Idhrellach - Lanael of Gladden

From time to time, I like to set some guidelines for a particular outfit--something completely elvish, perhaps dwarven, or even make something entirely in leather. This time, I decided to ignore all new skins released between Rise of Isengard and the current expansion, Helm's Deep. I hadn't started posting my outfits until June 2012, about seven months after RoI had been released. Even though it had taken me a while make it to level 75, I hadn't anticipated cosmetic blogging would be in my future and I sold or discarded most of my gear. I thought it'd be fun to play the "what if?" game, wind the clock back to when Helegrod and Dol Guldur were the end-game content, and see what I could create.

Harvestmath Series - Lady of the Golden Harvest

Golds and light greens are still seen into late Autumn. They're some of the last colors to fade before Winter arrives, a symbol of the remaining warm weather and the last major Harvest--at least where I live. Thanksgiving is coming at the end of November for me, and I wanted to make an outfit capturing all of this. Unfortunately, there are no turkeys in Middle-earth...but I can certainly toss feathers into the air and pretend there are! This will give me a chance to wrap up this year's Harvestmath Series.

Harvestmath Series - Stylish Drake-slayer

Combining a love of the lore, my anticipation for the second Hobbit film, and a current obsession with the Harvestmath season cosmetics, I found myself making this outfit. It started with the Gown of Autumn Nights, but it wasn't exactly about the color at first. The pattern on the hem and at the waist of dress is what grabbed my attention in the most unusual way. If you look closely (even at the set matching Cloak of Autumn Nights) this is supposed to be some sort of intertwining leafless tree montage. Instead, I saw a forest burning brightly, and after a chain of freely associative thoughts, I found myself thinking of a dragon's fiery breath.

Harvestmath Series - Lord of the Autumn Nights

Until this year, I never had any particular use or interest in the Autumn Nights gear. No matter what I used or what I combined with anything out of the set, I simply could not get those pieces to jive. I was determined this year, and there was a single piece that made such an outfit possible--the crafted light armor Wildermore shoulders. I snagged that guild recipe recently and have been combining it with as many other cosmetics as possible! And I never realized the array of Autumn colors in the leaf pattern of the cloak until I dyed it black.

Harvestmath Series - Scarlet Witch

It's mid-October and Halloween (some of us refer to it as All Hallow's Eve) is fast approaching. Last year, I had a triple feature post with ideas for outfits and costumes related to the season. This year, I'm expanding the costume theme to a general Harvestmath theme, using gear and colors appropriate to the festival or the spirit of the season. I'll be occasionally posting outfits of this nature until mid-November. If I'm feeling creative, I might even attempt to reclaim some of the lesser-used Harvestmath cosmetics.

Autumn Series - Spirit of Lasse-lanta

Autumn Series - Earthen Elegance

Autumn Series - Apple Harvesting

Autumn Series - Harvest Spirit