Posh Totty – A New Direction…

Since undertaking the shoot for the September issue of Second Style, returning to the constraints of the blog has seemed a little flat for me. I very often have so many ideas for shoots that just won’t work in a blog format and feel that it is possible to do so much more (and indeed less) with a magazine layout. To cut a shortish story even shorter, I have decided to complement this blog with a small digital magazine which I’ve been working on as well as an exciting project for caLLie cLine (more news about that another day!). The magazine will be not-for-profit; I don’t envisage taking paid for advertising placement or reviews and I certainly don’t intend competing with the amazing publications that are already out there (of which I am a huge fan!). However, I hope that I can help out people who have supported me by promoting their work in the magazine. I’m delighted to say that some friends have offered to contribute to the magazine including the brilliant Anya Ohmai and Chance Greatrex so expect to see some content from them … squeee! You’ll find a sneak preview below and I’ll post here as soon as the magazine is launched together with details on how to get hold of a copy if you’d like one. If you’d like to be notified automatically when the magazine is published, you can always sign up for the feeds at http://dollyewing.wordpress.com/feed/.

If you’re a designer and would like your creations included within the magazine, please feel free to send me copies of your work. I can’t promise that I’ll include it, but I will if I really love it . Bye for now!

Suivez-moi to London…

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a big lover of London. A surprise I am sure to those not lucky enough to have visited our nation’s capital. The inflated prices, hoards of crowds, and general uneasiness I experience when I go there usually leaves me feeling exhausted and deflated. However, you can’t visit Britain and not visit London, so when Sugar Daddy’s relatives came to stay over the Summer off we trotted to see if the streets are really lined with gold. To my amazement, I actually had a really great time. Unsurprisingly, the streets are not lined with gold, but Dolly certainly is in the outfit I have to show you today!

Dolly’s top 5 suggestions for  things to do in London:

1. Get away from the tourist crowds and eat French at La Sacre Coeur in Islington.

2. Take a flight and enjoy a 360 degree view of the City in London’s top paid for visitor attraction, The London Eye.

3. Learn about England’s bloody past from a Yeoman at The Tower of London and see Henry VIII’s armour whilst your there.

4. Mingle with the rich and the richer at what is claimed to be the World’s most luxurious department store, Harrods.

5. Have a picnic in St James’s Park before strolling up The Mall to Buckingham Palace.

Skin: Curio April Skin in Petal Tulip 1 [Dark] (L$1,000)

Hair: fri.day Deena Hair in Scornful Red (Reds pack) (L$75)

Sunglasses: miel Bella Peepers Sunglasses (scripted) (L$175)

Vest: !Ohmai Summer Breeze Vest in SUNNYSUBMARINE (part of the Summer Breeze outfit) (L$120)

Jacket: fri.day Military Jacket in Original Denim (L$100)

Necklace: Atelier AM Lemmon Necklace (L$100)

Bag: JE*REPUBLIC La vie est belle Bag in Valentine – Valentine hunt gift (no longer available, but very similar style and colour available in-store L$150)

Jeans: Armidi A0001 Capri Jeans in Dark Classic (L$145)

Shoes: Maitreya ChiChi Pumps in Yellow (scripted) (L$450)

There’s been a bit of a debate around fri.day since it’s much anticipated opening at the beginning of August. Well, like them or not and for what its worth, my opinion is that they are delivering as promised. You’ll find a good range of well made basics here in all layer and colour options (yah!) plus a few crackers including some great waist belts, the beautifully styled military style jacket featured in this post, and some truly lovely hair (also featured). The best news is that they’re holding a sale from now until 10th September and most items are discounted at around the L$50 to L$100 mark.

What has never been in question since launching onto the Second Life fashion design scene, is the universal love shown for !Ohmai. I adore the sunny nature of this little yellow vest and applaud Anya’s skill in textures and the innovative use of the system skirt to produce the peplum. I know of only a few other designers who have done it so well – and I am talking about the uber talented and well-seasoned crew at Tableau here!

Ambitions Fulfilled…

The September issue of Second Style is out now!

Click here to view (feeling chuffed)

Suivez-moi to Edinburgh…

Those of you that read my last post may know that I’ve been away for the Summer. Sugar Daddy’s family came to visit from the US for a month and we had a wonderful time showing them all that Britain has to offer. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time for blogging or any SL playtime for that matter so Dolly didn’t join me on our adventures. However, if had she been with me, I know she would have worn the outfits I’m going to showcase in my series of next 3 posts. Today, I will be your guide to Edinburgh; so please “Suivez-moi!”.

Edinburgh is a fantastic city charmed with character, whiffing of whiskey, and tarted up with tartan! Scotland is renowned for wet weather and it’s no exaggeration when I say that I’ve never seen such heavy downpours as we experienced during our visit. However, it all seemed to add to the novelty value for our visitors and Edinburgh proved to be their most favourite of all the places we visited in Britain.

Dolly’s top 5 suggestions for  things to do in Edinburgh:

1. Eat Haggis, Neeps and Tatties with Whiskey Cream Sauce at The Last Drop Tavern in Edinburgh’s historical Grassmarket.

2. Take a tour around The Real Mary King’s Close, a forgotten street from the 17th Century recently discovered buried beneath the Royal Mile.

3. Walk the Royal Mile from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Palace and the controversially design Scottish Parliament Building.

4. See the Scottish Crown Jewels and St Margaret’s Chapel (built in 1130 and Edinburgh’s oldest building) at the City’s most famous tourist attraction, Edinburgh Castle.

5. Shop ’til you drop in Edinburgh’s busiest shopping district, Princes Street.

Hair & Hat: Truth Morgan Hair in Brownie (Browns 2 pack) (scripted hat) (L$225)

Skin: Curio Lovely Skin in Vintage Rose 1 Petal Frex (L$1,000)

Eyes: Glanz Transparency Shine Eyes in Fresh Blue (L$300)

Eyelashes: REDGRAVE MoulinRouge Eyelashes (L$90)

Nails: Love Soul Clear French Prim Nails in Natural (L$90)

Earring: Creamshop Toon Heart Earrings (scripted) (L$195)

Shirt: AOHARU Ruffle Shirt in Ivory (part of the Ruffle Shirt Dress) (L$280)

Dungarees: Stylissimo Long Fly Home Dungarees (part of the Long Fly Home outfit) (L$450)

Bag: Cherry Hannah Vintage Messenger Bag (scripted) (L$325)

Bracelet: eLDee Kali Bracelet in Red (fatpack) (L$60)

Skirt: Canimal Sinister Skirt (part of the Sinister outfit) – Vintage (no longer available)

Shoes: Periquita Mary Squares Shoes in Dark Yellow with Red Buttons (scripted) (L$350)

Now, for a bit about the clothes . I love scripted items and lately designers seem to be offering us more of them and with multi-component scripting giving more flexibility to co-ordinate and create new looks. A number of the items included in this post fall into the latter category including the Cherry Hannah Vintage Messenger Bag which comes with 6 fabric options, 2 leather options, and multiple buttons to play with. Also featured are the Periquita Mary Square Shoes which have 18 shoe and 9 button colours to choose from. Periquita shoes are unmistakeably gorgeous with their quirky shapes and now all of them come with scripted colour options too… happy days!

Wot No Blogging?…

Well hello there. Long time no speak! Thanks to you all for your lovely comments and continued visits to the blog over the past few weeks. I’ve been away travelling for the Summer (more on that later) and since my return I’ve been occupied with RL and the production of my article for the September edition of Second Style Magazine. Thanks so much to Iris Seale, Managing Editor of Second Style Magazine, for inviting me to do the shoot. I’ve had so much fun with it and loved having a different format to work with. I don’t want to steal Second Style’s thunder by publishing all the pictures here, but you can see the complete article and full size spreads when the edition is published on or before 5th September at http://blog.secondstyle.com. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the little snippets here .

Fashion Disaster…

Oh dear, oh dear … life’s just about as chaotic as it can be right now. I’m not complaining, I like to keep busy, but I would like more SL playtime. My RL wardrobe is a nightmare and my SL inventory is equally disorderly. I will get around to organising them both (eventually), but in the meantime just about had enough time to put this post together featuring my favourite ‘on trend’ colour pallet of the moment … black and champagne. I reckon you’ll either love or hate this looks. Whether they float your boat, or you think they’re a disaster, I had fun putting this post together. I hope you enjoy the piccies .

(PS – As so many of you liked the black cat from Film Noir, he’s making another appearance. Unfortunately, the cat isn’t from SL … he’s my Deviant Art pet … I think I will call him Hector.)

Hair: REDGRAVE Sakura Curly Bob Hair in Blond (L$150)

Hat: LaGyo Special Beige Fedora (L$180)

Blouse: BareRose (Fantasy Section) Miss Quin Shirt (part of the Miss Quin outfit) (tinted R:255/G:237/B:186) (L$140)

Bracelet: Bliensen + MaiTai Industrial Revolution Bracelet (L$170)

Shorts: LeLutka Michelle Pants in Tan (L$325)

Watch: Denver Hax Free Chiming Pocket Watch (case tinted R:32/G:32/B:32) (L$0)

Leggings: Lost Dreams Leather Trend Leggings in Cream (L$90)

Boots: BAX Ankle Boots in Black Patent (L$700)

Hair: Vanity Hair Babilone Hair in Essence (Blond pack) (L$250)

Earrings, Choker & Bracelets: Eclectica Deco Pearl Strand Set in Gold (L$300)

Necklace: fashionably dead Goth Necklaces (L$150)

Dress: Paper Couture Vivian Italiano Rose Skirt and Bodice (part of the Vivian Italiano Rose outfit) (L$600)

Corset: Trilobiteware Brocadey Underbust Corset in Star (fatpack) (tinted R:255/G:255/B:204) (L$250)

Boots: Bettie’s Victorian Ankle Boots (L$300)

Hair: LeLutka Jean Hair in Platinum (Peroxides pack) (L$225)

Headpiece: AMARIAH Mist Black Crochet Dress Feather Hair Accessory (part of the Mist Black Crochet Lace Bubble Dress outfit) (L$389)

Blouse: Stylissimo Twisted Victoria Shirt (part of the Twisted Victoria dress) (L$450)

Dress and Gloves: M*A*ii*K*I Poof Gloves in Black and Poof Top/Skirt in Champagne (part of the Poof & Skirt Champagne outfit) (L$550)

Necklace: So Many Styles Pearl Necklace in Black (L$120)

Stockings: Curio Obscura Free Copper Stockings (L$0)

Boots: BareRose (Shoes Section) Short Ballet Boots in Black (fatpack) (L$135)

Last, but by no means least, I would like to shout out a huge thank you to Chance Greatrex, creator of ..::DARE::.. poses, for assisting me with this post. As well as the range of poses (and clothing items) you can purchase in-store, Chance has just started a commission service (full perm if required) and is already working with some big names in SL. I commissioned these poses from Chance and they’re now available for sale at Chance’s main store in Camorro. He is an absolute delight to work with, adorable, and hugely talented. In RL, Chance has a dance background and his knowledge of human movement is obvious when you see his poses which are, in my opinion, the most innovative in SL. Visit the ..::DARE::.. main store or IM Chance Greatrex in-world for details of his commission service.

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One of the first things I do when I unpack and try on an item is see whether I can tint it. Tintable items offer so much versatility and you can create unique, particularly mix ‘n’ match looks using them. For non-prim items, right click your avatar and select Appearance. Then select the item you would like to tint under the Clothes heading. For prim items, right click over the item, select edit and then look for the Textures tab. Remember to make a copy before tinting!

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Flower Power…

RL has kept me very busy over the last couple of weeks (hence no posts), not least in the garden where I’ve been enjoying the British Summertime (and Pims on the lawn in the afternoon). Subsequently, I’ve been unable to think of little else than the great outdoors, flowers, plants and such. I don’t know whether its my current interest in the garden or whether my obsession is being mirrored in SL, but in-world I seem to see flowers wherever I look. I am sure that the current craze for all things floral in SL fashion has been heavily influenced by Paper Couture’s truly inspirational Spring collection and the RL trend for flower prints. Whatever the reason, being a proper girlie girl, I am loving it. My inventory is so blooming with pieces featuring flowers, it was hard to know which ones to pick for this post. I hope you enjoy my selection <3.

Hair: House of Heart Breeze Hair in Birch (Browns pack) (L$195)

Glasses: HOC Industries Skinny Framed Glasses (L$40)

Jumper: Maitreya Savoir Turtleneck Top in Beige (L$225)

Blouse: L’Abel Sigrid Lime Shirt (part of the Sigrid Gift Dress from Nef) (L$1)

Trousers: artilleri Fererra Pants (part of the Fererra outfit) (L$1)

Necklace: Shiny Things Knotted Bead Strand Necklace in Mother of Pearl (modified to wear in pocket) (L$0)

Shoes: Kalnins Coquette Shoes (L$500)

Hat: Sixty-nine Allure Hat (L$150)

Nail Polish: Candy Nail Clear Glitter French Nails – former Pick Gift (no longer available)

Corset: Royal Blue Body Con Is Not Dead in Silver (L$100)

Necklace: Atelier AM Layered Flower Necklace in Pink (L$170)

Bracelet: ::MEZZO:: Double Bangle Rameacryl in Silvergray (fat pack) (L$75)

Jacket: K.I.T. Gabrielle Jacket in White (L$280)

Trousers: LeLutka Mick Pants in Pink – (pre-release – coming soon) (L$0)

Shoes: Stiletto Moody Bare Vivien Shoes in Silver Patent (Price and LM not available at the time of posting due to sim closure for remodelling)

Hair: MIASNOW Wild Woman Hair (L$100)

Nail Polish: Armidi True Enhance Painted Nails in Cherry II (L$90)

Corset (under): Fashionably Dead Fire Compound Top in Grey (part of the Fire Compound Dress) (L$275)

Corset (over): Kyoot Classic Black Austere Corset (L$90)

Necklace: Icing Rose Ribbon Choker (L$195)

Gloves: Creative Kaoz Dainty Lace Gloves in Black (L$25)

Skirt: Royal Blue Spring Bum Skirt in Romance (L$250)

Leggings: Lost Dreams Leather Trend Leggings in Black (L$90)

Boots: BAX Ankle Boots in Black Patent (L$700)

Pose: ..::DARE::.. Field Flower (L$50)

Hair: WAKA & Yuki 84 Hair in Pink (Pack B) (L$100)

Earrings: [glow] Studio Bad Flower Earrings (L$160)

Corset: Icing Casablanca Top (part of the Casablanca outfit) (Chest Lillies modified to wear on skirt) (L$350)

Handbag: Gisele Maman Bag in Maroon (L$280)

Skirt: Beauty Avatar Couture Charlotte Peach Skirt (part of the Charlotte outfit) (L$400)

Stockings: ..::DARE::.. Lace Stockings in Bronzy (L$50)

Shoes: : Paper Couture Ava Signature Shoes (L$260)

Pose: ..::DARE::.. Ssshape (L$50)

1. A big thank you to Sheltered Heart for sending me the new hair styles from House of Heart. I love it when designers send me things because they value my opinion; it gives me the warm fuzzies . However, I won’t include review items in my posts unless I absolutely love them and the Breeze style certainly fits into the latter category. The flowers are scripted with an abundance of colour options and are beautifully sculpted, and I adore the flexi curls. House of Heart Breeze Hair in Birch (Browns pack) (L$195)

2. If you’ve read my first ever post, you’ll know that I wasn’t a fan of handbags because I don’t think they work well with AO’s. Well I’m pleased to see things have moved on since then and that designers are now starting to include poses with their bags. Hurrah! This cute little bag includes two nice poses (side and front) and comes in a twin-pack with maroon (illustrated) and ecru options. Gisele Maman Bag in Maroon (L$280)

3. This neckband from Icing is delightful and different. It’s incredibly detailed and well crafted, especially the feathers which waft when you move. Icing Rose Ribbon Choker (L$195)

4. What I like best about this necklace is the placement of the pearl strand layers which gives it a natural feeling of movement. It’s a nice length which works with a lot of outfits and is offered in flower and non-flower options and in a range of shades at the main Atelier AM store. Atelier AM Layered Flower Necklace in Pink (L$170)

5. The designers at [glow] Studio are prolific in their brilliance right now and every week it seems as if they gift us with yet another selection of accessory goodies. I was just preparing for this post when Linka Demina dropped these new earrings on me … perfect timing … thank you Linka! [glow] Studio Bad Flower Earrings (L$160)

Film Noir…

This post has a little story attached. I think it’s worth telling, but I’ll try not to labour on for too long .

I’ve intended to do a Film Noir inspired piece for some time now, ever since my great friend and RL/SL artist, Gracie Kendal, asked me to help her with a promotional postcard to advertise her gallery. Gracie wanted the postcard to be in the Film Noir genre and asked me to do the styling and artwork. I picked out this outfit for the postcard and loved it so much that I’ve been meaning to blog it forever.

Yesterday, members of the fashion bloggers group heard the very sad news that Neferia Abel, designer of the Ivalde and L’Abel labels, is closing her store due to RL commitments (click here for more info). As a thank you for all the amazing work that Neferia has given to the world of SL, some of my fellow bloggers have set a blogger’s challenge for today in tribute.  It seemed like the perfect time, therefore, to get around to publishing my Film Noir post featuring the L’Abel dress, jacket and gloves that I have loved and been meaning to blog for such a long time.

On the downside, the world of SL fashion will be a much sader place without Neferia’s creations. However, on a positive note, you can continue to purchase her work on Xstreet, clothing items at a new temporary home at Retrology, and accessories at the old store location.

Hair: Paper Couture Frida Hair in Blonde (L$300)

Hat: Chapeau tres Mignon Panther Net Hat (L$300)

Mascara:  [ glow ] Studio Avantgarde Eyeliner 01 Eyelashes (L$100)

Earrings: Paper Couture Pearl Earrings (part of the Pearl Strand Set) (L$400)

Jacket, Dress and Gloves: L’Abel Kesara Dress in Black (L$595)

Cigarette and Holder: Foxy’s Smoke Shop Aly Gold Bitchstick (Enhanced version) (L$225)

Stockings: Insolence Dolores Nylon Seamed Stockings (part of the Dolores Black Outfit) (L$290)

Shoes: DeLa Stella Pumps in Noir Black (L$400)

Pose (first picture): ..::DARE::.. Easy Peasy Lean (pre-release – coming soon)

These Are a Few of My Favourite Things…

Ooooh hasn’t the SL Fashion Blogosphere been full of drama the last couple of weeks? At first I thought some of it was interesting and often amusing (I’ve even commented on portions of it), but now I’m a bit bored. I don’t know about you, but my RL has enough drama of it’s own without introducing it into my virtual existence. I want my SLife to be about kittens and fluffy things… can we soon return to the days when we emptied out our handbags and photographed the contents to show each other (now, wasn’t that fun girls and boys?).

There was a little grumpiness and talk of feeling uninspired amongst my blogging peers recently and I wondered if the negativity was dragging everyone down. I’m glad to see us going back to what I think we do best… finding and photographing and telling our readers about our favourite things. That’s certainly what I’m going to concentrate on and I’ve resolved to not read any posts that even sniff at drama. Incidently, this probably means that this post will contain typo’s as technically I cannot read it, as it talks about drama.

Anyway, moving on; in an attempt to lighten the mood and spread some love, the items I’ve featured in this post today are those things (old and new) in my virtual wardrobe that I adore, find myself reaching for all the time and (unlike drama) never tire of. I hope you like them too <3.

Please note that I won’t be permitting any comments about drama on this post. I’d love to hear from you though if you like my favourite things and please feel free to comment in general on bunnies, flowers, poetry and such. If anyone really does feel the need to ‘have a go’, they could always Plurkerise me. If they’re shy, I believe it can be done in secret with chums, but I’m hoping that I will be considered for a public slagging off. That way more traffic will be driven to my blog, my visitor numbers will increase, and my life will feel complete .

LeLutka Sack Bag in Goldenrod (L$275)

Detour London Flats in Brown (L$300)

GBL Charmed Cuff – Vintage (no longer available)

**DP**yumyum Tweed Jacket in Brown Check (L$220)

WoE Kloe Jeans in Steel (L$200)

Yummy Bird Cage Earrings in Silver (L$0)

Sixty-nine Allure Hat (L$150)

Curio Petal Lovely Skin in Olive Branch 2 [Dark] (fat pack) (L$3,000)

REDGRAVE Angelina Blue Eyes (L$100)

REDGRAVE Moulin Rouge Eyelashes (L$90)

Truth Jess Hair in Toffee (L$0)

J’s Real Toe Belt Platform Sandals in Olive (L$380)

Armidi Gisaci Square Cut Linen Mini Dress in Dark Gray (L$235)

LeLutka Dietrich Shirt in White (L$225)

Bliensen + MaiTai Scavenger Tie (L$250)

COCO Valentine Gift Bag – Group Gift (Search for ‘*COCO* UPDATE GROUP’ in Groups, join and activate before visiting the store to collect your gift)

Shiny Things Tuli Pumps in Silver (L$400)

CREAMSHOP Toon Heart Earrings (L$195)

*SHOP SEU* Pompadour Hair in Blonde (L$170)

Muism Satin Ruffle Top in White (L$350)

Tres Blah Belted Tunic (L$90)

Acceptable in the Eighties…

There is a rule in fashion which dictates that if you remember wearing a trend when it was first in fashion, you shouldn’t be wearing it next time around. Well I don’t mind admitting that I’m a child of the eighties and I do remember wearing the current fashions when they weren’t retro. I also won’t hold back in confessing that I’m not one for following rules in RL or SL and revel in being a fashion rebel.  One of the wonderful things about SL is that it gives us the opportunity to experiment with fashion, so if you like the style why not check out some of the SL Fashion Designers that are championing the return of the eighties. These include Fab.Pony, Emery, Maitreya, MG Fashion and Mirai Style plus Pretties by JB who has released today the pieces I’ve featured in this post.

Just for fun – Acceptable in the Eighties – Calvin Harris

Hair: Mirai Style Tori Hair in Cream (Cream & Brown Pack) (L$200)

Nail Polish: Armidi True Enhance Painted Nails in Cherry II (L$90)

Earrings: Emery Triangular Blondie Earrings in White (L$0)

Blouse: Pink Outfitters Poppy Chest Ruffles Shirt in White (modified to wear under jumpsuit) (L$100)

Jumpsuit: L’Abel Adora Demin Jumpsuit (L$200)

Belt: Fleur Patent Leather Belt in Scarlet (L$100)

Bangles: Earthtones Aurora Shades of Romance Bangles – Vintage (no longer available)

Shoes: Pretties by JB Risque Shoes in Vixen (L$325)

Hair: booN TOM245 Hair in Blonde (L$200)

Nail Polish: Reale Manicure in Snow (L$0)

Earrings: [glow] Studio DeLyn Letters Earrings in White (L$150)

Scarf: Pretties by JB Wilds Scarf in Zebra (L$75)

Dress and Belt: Fab.Pony Jacqueline Dress in White Dove (L$299)

Jacket: COCO Jacket in Black (part of the Jacket & Shirt outfit in Black-White) (L$380)

Bag: La Besace Pochette in Black and White (L$200)

Ring: CaLLie CLine Diamond Cocktail Ring with Gem Changer (part of the Divine Bubble outfit) (L$950)

Shoes: Maitreya Slinky Stilettos in Patent White (L$350)

Hair: Maitreya Sun Hair in Copper (Coppers Pack) (L$200)

Necklace: Atelier AM Layered Necklace in Black (L$150)

Vest: Emery Choose Life Tank (L$100)

Jacket: en Svale Denim Jacket in Indigo (L$280)

Bangles: Armidi Neon Stacked Bangles in Orange (L$175)

Skirt: Fab.Pony Denim Rahrah Skirt in Indigo (L$210)

Leggings: :: DUTCH TOUCH :: AFri Leggings (part of the AFri outfit) (L$350)

Socks: Creative Kaoz Dainty Lace Socks in Black (L$25)

Shoes: Maitreya Frenzy Shoes in Black (L$400)

Hair: Truth Jess Hair in Grape (L$0)

Sunglasses: Shade Throne THE SET UP Gaiola (L$150)

Earrings: +plus Plastic Earrings in Yellow (L$45)

Vest: Surf Couture Driftwood Tank Top in White (L$100)

Mesh Top: Colourable Mesh Crop Top – Vintage (no longer available)

Dress: MG Fashion Le Fashionable Python Dress in Deep Plum (L$425)

Bag: +plus Rock Clutch Bag in Yellow (L$90)

Leggings: Emery Short Zebra Leggings (part of the French Kissin’ outfit) (L$350)

Shoes: Maitreya ChiChi Pumps inYellow (L$450)