully captivates its audiences with its power not wielded.
I hope to have captured all these themes into one model yet still pay homage to the traditions of Chinese new year.
Top Designer: Mini Black Velvet — Laurel • The concept was absolutely amazing. The fresh and unique take on this holiday activity resonated greatly with the Judges, and the description was utilized to its maximum potential. • The layering/colour scheme is a bit muddled in the bottom half of the design, making it hard to distinguish the blanket from the background.
HELLPRIEST — Seren • As the first to portray the Chinese New Year, this set a high bar for all that came after it. The details put into the accessories were a highlight, which came across in both the image, and the description. • More could have been added to the bottom to balance out the image (perhaps a larger tail), and more could have been done to tie Seren's features into the colour scheme (such as a dark brown/black eyeshadow).
clowniing — Rhiannon • The decision to use a wine red & white gold colour scheme set this entry apart from the others, as it not only enhanced Rhiannon's natural features, it also gave us a more creative approach to an otherwise overused motif. • The small, added details in the design border between balanced and busy. It could have benefited from either removing something from the outfit, or from the background.
Dickjoke — Talia • As the only 'resolution' theme, this entry stands out with its motif. The outfit design is cute, and chic, suiting what we believe Talia would naturally look good in. • The style's lack of depth is apparent in the scene of the photo. With such elegant and tasteful outfit choices, it was disappointing that Talia's background was boring.
Ultrabord — Esther • Your experience and wisdom shine brightly with how well you've catered the look to your Model. Everything from the colour scheme, to the clothing and environment choices enhance Esther's beauty. • The description was a little lacking when it came to length, which would've helped a lot. As well, we felt that there could have been a bit more razzle dazzle to the scene (perhaps floating lights).
Haji Demon — Maritza • The overall look of this design is gorgeous. Every item used as clothing comes across as flattering on Maritza, and every decor choice adds an element that brings attention to the Model. • More varied colours would have gone a long way in this look, seeing as most entries incorporated red into their colour schemes. The red filter was especially distracting in that regard.
Detrimentum — Helena • The vibe for this entry hits differently from the other Chinese New Years designs, as it focuses on the festivities instead of the dragon. The lanterns act as a clear beacon of imagery. • There isn't enough contrast between the foreground and background, which makes some of the decor look messy, especially at the bottom, where the colours are muted.
smol bab — Amren • The details made in the accessories and the scene are perfectly fitting for a Samhain celebration (the fire addition was inspiring). And the concept is truly unique; Quite different than anything else. • The motif was borderline acceptable, and the design relied heavily on the description for justification. Still, the image was bathed in darkness, making many elements indistinguishable.
mythological irony — Sumati • The various shades of berry red compliment Sumati's base features wonderfully, and her gown, while simple, could easily prove its versatility with a scenery swap. • Each Judge cited an item they weren't sold on: The lens flare (takes away from Sumati's face), the legs (nude would've matched better), and the party hat (cheapens the outfit). But it was agreed that the description was a bit long.
ICLite — Lulu • The background clock, with its warm, darker colours was an excellent choice for Lulu, as it brings out her vibrant red hair and flushed skin. As well, the concept is on point, and described perfectly. • The light colours of the dress don't really match the background, or showcase Lulu's natural beauty. And due to subject matter, the design could have been elevated with the addition of a partner.
Princess Warfare — Summer • The use of space is a masterclass in how to use the background and foreground to one's advantage. Every inch is used, but none of the decor detracts from Summer. What's more is the flawless construction of the horned-headdress. • Firstly, the make-up is laid on too thick, and we end up losing a lot of Summer's base traits in the translation. Secondly, there's not enough black throughout the rest of the photo to balance out the black tights.
ShiroOkazaki — Aubrie • The use of space is on point, and is actually staged very well. Additionally, the pink and peach tones work wonderfully with Aubrie's ebony skintone and golden locks. • The outfit reads 'burlesque' rather than 'New Years party', and the colour scheme leans a bit too dark to perceive some details. As well, the blue accent is either unnecessary, or is too sparse to fully appreciate.
Neapolitangirl — Ava • This is a truly creative approach to the overused Chinese New Year theme. To set it apart from the others, by focusing on the movement, was a stroke of genius, which we completely bought from the description. • The biggest issue in this design is colour scheme consistency. The off-white of the big lights, the pink flower, the orange dress top, and the cream in the horns all stick out as poor colour matching.
cynicalsix — Maria • First, the concept is impeccable, and everything about this design paints a clear picture. Second, the colour scheme really makes an impression, as it's both a fresh palette for the challenge, and it suits Maria. • This threatens being busy more than it does being balanced, and the confetti borders on looking messy is some spots. However, the biggest scoring dud was the description, which was sorely inadequate.
BloodAngel95 — Bryce • It's a very cute design, with the overall effect of feeling warm, comfortable, and reliable. The scene is set up nicely, with inoffensive components. The description was also good, albeit a bit long. • The outfit plays things so safely, that it's barely memorable. And the scene doesn't say 'New Years', as it can easily be depicting anyone at any location. It was just underwhelming, and needed some serious zhuzhing.
Eliminated: Self Respect — Elise • This is an absolutely stunning design!! Elise shines brightly in this creatively androgynous approach to the dragon. What's more, is that the items are perfectly balanced, as is the colour scheme. Also, using make-up as war paint was innovative. • The beefy scores you earned from the style/creativity categories weren't enough to save you. As the last to submit your design, and the 6th to depict the Chinese New Year, your motive score was severely damaged. And neither of the two sentences in that grim description advocated for your choices. Then on top of that, marks were subtracted for changing Elise's eyes.
Queentintin — Charmaine • Props to your bravery in being the first to post this cycle. As well, it made for a cute outfit to kick things off, too. Really, the pastels suit Charmaine so well, and scheme ties into the intriguing motif. • It's a very simple design, that doesn't exactly say 'New Years'. With more items, you could have painted a more complete and detailed picture of your concept, which might have inspired you to put more effort into that bleak description.
✧ The hardest part about this design for me was finding something for shoes/legwear because they don't really make ~elegant~ items anymore that you can layer on the legs (like stockings + wedge heels; it'd have to be one single item now if I wanted to achieve the look I was going for!)
✧ I can't tell you how thrilled I was to find more bubble background items as well! I love the look of the older bubbles but this one captures the vibe i wanted pretty well, I think! I also love the shape of the glasses!
✧ This is more of a fun fact than anything else but my current Avatar is what my style was like back in the day, give or take! One of those overloaded avatars with all the expensive things I could possibly fit onto one! ( and if you noticed last run, i had also changed my avatar to match my theming....keep an eye out for next challenge ^u^!! )
HELLPRIEST
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Demonic Prophet
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mythological irony Crew
Blessed Lunatic
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Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2024 3:53 am
Final Submission!
Title In Purple Moonlight
Designer mythological irony
Model Sumati
Challenge
Designers, it's The_Slytherin_Goddess' birthday this week, and she's demanded that you celebrate her day by paying homage to her old avatars from 2006 — 2008! It's simple, really. All you have to do is pick one of the six super stylish outfits she rocked back in the olden days, and re-imagine it for today's world of Gaia. Though, keep in mind, she's not looking for clones. Rather, she wants to see how each of you can honour her particular flavour through colour schemes, motif, and creativity.
Description My first instinct was to base my design on Mistress of the Night, but I thought that'd be a popular choice, so I decided to pick a different design, which was Witching Hour! After making my avatar for that and posting it, however, I started second-guessing myself. Only one other person had done something for Mistress of the Night, so I figured I should attempt a version of that as well and decide which one I liked better.
Which brings me to my current submission. Like my previous design, I stuck with the provided color scheme--black and purple for this one. The main design concepts I stuck with were the umbrella and the mask on her face, which I turned into a makeup design instead.
I opted to only do a partial background because I thought a full background would take away from the overall vibe of the original design inspiration. I chose to use a moon to reference the original title of the avatar inspiration and then framed it with the flowers to add a little more purple.
Title Magic Flowers
Designer mythological irony
Model Sumati
Challenge
Designers, it's The_Slytherin_Goddess' birthday this week, and she's demanded that you celebrate her day by paying homage to her old avatars from 2006 — 2008! It's simple, really. All you have to do is pick one of the six super stylish outfits she rocked back in the olden days, and re-imagine it for today's world of Gaia. Though, keep in mind, she's not looking for clones. Rather, she wants to see how each of you can honour her particular flavour through colour schemes, motif, and creativity.
Description My first instinct was to base my design on Mistress of the Night, but I thought that'd be a popular choice, so I decided to pick a different design. So I went with Witching Hour!
I stuck to the green and black color scheme with the pops of yellow. I decided to include the bandana with the flower, the wand, and the sunglasses, which I considered to be the core design elements and I wanted to build around them.
I decided to turn her sunglasses purple to pay homage to her hair color. I added the shadows and flowers to both express her powers as a witch and to tie into the flower on her head.
First, Happy Birthday The_Slytherin_Goddess, hope all your wishes come true!
I choose #5 - Material Girl for my inspiration. I thought it incredibly fascinating, and I wanted to further challenge myself by creating an outfit based on it without utilising the iconic wig.
Indulge in luxury and convey your inner Material Girl with a dazzling outfit that embraces the everlasting elegance of pearls. The jewellery is the major element of this ensemble, perfectly blending light and dark blue tones to exude an ethereal appearance.
This is what I got the impression of, even if they were avis, from back in 2000's 3nodding tried my best, and in fun, may not get far, but still trying *Queentintin*
My inspiration was set on #6- *My Curse* and so forth I present this poor girl, cursed with being a Neko and Fairy Misfit , she is a last forced to servitude, and so I share her story as a Birthday Gift to you biggrin, Charmaine being the Model, by Queenie
There was a poor little Captured neko girl, for ever happy and purring she was, after she gets her treat! She is working so hard to please her master, as she is a slave to his bidding, and he shows no remorse, so she uses her sweetness and magic abilities, to appease her king, for if she does not.. she would be thrown to the dungeons, never to see the light of day! With her cuteness, and calming spells she can control that anger that has been building in the King's heart, she hopes someday to be rid of her curse that was placed on her of servitude., and return to her people, her small village. Her family awaits, must be worrying for her.. she dreams of meeting a sweet Prince that will rescue her from the demon king, at night, recluses, she drifts off to dream land, a better place! a story of a forgotten little frightened cat and fairy girl, so lonely..
Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2024 9:47 am
Status: Complete
Outfit Title: Candy and Glow Designer: ShiroOkazaki Model: Aubrie
Description: I chose base #6 "My Curse" as my inspiration. The original made me think of the rave aesthetic and I ran with that.
Ravers, sometimes called Kandi Kids, love all things fun and bright. Glow-in-the-dark accessories are great for that dark dance party atmosphere. Outfits can go above and beyond, but you have to be able to dance in them! Aubrie might be new to the scene, as she doesn't seem to have many bracelets yet, but she is always up for a good time.
She's got extra sparkles and her brightest smile. I went with the Booming color scheme with some touches of Lifestone, these seemed reminiscent of the original avatar while also meshing with Aubrie's base features.
I chose the third outfit, Witching Hour, as I really like the theme of quirky but fashionable Slytherin witch. It doesn't hurt that I have more than a few Hogwarts witch characters of my own, several which (witch?) I've made on Gaia's avatar dress-up, so this is a theme with which I'm very familiar. I can easily imagine Esther walking into Hogwarts her first year with that confident catwalk strut, sorting into Slytherin house, and a few years later growing into a skilled and accomplished witch.
Several elements of the original outfit I particularly love such as the jacket and headscarf, while others look a little clashing like the skirt with the bell-bottomed pants. I kept as much of the original witchy robe-inspired cloak with a jewel clasp (plus the magic wand!) as possible while using new and different items, as well as the absolute perfect headscarf item that compliments the model's hair fantastically and the Dionaesil flower hairpin, and even the elven ears. I found similar but differently colored turtleneck and glasses, and now you can see the mischief in the model's eyes. For the bottoms, I was able to find a fantastic pair of overall pants with boots that still have a bit of that natural flair, but have more of a witch aesthetic than the original style. A couple features I changed were the dark lipstick to fit the gothic witch theme, and I kept her hair its original natural color. I completed the style with a gothic castle-inspired mansion background, a few petals and magical sparkles, and a subtle filter that matches everything without muting the model herself.
Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2024 11:48 am
Designer: neapolitangirl
Model: Ava Outfit Title: Fairy Godsister Equipped List:
Description: For this round I referenced outfit #5, Material Girl. I really loved the legwarmers and so decided to focus around them. I wanted to "update" the outfit, so I tried to keep as many elements from the original in. The brooch was what gave me the most trouble. I ended up exchanging it for a necklace and made the belt match in order to balance the outfit, then changing it to a different necklace as I thought it made the final design look too "busy".
The hat is what I think is the most interesting part of my design. I felt like the hair of the original was too important to leave it out, so I got creative as I couldn't change Ava's hair. I even added a bow to give it more volume! Very pleased with how it turned out in the end.
When looking at Material Girl again, I noticed that the design was of a fairy, albeit a very modern one. I still wanted to do something new, so I decided to look towards Winx Club for some inspiration! Took a very long size to find wings that didn't throw of the whole piece but I managed it eventually. Very pleased with the final product this time around.
Challenge #2: Lisa, It's Your Birthday! Happy Birthday, Lisa!
Designers, it's The_Slytherin_Goddess' birthday this week, and she's demanded that you celebrate her day by paying homage to her old avatars from 2006 — 2008! It's simple, really. All you have to do is pick one of the six super stylish outfits she rocked back in the olden days, and re-imagine it for today's world of Gaia. Though, keep in mind, she's not looking for clones. Rather, she wants to see how each of you can honour her particular flavour through colour schemes, motif, and creativity. Due Date: Jan 27th
Superstar
✦ Designer: Mini Black Velvet ✦ Model: Laurel ✦
✧ Description ✧
No matter how much they try to hide, a star always shines amidst darkness.
This design is paying homage to Mistress of Night, as I tried to incorporate multiple elements of the look: black color, eye wear, and signature umbrella. But my re-imagination incorporates the theme of stars, showcasing symbols of light and being a famous celebrity.
Laurel is trying to hide from the Paparazzi with her umbrella and sunglasses. However being the style icon she is, her starry accessories are a bit too eye catching, and her star powers do not help her stay out of the spotlight.
Some petals and a floating ribbon were added to match her red hair and to give her an outer worldly sense that she can also gravitate items like a celestial superstar.
Posted: Sun Jan 21, 2024 6:51 pm
Designer: bloodangel95 Model: Bryce Title: A Witch Masquerade 1 mistress of night purple aesthetic kept calling to me and inspired me!
Gaia today is all about color schemes! For bryce outfit I included different purple color schemes I quite enjoy! I think they flow together quite nicely.
Looking through these color schemes I was able to keep quite a few elements from the original. I decided to keep the elf ears, collar/choker, boots, sleaves, and mask. The elf ears were a must for me and thankfully I found these ears that went over bryce wild hair that usually hide her ears. I kept the collar because I myself am a fan of collars but I layered another necklace to add some spark in the night outfit. Out of the whole outfit the item I did not change at all were the boots. The boots were a simple must have! I thought about added an umbrella but once I found theses flowy sleeves there were a must have as well. I struggle the most in decided to keep the mask or not. I struggled simple because I love Bryce facial expression but in the end I couldn't pass up the birthday masquerade idea!
Instead of having an umbrella or bandana I added a witch hat! I was looking for a cute headband when I tried on this witch hat, loved it! A witch is a mistress of the night after all!
Lastly I added a simple woodys background to tying in the night and witch vibes of my outfit. Plus backgrounds are another key elements in today's gaia fashion as well.
I Just Don't Know What To Do! ‣designer: cynicalsix ‣model: maria ‣description: An adaptation of The_Slytherin_Goddess' "Kiss Me Kill Me Look", I was immediately captivated by the use of the checkered hat in the original and knew about an item that would be a perfect callback to it. It reminded me of British Mod Fashion, which I'm a huge fan of, and I worked from there. I wanted to create a kind of villainous look you'd see in a campy spy film.
This is oddly specific but a challenge earlier on with this look was finding a pair of earrings that calls back to the original outfit while maintaining the general vision of the homage. Originally they were silver just like the original, but I decided to change them to gold instead to fit the look better. Another adaptation I had a fun time with was the wand, which I translated into a riding crop to stick to the villainess motif.
Though not too integral to the look itself, the name of the outfit is a reference to one of my favorite songs, which shares a name with the original look! I wanted to use a half-tone pattern in the look to reference the album art, however most of the items i found ended up blending in too much.
Posted: Tue Jan 23, 2024 10:13 am
Blessed with a Curse -- Reference: Outfit #6, "My Curse" Model Summer Designed by Princess Warfare
Description "I don't care if a demon puts a curse on me - it's my BIRTHDAY!!" Oh no, Summer has gone and opened a portal to the underworld... as a gift? To herself??? I love imagining Summer as having feral unhinged energy to juxtapose how "normal" she appears (blonde, blue eyes, etc).
I wanted to add more of a narrative based on the title of the original outfit. I found the idea of trying to summon an otherworldly entity on your birthday (and subsequently becoming cursed lol) kind of funny/ironic. I used colors from the reference photo and made slight adjustments to the color scheme to be more cohesive.
You'll notice some familiar elements from the reference photo, namely the use of the color purple and the amaranth/light pink jacket around Summer's waist. I chose these two garments to reflect the original purple tights and lighter pink skirt. Instead of cat ears, I thought a beanie with some goggles would be cute and more functional. The corset/collar combo is something I found that matched, and added a little layering like the vest did in the reference. Not really a nod to anything from the reference, but creating something inspired by someone else's work demands a level of ingenuity and originality.
All in all, I wanted to create a look with some attitude while keeping it light and fun! After all, we're celebrating a birthday, aren't we? Happy birthday btw!!!!!
Spring Awakening Designer: Haji Demon Model: Maritza Theme: The Green Fairy
Description-
Sing, sing, sing. Ruffle, trees, in the wind, Let not the sunlight pass Dance, flowers and grass, Return to the earth and sing, flutter in the skies, and sing, bow your head to the noble garden and sing for the spring has arrived.
As the snow melts, the green awakens, shakes the cold off and holds its arms out to the sun and dances in delight. The sweet little fairy of spring is still a little sleepy and lethargic, she takes a moment to take in the vibrant world around her before she joins the dance
Creation- The hardest part was that wings didnt work well with most backgrounds. They would either hide behind it or blend in too much. I am really glad how it worked out, specially the water layered quite well to give it that mossy waterfall look. I love her legs, but her butt was sticking out from them, so I layered aquascaping on it to make the dress seem longer
