An Autumn Fashion Show

Autumn is my favorite time of year. On one hand, there's the cool crisp air, freshly picked apples, and the symphony of colors as the leaves fall from the trees. All images of peace and relaxation. On the other hand, there's the tricking and treating, conjuring spooky images and atmospheres, and wearing costumes ranging from the lighthearted and adorable to the gloomy and ghastly. And then there's my favorite event--LOTRO's Fall Festival and all of the wonderful rewards that come with it. Each of the outfits below features a barter reward from the festival.

As some of you may know from Twitter or the Issue #132 of the Beacon, Rangers of the West, is hosting the server-wide fashion contest, Frights of Fancy, on Sunday, October 27th. Both Makaia of Style of Middle-earth and myself will be presiding as judges. There are two main categories--"Scariest Outfit" and "Autumn-themed Outfit." We also had a third theme planned, the "Look-a-Like," but after much debate, it was dropped from the program. This part would have had players dressing up like major characters from the lore, specifically from the time period between The Hobbit and Return of the King. Seeing as Gladden's not the busiest server, we didn't want to risk having too few people for too many categories. (This could be brought back if we have enough interest on the forums! *cough cough*)

Even though I can't enter the contest, I plan on dressing the part on my Minstrel and changing outfits with each theme. The first outfit, featuring an elegant red dress, falls into the Autumn one. The second outfit, featuring a black dress embroidered with barren branches, fits in the Scariest one. (This is a modified version of an old outfit.)  And the third outfit? This is my interpretation of Eowyn, for the scrapped Look-a-Like, before she secretly joins the ranks of the Gondor-bound Rohirrim.

Enjoy the festivities! I hope to see many fellow Gladdenites at next weekend's fashion show!

Head: Circlet of Fresh-picked Flowers (Sunset Orange, Farmers Faire barter reward)
Shoulders: Songmaster's Shoulders (Orange, bartered from the Minstrel class trainer in Ost Galadh)**
Back: Cloak of the Autumn Sun (White, Fall Festival barter reward)
Chest: Long-sleeved Summer Dress (Red, Summer Festival barter reward)***

**Shares same skin as the Shoulder of the Lady's Grace, bartered from the Minstrel class trainer in Lothlórien for an elf-stone from Dâr Narbugud.
***Sunset Orange is a wonderful alternative to red. The dress looks slightly, but noticeably brighter.

2018 Yule Outfit Contest Winners

After seventy two submissions, nearly three weeks, a fair voting process, and some discussion, the outfit blogs of Material Middle-earth, Cosmetic LOTRO, and Wandering Around Arda are proud to finally present the winners of the 2018 Yule Outfit Contest!

As a reminder, each entry was carefully examined against the following criteria:

• Representative of the Yule spirit or Wintry ambiance.
• Originality of the overall design.
• Integration of the various pieces used.
• Blending of dye colors.
• Overall impression and quality of the screenshot.

Although it wasn't easy, judging these submissions was truly an honor. All of the outfits we received were beautiful. Lots of care, passion, and enthusiasm went into each and every one. Just from effort alone, I wish it were possible to award everybody a prize. Unfortunately, we could only pick three winners. Before I make the official announcement, I invite everyone to view all of our entries via this Flickr album. Player names are attached to each image.

Without further ado, congratulations to our three fashionistas below!

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First Place: 1550 LOTRO Points

Holfi of Laurelin

Head: Wintry Yule Cap (Crimson, random reward from the Sack of Presents during the Yule Festival)
Shoulders: Fur Mantle (Default, Yule Festival barter reward)
Back: Sage's Pack (White, LOTRO Store)
Chest: Ale Association Robe (Crimson, Ale Association reputation barter reward)
Hands: Extravagant Festival Gloves (Red, reward from Gain and Glory: Assist the Rich)
Feet: Ceremonial Ajokoira Shoes (Red, Lossoth Tailor reputation recipe)

Yule Outfit Contest 2018

Hymne from Cosmetic Lotro, Nathrien from Material Middle-earth, and Gloredh from Wandering Around Arda are honored and excited to announce aYule Outfit Contest! We humbly ask all of our enthusiastic outfitters to embrace their creativity this season and design fantastic Yule or Winter themed outfits for wonderful prizes!

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First prize: 1550 LOTRO Points

Second prize: Perlino steed (account wide code)

Third prize: Hauberk of the Mithril Guard (account wide code)

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We'll select the winning entries based on the following criteria:

• Representative of the Yule spirit or Wintry ambiance.
• Originality of the overall design.
• Integration of the various pieces used.
• Blending of dye colors.
• Overall impression and quality of the screenshot.

How to enter the contest:

• The contest begins on Wednesday December 19th, 2018. Entries may be submitted until midnight Eastern Standard Time on Sunday January 6th, 2019.
• To enter the Yule Outfit Contest, send your entry to outfitblogs@gmail.com with the subject line “Yule Outfit Contest”.
• An entry consists of ONE screenshot. The image may be cropped but should be at least 800px wide.
• You may enter a maximum of three screenshots, but each entry must be sent in a separate email.
• Your entry must include the following information: the name, class and level of the character in the screenshots, the server the character resides on, all armor and outfit pieces used in the screenshots and their respective dye colors.

Winning entries may be featured on all three Outfit Blogs.

Prizes will be awarded for First, Second and Third Place and are sponsored by Cosmetic Lotro, Material Middle-earth, and Wandering Around Arda. All decisions will be made by these blogs at their sole discretion and are final.

Have fun and good luck everyone!

Captain's Arm

Exactly as the title says, this outfit was based upon the Captain's Arm, an incredibly rare weapon looted from Castellan Wisdan's chest at the very top of Barad Gúlaran. I farmed for this over a month, running that particular dungeon five times a day, at least three time a week. Even though it's easily soloed at 85, the drop rate is infinitesimal. LOTRO also tends to lock players out of instances if too many are entered within an hour. Given those circumstances, this was, and still is, one of the more painful halberds to acquire.

Harvestmath Festival 2014 - Cosmetic Rewards and Steed

The Harvestmath Festival, which has started a day early, will be running until November 2, 2014. I'm pleased to say, despite the reskinned robe and "tablecloth" steed, these patterns are fantastic! For the first time since the 2013 Yule Festival I can say I want these new rewards. But I still hope that someday we'll return to dresses and tunics. Honestly, these would have made wonderful patterns for them.

To the right of each cosmetic is a dyed version to give you an idea of what areas apply the color change. Also, if you are new to LOTRO this year and are wondering what was added for rewards in previous years, follow these links to the 2013 Harvestmath Festival and the 2012 Harvestmath Festival.

Also, I have an event to advertise at the bottom of this post. After you're done looking at the cosmetics, take a look at the information provided and learn about one of Crickhollow's annual events!

Robe of the Autumn Sun (24 Fall Festival Tokens)

Come Celebrate in Style!

***Public Service Announcement: In Lieu of the 3rd Shire Riddle Race on Gladden this Sunday, and their addition of a fashion show, my event has been rescheduled to the following Sunday, April 28th to avoid event conflicts!***

Finally, the Anniversary Festival has gone live! I don't have too much to report about the festival itself, since it's almost exactly the same as last year. The two differences are this--you can't use the raid exploit to farm envelopes any longer, but the envelopes have a very slim chance of containing the Reveller's Gilded War-steed cosmetics. One person on Gladden obtained them this morning and posted them on GLFF. Basically, if you've seen the Reveller's Gilded Steed, you'll have a very good idea of what the war-steed appearance will be.  For a wonderful overview of the barterable cosmetics, please check out Hymne's 5th Anniversary Cosmetics entry at Cosmetic LOTRO.

Now for the meat and potatoes of this particular post!

On Sunday, April 28, at 3 PM EST, Rangers of the West and myself will be hosting a server-wide Festival Ride and Fashion Show! This is a two part event, starting at the Methel-stage in the Shire. From there, we'll be riding in unison to the Bree-land Festival Grounds. If you do come early and attend the ride, feel free to bring fireworks, mingle with us, and celebrate! Once we reach the Festival Grounds, we'll let everyone get settled in and begin the Fashion Contest!

There are two categories, non-mounted and mounted, each of which will have prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. All non-mounted players have to do is create and wear an outfit that best defines the spirit of the festival! Mounted players are encouraged to create an outfit that compliments their steed of choice, whether it be a war-steed, meta-steed, or another standard mount.

The prizes will be issued as follows:

1st Place Mounted Category: 50g, Riddermark Crystal of Remembrance, Tarnished Crest of Rohan,  3 choices of dyes
1st Place Non-mounted Category: 50g, Symbol of the Elder King (level 65), 3 Mithril Flakes, 1 Small Star-lit crystal, 3 choices of dye
2nd Place, both categories: 25g, 5 Fused Profound Relics, 2 choices of dye
3rd Place, both categories: 10g, 5 Fused Aged Relics, 1 choice of dye

**Each dye prize is a stack of 3. If you win multiple dye packages, please choose different colors...supplies are limited.**
**Prizes have also been graciously donated by Serious Business, Rangers of the West, and Turning of the Tide**

The criteria by which I will be judging is as follows:

1) The originality of the outfit
2) The integration of pieces used
3) The blending of colors
4) Overall impression

Did you know that the 24th will be the 1 year anniversary of Material Middle-Earth? I can't believe it's already been a whole year! I remember opening this cosmetic blog with a contest for the Forgotten Darkness kinship. Who would have thought I'd be helping to host server events?

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Also, Lilyrose and her kinship, Rangers of the West, are planning a series of events that take place at various locations during the festival. As of right now, we have a horse race scheduled for Saturday, April 27th at 12 PM EST that will include a course taking playersfrom the Forsaken Inn to the finish line at Weathertop. If all goes well, we're also planning a Fireworks Extravaganza for the final night of the festival!

Gladden Server Fashion Event

Greetings, readers, fashionistas, and cosmetic bloggers! I've come here today to tell you of the upcoming server event Rippling Manes and Tailfeathers, hosted by Rangers of the West, in honor of the upcoming expansion release. Ely of Pony Lovers Anonymous and myself have been given the honor of being the judges for the fabulous fashion contest. Join us on the Gladden server if you can for an afternoon of fun!

Forgotten Darkness Kinship Cosmetic Contest

Hey there everybody! What a great way to kick off this cosmetic blog for LOTRO players with a kinship contest I had hosted! There were quite a few submissions from fellow kinsmen, for which I'm thankful. It excites me to know players that have an interest in fun and fashion : )

Anyway, this was a simple cosmetic contest--a best of three show. Submissions featured costumes that spanned a few themes, ranging from casual, to professional, to formal attire while utilizing gear from all three armor types. Everybody was allowed to submit up to three costumes, however I seperately judged and chose the best outfit from each player and counted it toward the contest.

I'll display the winners, followed by the honorable mentions, and then the alternate submissions of contributing players.

And I do apologize for the slight pixelation...for the time being, I only have MS Paint for editing : p

Winners:

1st Place:  Oskamayer

2nd Place: Elyariel

3rd Place: Noobythemidget

Head: Thrill-Seeker's Helm (Washed, Rift barter item)
Cloak: Keen Cloak of Fate (Black, world drop)
Shoulders: Shoulder Pads of Might (Black, world drop?)
Chest: Lesser Breastplate of Dundolen (Sienna, Ost Dunhoth barter item)
Hands: Enduring Gloves of Vigour (Umber, world drop)
Legs: Arrow-Fletcher's Leggings (Black, Loth barter item)
Feet: Boots of the Westfold (Washed, Isen pre-order item)

Head: Extravagant Festival Cap (Yule Festival, olive dye)
Cloak: Cloak of the Silver Birch (Burgundy, LOTRO store)
Shoulders: Shoulders of the Mighty Verse (Burgundy, Moria barter item)
Chest: Jacket of the Shade Finder (Burgundy, Quest item)
Hands: Tawarwaith Gloves of Knowledge (Olive, t6 crafted)
Legs: Golden Host Leggings of Awakening (Burgundy, t6 crafted)
Feet: Tawarwaith Shoes of Knowledge (Olive, t6 crafted)

Head: Tactical Helm Dye: Crimson)

Cloak: Singed Cloak (Dye: Black)
Shoulders: Burnished Warrior's Shoulder Guards (Dye: Black)
Chest: Armor of Fem (Dye: Black)
Hands: Wood-cutter's Gloves (Dye: Black)
Legs: Matti's Thick Winter Leggings (Dye: Black)
Feet: Boots of Fem (Dye: Black)

Honorable Mentions:

Cloak: Thaliongol (Ered luin blue, Malledhrim barter item)

Shoulders: Blademaster's Shoulders (Ered luin blue, Moria barter item)
Chest: Blademaster's Breastplate (Ered luin blue, Moria barter item)
Hands: Blademaster's Gauntlets (Ered luin blue, Moria barter item)
Legs: Blademaster's Leggings (Ered luin blue, Moria barter item)
Feet: Blademaster's Boots (Ered luin blue, Moria barter item)

Head: White Rose Circlet (Washed, Spring Festival)

Cloak: Fine Radiant Cloak (Crimson, t5 crafted)
Shoulders:  Superior Sellsword’s Shoulder Guards (Washed, t6 crafted)
Chest: Ulfar’s Robe (Evendim blue, Quest item)
Hands:  Superior Sellsword’s Gloves (Washed, t6 crafted)
Legs: Superior Sellsword’s  Leggings (Washed, t6 crafted)
Feet: Treated Elven Steel Shoes (Washed, world drop)

Alternate Submissions:

Head: Arastil's Helmet (Red, quest item)

Cloak: Cloak of Mordirith's Bane (Vol. 1 epic item)
Shoulders: Enduring Elven Cloth Shoulder Pads of Fleetness (Red, world drop)
Chest: Fighter's Ward (Red, GA drop item)
Hands: Restored Guardsman's Gauntlets (Red, Guardian barter item)
Legs: Steel Leggings (Red,  T3 crafted)
Feet: Boots of Fem (Red, quest item)

Head: Boar Festival Mask (Purple, Harvest Festival)

Cloak: Golden Tree Summer Cloak (Purple, Harvest Festival)
Shoulders: Shoulders of the Swift Arrow (Purple, Mirkwood barter item)
Chest: High Herald's Armor (Purple, t6 crafted)
Hands: Gauntlets of the Swift Arrow (Purple, Moria barter item)
Legs: Starkmoor Caretaker's Leggings (Purple, quest item)
Feet: Hillman's Cracked Leather Boots (Purple, quest item)

Head: Dolen-Helm (Evendim blue, quest item)

Cloak: Wig-Feld (Grey, Ost Dunhoth drop)
Shoulders: High-Officer's Shoulders (Evendim blue, t6 crafted)
Chest: Ancient Inlaid Breastplate (Evendim blue, quest item)
Hands: Isengard Prisoner's Gloves (Evendim blue, epic quest item)
Feet: Isengard Prisoner's Boots (Evendim blue, epic quest item)

Head: Mask of Fleetness (Red, world drop)

Cloak: Wood-Wanderer's Cloak (Red, LOTRO store)
Shoulders: Pathfinder's Shoulder Guards (Red, quest item)
Chest: Jacket of the Shade-Finder (Red, quest item)
Hands: Gauntlets of Durin's Guard (Red, Moria barter item)
Legs: Unnecessary Gardener's Leggings (Red, quest item?)