I first met Simone when she went through my Christmas decorations shop like a whirlwind and bought everything in sight. I later made some customised decorations for her shop, so you could say that she is a customer of mine. She has also been very generous and kind to me -- and to many people -- and so I am glad to be able to report that I would like her clothing even if we had never met.

Simone is a character, passionate, volatile, creative and sometimes a bit overwhelming. One of my funniest moments in SL involved Simone. The BBC journalist Paul Mason came into SL for a party after his broadcast about SL on Newsnight. Simone immediately challenged him for saying that the best-looking avatars were in the clubs. They had a short heated debate on the merits of this view, and then Paul Mason, who is a Brit, said "well at least I got people to first base...." meaning: well people in the UK will have got the grounding on SL.

Simone jumped to the conclusion that he had been interfering with the hostesses at the club and was boasting about getting them to "first base" and went off like a rocket. It took quite a bit of explanation to get her to calm down again. I laughed like a drain imagining how confused poor Paul was about what he had done to incur her wrath. She apologised for the misunderstanding.

Simone is first and foremost a creator of clothing in SL, but she is more than that. She has facilitated the careers of a lot of other creators in SL, allowing them wall space in her malls for free. Her shops always include other people's work, and so she is someone who is sometimes feared (for passionate outbursts) but also loved by those she has generously helped.

She works damn hard. She is online and working far longer than anyone else I know in SL. She is persistent, and works at things until she can do them, including shoes and hair. She draws her own textures, using GIMP, and makes some of the best silks and formal wear in SL.

She took me on a tour of her new Art Deco-style store, built by her friend Forseti Svarog, and explained that she uses inspiration from a wide range of sources. Among the new ranges on offer, are a new casual range of clothing, developed with Shyone Lehane ("We had fun together," said Simone, "so you can expect more from us as a team."); a fantastic 19th saloon-style dress ("someone came and asked me to make one... it started out formal but this sort of evolved into 1800s style."), and flapper dresses (again a special request) which are faithful to the mid-1920s ... and a lot more.

There's a huge amount of variety, with some wedding, formal and flex-gown wear, silks and bedroom Barbie wear ("I laughed a lot making this," Simone exclaimed) and the newly-introduced casual wear, as well as some bra top and prim skirt suits which fall somewhere between.

Her store is a bit of a maze ("I think I'd better make a map," she mused) but for those who love shopping it is a paradise of stuff to be bought.

I asked Simone if the end of stipends had made a big difference to her store and she told me "Nope, hasn't affected my business one drop that there are no stipends anymore. First off, I have always designed with the thought in mind that people are spending real money on my stuff, and so have tried to make things attainable for everyone. For those that don't buy Lindens or have a lot, there is the Discount Barn with 50L full sets in it."

The other big change recently is open enrolment, and although people talk about increased griefing, I have yet to meet anyone who has experienced this. "No, the griefing is about the same as it always has been. Only 12 year olds think that Linden Labs can't track who you are. Adults know better."

I love Simone's clothing, and although I still feel naked when wearing a mini dress, I think she is one of the best prim skirt makers in SL. She has made several skirts which move with a very realistic swish, with clever use of layered prims. Click on any of the pictures used in this article, and the SLURL will take you to Simone's to see for yourself. Tell her SLI sent you!

Now if only I can think of an occasion calling for a 19th century saloon dress....