As every woman on Second Life knows, the 2011 HAIR FAIR is going on now. All of the hairs there are sold with a percentage going to charity. And its also become the place where designers "launch" their new hairs for the year.
And we've got the TOP 10 BEST NEW HAIRSTYLES according to Iris Ophelia, who does the OPHELIA'S GAZE FASHION REPORT in Hamlet Au's blog.
The styles are not only great (you can see my favorite in the pic above), there's lots of great innovations.
Tattoo hairbases are becoming the norm as most of us know. There's also better hair dye dual color hairs, hair that you can "grow" by adding length to them
The HAIR FAIR ends tomorrow with BANDANNA DAY, devoted to charity. More on that tomorrow.
You can see all 10 hair styles and complete descriptions by Iris Ophelia just after the jump.
Ophelia's Gaze: My Top 10 Favorite Styles from Second Life's Hair Fair
Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of virtual world and MMO fashion
It seems like there's an expo or fair of some sort every month, but somehow Hair Fair, one of the originals, still manages to set itself apart year after year. Hair Fair benefits the Wigs For Kids charity-- and this year a portion of every sale will go to this outstanding cause. I'll be sharing my 10 favorite styles, but today I'm starting off with the first five!
Minami, by Sheikra Bakhtar of Taketomi [Click here to teleport to Taketomi at HAIR FAIR]
Many designers opt to launch new brands at Hair Fair, and this one definitely shows tons of promise. I was a little unsure about this odd cut before I tried it on. My real life mother, shopping over my shoulder, was not fond of the crooked bangs. (She also plays SL.) It's easy to forget the extra work it takes to make these details of imperfection in Second Life-- a sign of poor workmanship in RL is a sign of care and quality in an SL creation. I adore this style, but it's not for everyone.
Sienna, by Carina Larsen of Amacci [Click here to teleport to Amacci at HAIR FAIR]
If you're looking to evoke the 18th century, Exile's Marie Antoinette-inspired style may be the obvious choice, but this style by Amacci, paired with their free hair bases, is a very elegant alternative. Many designers have included tattoo layer hairbases with their styles this year, so I'm not sure why Amacci's are packaged separately-- just don't forget them when you pick up this updo.
Keep reading for three more delicious 'dos!
Lace, by Lamb Bellic of Lamb [Click here to teleport to Lamb at HAIR FAIR]
Lamb's newest texture pack is another example of the beauty of imperfection in Second Life. While many perfectionists hate the trend of visible roots sweeping SL hair, Lamb has gone a step further and created a texture pack that shows 2 dye jobs growing out over natural colour. The result are unique fading tones that are quite unlike the deliberately color-tipped textures that have been in SL for ages.
Yumi, by MissAllSunday Lemon of Wasabi Pills [Click here to teleport to Wasabi Pills at HAIR FAIR]
Of course I had to find a super sweet style, and Wasabi Pills satisfied that perfectly. They've released a couple bow-accented styles for the fair, but this one takes the cake. It doesn't look too young, and the optional color-changing headband saves me the hassle of looking for the perfect accessory for my outfit.
Hair Fair Bandana, by Ivy Graves of Illusory [Available from banada stalls on all four Hair Fair sims]
On Bandana Day, traditionally the final day of the fair, fashionistas wear designer-created bandanas and scarfs to show their support for Wigs For Kids and all those who are losing or have lost their hair due to cancer treatments. This ultra-feminine bandana is my favorite, not just this year, but of every Hair Fair to date! Add a hairbase or some bangs for a look that will work long after this year's Bandana Day on July 15th.
Sometimes hairstyles really call out to me to buy a specific color, and to me this style just begs to be worn blonde! I'm not usually a fan of Shag hairs to be perfectly honest, as they often don't quite fit my head properly, but the cropped curls of this sassy short style are absolutely perfect and it required very minimal adjustment on my part. Love at first sight!
Pretty Words, by Bubbles Clawtooth of Clawtooth [Click here to teleport to Clawtooth at HAIR FAIR]
Pretty Words is a very versatile long style, with a prim attachment to add extra length to the bottom. I found it a little awkward to make this attachment blend naturally with the rest of the hair, but it's picture perfect for snapshots. I adored the subtle details at the back of the neck as well, which goes to show how much care went into this style's construction.
Keep reading for my last three heartstopping hairdos!
Papillon, by Calico Felisimo of Rosy mood [Click here to teleport to Rosy mood at HAIR FAIR]
I would have loved to have this style a couple weeks ago for my post about Second Life Lolita style, it's absolutely ideal! Beautiful ringlet curls like this can be difficult to achieve in SL, so naturally a good curly style can be hard to find. This isn't for the casual hair-curler, but it's a great style to top off more outlandish ensembles.
Tilda, by as001 Littlething of [kik] [Click here to teleport to [kik] at HAIR FAIR]
Tilda, like the Clawtooth style I mentioned earlier, comes with attachments to add extra length, but where this hair really shines is in it's beatiful, soft-looking waves. There's a kind of natural and haphazard beauty to this style that is again all to hard to capture in a Second Life hairstyle, and Tilda manages it marvellously.
Fine, also by as001 Littlething of [kik]
Speaking of haphazard beauty, this second style from [kik] definitely takes it to the limit. I feel like it might almost be cheating to include two styles from this designer on my list, but [kik] has quickly become one of my top hair brands in spite of their relatively small line. as001 manages to make incredibly natural and ernest looking hairstyles-- not the hair of a supermodel in a magazine, but the hair of a cute girl at a bus stop. it's a grounded kind of beauty that SL fashion desperately needs more of.
For more Hair Fair goodness, check out Anya Ohmai's stunning themed pictorial sets(that put me to shame!) And I've got the guys covered as well: Gasolinealex Serevi has been posting some of the best men's styles on his blog, YouStyleSL! There really is a style at Hair Fair for everyone!
Iris Ophelia(Janine Hawkins IRL) has been featured in theNew York Timesand has spoken about SL-based design at theFashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan andwith pop culture/fashion maven Johanna Blakley.
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