In the not-to-be-specified 'olden days', everyone wore hats, all the time. Apart from times when they were sleeping, bathing, politely greeting a passing lady, and selected other non hat-wearing times, hats were something you could not get away from. I, for one, rather like the romance of a fashion accessory everyone absolutely had to have, at the risk of seeming rude without one, or something, and I do love my hats. Sitting writing this on a cold October morning, I'm glorying in the chilly weather due to the fact that it allows me to wear my favourite sequinned floppy woollen beret when I go out later, and not feel overdressed. Nowadays, practical applications of wearing a hat aside (protecting yourself from the cold or the rays of the sun, and, baseball caps rarely count!), matching a hat with an outfit has become somewhat of a flourish of style, an epic finishing touch, making more of a statement than the most outlandish jewelry, towering over all other accessories as master of unnecessary grandeur and glamour. Sascha Frangilli of Sascha's Designs has created for Fashion Inspired by Crimson Shadow a hat of staggering proportions, and oh, there just happen to be some very lovely dresses that go with it....

Divanation by Sascha Frangilli, for a start, is available in roughly 300 colours (well, 7 actually, Purple, Indigo, Grass, Aurora, Midnight, Gold, and Ruby

"Ruby"

plus a fatpack of all of them) and has a mind-boggling six skirt options, depending on how you want to wear them. For the pleasure of this blog and to stick with our regularly scheduled black and red theme, I'll be featuring the Midnight and Ruby versions, but rest assured, the other colours are every bit as breathtaking, jewel like, feminine and swoonworthy.

When worn with the Sleek Flexi skirt, the dress takes on an almost Edwardian elegance, creating a graceful slimline silhouette, with the double-layered floor length, semi-sheer A-Line skirt moving with extraordinary grace, the curves of the hips gently boosted with the system underskirt. The exquisite, intricate design of the bodice begins low on the stomach, in the Midnight option looking reminiscent of curls of smoke caught in the mirrors of a kaleidoscope, structured around the edges with delicate beading, and the cups of the low-cut strapless bodice left unadorned, black, for contrast, whereas the Ruby, well, the scarlet red really 'pops' against the black, looking almost like stained glass with the light shining through. Thrown almost casually over the right shoulder is a great construction of sheer black ruffles and tipped feathers, forming the side collar and adding a sense of height to the dress, and around the left arm, a delicate tiny sheer ruffled sleeve, adding wonderful asymmetrical dimension. The back of the dress hasn't been forgotten, either, as it plunges down the the lower back, beautifully bejewelled around the edges, with a matching motif at the bottom of the dip.

"Midnight"

The second type of skirt included is the 'Normal' skirt, a wide ballgown skirt, again, double layered and semi-sheer, the lower layer textured almost like a cross between fine feathers, and shredded tulle, the end effect being unusual and stunning. And then, wow, the delightfully named 'Battleship Skirt', which, like it's water-borne namesake, throws all subtlety out the window, and is proudly one of the widest skirts I've seen, while still carrying the delightful grace of movement held by the other skirts created for this outfit.
Which brings us to the infamous hat. In real life, if your wore this hat in anything stronger than a light breeze, it would act as a sail, it's so exuberantly large, and that's what makes it so very fantastic! The incredibly wide brim is black and glittery, with an asymmetrical swoop of colour in a texture matching that of the dress, and the central portion is ribbon-trimmed black, with a swaying arrangement of white feathers with black highlights, rising out the back to complete this extraordinary hat.

And there you have it! One of the most epic hats I have ever seen, and the stunning dress that goes with it, available at Crimson Shadow boutique.

Rezz there now http://slurl.com/secondlife/Crimson%20Shadow%20Rezzable/142/205/39/

TIMELESS agency contributors:

Author of writing:Nivaya Barbosa
Photography, styling,model: SerinaJane Loon
Location: Crimson shadow