The Grand Opening

Debutante and Calli’s at Victoriana held their grand openings Saturday night. I believe they were quite successful. I know that the sim was full within 10 minutes of the starting time. I’m glad I got there just BEFORE it started.

Shenlei had given me a copy of one of her new dresses the night before the opening – the Louisa gown in red. ZOMG – it is stupendous. I love most of Shen’s dresses, but this one is incredible. I love the open bodice, the styling, the colors, the lines. I was twirling and modelling it for myself while I was scripting. If I’m scripting down by the beach, I like to sit on the sand. If I’m scripting in my room, I like to sit on my bed. In any case – I like to sit while I script. But it’s not that comfortable to sit with all those skirts. So I left on the bodice and slipped into jeans. Took off the sleeve decorations as well. And LOVED the look.

So that’s how I showed up at the opening – jeans, boots, bodice. I walked into Debutante and there was Shenlei talking to another visitor. They both looked gorgeous in their Victoriana outfits. The Mayor came in just after I. Elegant and gracious as always, he bowed to us ladies. Well. I tried to curtsy back. A bit difficult in jeans. All the others were in proper outfits for the sim, having refined, polite conversation. I was ashamed of myself. Sigh. I don’t know WHY I love wearing jeans so much. I certainly like dressing up. So I slunk upstairs, out of sight. (Ha ha – that’s a joke. You are NEVER out of sight in SL.) I put on the entire Lousia outfit. Smile. I left on my boots. No one could SEE my boots under all those skirts. And I descended the stairs to rejoin the group and be a gracious lady also.

There were sooooo many people pouring into Victoriana. The lag was ferocious. The vast majority of people were in period costume and acting in period. But many people came in their every-day outfits as well. Certainly all were welcome. For me, the whole experience was enhanced because so many of my friends showed up. I often IM with them but don’t always get to be in the same location. So it was great to actually see them all. Natalya came and joined me to look at Calli’s art. I love looking at art with another person, especially one with an eye as good as Nat’s. I like sharing critiques and observations on the art. I couldn’t resist snapping a pic of us together. I am standing in front of Calli’s photo called “How Much?”. That is a photo of Shen and I in the Debutante store. Shen is behind the counter and I am the customer. 🙂 To the left of Nat in the picture is a bit of my favorite picture in the store – Timeless Passion. Timeless Passion now hangs on the wall of my room. I have to laugh – sooooo many people purchased copies of Timeless Passion that night. See – I told you it was sensational. So I decided I needed to start a new group – Owners of Timeless Passion. 🙂

Although the opening was officially for 2 hours, we were there for nearly 3. Afterwards we tp’d to a party where Kyle Beltran was performing. I’d first heard and met Kyle at Calli’s rez day party. He is a pianist and extremely talented. Not only does he play and sing well, but he has witty and amusing conversation to accompany the singing. You can catch Kyle in just a few days when he performs on Jan 25. I took advantage of the tp lag to slip back into “modern Victoriana”. I simply love this Louisa bodice. Now I NEED the proper jewelry to do it justice. 🙂