Men's Second Style

Hmm, it seems like my motif for the week is attempting to present in still images things that really need to be seen in action.  Today’s full-motion item is FORM designer Zabitan Assia’s new “Animation Override V.1″.  Built upon the foundation of Zab’s previously available line of poses (using Ziggy Puff’s ZHAO-II HUD Animation Overrider), the FORM AO includes 22 poses and animations to customize every aspect of your avatar’s movement, including one stand pose and one animated sit pose that are only available with this AO.  All AO operations are conveniently controlled via the discreet FORM-themed HUD, at lower right in this picture.  The lower “FORM” button enables and disables the AO; the upper “MENU” button activates the control/configuration menu at upper right. Read the rest of this entry »

It seems like I turned my back on Funk Schnook for maybe five seconds or so and when I look back he has all this new stuff out at FNKY!  I honestly don’t know how he does it.  Clearly he’s some kind of mad creative genius, the kind that’s maybe just a little bit scary when you stand real close.

Funk’s new FNKY! Kicks casual shoes include five different sizes, so you should have no trouble finding one that fits you well, whether you’re a delicate flower of a Southern girl or the biggest and manliest of manly men.

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When I first visited the new Moderno menswear shop in the completely redesigned and rebuilt Dazzle sim, I ended up taking home just a few of the many new items and outfits that are available–I’m not sure, but I may have been kind of overwhelmed.  Designer Ginny Talamasca (as Devyn Carmichael) has once again produced an extensive line of menswear ranging from casual through dressy to formal, all imaginatively designed and immaculately textured. Read the rest of this entry »

CharlieM Whitfield and Russo Robbiani, the two designers behind Flawless Mainland, bring a sleek, continental flair to their work. In business for only a few months, they’ve released three new suit lines that demonstrate technical grace, the sharp angles of Teutonic styling, and a precociousness that sets expectations high.

With the Chandrima Business Suit, Whitfield and Robbiani tempt fate with horizontal stripes, but manage to negotiate the potential straits between the Scylla of “it makes me look porky” and the Charybdis of “it makes me look like I just escaped from the workhouse” with aplomb. “It’s our standard business suit, and our bestseller,” said Robbiani. “There are many combinations possible, so that you can create your own individual style.” High, tight and available in four colors (shown in blue-grey and including brown, green and basic black), the suit has superior corners and is (no surprise here) reminiscent of something by Hedi Slimane.

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The New Babbage Victorian steampunk region came to my attention by way of the New Babbage build on this year’s Relay For Life track. It was while exploring in Babbage Square that I discovered Gaslights Emporium, a men’s clothing and accessories shop featuring designs by Vincente Shepherd. The shop itself is fairly new, and some items are new within the last week or two. Here you can find everything you need to outfit yourself as a proper Victorian gentleman, from clothing to accessories–and a few toys as well.

The Gentleman’s Suit (L$400) is available in your choice of Blue, Green, Black, Claret (shown), Brown and Charcoal. It includes jacket, trousers, shirt, waistcoat, flexi coat bottom and prim bowtie. Vincente is currently making these available on a “buy one, get one free” basis–details are available in the shop. Read the rest of this entry »

If you haven’t yet visited Second Guy Mall – The Center for Men’s Clothing, now is a great time to drop by and check it out.  I’ve been following this venture since early on, but I’m impressed by its recent redesign and growing roster of resident designers (several of whom have been featured here on Men’s Second Style) and thought I’d take the opportunity to mention it here.  The mall has 30 shop spaces and is geared toward those who are looking for high-quality men’s casual, athletic, club, and business clothing–all in one spot.  This isn’t the only shopping area dedicated to men’s styles in SL (Manhunt Mall has been around for at least as long as I can remember), but proprietors Balthasar Balhaus and LB Fellini are committed to providing an exceptional level of features and service. Read the rest of this entry »

True story: A few years back, there was an impending family reunion and my mom said to me, “Hmm, do you remember that branch of my family that never attends these reunions?  Everybody always gossips about them because they aren’t there.  Well, I found out why.”  I waited for her to go on.  Finally she sighed and said, “It’s because they’re always on the road.  They all joined a traveling carnival and they’re on the road all spring and summer, into the fall.”  I was still boggling over this when she added, “Apparently they winter in Orlando.  I guess that’s nice.”  I regained some resemblance of composure and said, “Mom!  We have carnies in our family!”  A slightly pained expression crossed her face.  I could only manage to say, “But that’s awesome!”  She sighed again, more heavily.  I’m still trying to figure out how I can catch the traveling show some summer.  (Small town carnivals are an experience like no other–remind me to tell you about Rat Roulette.)  But I’m not supposed to talk about it.  Hey, my dad had a great-great-great-uncle or some such who was hanged as a horse thief.  I guess there’s a skeleton in every family closet. Read the rest of this entry »

A few days ago, I received an e-mail from regular reader Kith DeCuir telling me about some great new red hair he had found.  His directions led me to Z#road Men’s Shop in Ikebukuro, a new venture by designer Yukimaru Koba.  Two casual hairstyles are currently available, both clearly influenced by contemporary Japanese culture as well as anime and manga, and designed with this appeal in mind.  While the  underlying hair texture is realistic, the color and shading are more stylized, with gradations that suggest an artfully applied salon process. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m an idealist.

Real life clothes have wrinkles, real life hair has tangles, real life skin has bumps and pimples and pores that nothing can shrink. And many designers in Second Life are focused on making their creations as true to life as possible, recreating all these problems in the name of realism.

I say forget that! I want skin smooth as glass, hair that always looks good, clothes that never need ironing. If I could be an anime character, I would. (Preferably Riki.) I’ll never get that in real life, but in Second Life, all it takes is a good artist and some lindens!

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I became aware of how important shoes are to a man during the Clinton impeachment.

Before, I had assumed that shod equaled good, and so long as my wheels matched my belt (or nearly so, poverty’s limitations being what they were), I was golden. But it was David Boies who taught me wisdom. Boies was Clinton’s primary attorney during the impeachment hearings. Now, this is a man who ranks amongst the top 10, perhaps top five, attorneys in the world. The man lives in an 8,000 square foot Georgian-style pile of bricks in Westchester County. He’s got two wine cellars–one for bottles, and one for cases. And, beyond all human reason, the man wears Land’s End suits with black running shoes. All the time. In court. In the SUPREME Court.

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