Mila Tatham

I love milestones. It creates the little reasons for celebrations amidst a life of drudgery. It’s the pat on the back that a job was well done. I especially love milestones when they are not mine, but belong to the people I love. Those who have followed my blog for a while know about year and a half ago, the quiet and solitary wanderer (and wonderer) Cao, was adopted by a rather loudly boisterous, rather large and kindly loving Italian “gypsy” family. In typical fashion they not only stole my quiet solitude, they stole my heart. I love each and every member of my gypsy family, they have taken my 8-bit colored Second Life and made it the entire technicolor visual feast that it is today.

But I digress, (as usual), early in December Mila silently had one of these milestones. My busily scurrying, always creating seamstress of dreams celebrated the 2nd anniversary of her passion, the *SoliDea FoliEs* line of apparel. One year in the cutthroat SL design industry is amazing in itself. Two years? That is a feat worthy of probably just a few dozen SL businesses. Congratulations my sister, my friend, my Mila. I am so proud of you!

Take froms? yep, there always is one. In true Mila’s giving heart fashion, she wants to celebrate this day now, after the making of so many MVW dresses, after the week of 2lei, after the construction of a brand new mainstore at Salimar, after the confetti has been swept away by BOSL’s Miss Virtual World contest. The birthday celebration is now. But whats a party unless it is a celebration surrounded by family and friends? Won’t you please come celebrate this joyous occasion with us? Won’t you come so we can thank you, our patrons, our friends, our family, for all of your support in these two wonderful years, because without you, there would be no true celebration. Come, be with us December 20th at noon (12:00PM SLT) for our grand-opening, runway show and party. I can’t wait to see you there! Won’t you stop by? See? I’m so nice, I even included the caravan for you: Taxi:

Recently, with so much joy, I watched a dear friend of mine turn forty. Forty. Such a milestone! I picture forty as standing on a precipice of Mont Blanc, as you look back you see all the pages of the life you have lived, the little mistakes, the big victories, all the dalliances, pains and joys that have softened your hard edges and just somehow made you softer, wiser, and perhaps nicer than you were at twenty. Hopefully we all become a little less opinionated and a little more forgiving because all we have lived will create the enlightened us of forty. And women always seem more in tune with themselves, more loving and somehow at their most beautiful at forty. Don’t you think?

As the woman of forty turns her view opposite, forward, she will see all the blank pages of her life story yet to be lived, experienced and written. She will intertwine the lessons, the histories, of the first forty years and in the second forty weave it into a more colorful, gorgeous tapestry of a life, a tapestry befitting royalty, a life, a love of those around them, a dedication written in the hearts of all those they have touched. You have already lovingly touched a soft piece of my heart, etched your name deeply, permanently there, my dear friend Mila. I am honored to see the beautiful you of forty, and will be equally honored to travel a few more steps with you as you live your history, as you continue to write your pages, my words dispersed in small snippets through your wonderful pages, I am honored to know I have had a small place there, even if only for the brief moments of letters written on the sand to be erased by the tides of the sea. One day, I may have washed away but at some point, even if only for the waxing and waning of a moon, I am here, I am with you, and I feel joy. Happy Birthday Mila! I hope you like the picture my darling Skip Staheli has made of the *SoliDea FoliEs* “40” dress you so kindly gave to us for your birthday.

On to business. I know this is what my dragon, Draakje Dailey, calls “Cao’s version of “Word and Peace.”” The International Model Agency is having a “Sydney Fashion Week’” beginning August 17th 2012 through August 22nd, 2012. *SoliDea FoliEs* will be having a show on August 19th, 2012 at 5AM SLT. Above is the gorgeously colorful, unique offering created by Mila Tatham exclusively for this event. It has so much of the exquisite colors and feel of a native aboriginal costume, I just had to have it! Isn’t it divine?

I hope you get the chance to support these hard working models by attending the shows. I know I will pop into a few just to see the exclusive apparel these wonderful designers have made! I hope you will too! Have a wonderful weekend!

Look One:
Dress: *SoliDea FoliEs* “40”
Hairs: Tuty’s, “wet look”
Hat: Miamai, “Memento Boreal”
Makeup: LovelyMi Makeups, “Aphrodite”
Tights: Peqe, “Unicef”