@thenomain
The dice may be a mock up, or they may be just making it easier to count successes. I'm fine with the latter, but also hope that the book explains that normal d10s can be used.
Also, the fashion critique:
Person 1: This particular style is more reminiscent of the close fitting, sheer looks you might find in the likes of a zuhair murad collection. The symmetrical angular gloves do what they are supposed to do - symbolize the twin nature of the vampire. The pose is entreating, which fits with the side-bar, helping to craft the overall impression of a creature who craves attention to its core and is simultaneously enslaved by it's base nature. A pose that looks confident on initial examination and then pleading. Excellent choice of style for the message being conveyed. And if you want asymmetry you can find it in the immaculate hair styling.
this is good fashion as art damnit
(he might be right on it not being a super inspired piece of clothing on its own, but as a storytelling element? loving A+)
Person 2: If we're symbolizing the dual nature of the vampire, stigmata-iconography bondage gloves are the wrong way to do it. They only advance the slave motif, not a vampiric struggle one, and we already have plenty of that in the dress itself. It's redundant, they're an eye sore, and it's all a little on the nose. The hair's asymmetricality actually works against the outfit because of the organic shape, since while asymmetrical hair can work really nicely it needs to be balanced by angularity elsewhere and the gloves are failing to provide that visual balance. The pose is nice - but the pose is not the outfit, which is my point of critique.
Person 1 again: The stigmata iconography in question is something I'm not picking up on. While she has her hands out, there's nothing highlighted in the palm of either glove. The point is also that the Toreador are presented in the sidebar as kinda hypocritical ponces who would absolutely push the narrative of being enslaved by their base nature as opposed to taking responsibility for managing it.
I'll agree to disagree on the hair front. I find that the natural and organic shapes help to convey softness in potentia. The angularity is, I feel, provided by the gloves and the pose itself - which while the pose is not the outfit, even a casual view of a fashion show will demonstrate that the pose and bearing of the model contribute heavily to the overall feel of a look that a designer has put together. Someone slouching and staring at the floor would completely alter the feel of the outfit, which in this case is a very clear statement piece designed to complement the accompanying meta. I personally wouldn't wear that dress and find it tacky as hell, but it is daring, and it is making some very strong statements.
Person 2 again: The pose, together with the emphasis on the wrist presented by the gloves - a more viable placement for nails than the palm proper - have pretty clear stigmata overtones to me. We're in agreement that the dress is tacky, though. As for the asymmetry issue, I maintain that either angular asymmetrical or symmetrical organic are the way to go with outfits that play with the lines of the human body (with some exceptions, e.g. sweepingly organic pieces overall), and that the doubling up on angularity at the wrist is a poor decision.
P1 again: While I can now see what you mean, my first thoughts were of an opera singer. Although having thought on it some, a deliberately profaned presentation of stigmata iconography works really well with the overall message being conveyed by the piece. I find the jarring angular symmetrical lines work really well with the dress in highlighting that nothing here is really organic anymore to begin with, and the hints of it which remain - the hair, the makeup, the exposed skin - are a facade. It's unsettling on purpose. I maintain that while it might not be a particularly effective dress if you're looking at it in isolation, the finished image is excellent art.
And really, couture is about art and statement, rather than any kind of practical application. So in that regard, it is also an effective dress.
P2 again: I'm not sure we really disagree that much at this point, so much as we're coming at it from different perspectives. I don't disagree that it's an acceptable art piece - a little mediocre and a bit cliche, but it works - but just that the outfit itself isn't particularly well done, both due to the nature of the chain drape (I'm a fan, but it's also cliche these days, and with the gloves it's a little on the nose with the 'restraint' motif. If our Toreador example is meant to be a Poseur of the clan, so much the better, I suppose.) and the symmetricality of the gloves which you find a strength. I think those gloves and the hair are our only significant points of dissent on the matter.
