Elanthian Vogue/Lormesta 5126
Title: Elanthian Vogue: V (Lormesta 5126)
Author: The Looking Glass
Editor: Rohese Bayvel
Editor's Thoughts
A new year invites a time of reflection and reinvention and 5126 sees Elanthian Vogue undergoing such a process. After 8 years of in-depth scrutiny into fashion, culture and lifestyle, it's time for a change! Recut, refined, and distilled to its essence, V emerges as a slimmer, sharper publication. In a way, it's actually returning to its simpler roots. After much discussion at the Vogue offices, we have decided to move away from the bumper annual edition and return to a more regular and discerning publication where, each month, we aim to put the spotlight on a single house, designer, or philosophy of dress, and pose a simple question: what does it say about who we are?
We hope you approve of the changes and invite you to subscribe to automatically receive your copy of V in the mail.
Lormesta at Bella's Boutique
For our first exploration, we stay close to home, to Ta'Illistim, and a boutique whose quiet influence has long shaped the city's visual language. Bella's Bridal Boutique does not shout its relevance. It never has. Instead, it embodies something deeply Illistimi: elegance as intellect, beauty in composure, and fashion as a subtle extension of self.
To understand its proprietor, Bella, and her boutique is to understand the city and the elves themselves. Where Nalfein fashion, so well represented by The Naefira Boutique in Nielira Harbor, favours precision, contrast, and a certain deliberate sharpness of line, Illistimi style moves differently. Nalfein garments often command attention: tailored silhouettes, darker palettes, confident severity. Illistimi attire, by contrast, invites contemplation.
Bella's inventory reflects this philosophy perfectly. Gowns flow rather than cling. Corsets and bodices shape without constraining. Layers are meant to harmonise, not dominate. Even the most structured pieces retain softness, designed to enhance posture and presence without ever appearing aggressive. This is fashion for those who value nuance over spectacle.
Colour choices reinforce the distinction. Bella embraces ivory and smoky hues, misted pastels, jewel tones softened by fabric choice: sapphire in silk, emerald in velvet, garnet tempered by lace. Where Nalfein fashion leans toward stark contrasts and commanding darkness, Bella's palette speaks in gradients and echoes.
Though famed for bridalwear, Bella's is no longer defined by weddings alone. Since its much-needed revamp a few years ago, its true strength now lies in foundational versatility. Chemises, tunics, trousers, waistcoats, and overgowns form the backbone of a wardrobe that can be ceremonial or quotidian depending on how it is styled.
The boutique's seasonal trends follow the Illistimi relationship with nature and time; attuned, reflective, and deliberate. But winter is where Bella's quiet luxury shines brightest. Heavy velvet gowns, sable-toned cloaks, and layered mantles dominate, often worn over deceptively simple foundations. Contrast becomes key: pale silks beneath dark outer layers, light catching on texture as well as embellishment.
A simple gown, when paired with a contrasting corselette, becomes suitable for formal gatherings well beyond a wedding hall. A tailored tunic layered beneath a warm coat offers polished practicality for city life. Robes and mantles, so often treated as afterthoughts elsewhere, are here integral, framing the body with quiet drama and lending an unmistakably Illistim sense of composed authority.
Those seeking true distinction inevitably find their way behind the velvet curtain to Bella's workroom. Here, embellishment is never excessive. Feathered details, botanical motifs, and delicate accents are applied with restraint, enhancing rather than transforming the garment. The result is personalisation that feels considered; an approach entirely in keeping with Illistimi sensibilities.
The following are but a few examples of what Bella can offer to supplement your Lormesta wardrobe:
🦚 a mazarine silk gown graced by a silhouette of a starlit cityscape
🦚 a bistre twill coat woven in a geometric spiral of branch-like designs
🦚a smoky velvet robe stitched with helical alchemical formulas
🦚 a plum brocade vest patterned with crescentic arcs of verdant botanicals
This is clothing designed to be lived in, not merely displayed.
Bella's Bridal Boutique does not compete with Nalfein fashion; it complements it. Where The Naefira Boutique reflects Nalfein confidence and command, Bella's captures Illistimi grace, scholarship, and introspection. It is fashion that does not demand to be seen, yet is impossible to overlook.
For those who dress not to impress, but to express, Bella's remains unrivalled and we, at V, approve.