Elanthian Vogue/Elanthian Vogue 5125

This is a creative work set in the world of Elanthia, attributed to its original author(s). It does not necessarily represent the official lore of GemStone IV.

Title: Elanthian Vogue: Elanthian Vogue 5125

Author: The Looking Glass

Editor: Rohese Bayvel

Editor's Thoughts

Editor. Image generated by Rohese's player using MidJourney

Welcome to the latest edition of Elanthian Vogue! I am always excited to be back in the Vogue offices at this time of year because I not only get to see our gardens transform and flourish with the changing of the seasons, but I also have an excuse to harangue some of my favourite people into sharing their thoughts on the world of fashion and personal style.

From Ta'Nalfein's fragrant terraces and the aquatic depths of Laeqithe, to the cluttered cobbling benches of Wehnimer's Landing, fashion in Elanthia is experiencing a quiet revolution - one rooted in craftsmanship, creativity, and botanical sensibility. In recent weeks, I had the distinct pleasure of spending time with some of Elanthia's most renowned stylists, each of whom echoed the same philosophy: true style emerges not from extravagance, but from intention.

Lady Oirisu Venleth's latest musings in Ta'Illistim reminded us that fashion is a narrative; something we have covered many times in this publication over the years. Across Elanith, I've seen how capsule wardrobes built with care and creativity offer not only practical elegance but deeply personal expression. Off-the-shelf finds become signature statements when paired with cobbled heels, flora-woven circlets, or a velvet ribbon conjured from a Ribbonator. Specialty Design artisans, smelters, woodchoppers, and knitters alike continue to shape garments and accessories that are as meaningful as they are beautiful.

Fashion is not merely a hobby, it is a vital part of everyday life for some, and for those who choose to dress with purpose, it offers a myriad ways to weave their story into every garment, accessory, or weapon of choice. So, dive in, be inspired by botanicals and get working on your own capsule wardrobe!

As always, I would also like to thank you all for your continued support with this endeavour, whether that was by contributing to this year's content or simply reading it; we couldn't do this without you!

Editor

A Botanical Renaissance

By Velique Fzala, In House Designer for The Looking Glass
As our fashion world blooms with endless creativity, one eternal muse remains steadfast: nature. More than mere floral flourishes, botanicals in fashion embody a lush, all-encompassing world of flora, fungi, vines, and verdant inspiration. From the blossoming spring to the frosted opulence of winter, designers are delving further into the botanical realm and quite literally weaving nature's wonders into their creations.

Spring heralded fashion's rebirth, and designers leaned into the season's botanical awakening with prints, textures, and silhouettes inspired by sprouting greenery and delicate blooms. But beyond the floral prints, we're now seeing a revival of botanical embroidery - think diaphanous chiffon gowns stitched with gently curled wisteria at Bella's Boutique in Ta'Illistim or blouses graced by tendrils of acistira in the Naefira Boutique on Nielira Harbor. This also welcomed a newfound appreciation for the overlooked elements of botanical life - moss textures on jackets, fern-inspired cutouts in surcoats and waistcoats, and morel mushroom woodcarvings taking centre stage at Woodland Whimsy in Ta'Vaalor's Yasrenila Compound. The interplay of soft pastels and vivid greens mirrored nature's own emergence from slumber, offering a fresh and invigorating take on botanical elegance.

Summer's botanical influence, however, takes a turn towards the exotic, embracing tropical abundance and the raw, untamed beauty of nature. Think banana leaves from Kraken Falls' Cultured Corsair adorning coats and baskets, or Wharfside Weaver's continued love affair with Vornavian citrus manifesting in zesty, orange-printed shirts and dresses. Designers are also diving deeper into the textures of summer's lush landscapes. Jute, bamboo and palm fronds craft bags, clutches, back-baskets and wide-brimmed hats, while linen ensembles channel the effortless breeze of a seaside quay. Sea green hues, fuchsia anemones and azure sea holly nod to the marine flora beneath the waves, proving that the botanical world extends far beyond land.

Autumn's botanical influence is one of quiet majesty, embracing the deep ochres, russets, and burnished golds of the changing leaves. This season is about embracing the transience of nature. Word on the Peacock Grapevine is that designers are exploring leaf skeleton veiled velvets and embossed leather with autumnal gold leaf detailing, celebrating decay as a form of artistry. The richness of fungi also plays a part. Velvets in dusky truffle and rich, earthy brown shades, toadstool embroidery, and ruffled pleats reminiscent of oyster mushrooms add an avant-garde touch to fall collections. Designers are also rediscovering botanical dyeing, using colours derived from bark, berries, and roots to create one-of-a-kind pieces steeped in organic authenticity.

Winter may seem a long way away at the moment and an unlikely season for botanical influence, but designers find magic in frost-dusted foliage and the skeletal beauty of bare branches. Ice-white applique clusters mimic the frozen callisberries of Icemule Trace and Bella's Boutique incorporates tree-bark textures using lacebark in their wide selection of garments, proving that nature's resilience can be just as inspiring as its bloom. Evergreens take the spotlight, with rich pine greens dominating palettes and luxurious paeline or maedatha knits with subtle vine or holly motifs. Metallic embroidery on dark, velvet gowns that emulates rime-kissed leaves and circlets of iceblossoms foraged from the snowy arctic hills all ensure that, even in the coldest months, the botanical world thrives in couture.

From delicate petals to towering ferns, from the decay of autumn to the resilience of evergreens, botanicals continue to shape Elanthian fashion's narrative. This movement is more than an aesthetic; it is an evolving dialogue between couture and an appreciation of nature's bounty. As designers push the boundaries of nature-inspired craftsmanship, one thing remains certain - fashion, like nature, is forever in bloom.

Whispers on Silk

In the lantern-lit hush of the Pavonated Atelier, Lady Oirisu Venleth Nalfein - seamstress, stylist, and fashion icon - accompanied and assisted by her beau, Lord Vanathys Ravistel Vaalor, delivered a breath of summer through chiffon, brocade, and a well-placed lapel pin.

You see Lady Oirisu Venleth Nalfein.
She appears to be an Elf.
She is exceptionally tall and has a balletic body.  She appears to be in the prime of life.  She has kohl-smudged dark indigo eyes and faintly sunburned, ivory skin.  She has long, glossy garnet-hued hair brushed into a loose, pin-pierced chignon beneath an intricately knotted circlet of naevela-winged Queen of Nalfein fritillaries and strands of blush champagne pearls.  She has a button nose and sharply-curved pointed ears.  She has a subtle natural pink gloss brushed across her lips.
She has grey-cast rose silhouettes inked from the nape of her neck down to the small of her back.
She is wearing a filamentous gilt-dipped wire necklet, a harness of chrysoprase and jade-petaled lace florals over a split-sleeved corbeau chiffon blouse affixed to resaeun bangles, a fan-shaped natural wicker case, a belted eburnean satin skirt draped from a rosesilk-framed waist, and a pair of greyish pink nacre velvet slippers lofted on gilt-foiled heels.

With her usual composed brilliance and an outfit of pearlescent nuance, Lady Oirisu addressed a crowd of fashion aficionados eager to anticipate what this season's Mairiseth Telearat - Ta'Nalfein’s renowned night market - would reveal. Her observations, laced with both expertise and wry amusement, painted a picture of a vibrant, airy season ahead: "Lightweight and sheer is key," she advised, with embroidery lending modesty and flair to the diaphanous silhouettes now dominating portside fashion.

Aesthetic balance is this summer's guiding motif: soft creams meet fuchsias, pale blues nestle beside navy, and layered pastels whisper of cooler spring breezes while embracing summer's heat. Two-piece ensembles - loose shirts, open-backed blouses, corset vests, and fluid skirts - signal a casual elegance suited for bustling coastal pavilions. Footwear, too, enjoys its own renaissance: heeled sandals, nacre velvets, tonal metals, and brocaded slippers elevate the grounded practicality of market wear into statements of style.

But it is not merely about cloth and cut. Oirisu noted a cultural current beneath the trends. "I believe the Illistimi will add their own refinements to the current trends of their cousins," she reflected, "perhaps a unique twist upon the statement brooch or combination of sheer layers backed in a gradient chiffon." In her view, Ta'Illistim's embrace of multiculturalism heralded by its new Argent Mirror has begun to seep into its wardrobes, and the fusion is rich with possibility.

As summer flares at its height, one already hears the rustle of autumn’s return on the horizon. If spring and summer are defined by airiness and movement, one might speculate that autumn will return us to structure and texture. Expect a reintroduction of flyrsilk and heavier twills, perhaps layered with translucent overlays to retain the season's love of dimensionality.

Winter, ever dramatic in its palette and purpose, may take its cue from the summer's silhouettes but enrich them with depth - sheer sleeves atop lined velvets, embroidery laced with metallic threads, and structured shawls and wraps offsetting backless gowns. With the revival of statement brooches and back pendants, we foresee a growing interest in adornments that allow for personal narrative within an ensemble, jewelry as heirloom, garment as story.

Lady Oirisu may have offered us a window into the season at hand, but her influence has planted seeds far beyond the summer bloom. As the sun sets over Mairiseth Telearat, eyes will already be turned toward what she - and fashion itself - has in store for the colder months to come.

You see Lord Vanathys Ravistel Vaalor the Royal Botanist.
He appears to be an Elf.
He is taller than average and has a lean, athletic physique.  He appears to have come of age.  He has darkly lined, almond-shaped indigo eyes and golden bronze skin.  He has long, sun-kissed sandy blonde hair twisted into a loose, disheveled bun, with wavy strands escaping to frame his face.  He has a gently angled face, a slim, upturned nose and a well-defined jawline.  A pair of small scars cuts through the pale arch of his right eyebrow.
He is wearing a wood-buttoned turmeric tweed half-cape slung over his shoulder, a front-layered ecru chambray tunic affixed with a diminutive avian-carved lapel pin, a wide naefira-burnt resaeun thumb ring, some loosely draped earth brown linen trousers bound in mykal strapping, and a pair of saffron floral brocade brogues vamped in tonal leather.

The Crafty Capsule Wardrobe

A well-curated seasonal capsule wardrobe is the cornerstone of effortless style. By focussing on a select rotation of versatile, harmonising garments, one can dress elegantly without the burden of clutter. The joy lies not only in the simplicity but in the opportunity to personalise each piece. With the rich array of crafting tools available - from cobbling benches and knitting needles to smelters, weaving tools and woodchopper boxes - fashion-conscious individuals can build a range of clothing and accessories that shifts with the seasons and reflects their essence. It's a very satisfying approach to dressing.

Fashion is more than finery, it is personal expression, practical enchantment, and an artful pastime all in one. While many delight in browsing the inventories of transient festival shops and commissioning work from merchants in their elegant ateliers, the true joy of Elanthian fashion lies in the transformative act of creation. Whether one begins with an off-the-shelf masterpiece or builds from scratch using rare materials and artisan tools, crafting an outfit is a process rich in both pleasure and meaning.

Elanthia is awash with shops offering ready-made clothing; be it maedatha pants in Ta'Nalfein, rugged leathers from Zul Logoth, or jewel-toned silks from the Four Wind Isles. Yet even the simplest shift can be elevated through styling. By mixing regions, layering textures, and personalising with shop accoutrements or scroll requests sent to the elusive seamstress commonly known as Sadie, everyone can create ensembles that tell stories as vivid as their exploits.

Beyond the boutique lies a world of crafting. Elanthian artisans have at their disposal a wide array of tools to make, shape, and elevate fashion in deeply individual ways:

• Cobbling benches allow the creation of custom footwear, from buttoned boots to vine-wrapped sandals, using dyed leathers and themed trims.

• Knitting needles with an ever-increasing catalogue of patterns and skeins of dyeable yarn bring cozy scarves, gloves, and hats into being stitch-by-stitch, perfect for accessorising or gifting.

• Weaving tools like lathes, snips, awls, and secateurs, enable the braiding of flowers, leaves, and even insect or aquatic creature gems into whimsical circlets, headbands, bracelets, belts and so much more!

• The infamous fork-hating Ribbonator 2000 spins ribbons of any colour or material - ideal for accessorising hair, corsets or cobbled shoes.

• The Mini-Smelter and Daxela jewelry box forge bold jewelry pieces from metal ores and gemstone fragments, transforming raw elements into wearable power.

• The WoodChopper Box turns branches and unwanted wooden items into hairsticks or cobbling heels, adding rustic elegance or forest charm to any outfit.

For those who seek an extra layer of sophistication and a finishing touch, a visit to a Specialty Designer is essential. These elusive artisans offer embellishment services that transform ordinary garments into signature pieces. Whether it's a fall of curled acistira leaf skeleton down the back of a cloak, a beaded trail of metallic blue butterflies along a sleeve, or the addition of gilt-limned scales to a corset, the specialist's embellishments breathe new life into existing fashion. Accessories, too, benefit from their magic; imagine a plain clutch reimagined with an incised sailing ship or a velvet sash edged with metallic embroidery. The result is not just clothing, but couture with a personal signature.

This crafting is more than just decoration. A hand-knit shawl or a smelted back pendant can carry personal meaning, embodying a memory, a relationship, or a victory. Clothing becomes a living record. Each embroidered stitch, polished wood, and beaded slipper carries echoes of its creator's intent. Whether adorned in gems smelted from pirate treasure boxes found during raids at sea or in foraged flowers woven after a quiet walk through leafy glades, artisans don more than garments - they wear their journey.

So, whether your ensemble begins on the rack or at a cobbler's bench, fashion is an act of storycraft and like all the best tales, it is most meaningful when told in your own words and creations.

But don't take my word for it! Just look at what others have kindly shared with us.

Miss Lissaya Vaillancourt Loenthra
Basic item (from Piaere's Boutique): a vanilla flyrsilk halter
Specialty Designer into: a vanilla flyrsilk halter appliqued with a veil of lacelike peonies
Festival purchase: an unfurling blush-hued peony
Knitted (by Laelithonel): a jade-beaded crocheted pink starsilk tote
Mini-Smelter: several thin silver bangles spangled in tiny nacreous pale jade luna moths
Off-the Shelf from A Twist of Roses: a knee-cut jade suede skirt caught in an asymmetric drape
Cobbling (by Laelithonel again I believe!): some pink suede flats beaded with whorled pale jade pearls

Lissaya told us that her goal in creating this ensemble was to blend seasonal practicality with artisanal detail, perfect for early summer or temperate coastal climates. The vanilla flyrsilk halter offers breathability with a breezy silhouette, while the knee-cut skirt adds structure without excess warmth. The flats provide both comfort and cohesion, ideal for navigating cobbled streets or beachy festival grounds. The custom-crafted bangles are her favorite piece, which should be no surprise to those who know her fondness for moths. She wanted to add a bit of whimsy and have the overall look match the vibrant energy of a summer market festival.

Chatelaine Traiva Verethundi
Basic Item (from Piaere's Boutique): a viridian silk gauze saephua
Merchant service: a fringed black silk chiffon wrap-skirt
Festival purchase: some ivy-carved rowan charms dangling smooth green jade orbs (wing jewels)
Mini-Smelter: a fan-shaped imflass back pendant weighted by a tassel of milky jade nielira beads
Festival purchase: a long leaf and twig-carved ring of brightly shining green glimaerstone
Weaving: an intricately woven belt of marbled green luna moths and ovate dark green leaves
Cobbling (not by me): a pair of viridian silk sandals laced with filamentous netting

Traiva told us that a festival in Ta'Nalfein almost demands adherence to fashion trends before the gossiping starts. And it's not like she hasn't already been enjoying the use of sheer and semi-sheer fabrics in her wardrobe. This let her give business to a Cysaegir shopkeeper, use a skirt she had made many years ago and hasn't worn in a while, and bring in homages to the season of life and growth and to Ta'Nalfein and Nielira Harbor.

Grand Lord Darrgo Brimholt
All personally crafted:
an ivy green leather weapon sling inlaid with rose-shaped pink mithril-blooms
a weathered knitted leaf-patterned clover green and carnation pink wild silk basket
a weathered knitted wildflower-patterned marbled deep mahogany and moss green wild silk bag
a weathered knitted forest-motif grass green and deep orchid wild silk carryall
a lustrous knitted stargazer lily-patterned sunny yellow and sage green silk sundress
some soft knitted vine-patterned argent silk stockings
some moss agate ivy leaf-inset speckled pink rose-incised leather boots 

Darrgo told us that he just loves how customizable everything is and when he finds a random unique piece (either from looting or a player-sold item), his mind tends to wander on how he can create a unique theme around that piece. Apparently, his locker may be a mess of random items that he has collected in the lands or at festivals, but it tends to eventually help him really dive into something he will visualize to make for fellow adventurers.