Or What’s a Heaven For?

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…Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp,
Or what’s a heaven for…?

Robert Browning, from “Andrea del Sarto”

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Browning’s poem here speaks of hope.  If humanity is to advance, then someone must always be dreaming of the next step beyond what we can achieve now; for if we cannot dream of something greater, we are doomed to be always stuck where we are.  Belle Roussel of Chop Zuey seems to have that dream within her; she’s never been satisfied with what she can do now, with variations on a theme.  She began with a small store and doing only jewelry; these days, her store covers most of a region, includes a skybox second floor, and she’s adding on lovely haute couture gowns with associated suites that tie into the dress’ concept.

The gown I wear here is named Rêve d’espoir, or “Dream of Hope.”  (You should look for it at Chop Zuey without the circumflex on the e.)  And it’s definitely a next step for Belle.  I love the fluid black satin of the dress itself; but then she adds in the scarf streaming behind you as you walk, and the wide lace flounce at your feet.  This is a gown meant for dreams, and grand ones at that.

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Then you get to the jewelry sold with the gown.  A great, chunky bracelet; a massive ring and earrings; a huge “brooch” that links the bodice of the gown to the scarf, turning the scarf into the gown’s “halter”; a pair of intricate hair sticks; and last but not least, the fascinator…!  Such semi-hats are normally flippant fripperies of fabric and feathers¹, but this one is solid gold and gems.  It normally perches over the eyes straight out of the box, but I rotated and twitched it to the side of my head here, so that I could use it with this Tableau Vivant hairstyle I picked up during Hair Fair².  I think I am completely in love with this gown!

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The details finish off the gown:  an imperial purple makeup palette, matching nails (for SLink Hands) from La Boheme (who may be turning into my goto for SLink nail appliers), and a pair of pumps from N-core.  It’s good to be going back to N-core for my shoes; I couldn’t wear their pieces with built-in feet on all of my avatars due to skin-matching problems (especially on my gold skins).  Appliers for skins are changing that — one of the things I do enjoy about the modern trend in mesh body parts — and N-core is yielding to the pressure of time’s advance.  The texture of the leather is wonderful here as well; I’ll go out on a limb and say it’s materials-ready, but you may want to check with the store to be sure.

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What the hell was that I just saw?

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The details:

• Skin: Glam Affair Cleo (America – Clean B)
• Hair: Tableau Vivant Last train home
• Eyes: Sterling Artistry Jeweled Eyes (brightblue)
• Nails: La Boheme Bullet Gold
• Attachments: SLink hands and feet; StrawberrySingh.com Broken Ankle Fix – Ankle Lock v2.0
• Gown and jewelry: Chop Zuey Reve d’Espoir (gown includes scarf; jewelry suite is HUD-driven, includes braclet, “chest brooch,” earrings, ring, hair sticks and fascinator)
• Shoes: N-core Stiletto “Green” pumps for SLink High Feet
• Makeup: Miamai LesMakeups Lashes 11; Oceane Jade Lips (Bordeaux); JUMO Alexa Glitter Eyeshadow (Duo 015 Forest)

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¹ Ah; alliteration’s artful aid.  (Thank you, Dorothy Leigh Sayers.)

² It is a frustration that I wasn’t able to write about all of my choices from Hair Fair before the event closed.  I’ll see about working some of them into future articles for a while, though Wigs for Kids won’t be getting much donation from the creators now.

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