Men's Second Style

Supposedly, the sport of surfing has Polynesian roots — where chiefs of certain tribes were the members of the tribe who were best at riding the waves on wooden boards. In Hawaii, surfing was a art that was tied into religion. What we know as surfing today only came about in the last 100 years, spread from Hawaii by Olympian and actor Duke Kahanamoku. Surfing is considered a sport by some and a lifestyle by others, with some surfers devoting a large part of their life to “finding the perfect wave” and furthering sport for those around them. Even Second Life has a large and thriving surf community, with organizations such as the SLSA and others documented on Surf Watch.

Unfortunately, being an outdoor sport, surfing is a little rough for vampires. In Cold Blood blogger Winter Jefferson stepped up to the task and even de-fanged himself to hit the beach and catch a few waves.
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When crossing the Wastelands, it’s a good idea to make sure you have adequate provisions for the journey. Whether it’s food and water, equipment or other supplies, you’ll need something to help carry it all. (After all, the inventory is a wonderful, magical tool, but it’s neither visual nor particularly romantic.) Here I present for your consideration a handful of backpack-style accessories in different styles and configurations. One of these may be just what you need before setting out on your dusty trek. Always be prepared!

The first four designs here are creations by Cutea Benelli, of Grim Bros. You won’t have to look too closely to notice a certain stylistic similiarity: they’re all grungy. But there the resemblance ends, as each is thematically distinct and a unique creation in its own right. Here I’m wearing Cutea’s Enormous Pipe Dream, which has for its base a handsome but fairly standard-issue leather backpack. All pretense to the ordinary ends right there, though–the pack is crowned with a veritable halo of plumbing that suggests something very interesting indeed going on inside. Read the rest of this entry »

Wow.. that was a close one. Neck and neck all week but I managed to finally pull ahead at the end for 75 votes vs. Achariya’s 68. Phew! That said, we managed to hit a new record for votes — 143 total! Which, quite frankly, is awesome. I’m thinking of making certain end of the year awards, though I’m afraid people will be conservative and worry about votes instead of focusing on exploring a style and just having fun. Weigh in via comments, I like feedback on the process.

As for next week, Mr. Winter Jefferson is stepping up to bat. The self-proclaimed “sardonic Australian fashionisto Vampire knight” writes for two blogs, doing promo work for Rezzable and then covering his own style at In Cold Blood. Unfortunately for Winter, he managed to pick one of the worst themes for a vampire — surfing. I’m not quite sure how he’ll manage to surf out in the sun, but luckily there are plenty of spots in SL to surf at night too and he’s got 3000L to spend on SPF12315465 sunscreen. So expect both of us to be on the waves in one last summer-style throwdown before I succumb to the cold and admit the seasons are changing.

I sagged against the ropes. Breath rasped in my throat, and I tensed as the cat came down again across my back. I would have pleaded for mercy, could I find the breath, though none would have given it. The boatswain shouted the count, and down came the cat once more. Pirates stood on either side of me, grinning and shouting. I took a grip on the ropes and yearned for unconsiousness. Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes I’m just not sure what approach to take when I’m putting together an outfit or outfits for an article. I mean, putting outfits together obviously follows a certain basic process that doesn’t change much–clothing that makes for a certain look, shoes that play along nicely or even make a statement, maybe some jewelry or other accessories that tie it all together.  And there’s always the question of hair, and possibly a particular or even themed skin…but I digress.

So, anyway, yes, the process is pretty well defined, but for me the question is always, “What’s the hook?” By which I mean, What makes it special? Where’s the fun? What’s the challenge this time? What’s in it for me? Read the rest of this entry »

He knew that most of his neighbors thought him mad.  He preferred to think of himself as eccentric, although he suspected that most at his end of London would find that far too mild a word.  No matter.  Although it was not (and for obvious reasons could never be) public knowledge, he knew that his mechanised creations pleased none other than the Queen herself.  He was satisfied that, if he was indeed mad, it was madness of a uniquely creative and inspired nature.  If this was madness, then he would be mad, and happily so. Read the rest of this entry »

The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly. The former is short for rock ‘n roll and the latter is a semi-derogatory reference to country music. As one of the earliest styles of rock ‘n roll, rockabilly music reveals a lot of about rock ‘n rolls origins developing out of blues, r&b, country, and gospel music. There’s always been a few styles associated with the movement — the gaudy stage clothes of stage performers, the clean cut pastel suits as those performers started to perform on television, and of course the “retro” style of the bad boys and pinup girls from the 50s. Because back then rock ‘n roll was just starting to be accepted by the masses as acceptable for the youth of the country. Here to reminisce with me is Achariya Maktoum of achariya.net. I don’t think I can classify her to a single style, since every time I go to her page I see a new one — she seems to have em all covered. Either way, that just makes this throwdown more challenging and fun.
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You’ve seen them everywhere you’ve ever lived.  Judy Garland immortalized them in 1944′s Meet Me in St. Louis.  Maybe, like Judy, you’ve wanted to make the acquaintance of one, or maybe you’ve wanted to be one.  In SL, all things are possible.  Namida Akami’s new “Boy Next Door” is a beautifully textured casual ensemble that can be worn in several different ways, so you’re not limited to a single “look.”  I’m a big fan of flexibility, and I appreciate it when designers create clothing that can be worn in ways that approximate RL clothing.  Don’t get me wrong–I don’t think that SL is all about recreating RL experiences in a virtual setting, although you can certainly do that and have fun.  Some of my favorite clothing and accessory items are designs that would be completely impossible in RL, or possible but completely unaffordable.  But there’s plenty of room in the world for realistic casual wear that’s also realistically flexible, and as I said, I’m a big fan.  Read the rest of this entry »

Sorry for being a few days late on these results, I was out of town last Friday and spent what part of the weekend that I was here trying to find Catero. You see, Catero’s a good friend of mine and when I didn’t see him online all weekend I got worried about him.

Seems my worry was justified. His partner wasn’t too happy when he lost the last style throwdown and decided to have a bit of “Alice in Wonderland fun” with him too. Poor guy. I may have finally pulled away with 42 votes vs. Cat’s 36, but it was a tough fought battle and there were plenty of times I was worries he would beat me. That’s probably because Catero’s the friend who helped me develop and refine the Blogger Style Throwdown format. Without Catero’s help, the throwdown’s would never have been the way they are today. On top of that, he’s always been there to help me out when I needed some advice to give an outfit a lil more punch. So send the man some aloe vera this week if you can. Read the rest of this entry »

I don’t know about you, but all that dressing up over Halloween took a lot out of me. As fun as it was, afterward I really just wanted to grab something easy and casual out of my virtual dresser drawer and throw it on. I reached in and, lucky for me, at the top of the pile I found these spiff new track suits by Donovan Brennen. Now, I understand if you’re smiling grimly and thinking, “Ahh, hmm, track suits…” with great skepticism. But hear me out, because really these just beg to be worn. You can choose from two different styles: “M.I.A.” in warm earth tones and “Zion,” in shades of blue and green. Each set includes a jacket that can be worn with long or rolled sleeves, plus matching pants. The jackets have sculpted turned-up collar and cuffs, and the pants have sculpted slouchie cuffs and a prim drawstring. Read the rest of this entry »