See you in two weeks!

I thought I'd be able to post some more outfit before my vacation, but I didn't manage it - I'm as disorganized as always :) I'm leaving for 2 weeks vacation tomorrow, so I'd like to ask you to bear with me and promise I'll bring you some pretty outfits after I return - you've sent me really amazing guest submissions which are sitting in my mailbox for now.

So, see you in July! :)

New blogs about LOTRO cosmetics - volume 3

It's been a long time since I presented new LOTRO outfitting blogs (aside from tweeting a little here, a little there), which is shameful and I'd like to set this right! For instance, I realized I totally neglected launch of the Starry Mantle last November (I mean I didn't write about it - of course I've been totally hooked up on Starry from the beginning!). No more mistakes like this anymore! :))

Landroval Style has been up for a month and a half and already has a nice collection of good looking outfits. It presents blog owner's creations, as well as other Landroval players - I totally love the "Seen on the Streets" category, which is kind of Landroval fashion police. There are several other interesting series, such as Dress It Up challenges or Cloak of the Day - don't miss them!

I can't believe I missed Vogue of the Rings when it launched in last year's November (aye, that's the same month Starry Mantle launched - must have been very busy month for me :( ). It's run by Danica, whom you might remember by this outfit which ended up in TOP 9 in Yule Fashion Contest 2011 (under character's name Diamint). There's bountiful collection of outfits - please check them out and encourage the author to continue posting!

You might need Google Translate's help for this one, but Estel Fashion is certainly worth checking out. Blog started in December and is aimed at francophone community, but screenshots speak one united language anyway :)

An Unexpected Fashion Blog launched only last month and it already has a lot of inspirational posts. I particularly love a gypsy maiden, so wonderfully set within the scenery.

...and there are more! Many blogs have arisen from Newbie Blogger Initiative, which I was also part of as a mentor (only in the beginning of May though, work schedule came into my plans :( ). Some of these blogs only have a few posts at the moment, but watch them closely - there's inspiration in each and every post and who knows which of them will grow into established fashion blogs!

The Ivy

Moria Fashion (dwarven F2P outfits)

Material Middle-Earth

LOTRO Ladies Outfitter

Middle-Earth Mannequins

Lotro Cinna (which I love because of Hunger Games reference!)

Tip: I also updated my blogroll on the right side - check it out! I've separated outfitting blogs from other sites, so that it's easier to search among them.

Late watches

If anybody says Shire is a safe haven of Middle-earth, his words are long past due. Bindbole Wood, a landmark in northern Shire, has recently been infested with horrible spiders and goblins, troubling peaceful hobbits and careless travelers. Especially at night, the road passing through Overhill is very dangerous. Luckily, many hobbits have also been trained by the Rangers in recent past, to be able to defend their homeland from allies of the enemy. One of them is Wasabito, a skilled warden born in Overhill, who keeps an eye on his hometown and lumberers working in surrounding forest.

A pre-order option for the upcoming expansion, Riders of Rohan, has become available last week. Of course I had to buy it, for the amazing Rohirrim cosmetics, if for nothing else. I'm a little disappointed that the Armour of the Eastemnet set does not dye, so it remains mostly olive. It's such a pity Turbine limits use of excellent pre-order cosmetics again, as they did with Rise of Isengard :(

Enough complaints - despite it's colour limitations, the Eastemnet set looks gorgeous. So does the steed - it looks sturdy and agile at the same time, fitting for a Rohirrim horse. But the best about the whole ensemble is that the armour looks amazing on all races and genders. It makes even male hobbits look sexy, so I had to make use of it :) I added burgundy accessories (to match the steed's harness) and the horrible Cloak of Vigilance, which I usually hate. Here, however, it seems to bind the pieces of the outfit together and the braided blonde fur matches the mount as well.

Don't forget to check out all the cosmetics which come with Riders of Rohan pre-order on Cosmetic LOTRO - Hymne did a great job collecting and previewing them (even the weird horse-mane cloak rewarded for the ingame deed following pre-purchase - and I mean, there's really horse mane sticking out of it!).

Please let me know what do you think about the outfit in comments, or simply rate below the post's title :)

Chest: Hauberk of the Eastemnet, default dye (Riders of Rohan pre-order, all editions) 
Shoulders: Hardened Steel Dunlending Pauldrons, olive dye (Dunland quest)
Hands: Hyrde-folme, burgundy dye (Dunland quest)
Feet: Polished Boots of the Dunland Shieldman, burgundy dye (Dunland quest)
Back: Cloak of Vigilance, burgundy dye (Store)

Mount: Steed of the Eastemnet (Riders of Rohan pre-order, Heroic or Legendary edition)

Emotes:
./mountrearup (Store exclusive)
./look
./think
./charge

Guardian of Imladris

The southern passage into Rivendell is called the Gates of Imladris and establishes a clear bastion of civilization and safety in an otherwise wild land. Nevertheless, the Elves of Rivendell guard this approach carefully, and it is not entirely safe for travellers to approach unannounced - those who pass this way with ill intent in their hearts are rarely seen or heard from again.

Sidgrid is a guardian of Sindarin origin. Her family had kept out of politics and wars for generations, being scholars of the times old forgotten. However, their firstborn child had spirit of a warrior, and they didn't object to her joining the Guardians of Imladris. She began her training as a very young elf back in the Second Age and finished it far sooner than her brothers in arms. Over the centuries, she became the leader of the Guardians, who are the key to keeping the pass to Rivendell safe. However brave and experienced, she is still an elven lady and even her unpiercable armour shows that.

An elven female guardian - that's quite an unusual combination. Hard to dress as well - elven maidens tend to look comical in bulky heavy armour, it squeezes them so they look like they were wearing an oversized can. Here I wanted to create a distinguishable heavy outfit, which would look protective and feminine at the same time.

I wanted to use the Helegrod items which are now available in store as cosmetic armour. When I started matching the Dragon-scale breastplate dyed Ered Luin blue, I realized the shoulder part of the piece is violet... I was like - what?! In the default red dye, I've never noticed that, although I don't understand why - now when I look at the chestpiece, the violet is striking my eyes :) However, I started searching for a complimentary colour and ended up with pastel green.

I also used a hooded store cloak - I have to say I hate this kind of hoods and use them very rarely in my outfits. However, here it seemed fitting and served much better than any of the helms I've tried. The whole outfit ended up being cheerful and battle-ready at the same time, I hope.

Please let me know what do you think about the outfit in comments, or simply rate below the post's title :)

Chest: Ceremonial Dragon-scale Breastplate, dark green dye (Store)
Legs: Leggings of Orod-na-Thôn, dark green dye (world drop; also available from Rivendell heavy armoursmith)
Shoulders: Hardened Steel Dunlending Pauldrons, violet dye (Dunland quest)
Hands: Gloves of Forbidden Love, grey dye (Great River quest)
Feet: Rusted Boots of the Dunland Berserker, dark green dye (Dunland quest)
Back: Hooded Cloak of the Silver Birch, violet dye (Store)

Emotes:
./charge
./look
./roar
./lookaround
./swordsalute
./kneel

Guest: Eodread of Nimrodel

This mysterious traveler hails from Gondor, specifically Pelargir. He has traversed the borders of Gondor and Harad, and feeling the heat, found an armour to protect himself, but to keep cool in the harsh heat. With his favourite horse Jade they roam the lands of Middle-earth, helping those in need and punishing the allies of evil.

This outfit might be less original than the previous creation of Eodread, but I love it because of the chosen dye. I've never noticed how awesome and nomadic does the OD burglar set look in white. The little details such as dagger on gauntlets or little daggers hanging around the waist make it one of the most valuable sets for cosmetic purposes and each and every part of it can be nicely matched.

Please let us know what do you think about the outfit in comments, or simly rate below the post's title :)

Chest: Lesser Secret of the West Breastplate, white dye (Ost Dunhoth burglar level 65 set)
Legs: Lesser Secret of the West Leggings, white dye (Ost Dunhoth burglar level 65 set)
Head: Lesser Secret of the West Helmet, white dye (Ost Dunhoth burglar level 65 set)
Hands: Secret of the West Gauntlets, white dye (Ost Dunhoth burglar level 65 set)
Feet: Cry of the West Boots, white dye (Ost Dunhoth captain level 65 set)

Mount: Prized Algraig Horse (Algraig reputation)

Brawler of Thorin's Hall

"Ye're a maggot, Rúnulf! Get th' lager here at once, or I'll murder ye! Don't be tellin' me I be drunk that be all I can take, ye don't be knowin' what be it to be drunk 'n I'll show ye to ye grave if ye don't get me th' ale! Get goin' ye filthy scum! Or I'll introduce ye to me buckos over thar 'n ye'll be dead!"

It seems we've just caught Khamrad in his typical mood. Drunk as a skunk, threatening everyone around (and mostly poor Rúnulf, owner and bartender at Thorin's Hall Inn, who haven't surrendered the effort to pour a little brains into his most dedicated guest). Well, not everyone can be a hero and it would be unfair to display only the honourable persons of Middle-earth - let's look at (not-so)normal folk.

Khamrad has never set his feet outside of the Blue Mountains. Everybody knows him as his reputation of local bully and drunkard precedes him. His brother is a wealthy merchant, too kind to let Khamrad starve and teach him a lesson, so he sponsors his countless mugs of ale. Last time, Khamrad mocked an honourable traveling merchant because he didn't like his clothes. However, the merchant surprised him and beat him like a gypsy toy in front of a crowd outside of the town gate.

Khamrad was humiliated and enraged and as always, he sought to drown his anger in alcohol. He started drinking in his favourite inn, but soon set off to find more, possibly free, booze. And he shouldn't have done that. For the first time ever, he left Thorin's Hall, managed to convince someone to give him a ride and found himself in the Shire. He even broke into one of the hobbit holes and drank a lot of brandy from a sinister keg the notable member of Inn League stored in his house.

When Khamrad woke up, the last thing he remembered was lying under the keg, letting drops of brandy drop into his mouth and snoring a little. What was his surprise when he found himself in a strange place he's never seen before! Horrible gigantic worms, turtles and unspeakable creatures were all he saw. Khamrad's eyes filled with tears: "What shall I do? 'tis gunna be me last day fer sure!" he mumbled to himself. Who knows if he ever gets home. Maybe he will have to start being nice to people around him - for people of Angmar are quite sensitive to rude and daring behaviour...

This outfit doesn't aim to be pretty, but rather role-play fitting. It started as an idea of building knightly outfit for a man, as I think the faceguard works really well in this context. However, I store many of my cosmetics on my dwarf model, and as I started picking the right pieces, I found myself building a dwarven outfit instead.

There are a lot of parts on this outfit that don't match at all - for instance, the blue area just under the waist, or the base colour of the leggings. But who needs a matching outfit when all he does is fighting and lying drunk on the floor? Ye be tellin' me! :)

Please let me know what do you think about the outfit in comments, or simply rate below the post's title :)

Chest: Ceremonial Shadow-stalker Jacket, grey dye (Store)
Legs: Dwarf-make Warrior's Leggings, black dye (T5 crafted)
Head: Firework Launcher's Face Guard, default dye (Anniversary festival 2012)
Shoulders: Dwarf Steel Shoulder Guards of Fate, grey dye (world drop)
Hands: Enduring Dwarf Leather Gauntlets of Might, black dye (world drop; similar ones available from dwarf medium armoursmiths)
Feet: Rusted Boots of the Dunland Berserker, black dye (Dunland quest)
Back: Ceremonial Singed Cloak, umber dye (Store)

Emotes:
./drink
./faint
./cry

Guest: Anthwise Daisygardner of Landroval

Anthwise Daisygardner, as farmer boy of Budgeford, likes wearing bright coloured jackets for night parties in the Shire. His favourite colour is yellow, he loves planting all yellow flowers, but he holds deep affection for yellow daisies. With this costume, he looks like a huge yellow flower, and he is very proud of it. Flowers aren't just for lasses, as you know. He happily breeds them and gives as a gift to his friends. He is a hardworking farmer, usually doesn't like wasting his time at inns. But he couldn't resist his friends' invitation, wears his fancy clothes and participating at the entertainment.

Anthwise seems fat on the first sight, he has large bones indeed! Also he eats more than an ordinary lad. For example, during exhaustive farming days, he usually eats twelve large meals. He likes talking about his huge belly, and competes with others. Despite his chubby structure, he is agile and runs very fast, unexpectedly. He loves dancing alone or with fancy lasses, but don't think he is a philander - he blushes when he glances at a lass all the time. Behind this shiny and courageous appearance, he has a heart fluffy as muffins.

That's how the author of this outfit, known mostly by her main character Anthemisi Nobledaisy, a wandering minstrel of BBB, described this merry fellow, and added: "As a female, I tend to play female characters, exclusively hobbits. But two days ago, I decided to create my Samwise adaptation, collected some bunch of outfits, dyed and arranged them then I admired him!"

And now I proudly present this Lonely Mountain Bard member's creation - I'm sure Anthwise enjoys himself in this wonderful role-playing kinship! :)

Please let us know what do you think about the outfit in comments, or simly rate below the post's title :)

Chest: Radiant Armour, yellow dye (T5 crafted)
Legs: Shabby Leggings, indigo dye (Yule festival, reward for helping the poor)
Head: Winged Circlet, yellow dye (Skirmish cosmetic barter)
Shoulders: Treasure-hunter's Shoulder Guards, yellow dye (T6 crafted)
Hands: Fel-durnvol, yellow dye (world drop)
Feet: Soft Leather Boots, yellow dye (Outfitter vendor, available in Bree or Trestlebridge)
Back: Cloak of the Dove, yellow dye (Store)

Mount: Perlino Steed (PAX East 2012 giveaway, lotteries, race reward)

Emotes:
./dance_man
./dance_elf
./dance_hobbit