SLENTRE.COM

by Miss Bonde, Staff Writer/Photographer

There was a very well-dressed crowd on-hand for the 2008 SLentrepreneur of the Year Awards ceremony at Madison Cube Gardens. The winners were decided by Second Life resident votes and this year, the list was topped by 3 very stylish women. Mimi Juneau, owner of Mimi’s Choice clothing stores for both men and women, was named the official winner.

(2008 SLentrepreneur of the year Mimi Juneau in her custom made gown and  headdress.)

In keeping with the high fashion items found in her stores, Mimi wore a unique dress designed specifically for the occasion by her friend Ziamela Loon of Jador. The dress was aptly named ‘Juneau’ and consisted of a blue evening gown and lavish headdress. It was difficult to see Mimi’s gorgeous blond hair and blue eyes beneath the busy hat, however the outfit was salvaged by the amazing display of blue feathers that adorned the bottom train of the evening gown.

(Saffia Widdershins pays tribute to Bette Davis in her vintage evening gown replicated from the Davis film ‘All About Eve’.)

The other 2 winners were also wearing their finest. Second place winner, Saffia Widdershins, wore a traditional gown designed by Neferia Abel of Ivalde. The gown was a replication of the one worn by Bette Davis in the classic film, ‘All About Eve’. Saffia admitted that she had always wanted to wear a gown like the one in the movie and, of course in SL, anything is possible. The dark gown was offset by a lovely necklace and Saffia’s fair skin and blonde hair. A bit traditional for this reporter’s taste, but an overall safe and appealing choice.

(Rusch Raymaker turns heads in her sassy and sleek pant suit designed by Silent Sparrow.)

Rusch Raymaker was the third place winner; however, when it comes to style, she was tops. No surprise, as Rusch is CEO of Avenue Inc., a  modeling agency that runs a training program for aspiring SL models. Rusch is truly an amazon, towering over the other winners in her sleek black suit designed by old school SL designer, Slient Sparrow. A self-admitted fan of Showtime’s TV program, ‘The L-Word’, Rush’s outfit demonstrated a sultry, androgynous look that would befit one of the hot ‘A-list’ lesbians from the popular series.

(Sigmund Leominster stands in the spotlight, stealing this reporter’s heart in front of the attentive SL audience.)

It wasn’t just the women of SL that pulled out all the fashion stops. Several of the male contenders looked quite sharp as well. Top of the list was the Master of Ceremonies and SLENTRE.COM managing editor, Sigmund Leominster. Sigmund wore an elegant and sophisticated tuxedo he picked up at Muism (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Muism/60/112/23) and designed by Icemoo Cool.

(Sigmund Leominster, Best Dressed Male Avatar at the SLEAC’s 2008)

The dark tux and deep red tie offset his very realistic bright blue eyes and clean cut ‘boy next door’ skin. The tux, skin and sexy British accent made Siggy this reporter’s pick for ‘Best Male Avatar 2009’.

(New SL power couple? MBC’s CEO, Robustus Hax, poses with SLENTRE.COM publisher Avarie Parker. Rumor has it they are planning a new MBC show to debut in 2009.)

Also looking rather dapper was Robustus Hax, owner of Metaverse TV , home of Metaverse Broadcasting Company (MBC). He was a walking billboard for Mimi Juneau this evening as he wore one of the suits she sells in her shop. The ‘Blue Silk’ ensemble was designed by Traveler Bade of Sartoria and can be found at Mimi’s Choice for Men (http://slurl.com/secondlife/House%20Music%20Island/26/23/23).

(PrinterBrian Dowd ‘cleans up nice,’ wearing a classic tux from Redgraves.)

Also on the best dressed list was PrinterBrian Dowd, sporting a classic black tux designed by Emilia Redgrave (http://slurl.com/secondlife/REDGRAVE%20Mens%20Fashion/34/195/23). Accented by a thin, black tie and wire-rimmed shades he truly looks like a man that ‘wears his sunglasses at night’. Cory Hart anyone?( http://adjix.com/xyt) Rock On, Printer!

(Dakota Neumann wouldn’t divulge the designer of his duds, but he looked smashing as always.)

Mysterious as always, nominee Dakota Neumann was perfectly dressed for the formal event. When asked ‘Who are you wearing?,” he simply grinned and avoided the question altogether by complimenting the outfit of a lady standing nearby, making this reporter wonder; do Italians really make better SL lovers?

(SLENTRE.COM $10K Giveaway winner, Hack Richard, wears a tribute to Don Johnson from Miami Vice in 80’s Miami clubwear.)

Not topping the charts on the men’s side would have to be the SLENTRE.COM 10K Giveaway Winner, Hack Richards. Dressed in a cream color blazer yanked right off the set of Miami Vice, the jacket screamed bad 80’s club wear. However, I think the poor guy wasn’t prepared for the formal nature of the event and was caught a bit off guard. Always pays to have a tux on hand – and now he’ll be able to afford one!

Also among those NOT opting to buy anything special for the gathering was nominee Zaplok Riggles. He actually wore a suit given away by the popular jazz club, Franks Place (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Franks%20Place%202/239/126/24). Not realizing Frank’s has a strict dress policy, Zaplok was forced to wear something from the club’s coat closet. The free suit was the current day SL entrepreneur’s first SL suit and so he wore it for good luck. Apparently the suit wasn’t the lucky charm Zaplok had hoped for as he didn’t make the top 3.

(Avarie Parker poses with business partner and ‘friend’ PrinterBrian. )

The final fashionista of the evening worth mentioning was SLENTRE.COM Publisher and Editor Ms. Avarie Parker herself. Opting for a simple yet sexy vest and pant combo, the evening’s hostess sported vintage Last Call tuxedo pants, black stilletto-heeled knee-high boots and a very revealing jeweled vest designed by Emilia Redgrave. A bit understated and overworn, chances are she wanted to show off her new tattoo that she had done specifically for the event – an elaborate black collar and sleeve designed by Xion Hax of AddiXion (http://slurl.com/secondlife/addiXion/28/118/29). The body art even included a SLENTRE.COM logo exhibited just below the collar bone. Avarie included the unisex exotic tattoo in the 2008 SLentrepreneur of the Year Gift Box given out at the event.

(2008 SLEAC Gift Box adorns the venue. A diverse range of freebies donated by the Nominees were found inside each box.)

The Tiffany blue gift boxes lined the sides of Madison Cube Garden and were free for all who attended. These included a diverse assortment of Second Life goodies donated by several of the nominees. SLENTRE.COM sponsor Virtual Job Candy donated their high-quality T-shirts for both men and women. 2008 SLentrepreneur winner, Mimi Juneau had a simple button-down shirt monogrammed with her store’s initials made for the attendees as a special ‘Thank-you’ for all of their support.

(Modern picture frame donated by  Rusch Raymaker for the 2008 SLEAC gift box.)

Rusch donated a high-quality picture frame suitable for the decor of any stylish Second Life skybox complete with a very sexy RL image. And finally Saffia Widdershins included copies of her magazine Prim Perfect and an adorable snow globe that was very fitting, considering the season.

(Saffia’s snow globe was all sugar and light in keeping with the spirit of the season.)

If you were unable to attend the event and would like to get your hands on one of these exclusive gifts, just IM me and perhaps we can work something out.

For those of you that were lucky enough to attend the first annual SLEAC (SLentrepreneur Award Ceremony), please feel free to add your photos and comments – the more opinionated the better!

(SLENTRE.COM Reporter Miss Bonde arriving at Madison Cube Garden for the big event)

Oh what was I wearing?? An elegant black satin dress and gloves designed by new up and coming designer, Mammi Jewell. Her store opened over the past week-end and specializes in evening gowns (http://www.slentre.com/second-life-style-azul-designer-clothing-grand-opening-sale-dec-21/).

(Red-soled Bax boots peak out from under the formal 4 part skirt designed by Azul’s Mammi Jewell.)

My only complaint was that the 4 part prim skirt was hard to edit and it covered my red-soled, black patent, spiked boots designed by Bax Coen (and found at her store, BAX Boots –  http://slurl.com/secondlife/Jiminy/232/149/440). And yes, my feet WERE killing me by the end of the evening; but I think that’s the point.