Summer Styles: Setting

Summer is the perfect time to forget about all your worries and relax. With the sun shining bright, one is suddenly struck by all the possibilities that this wonderful season offers. Whether it is a day at the beach with friends, feeling the air right before a storm, enjoying a cool drink on the front porch or catching fireflies during the many starlight nights, it is important to look your best!

Welcome to the first issue of Summer Styles! As a customization addict, summer is my favorite season to work with. In this series, I will introduce to you my favorite items to use for summer customizations in these three main categories: 1. Setting (Background, Higher Foreground, Lower Foreground), 2. Hair and Accessories, and 3. Dresses, Shirts, and Skirts. I will also be providing some tips and tricks to keep in mind when designing an outfit. Hopefully this guide will help you look great, not just for the summer season but all year round!

Beginning with setting, the beautiful, lush scenery is a great source of inspiration for any look. First, close your eyes and imagine where you want to be. The setting is important! Once you've decided, you can now move on to finding clothing and accessories that complement and bring out the surroundings. Here are ten great items that define settings, and some items that might complement them well!

1. Night Time Summer Beach Gathering Background (NC)

This is a beautiful beach environment that has a lively feeling of festivity while enjoying the cool night air. It's the perfect background to use when trying to convey a vacation or getaway. Although it may seem difficult to work with because there is a lot happening, that is not the case at all! All its beautiful colors will allow you freedom for finding clothing to match. Each of the hues in this background is subdued and gentle, so you won't have to worry about clashing. Because this background is already so vivid in color, I don't have to worry about finding other "exciting" items to use.

2. Charming Summer Garden Background (NC)

The Charming Summer Garden Background always reminds me of some sort of nearby, undiscovered paradise. It is ordinary enough to be close by but with a hint of beauty that makes it seem far away. Featuring a pebble path leading to a gate and surrounded by greenery, this setting has a very natural, outdoor look with the subtle swaying of the purple plant. The lightness of this background would be perfect for customizations involving pastel colors. When I use this background, I like to add to the garden theme, incorporating flowers, a parasol, and light rain.

3. Nautical Treasures Garland (NC)

This lovely garland features keepsakes from the ocean. Since so many summer related backgrounds have water in them, this garland is the perfect pairing. With its colorful hues, chances are it will complement something else in the customization. When used without water, it serves as a reminder of wonderful memories from a past vacation or perhaps a gift from a friend. You can use this with other nautical items, such as the Seashell Throne or Sea Shell Foreground.

4. Shallow Waves Foreground (NC)

The ebb and flow of these waves reveal sea stars and seashells and is also very peaceful to watch. This foreground is always in my closet, and I constantly use it whenever I create a customization involving water. The light aqua color of the waves blends well, so don't be afraid of it clashing with a background! The Summer Fun Beach Background and Waterfall Diving Background are two you could try with this foreground.

5. Grass Foreground (NC)

Isn't it soothing watching the grass move back and forth? This foreground is perfect for those who imagine lying in an open field, daydreaming the day away. No wonder why this is such a popular item! If you're lucky enough to have this in your closet, it will greatly enhance your "natural" looks of the outdoors. The Grass Foreground is great because it works as both a point of emphasis and as a decorative item, and equally well in both circumstances. It's a simple item but really adds the finishing touch to any setting.

6. Radiant Sun Rise Background (NC)

After a night of stargazing, why not watch the sun rise? As the name suggests, this is indeed a radiant sunrise. The sky changes from a reddish magenta to an orangey hue as the sun gently rises. To me, this background is the definition of the beauty of the outdoors. With this background, you could either play off of the vibrancy of the sky with orange, pink, and red colors or use items that match more with the earth tones, giving the customization a more muted effect. Whatever the focal point you choose to work with may be, it will turn out to be a stunning combination.

7. Sun Shower (NC)

This shower is definitely my favorite item available in the NC mall. A hint of sunlight is always lovely, regardless if it is summertime or not. If you don't own one, hurry and buy it! The Sun Shower instantly lights up any customization and naturally highlights the scene. Although some items naturally have their own glow, the sun shower will bring that out even more. It manages to be present without overpowering and taking attention away from whatever your focal point is. If you want a sparkly, dewy effect, try using a Golden Glitter Shower in the background. Both items work well together to bring out the radiance in any customization.

8. Front Porch Background (NC)

Sometimes you don't have to go far away to relax! Just sit outside on the porch and enjoy a cool drink while reading a book or listening to music. I like this background because of how "humble" it is. The best form of comfort is somewhere familiar, and what better place is there than at home? This cheery background has bright colors that will be fun to coordinate with. I would suggest trying to complement this background by using colors similar in vividness to the purple on the rocking chair and on the blue flower. If you wanted to highlight the lemonade on the table, then the Pink Lemonade Stand Foreground is one option.

9. MME2-S1: Mystical Rain Shower (NC)

What a beautiful rain shower! When you see the aqua and pink hazy mist, there is no doubt that it is indeed mystical. One of the most popular NC items, it is highly sought after because of both its versatility and beauty. Any customization that uses this shower instantly feels more enchanting. It is perfect for summertime use because of the many rain showers that happen (sometimes unexpectedly!) during the season. Even though it's so pretty and I am tempted to use it all the time, I wouldn't recommend trying it indoors!

10. Mystery Island Vacation Background (NC)

This background is a perfect snapshot of a past trip. Seeing the palm trees and sand will instantly put you at ease. Going along with the snapshot theme, it would be fun to use the Nautical Treasures Garland or Sunflower String Lights. Even though so much of this background is a soft tan, don't be afraid of adding more color! The contrast is welcome. A brightly colored bathing suit, such as the Strawberry Bathing Suit would complete the look.

If you're feeling at a loss, here are some tips: When beginning a customization, I pick an item that I want to make the focal point. It could be the background, dress, or a wig. Then, I look for items that will subtly emphasize that item by having a common point. For example, if I wanted to use the Mint and Aqua Flower Wig, then I might pair it with the Waterfall Diving Background because of the similar aqua color. While these two items may not necessarily have a thematic relationship, the harmony in color creates a relaxing visual image. From that point on, you have the chance to play around with colors. Try to avoid picking items that have strong clashing colors that divert the attention away from your pet. You could try complimentary colors or varying degrees of darkness and lightness on one color.

See how peaceful this looks?

Another way to customize is by theme. For example, summer. With themes, one item may not be the focus. Everything helps bring the look together. A theme can be very unified, such as the superpacks sold in the NC Mall or they could be looser and based on a broader idea. There is a macro and micro picture. Say you wanted to make a spooky customization. That could involve having darker items, eyeballs and ghosts, which would be an example of a broad unification. A sub-category of spooky could be cobwebs. Using items that have cobwebs or are related to cobwebs only also conveys spooky, but in a more specific manner.

Here is a broad summer customization featuring some of the items mentioned earlier:

A spooky customization with cobwebs:

As you can see, there's a lot of freedom when it comes to customization but if that scares you, then there are also ways to restrict yourself. The only thing I tend to avoid doing is putting together outfits based on item value. Even though an item may have been difficult to achieve, if it doesn't make sense to use it, then the whole product is undermined. If you really want to use a certain item, then try to find a way to incorporate it naturally. That way, it will get the attention it deserves and in a much less cluttered manner too! Good luck, and have fun!

Stay tuned for the next installment of Summer Styles: Hair and Accessories!