As a writer for the SL Enquirer, I get to travel the Grid in search of the absolute best creations by our many residents, and seeking the ultimate "High" that is possible in this pixelated paradise called SecondLife. I have found High Velocity Motorcycle Raceways, High Energy Cocktail Lounges, High Flying Air Shows. Highly Skilled DJs, and High Quality Builds. But this year was different. This year I git to peek behind the curtain of High Fashion, and the results were stunning. No. I did NOT get to judge a Fashion Event (my boss kept THAT duty), but I did get to interview the winner of this year's LUXE LOOK OF THE YEAR 2024 competition. I caught up with this year's winner, Vanessa(VANESSAJANE66). She was packing her bag to catch a TP on the first stop of a promotional tour, but she did manage a few minutes to share some of her experiences with our SLE readers.
Josh (Thomas1 Bellic) (JB): Why did you decide to participate in the LUXE Look of the YEAR 2024 Competition?
Vanessa Jane (VJ): I had been a Finalist in the 2022 Look of the Year contest and had enjoyed the experience. I met new friends, gained valuable modeling knowledge, and loved the fun of the contest itself. The 2022 competition left very positive memories so when the contest came around again in 2024 I was keen to experience it again and see how far I had grown as a model and stylist.
JB: How was the experience? What did you find to be the most enjoyable aspect of the competition?
VJ: As expected it was another great experience. The contest is very well organised and lots of thought is put into developing the Finalists during the process.
I loved the theme this year, using the style Icons of Jade Pono (the Look of the Year winner in 2022), Ponchituti Boucher, Frolic Mills, Zuri Rayna, and Coco Chanel. We had to pay homage to their style but interpret it creatively in our unique way. My assigned Icon was Coco Chanel and I wanted to capture the essence of her fashion ethos but take it to the 21st Century.
JB: What part did you find to be the most was the most difficult
VJ: We had a surprise challenge assigned to us by In-Nova Models. Naar, who is a previous Look of the Year winner, gave us a headpiece and gave us half an hour to style it for a photo shoot where the headpiece was the focus. We were given no other advice. Luckily I realised I should use Luxe Paris clothing, but forgot you don't need to worry about shoes if being photographed from the shoulders up!
JB: Why is fashion important to you?
VJ: I am a creative person generally and love the ability of fashion to visually represent who I am as a person, and how I wish to show myself to the world. In Second Life I have the perfect 'clothes horse' figure so that expands my ability to explore different styles and different aspects of myself through them. As a model and stylist who is also an artist, I love to find the 'voice' of clothes and express that in how I style and present them. I must also say that in real life I live in the far north of Scotland. It is a beautiful place with often awful weather. Nothing beats coming into SL and putting on fabulous fashion after being enveloped in wool and waterproofs in real life!
JB: How would you describe the brand that you now represent?
VJ: Luxe Paris is a brand with genuine passion, vision, and aim to bring elegant, European Couture-inspired fashion to men and women in Second Life. It is not a shallow, purely commercially driven business but a true fashion house with a mission and drive. I love how the Designers bring real-life experience and skills into their work, which truly gives the brand its unique look. I also love how they continually push to make Luxe Paris designs as good as they can be. Second Life is often a shallow place and it is a pleasure to find such authenticity and integrity, in both the lovely people who make up the team, but also in what they want to achieve with the brand.
JB: How did you take the news when they first announced your name as the winner?
VJ: I was in complete shock as I hadn't expected to win. My brain kind of evaporated when they announced my name. It was not my finest hour when they gave me the winner's tiara, which was boxed. I floundered way too long before realising I could rez and unbox the tiara behind the winner's podium to wear it for my photograph to be taken.
JB: How do LUXE Fashion Shows stand out from all the other similar events out there?
TVJ: This question makes me think of Look of the Year Winner Jade Pono's amazing 2022 show 'We Are the World'. It had a clear and wonderful theme, of highlighting and celebrating Diversity through the medium of Fashion. The participating models were all ethnicities and were given creative rein to interpret their looks. The show was superbly organised and staged by the Powerhouse Collective and great attention to detail was paid to every element. The Show encapsulates for me why Luxe Paris shows stand out.
JB: What does it take to be a successful Fashion Show contestant?
VJ: Don't expect to win, but work hard towards always getting better because one day you might reach the level where you could win. Do competitions for the holistic experience they give, the memories and friends you make, the fun of the challenges, and the opportunities to measure progress and grow. Leave your ego at the door and be positive and nice to your fellow candidates. Remember most, if not all of the time, you will not become the winner. If you have gone into competitions for all the other positive experiences and benefits you will never be a loser either.
JB: What advice could you give to someone wanting to enter the world of High Fashion?
VJ: This depends. Do you want to be a High Fashionista or a Model / Pageant competitor? Modeling in SL isn't a place for big fragile egos. Do it if it's your passion, and you are driven by a desire to keep learning and improving. There are many disappointments, especially today because opportunities are fewer as the Modeling and Pageant worlds are smaller.
Being a High Fashionista is easier, do your research into RL trends and explore widely among the SL Fashion brands in SL. There is so much to explore. Remember too the RL trick, you can make even a basic outfit high fashion if you style it with creative, fabulous accessories.
JB: And of course, what is a Fashion Show without social commentary? What social stigma does society need to get over? What makes you roll your eyes every time you hear it?
VJ: Unfortunately, we live in an imperfect World. For me, this isn't helped by many who have closed minds, set and rigid beliefs, and an almost tribal 'them or us' attitude, which cannot be swayed by evidence. Mother Teresa said 'If you judge people you have no time to love them'. We all have our human condition to connect us and it saddens me that people for whatever reason cannot develop open minds.
JB: Is there anything else you would like to share with our SL Enquirer Readers?
VJ: I am looking forward to working hard as Brand Ambassador, and the opportunities and experiences that are opening for me. I am truly passionate about paying back the trust and the belief Mika, Paris, and the team put in me when I won. Luxe Paris feels like a home I have come to and will contribute to, both during my reign and perhaps, if I am lucky, as a Designer going forward.
You can watch the grand finale LUXE Paris LOOK of the YEAR again on SL4Live-TV channel on YouTube at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAzobyQazqw
Soooo...there you have it. What better advice can you find than that coming directly from this year's winner? If you have ever thought about entering the world of High Fashion, take in a show or two. Talk to the contestants - they don't bite. And who knows? Maybe some year you, too, might find yourself featured in SL Enquirer as a LUXE Paris: Look of the Year WINNER
Give it a shot. Tell 'em Josh sent ya. You'll be glad you did
Aloha!
JB
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