Reign is one of several new hairs by Onyx LeShelle that’s been released at Hair Fair, and I think it’s safe to say that they’re big hits with fashionable ladies across the grid. When I saw it, though, I immediately thought, “At last!” Because this hair is absurdly perfect for a romantic historical kind of look, as you can see above. Paired with RFyre’s stunning Soleil inspired by the courtly clothing of the 18th century, Reign simply seems to be of that period. Yes, yes, before anyone hurries to correct me—most often a gentleman of a high court would have had powdered hair or even a wig. Well, he lost his wig, and he’s allergic to talcum. ;) Occasionally, Raven Pennyfeather has graced SL with some truly beautiful historically-inspired garments without the fantasy edge that most of her work has, and I always look forward to more (hint: justacorps coats in gold or copper, or anything else, please!)

In any case, what particularly strikes me about this hair, and indeed all the hair from Maitreya, is how closely it fits to the scalp. It takes a particular skill with prims that I’m sure many creators are jealous of. Matched with beautiful textures—each hair is sold in a pack of five related colors for L$295—and amazing alphaed prims that create soft tendrils of hair falling quite naturally, and it’s a winning combination. This is a thoroughly non-flexi hair, but it’s a fine example of how you can do that without having people really notice when your alpha textures are so artfully placed as to fool the eye into thinking it has to be flexi.

Reign’s a wonderful hair that works especially well for men in SL, I think ... but Moon, Moon’s the one that took my breath away. In the 18th century, it was quite common for men to wear queues—pulling back and braiding their hair, or wrapping them up with a ribbon—and Moon manages to pretty much give the exact same look. Oh, again, it’s certainly a bit untidy, but that’s to be expected after a duel of honor or perhaps a clinch with one’s lady love. The softness of the tendrils of hair really leap out at me, again. It’s not flexi, and it doesn’t need to be. I particularly like the way that a single alpha texture interacts with itself as you examine the hair from different angles, giving the sense of really looking around a three-dimensional fall of hair instead of just a 2D texture slapped onto a sculpted prim. It’s truly stunning.

It also happens to be just about the most perfect hair I’ve ever found for one of my avatars—based, as he is, on a long-running RP character of mine—and I’m itching to do all sorts of illustrative pictures now. Thank you, Onyx! And thank you, Raven, for the beautiful Marquess suit for men, another wonderful historically-inspired costome. Sold also in black, the Marquess suit—like Soleil—matches female outfits drawing from the same Baroque and Rococo well of inspiration.