This thread is where I want to post all the looks I would've done or redone from past cycles, as well as the current cycle. If you're wondering what's the purpose of this thread? I wanted to make this for everyone in the guild who either auditioned but didn't make the cut and want to up their fashion game for future cycles or wanted to audition but don't know what to do and are looking for inspiration, as well as to the designer participating this cycle in case they're looking for some ideas for their submissions. I made this so that everyone can learn a thing or two here about the how's and do's of the competition with my thread. I most definitely did not make this solely out of boredom. i did.
In addition, given that I'm revisiting past cycles, along with my own creations and revisions of past creations, I wanted to give highlight to the winners of each challenge of each cycles. They deserve to have their looks be showcased to the guild. Letting them know that their efforts are not in vain, and their creations are timeless and worthy of glory.
Note: In regards of the current cycle ongoing, I will only be posting my creations of a challenge once a new challenge is issued after that particular challenge. For example, say I want to post my creation for challenge #1, I'll only post once challenge #2 is up and #1 is done.
Note (2): I won't be doing the finals (a.k.a: creating your own collection with your assigned model throughout the cycle + models of eliminated designers), since it is a freestyle challenge, so I likely would've just do the same thing on every finales of all cycles. I mainly don't want to do the finals since it doesn't feel like I deserve to do it. I never made it to the finals on both cycles 1 and 3, so I wouldn't know how to even begin with creating my own collection.
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Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2025 1:10 am
Table of Contents
Cycle 1 Cycle 2 Cycle 3 [ cycles 4 - current cycle currently on hold, but will be coming ]
Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2025 1:10 am
Cycle 1
This is my first ever competition. I was a baby designer when I auditioned, but somehow, I made the cut, which made me feel really good. I felt like I was capable of doing anything! biggrin
During the first cycle, my aesthetic mainly revolved around cuteness. I liked to do cutesy outfits. That's all I had going for me at that moment, since, like I said, I was a baby designer when I entered. sweatdrop
I was contemplating whether I should redo the outfits I've done. Part of me wanted to redo it since that's the name of this thread, but the other part of me wanted to leave it alone since all the things that I did and all that's happened from then led me to where I am now. Ultimately, I decided to redo them for nostalgic sake. I thought it'd be fun to revisit and redo my outfits with my newfound aesthetic. I'm sure past me would be gaia_starawestruckgaia_star with what I'm capable of doing now.
With all that said, here are my revisions to my past outfits during Cycle 1, as well as outfits on challenges I would've done had I made it all the way:
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Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2025 1:11 am
Challenge 1: Go the ******** to Sleep
The sleepwear challenge. First-ever challenge of the competition. I got Chloe (my 2nd choice), as my assigned model. I was happy I got in, but a bit bitter since I didn't get Lisa (my 1st choice). After knowing that the designer that got Lisa didn't send in a submission, I was upset, because she got my 1st choice but the person didn't go on with the competition. As for the competition itself, I remember I was so scared because I didn't wanna get eliminated first, and I wanted to stand out by being the first-ever challenge winner. Back then, I came in not-so-confident, but was very eager and determined to be the best, but still willing to make friends with my fellow competitors.
Here's the winning entry, by Ultrabord (I_bord_I):
I_bord_I
Sweet Sleepytime
Designer: Ultrabord
Model: Danielle
Description: There's nothing a new mother wants more than some nice, hard earned sleep... unfortunately, the new baby doesn't know that. At least one of them is getting some sleep. It's a good thing she's so cute, her adorable smiles make it all worth it~
I chose the "cutie" color scheme because it matches the model Danielle so well, but also because when I found the adorable baby, I wanted to choose a color scheme that would go well with this theme. I've never had a baby, but I have friends who do (the pictures are so adorable!) and I wanted to express the roller coaster of emotions and hard work that goes into being a new mother. Plus, what mother doesn't wish she had more hours in a day to sleep?
Description: After I read the whole description of the first challenge, I couldn't resist making a classic sleepwear outfit fitting for my cute model. I used a specific jacket with an arm motion that made my model looked like she took off her sleep mask and rubbing her eyes after she woke up. I also used a legmod and a headbow that fits in perfectly with the look I'm going with. Noticeable that the bed my model is on is looks like from the "The Princess and the Pea" story, I used that specific bed to get that metaphor that makes my model can't sleep because her bed is as uncomfortable as the bed from "The Princess and the Pea", and the overall look is beautiful from head to toe, and fitting with the theme. I hope she can sleep from her "Princess and the Pea" bed, teehee whee.
"I Can't Sleep. I Want You Next To Me"emotion_bigheart
Designer: iiiFlames
Model: Chloe
Description:
The first challenge calls for us to create our bedtime look. The concept I had in mind in the making of my outfit is a sensual and "somewhat" appropriate sleepwear where Chloe looks like she can't sleep but in a somewhat sexy portrayal.
I decided to go with this amaranth + white colour scheme to compliment Chloe's blue eyes and blonde hair. From there, I had the perfect armmod to go with my concept, where she's holding a piece of see-through fabric. Suggestively. As well as this legmod + bedsheet with roses combination that gives the illusion of Chloe lying on her bed. For the accessories, I wanted to add a slight touch of cute to the look with this sleeping mask that has a cute face on it.
As for the outfit, I combined this see-through nightie + short dress that exudes the perfect blend of sexy and cute. The nightie went perfectly with the bedsheet, enhancing the image of her lying in bed. And the dress underneath was appropriately sensual and comfortable for sleeping. The perfect sleepwear for a girl who wants you to sleep next to her.
If you know what I mean.wink
Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2025 1:13 am
Challenge 2: A Fortnight
After reading through my critiques, I knew I had to amp up my fashion game, and improve on my descriptions. That said, after reading through the challenge (sorry for not providing info on the challenges btw. it wasn't available anywhere anymore), it just so happened around that time, we got news that there was a terrorist attack on Marawi (a state populated mainly by Muslims here in the Philippines), and the place was wrecked. Marawi was completely in ruins, which made me really emotional. It was traumatizing to think that those terrorist could've been attacking where I live. I almost bailed out of the challenge because of how emotional I got after reading the challenge. Thankfully, I didn't, and I turned my emotions into art (art being my fashion), and it paid off in my part, because I won this challenge. This was my only win on the cycle, and my performance from there dropped down significantly. sweatdrop
Before we get in the description, please keep in mind that the description starts with a short story, after that is the description about the outfit.
Description: Chloe is an innocent girl who is helplessly crying and crying as the sounds of guns firing throughout her school, hoping that they won't take her and all the people she cares and loves be taken away from life. She luckily got in a classroom barely safe enough to keep her and mostly everyone else inside the room alive, and luckier, she never took a single bullet during the horrendous and tragic phenomenon, though she scratched and bumped both her knees while she was running for her life to get to safety. After the mass shooting ended, she cried after she witnessed lives been taken away from them, and she was physically, mentally and emotionally tired after everything she's gone through. She will always remember the day of the shooting, and everyone she loved that are now gone. - - - - - After reading the article about the shooting, and every description about the second challenge, it didn't worry me about the part where we need to budget out our outfits for our models, since all my outfits are in budget, but it did hit me where it is about the shooting, because it reminded me of our country (Philippines) being attacked by a terrorist group called Maute, so I was a bit disturbed and almost tried to make a PM to Slytherin that I wanna bail out of the challenge, but I immediately calmed myself down and did not do it, and I did some thinking and visualizing on what Chloe will look like, and I decided to go with my model looking like one of the victims of the shooting at the school, crying helplessly. Since it was hard to make my model cry because of her cheerful expression, and I had a hard time looking for a tear mod, I used this jacket with an arm motion that covers her face, so it'll make it look like she's crying. And I remembered that I have an item with a dress that'll give you bumps on both legs, so I looked it up and made her wear the dress in different color to give the feeling that Chloe's hurt, and with the jacket's help, it covered up the dress, which is a good thing. The shoes and socks goes well with the look I want my model to have, and it turned out like as if Chloe was in the situation, which is both a good and a bad thing because it might traumatize a victim.
For context, the challenge was to create an outfit to honour a student who saved a lot of people during a mass school shooting at their school. So, an outfit showing the importance of the children's lives, or creating an imagery of a school shooting as a statement of how messed up the said crime is. In all honesty, I would not change a single thing from what I created then. What I made is what gave me a win. I do have things I want to change with it, but I ultimately wanted to keep it as is, because this was made to honour those who lost their lives of the mass school shooting, as well as the victims of the terrorist attack in Marawi, so I would like not to touch it. Art, don't touch.
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Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2025 1:14 am
Challenge 3: Pretty in Pink
The pink challenge. With my recent win, and this challenge calling for us to do any outfit we want but in pink, I really thought I had it in the bag. I was thinking I'm gonna win 2 challenges in a row. Boy, oh boy! I did not. I flopped. Like flopped. My fragile ego back then was hurt, because I was thinking to myself that I did amazing and everyone else needed to keep up with me, when in fact, I was the one that needed to keep up. Let's just say that what I would've done now with this challenge is a HUGE step up from what I made back then.
Description: So taking into account last challenge's critique I knew I wanted to do something more feminine than my previous entries. My first instinct was to go with classy if the challenge permitted, but (even though this one does) when I saw the goal was pink I got inspired in another way entirely.
Candygloss is one of my three favorite schemes on all of Gaia. It can be difficult to work with because of the limited selection, so coupling other items must be done carefully, so I knew it would be a good additional challenge. So I knew this round would be the perfect chance to show off my love for Candygloss, my passion for niche styles, and Melissa's sweeter, prettier side.
As a result here we have Melissa in a harajuku inspired outfit. I started with the legs and worked my way around. The umbrella/parasol was a perfect accessory because it doesn't matter if it's rain or shine or nighttime, it's too cute not to show off! I tried out quite a few different outfit combinations but settled for something I thought was more balanced, so it's clear the theme is pink without drowning in it.
Face stickers are a popular look in harajuku so they were important to me. I didn't want to just slap on the default sticker item Gaia has premade so I actually combined two non-sticker items to create the appearance I was going for. Likewise, though much of the outfit looks simple it took a fair number of layers–14 in total.
For the final touch I knew I needed a background. I nearly slapped on a pink rainy background but then realized, "This outfit would be horrible for rain! And Melissa is too smiley to be caught in a storm." So I chose this Japanese district background instead so Melissa looks right at home with her style choices.
Description: When I heard of the challenge, it felt like heaven since this theme is my forte. I just started randomly looking for pink items that suited my model, but when I took a second look of Chloe, I realized the she looked like Barbie, so I made this outfit that'll make you think she's Barbie. With that classic princess concept of Barbie that my model has going on, that arm mod that makes it look like she's flipping her hair, and that background that matches everything perfectly, Chloe can be the next Barbie.
She's Everything! He's Just Ken. Designer: iiiFlames Model: Chloe Description:
Chloe's features + pink challenge = Barbie. emotion_bigheart
I knew I wanted to go on the Barbie route with the pink challenge, considering Chloe's blonde, and has blue eyes. I went with the "Malibu" color scheme, as the colors were meant to be inspired by Barbie's colors, perfect for the Barbie concept. From there, I came up with mixing formalwear and casualwear. I'm not known for my casual fits, since I pride myself on being avant-garde and extravagant when it comes to my outfits. So this was a step out my comfort zone, and I must say that I think I did a pretty good job, if I do say so myself.
As for the outfit, I started with this jacket armmod, which is pretty cool. Very fitting for a casual, yet stylish outfit. From there, I found this floor-length skirt legmod with blue heels, that fit the formalwear part of my concept. I paired the skirt with this crop tank top with a collar to further push the formalwear + casualwear concept. Lastly, I have sunglasses (so much for me mentioning Chloe's blue eyes), a blue star necklace and earrings (that you can barely see), a sling bag with a lips design and a cap to finish off the look. Perfectly matching the outfit.
This Barbie is a supermodel of the world. She's 100% that girl.emotion_kiss
Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2025 1:15 am
Challenge 4: Own Your Stone
The birthstone challenge. I was unfortunate for getting assigned pink tourmaline. A pink gemstone on this challenge, meaning I had to do a pink look again. What made it worse for me is that while conceptualizing what I wanted to do, I ultimately made the decision to use the same color schemes I did on the last challenge then, because looking up what the pink tourmaline symbolizes and represents, amaranth made the most sense to me. Looking back on my entry for this, I had the properties of the pink tourmaline down to a T. My issue is that I didn't explain it further as to why I chose the same color I used last challenge, as well as to why I chose a fairy to represent the pink tourmaline. I added the last part of my description of my entry then a little late, hence it wasn't up for consideration with the judges.
Description: I received July (which is my little brother's birth month incidentally) with the gemstone ruby, known as the royal stone. Across history its alluring red color has been associated with power both aristocratically and mythologically. Several cultures thought the ruby could bestow life-giving powers. Ancient Hindus believed if they offered rubies to their god Krishna they could be reborn as emperors.
With this I decided to go the royal route with Melissa's design. I tried to choose fabrics that reflected the shiny, smooth surface of cut rubies as well as the rippled, lumpy texture of raw ones. I also threw in flecks of gold to break up some of the red and white tights to balance Melissa's hair.
Rubies are often found nestled inside or against other precious stones and minerals like quartz, marble, and zoisite. So here we have the regal Melissa, awaiting to be discovered in the crystal mines.
heartIt's Okay, I'm Hereheart Designer: iiiFlames Model: Chloe Description:I'm upset because I wasn't the one who got August, which is my birthmonth, but that's okay, it's hard to find items in its color anyways. And also, why did Slytherin gave me a pink outfit assignment again? This is another challenge within my forte, so I did my usual, I start off searching keywords and picking up items and see if it looks good or not, and later on, I started doing my outfit-making strategy; visualizing and execution. I visualized Chloe as a fairy, whose purpose is the same as my assigned birthstone Pink Tourmaline, and I did just that with the mood-lifting flowers Chloe is holding, and the wings matching my model's pose, and the birthstone background giving idea of the overall looks of my model. I'd definitely say my outfit shines better than the others. heart
heart Fact: The pink tourmaline birthstone is most associated with love and other matters of the heart, and is the purest of the heart chakra stones. It is a representative of the feminine or yin energies and is unsurpassed as a gemstone in healing old emotional wounds.
It's Okay, I'm Here For You.emotion_bigheart Designer: iiiFlames Model: Chloe Description:
Pink Tourmaline is said to have a calming and soothing effect on emotions, helping to relieve anxiety, stress, and depression. It is also believed to promote self-confidence and love, making it a popular choice for those seeking to balance their emotional center.
Reading through the challenge, I found out I had to create another pink look because I got the October gemstone. I am a bit fatigued of pink, but nothing I can do about it now except slay the challenge. After reading what the pink tourmaline symbolizes and the benefits of it, I decided to go with a fairy outfit, as I often find myself enjoy watching a lot of Tinker Bell movies, me watching those movies give off the same effect that a pink tourmaline does.
I wanted my fairy to have the powers to relieve a person's stress, anxiety and depression by giving her the power of love and positivity. From there, I have Chloe hold flowers as flowers tend to be given as a gesture to show love to someone, and flowers, by itself, is said to have the power to improve mental health issues including lowering stress levels and reducing anxiety.
As for the outfit, I have this feathered bustle + see-through ruffled long skirt, paired with a ballerina pose legmod with ballerina shoes. For the accessories, I have wings because you can't be a fairy if you don't have wings. As well as a heart and sparkle effects surrounding Chloe, and on her heart to signify that Chloe's using her power of love through dancing, tying in the ballerina legmod more. I also have Chloe wear pink tourmaline as a headpiece, and another headpiece on the center of her forehead to further enhance the fairy concept. To finish it off, I have a simple pink backdrop, as well as pink tourmaline on the background to show off my assigned gemstone.
If you're ever feeling down, it's okay. Chloe's here for you.emotion_bigheart
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Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2025 1:16 am
Challenge 5: Essentials
The no-background challenge. For most of the challenges that came our way, I thought I was gonna win, this challenge was no exception since at the time, I wasn't into using backgrounds with my outfits, so I thought I got this challenge down. Just like most of the challenges, I didn't. It was mainly the description, and the fact that I stuck to "cute" hurt me. Not just here, but for the rest of the competition. Like the last challenge, I had a clear concept in mind, but my description didn't do it justice.
Designer: milk cap Model: Sheenah Description: I've been waiting for this theme! I usually prefer no backgrounds or simplistic backgrounds for my avatars, so I was super excited! However, I had my doubts, like what if it looks too plain and I'm not actually that great at making avatars? I tried my best to dispel those thoughts and I think I did pretty well. Ever since my audition, I've been dying to put Sheenah in a punk ensemble again. I wondered if it'd end up too similar to my audition design, however, it helped by narrowing it down to "demon punk". I began my journey into the vast sea of items to dress Sheenah.
Initially, I planned to have horns, but the goggles I used had layering problems with the horns, so instead, I used pointed ears and a tail to convey that Sheenah is supposed to be a demon. The legs were perfect, a sassy stance that fit Sheenah to a T. Next came the jacket, that was complete with a studded bracelet and tattoo on the arm, plus spikes on the shoulders. I tacked on a nose piercing and one of those earrings that have a chain. Lastly, the corset, which came with a necklace that filled the negative space on Sheenah's collar.
EDIT: Oh no! I just realized that my image isn't working anymore. It'll be up again shortly! EDIT: Back up!
cheese_whineWhat is Lheartve?cheese_whine Designer: iiiFlames Model: Chloe Description:I'm really loving this theme, because it's within my forte, I can't resist being the first one posting my entry Aah! The 5th challenge, another one of my fortes on outfit-making; backgroundless outfits. At first sight of Chloe's outfit and the title of the outfit, you might think they do not connect whatsoever, but I was inspired by TWICE's (k-pop girl group) What is Love? (TWICE's latest MV that has just been released) photo trailers (try to look it up, and compare my outfit to their pictures). Each members are holding sweets and candies (eg; cupcake, marshmallows), so that inspired me so much, and had Chloe hold a cake, and made an outfit matching the color of her sleeves. The overall look just screams out "What Is Love?" for me
I was inspired by TWICE'S "What is Love" promo shoot, where each member is holding a sweet treat while looking cute and bubbly. Not to shoot myself in the foot, but I think you can see that I nailed it if I do say so myself.
I went with an amaranth pink jacket around Chloe's waist, with pastel green shorts,pink shoes, a pastel green beret with a small white ribbon on it to match the top and the shorts,and a white long sleeves that Chloe rolled up so that no ice cream gets on her sleeves. With how cheerful Chloe's expression is, you can tell she loves herself some good ice cream with strawberry syrup yum_strawberry and sprinkles on top.emotion_bigheart
I never would've dared myself to go casual, but seeing as how the challenge is silently calling us to somewhat tone it down and go casual, I figured I'd answer that silent call and do a rather simple yet tasteful casualwear that anyone can wear. This is something I can see myself wearing in real life. However, I don't think I can pull it off as good as Chloe.
I mean, come on! You can't deny Chloe's one sweet treat with this outfit.
Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2025 1:17 am
Challenge 6: Let's Go to the Hop
The prom challenge. Sigh. The challenge that sent me home (spoilers). My worst nightmare, and my nightmare fuel all at once. Never thought I'd take on my demon, but here we are. This was a double elimination, and I was one of the eliminated designers. I was at my lowest at the point of the competition, given that weeks before, my designs were not received well, so I got in my head, and the competition got the better of me. My design then shows that part of me gave up. Hoping past me will be proud that I redeemed myself somewhat.
Dapper Date Designer: elphiethesane Model: Chantal Description: One of the early ideas I had for this round, based on an item I saw while brainstorming, was to do a suit rather than a dress. It seemed like an interesting route that I doubted other contestants would do. And while with that fancy hair Chantal is far from un-girly, I could imagine her maybe setting that aside for a night to let someone else shine. Wouldn’t it be nice to let your girlfriend be the belle of the ball for the evening?
I set about trying to find a suitable companion to work with, however there seem to be very few female companion items, and fewer still even remotely suitably dressed for a dance. I tried several outfit possibilities to match those girls, but ultimately they kept falling flat, with some item not layering correctly or color schemes not working. I ultimately abandoned the idea of her exactly matching her date and came up with this outfit instead. It’s an outfit I adore, and was a lot harder to put together than it might look, as I originally tried to have her wearing the jacket but struggled to find items that layered together properly. But that difficulty ended up with me using an item that gives her a real attitude, which is part of the reason I love the outfit.
Unfortunately, she doesn’t match her date as much as I would like. I did pick that particular recolor because I felt the mutual red at least somewhat tied them together, but it’s still not as connected as I would like. I considered just entering her on her own, but that just looked too bland. I also considered entering her with a male companion that matches better but ultimately couldn’t bring myself to compromise the original idea in that way. Not to mention if I had, I have no idea what the new “story” would be or how I’d describe it. The ghost thing is a little weird and arbitrary, but at least she’s still a girl, and Chantal could still be trying to let her be the belle of the ball for the evening. Hell, it might be even more important to her than a regular girl... Maybe she never got the chance to be in the spotlight in life!
I will admit, it’s not as strong an entry as I would have liked. I was playing around with some ideas that would better match the ghost girlfriend without matching colors exactly, mostly dealing with transparency and/or abandoning the suit idea entirely, but have failed to come up with anything that works and have just realized I’m out of time (I misread the date and thought I had another day). Regardless, I still like the outfit at the end of the day despite its simplicity. It’s a stylish look for a dance, and a suit is not a likely route for anyone else to have taken.
And for fun, all the angles because ghost girlfriend is too cute, and also I like how the outfit works in all of them.
heartFirst Kisswhee Designer: Sana Minatozaki Model: Chloe Description: The 6th challenge is a bit difficult since the theme makes you think of ballgowns, but I did break the rules and used a dress as Chloe's top, but I did use a long skirt to replace the dress's very short skirt that it has on it, so I guess you can call that layering. I also used a cravat with little frills to match the flow of the long skirt, just to give a touch of movement on my outfit to make it blissful. Overall, this is a classy outfit with a classy concept and story. And speaking of stories, the story of this outfit is about Chloe having her first kiss at midnight on a prom, with her date at a bridge with a romantic view, they confessed their love for each other, and her date comes close to her lips, giving her what Chloe longs for her entire life; a romantic kiss. Shy Chloe timidly tries to cover her lips, but his date grabs her right arm to stop her from doing so, and so he kissed her. Chloe's in a state of bliss because she's very happy to have her first kiss on a perfect night with a perfect date.
The Prom Queen's Crowning!gaia_crown Designer: iiiFlames Model: Chloe Description:
The 6th challenge calls for us to create our prom looks, and the first thing that came to my mind was 80's prom dresses. I wanted to do an 80's prom dress fit for a prom queen. Vintage with a touch of regal. I wanted to use the "Catharsis" colour scheme for the regal part because this particular colour scheme screams royalty.
For the outfit, I tried and tested different short skirts to go with this understated yet chic bodice. Ultimately, I did find this poofy skirt that reminds me a lot of an 80's prom dress. For the shoes, I wanted to keep it simple with a cute gold pump, as I want the focus to be more on the dress. I wanted Chloe to have a partner who matched with her, then I found this handsome gentleman. I also found these poofy sleeves + gloves armmod that match the dress. With how the companion is posing + the motion of the armmod, it resulted in Chloe looking like she's escorted by her prom date.
For the background, I have this spotlight item that's lighting on Chloe, suggesting that she's on stage, being presented as the prom queen. I also found this chandelier (it's behind Chloe's date) + fairy lights, and this stage with red and gold stage curtains, matching the hanging decorations. To finish off the look, I added a beautiful crown on Chloe's head. You can't be the queen without a crown, so the crown was necessary.
All hail the prom queen!gaia_crownemotion_bigheart
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Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2025 1:17 am
Challenge 7: RPG Classes
With the title, I think you can tell which type of challenge it is. Not gonna lie, I got upset seeing that this was the challenge after my elimination. I'm a gaymer (I use they/them pronouns), so this was the one challenge I was, for once, 100% confident I could've done well, and even win. *sigh* Too bad I couldn't showcase what I would've done with this challenge... unless... *aggressively types this thread*
The Paladin Model: Sarah Designer: Alesaan Description: Oh man, am I late to the party! I'll add a new class to our awesome RPG group here.
Coincidentally, my current avi (sexy/ridiculous blonde 'warrior' girl) is one I made and launched probably an hour or two before this contest cycle was posted. ESP I guess? I love the warrior look in all its variations, and knew it is what I wanted to try Sarah in first. I browsed and pretty much tried everything tagged "armor" in the avatar builder. For me, I thought this outfit was my strongest that didn't utilize make-up (my other designs here).
The biggest priorities for me were 1) finding armor that she could realistically could fight in (the amount of high heels in the armor items was ridiculous), 2) find armor that didn't look clunky like many of them do, and as this is a fashion design contest, 3) create an outfit that looks chic and 4) clearly be able to tell her RPG class at a glance. I thought this design hit all those notes.
Plus her armor looks like she has a gold chainmail (and not skin tight) miniskirt over her actual pants - how fun is that?
I also thought the portrait with the roses enhanced the red and gold color scheme and ties in her tiara's rose, while adding a romantic note too. I liked how it frames her without overshadowing her (or drowning her out with busy-ness), and decided to go with it over a classic background because of that. I even like that it says "carousel" as it breaks the forth wall for me, reminding me this isn't an actual knight I am designing, but rather giving Sarah an outfit to go larp in (so kind of like they had a left over backdrop that they then used for the larp session or something; larp = live action role play for those who don't know).
I went with whimsy but modest accessories she could fight in, so they had to be small, light, and not something an enemy could easily grab. Hence a small tiara with a rose (War of the Roses anyone?) and little elf ear cuffs.
This challenge is so up my alley since I love playing MMORPG games. Drawing in inspirations from various games I've played, as well as TCG cards (e.g: Yu-Gi-Oh!, Magic: the Gathering), one class that always sticks out to me are mages, sorcerer/sorceresses or classes similar to those. I wanted Chloe to look like a sorceress of a TCG card, from an MMORPG game. But make it evil and demonic, since I've never done a dark concept up until this point in the competition, so I thought this was the right time to unleash my inner demons in fashion form.
For the background, I wanted to have this frame that resembles a card, perfect for my concept, as well as clutter up the background with a red moon, demonic eyes, chains, a summoning circle, dark aura effects, and blood to drive the point home of Chloe unleashing her full demonic prowess.
For the outfit, I have double white horns, and a black horn on Chloe's forehead, to exaggerate the fact that she's a demon. I also have Chloe on this hood, since most mages and sorcerer/sorceresses I've seen in various games always have hoods. Chloe's holding the same chains as the background, giving this motion of her going to eat the chains to show that she's out of control. The dress that you see is composed of a red bodice + black and gold collar, and an avant-garde skirt, with designs of red windows with gold window frames to match the top. For the shoes, I have her in this floating legmod that has black stockings and red pumps. Chloe's movement is meant to show that she's levitating as she's unleashing her wrath.
To finish off the look, I have these dark wings that resemble cages, matching the summoning circle below Chloe's feet. For the makeup, a red liner (it didn't change Chloe's eyes, luckily), and a slash on Chloe's mouth to add more gore and graphic to the look.
Overall, it is cluttered and messy, but the clutter and mess resonate with me, seeing as the entirety of the look was meant to mimic the exaggerated graphics of TCG cards and MMORPG games. Dare I say, the devil's in the details, and I wanna give myself a pat on the back, 'cause I snapped with this outfit.
Ready to play? She-devil had already done had herses. *evil laugh*gaia_nitemarelefttwistedgaia_nitemareright
Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2025 1:18 am
Challenge 8: Seven Deadly Sins
The 8th challenge of Cycle 1 calls for designers to create their interpretation one of the seven deadly sins through Gaian fashion. There are only 7 designers left at the point of the competition, and each designers are assigned one of the seven sins. Reading through the challenge back then, I thought to myself I would've loved to have gotten sloth, gluttony or greed had I made it far, only because I thought those 3 sins were the easiest to do within my repertoire then. But now, let's just say I'm taking a route that I don't think everyone that knows me would think I'd be this type to pull off such a look. Hehehe.emotion_dowant
Description: Greed is the feeling of always wanting more and never begin satisfied with what you have. When making this outfit I found it difficult to convey what I wanted. I wanted her to have her back to us, the viewer to sort of represent how she's only focused on everything in front of her. The gold she's dazzled in now means nothing, she only wants the gems that happen to be out of reach.
Never looking back is normally seen as a good thing but in this case, by never looking back she never sees all that she has behind her. Wanda also has a soft face and I can find that at times it makes things a little more difficult. It's hard to ever imagine her as someone greedy when she looks so kind and caring. (She truly is my favorite model. )
Here's what I would've done: (let's pretend what sin I chose is the one they assigned me):
The Sin of Lust; In Hellfire Heatburning_eyes Designer: iiiFlames Model: Chloe Description:
I am excited to do more looks outside my aesthetic. I'm more excited to show a sexy side to my repertoire. And dare I say this is hot. emotion_dowant
I originally had an arm + legmod combo that shows off Chloe's ladybits, complete with... white fluidsemotion_sweatdrop, but I might get reported and banned if I submitted that. So the alternative is this straps on straps black fetish wear, with chains on her hands, and a collar for that added BDSM touch, blood dripping over Chloe as an alternative for the fluids I mentioned earlier, and a flaming cross for the background for the "hell" element I'm going for with this concept.
The outfit Chloe has on is composed of a very skimpy black bikini, and different strap items across Chloe's torso, the perfect garment for a sensual time in hell. For accessories, we have demon wings and tail, as well as horns to show that Chloe's horny. emotion_c8 And to finish off the look, I added in this sexy demon companion, ready for action, caressing Chloe's hair, posing suggestively, and staring at Chloe with desire, to really push the narrative of Chloe being a demoness, in hellfire heat, being chained up and willing to do anything for that hot demon yum_sausage.
She's got a fetish for your love. Force her and choke her 'till she pass out.emotion_skull
iiiFlames Vice Captain
Fashionable Master
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iiiFlames Vice Captain
Fashionable Master
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Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2025 1:19 am
Challenge 9: You Made Me Ink
This is a challenge where the remaining designers are supposed to wear a fixed item and build an outfit around the item. The fixed item in question is an octopus item (red, orange, or pink) on top of the model's head. This was a weird challenge, and I didn't like it then. But now, I do. It is called a challenge for a reason, and was I challenged indeed. Frankly speaking, this type of challenge would get the better of me, out of all the challenges.
Description: After spending an entire evening designing this avatar I can safely say this is–hands down–the most complex thing I've ever attempted. Let me walk you through my process.
I too chuckled at the theme description, but I wasn't laughing when I buckled down because I realized how hard this was going to be. First I chose the color of octopus I wanted. The green looked wretched and red has been shunned on Melissa before so I was left with blue. My first concept was to make her bloody and netted in a sort of protest rally, but it felt too much like darker things I'd done before. A beach scene felt too silly and nothing else really clicked without feeling too kitschy. Then I realized I was trying too hard to make logic out of the squid. So instead I decided to embrace it and make it fashion. And what fashion embraces the absurd and makes it stylish? Avant-guard, the innovative, unusual, and colorful art.
While avant-guard can have many looks, one common element is size. Big head-pieces, big skirts. So I began the task of building this look one piece at a time. I started with the head. I wanted to build an elaborate headdress around the octopus without concealing it. I chose pink and blue as my base colors and built on with purple and flecks of red as I found items that complimented. Moving down I chose a blue-black shirt to balance the undertones of our undersea pal, a pale collar to keep the silhouette interesting, and cute arms with flecks of black on one side and purple on the other.
At last there was the skirt and legs. The skirt is five items on its own, a complex layering of net, lace, and ruffle, while the legs attempt to balance the extremely picky blues of the octo-friend. As a final touch I put on the skull antlers to better equal out the size on top and bottom and to compliment the skulls on her skirt.
In the end, I'm unsure if my design will be greeted as a hot look or a hot mess, but I can confidently say I'm pleased with the final design.
Not gonna lie, this challenge is weird. A good way weird, because it took me a hot minute to figure out how I want the octopus to be the centrepiece of my outfit, then thinking of the animal itself, I thought of doing an aquatic theme. I chose the pink/red octopus as my colour of choice. Tying the theme with a colour scheme (Dusk Rose) that I believe to be close to the octopus, I had the concept fully realized, then it was onto the making of the outfit.
Initially, I found this octopus legs item that was perfect for the concept, then I looked up to see if this item had a dusk rose variant, but there wasn't, so I opted for the amaranth pink, as it's the closest to dusk rose that I can find. Then it was onto building an outfit both around the octopus legs and octopus companion. Trying on which items work together with the focal point, I found this armmod with black long nails, and I immediately thought of Ursula from The Little Mermaid, then thought of doing a villain-esque outfit. With that in mind, I eventually stumbled upon this fur collar, and this black mesh V-line swimsuit with fur trims to match the collar was the perfect item combo I could've found.
For finishing touches, I found this black background with dusk rose jellyfishes, a perfect match with the outfit, and a necklace with black gemstones (hiding behind Chloe's hand), for a touch of glamour and more pops of black to the outfit to the look. Describing the look and the process of creating it, what I've done is somewhat simple, but sometimes, simple is the effective way to go. And I think I did the octopus justice with this Ursula-inspired look.
Octo-mommy. Sorry, octo-mommy. Sorry.wink
Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2025 1:20 am
Challenge 10: Wiggin' Out
The challenge where we were allowed to alter one base item of our beloved model. In this case, it's their hair. This challenge called for us to do a B&W look, as well as have our models wear either a black or white "wig". I had the perfect hair and concept in mind for what I wanted to do then, and now I can showcase it here
Description: I had the worst time choosing which design to submit. I made a bunch of what I thought were strong and beautiful designs, but none that were perfect.
While I'm honestly in this competition merely because I love to design (I'm one of the least competitive people on this planet), and like to see what I make per a challenge a bazillion times more then seeing how to improve my skills, I am listening to the feedback I've received!
So I couldn't be too simple with my outfit after the last feedback I got. And I couldn't go over the top, as I go too over as to overpower the model as per what I have been told. And I can't have a background that makes the outfit/wig work (it must be able to stand by itself completely without it) also per criticism I've gotten a few times.
The only one that hit all those notes or came close is the one above. [others are here with why I didn't think they were as strong in case you were interested in why I was grappling so badly.]
Does she have her tats visible? Nope, body make up is a model's bff. Is her outfit solely white and black? Nada. There is a green leaf for sure within the comb in her hair. Did I put on some blush? Yep I certainly did.
My thought process was if we are now being given a chance to play with their base traits, I'm taking that inch and breaking all the rules shy of the two cardinal ones for this competition: 1) the hair must be the focal point and 2) the outfit/hair must be black and white (though it didn't say solely technically, so I hope the green leaf won't count against me, but so be it if it does).
I'm at the stage where ya it would be fun to win, but really I just like designing for these challenges so much that if the design I think is best for a challenge gets me disqualified, it was worth it. I'll go out with an awesome design that I really got to have fun with Sarah in and I hope others enjoyed seeing Sarah in too.
She is wearing a ton of layers though it doesn't really look like it. And though shoeless seems a bit odd, it gave the ballgown that amazing cutout where then I had to design a bodice so she didn't have just undies showing. And Sarah strikes me that if she was ever in a pageant as a contestant, she'd kick off her heels before walking on stage as a matter of comfortable rebellion (or that could just be me projecting as it is absolutely what I would do lol). And while her hair is a simple design (though huge), and her gown elaborate, my eye won't stop moving to the hair. The hair is the focal point in this design per my eye (and I hope for others too).
The Black & White Ballgaia_diamond Designer: iiiFlames Model: Chloe Description:
You're in the Black & White Ball, and the category is opulence. Then, you see Chloe Flames, representing the haus of Flames. Looking like the personification of the category.
In queer culture, the ballroom is a huge part of the culture. One part of the ballroom is the runways, where each haus is given a category, and then asked to have a representative walk down the runway in their best look that fits the category. I wanted to tap into that extravagance that ballroom has to offer, by having Chloe dressed to the nines with this gorgeous black gown with tassels on her hips, and a gorgeous and dramatic cape to match the dress. On top of Chloe's head is this sparkling black wig, adorned with a mirror headpiece. To finish off the look, Chloe's wearing a necklace, tiara, and earrings to further push and compliment the elegance of this already beautiful garment.
To go above and beyond, for the background, we have a chandelier and fairy lights as decorations for the monochrome ballroom. The white background helps Chloe stand out, as she's dressed in mainly all-black. Overall, the look is dripping in jewels, and it's extremely glamorous. Very fitting of what you would expect within a ball.
Chloe Flames, from the haus of Flames, doing their mother Flames proud!gaia_diamond
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