Slight liberties?

Without having seen the original outfit design, the grin in the description - broader than the most pleased jaguar could match - hints a tube top and $5 skirt mysteriously transformed into a ballroom gown when nobody was looking... Or rather, into an enormous crown and jewelled loincloth.

Liberty is a precious, wonderful thing.



If the band of roses marks that as a floral crown, if nothing else in spirit, then that crown is practically a castle in which wearers of other crowns hold court. And a castle in the sky, no less! That is a piece of jewelry that seems best described as formidable, for neither superb nor exquisite quite do its poise justice.

But while the crown seems tough and solid, the rest of her attire is decidedly with the airborne in mind. The tassel-veils that would drag on the ground walking seem as graceful as koi fins in flight, and the loincloth (is there a name for this particular style? I am not certain) appears reminiscent of the coat of a bird of paradise. Come to think of it, there is almost nothing in the entire scene that does not mark her as a creature of the sky: The composition with her wingtips grazing the edges of the frame makes her look ready to soar right out of the scene, and her surroundings with the curved horizon and crisp, unyielding terrain literally seem to be closing in, desperate to keep her.



One detail does look peculiar, however. The mane of hair is truly enormous, and very full and thick, so it seems proper that its weight shows - but something about it seems off where it shows below the wing. Cannot quite shake the feeling the hairs are afloat in liquid rather than fluttering in the wind. But my knowledge of painting hair - especially exotic hairstyles as this - is very limited, so could be mistaken. And be it as it may, it is a small detail that hardly detracts from an overall exquisite scene.



Well done.