Today, I'm going to do something I've never done before (/me chokes laughing wondering when I have ever said that and it was true). Normally, I'm that person that has to have the freshest stuff available, and won't tell you where I got it, because I'm like that. I have to have the best of everything, and only I am allowed to have it. Yours has to be just as good, but you have to find it someplace else.
On the third Saturday of every month is our Designer's Showcase fashion show. The week prior to this event, you can always find me building the venue. The designers we feature are from our commercial district, and usually it is just one or two per show. They tell me what kind of theme they want, and I run with the idea as if it is a sharp pair of scissors. Sometimes they are very "loose" in their ideas, other times, like the Sissy Pessoa or Indyra Siego shows, they are pretty specific. Sissy sent me a scale model of the catwalk and backdrop, and Indyra and Adzy sent me a collection of pictures of things they were thinking of.
Today's show features Miko Omegamu's "Icing" label, and "Pinup Dolls" by Pin Upshaw. Miko is a pretty accomplished builder herself, and since this is MAD Agency production, I was feeling a little more stressed at producing something that was up to the standards of all these parties. Miko said she wanted "an intimate, vintage dressing room" type of room, and sent me links to the White House dressing rooms of the First Ladies from about the Roosevelt years up to Nancy Reagan. Of course, I thought, "neoclassic White House dressing room, no problem."
Since this is just a skybox venue, I was able to concentrate my efforts on building just an interior. The concept came pretty quickly, and I even made most of the interior textures. Finding the right chairs was a challenge, but I managed to stumble upon these beautiful pieces from an unknown designer by the name of Yasuki Beck. The chairs had no shadows, and were no copy. They are also very inexpensive (/me chokes saying that). The winged sofa and chair have shadows, as do just about all the other pieces in her store, so I thought maybe the lack of a shadow on the chair I wanted was just an oversight. I sent her a NC asking if she could add a shadow (I even made one myself and sent it to her with full perms, just in case she said she didn't have time, and her chairs are no mod), and with copy perms, since I needed seating for about 40 knuckleheads...er, I mean guests.
Less than 24 hours after I contacted Miss Beck, she had responded to my notecard via IM. She is the sweetest, most professional furniture designer I have ever encountered in SL--and as a custom builder, I have encountered A LOT. Not only did she make the shadow for me, but she sent me the chair, with shadows, in the 3 colors that I told her that I wanted to use for my build--and with copy perms. She didn't even charge me for it. I paid her anyway, and she was really sweet and said I paid her too much. The shadows, which she made in Maya, are as intricately detailed as the rest of her chair. She also had fulfilled my request in about an hour. That, combined with the fact that she is Japanese, living in Japan, and seemed to need a translator to communicate with me, is enough for her to get my vote for Stellar Customer Service Award 2009.
I think the chairs couldn't be any more perfect for my interpretation of Miko Omegamu's dream. Yasuki Beck--her chairs have menu-driven poses, and only 11 prims each, including shadow, btw--gets my eternal gratitude for providing the Icing on my cake. Most of her furniture is more contemporary, but equally well-made, so go see her if you are looking for top quality products that are both rare and beautiful.
