Men's Second Style

The streak of losses is broken! Finally. Everyday the votes were climbing back ‘n forth, resulting in a record shattering 203 total votes. Wow, just wow. Votes were pouring in for both me and James until the last second, with the finally tally at 117 for me and 86 for James. After the dust settled and I gave James his trophy, he proved to us all that its not the size that matters but how you use it.

Next week I’m up against Stokely Mayfair, of From Stokely’s Closest. Stokely’s a bit new on the blogging scene, but he’s got a distinctive look and style that makes for a refeshing read. On top of that he posts more often than I do. Stokely managed to choose “tourist” as his theme, so come back next week when we show of our souvenirs.

When I recently put together a new and very different avatar for myself (in response to a Style Throwdown challenge from Express), I never intended for him to be a one-shot deal.  Frankly, the investment (in skins, hair, and attitue) was not exactly insignificant, and I not only planned but promised to bring him back now and then.  I figured, if nothing else, he’d provide a way for me to explore and present some designs that might not otherwise be quite Ryan’s style.

Trevor Turner has been creating the Young Urban line for a good while now, refining his technique along the way, and his recent designs, while still low-key and relatively straightforward, have been ever more polished and interesting.  Take for example the Vest shown here.  The neckline scoops casually low, the fabric texture is slightly, comfortably rough rather than refined and smooth, the shading depicts realistic tugs and tension in the fabric rather than arbitrary wrinkles.  Wear it alone, with tee, or with short-sleeved white shirt and prim cuffs.  L$190 each in four colors: Black, Blue, Brown and Grey. Read the rest of this entry »

The Ancient Elf

I am the maker,
The builder, the breaker,
The eagle-winged helper,
The speedy forsaker! Read the rest of this entry »

Back in the 50s, a “rave” was a crazy bohemian party in London full of Soho beatniks. A “raver,” then was a mod party animal. It took another 30 years before the term “rave” began being applied to dance parties with electronic music and light shows. Starting with the European Acid House scene, the rave trend spread around the word, carrying with it techno, PLUR, and a lot of pretty colors.

Now what can I say about James Schwarz that y’all already would know? The man is an artist, whose works grace flickr and will be displayed inworld at the KMADD Gallery very soon. He also is a blogger and writer, having submitted to various in world publications. And, if NWN’s list of top ten hottest avatars of 2008 is any sort of indicator, he seems like quite the catch — though unfortunately for the ladies it seems he was recently claimed. Now in the spirit of all things PLUR and glowstick, James and I each have 3000L to be the best ravers we can be.

Read the rest of this entry »

People give me a hard time about how I — allegedly! – have no patience or room in my life for jeans and tees.  This is an ugly rumor and quite simply not true.  I love jeans and tees.  I just don’t have any patience or room in my life for crappy ones.  As I’m sure you’ll agree, that isn’t the same thing at all.

I hope you’ll also agree that the new line of jeans by CK Winx is decidedly non-crappy.  The line is called “The Dude.”  Now, I’m not sure if this is a reference to Coen Brothers classic “The Big Lebowski” or not, but I wouldn’t be surprised.  Does The Dude abide?  He does indeed.  He most certainly does.  And he probably wears these jeans. Read the rest of this entry »

It isn’t every day, week or even month that I dedicate a review to a new skin.  Of course we’ve featured a variety of different skins here, in the Style Throwdown series as well as other posts, with some particularly fun stuff over Halloween, if I do say so myself.  I can speak only for myself here, but for me putting together a sufficiently fair, thorough and interesting review of a skin is very time-intensive and, quite frankly, a lot of work, so it’s not something I do very often.  I like to live in the skin for at least a few days before even starting to put the review together, so I not only get a feel for being in the skin myself but also (hopefully) get some feedback from others as well.  Hopefully that doesn’t sound too crazy-philosophical; it’s just the way I like to work.  Anyone else’s mileage may well vary, and significantly at that. Read the rest of this entry »

Well, seems there’s a reason he’s the Editor in Chief here. Despite a rocky start, Ryan served and delivered, beating me 29 to 21. Which means I’ll be payin’ for his drinks at the next office party.

Next week I’m up against the multi-talented artist, writer, and blogger extraordinaire James Schwarz. Between his artwork and writing duties for various inworld publications, it’s no wonder that posts on his personal blog are so infrequent and rare. Hopefully, participating in the next throwdown should give him a little more to post up there. You got 3000L to be the best raver you can be, James — it’s on like Donkey Kong.

Sometimes, you find great stuff in unexpected places.  A friend recently gave me the truly wacky gift of a new facelight (no, really, it’s wacky–and if it looks a little uncomfortable, that’s because it is), and there was a landmark in the folder.  This led me inexorably to check out just what kind of crazy-ass shop would sell such oddball stuff.

And so I ended up at House of Curios, where among other things (including this fantastic Nixie Clock (72 prims, so be sure you’ve got room for it) I found the best L$10 shoes I’ve seen.  Guu Nishi’s “Skoochers” are fine casual shoes of quality construction that far outshines their selling price.  The sculpted uppers have a smoothly rounded, slightly chunky, altogether pleasing shape.  The shoes are handsomely finished in smooth leather, and details include prim laces, padding at the ankles, and a “pull tab” at the heel.  They’re dirt cheap at L$10, and as if that’s not enough you get shoes in both Brown and Dark Grey. Read the rest of this entry »

Although I’ve wrapped up my “Winter formals” series, it’s still winter…although, hmm, it’s probably almost 80 degrees today where I live. Even so, a good coat for winter is essential, and more than one is indeed very nice to have. Today I present for your consideration three winter coats, from three different designers, using slightly different methods of construction. Although I wouldn’t call such a small sample a serious overview, it will still give you an idea of “what’s out there” so you can shop with a definite goal in mind.

The Leather Trench by sachi Vixen is deceptively simple in design, but far from conventional. The coat is textured in gorgeous leather that looks slightly distressed but still buttery soft. The coat top is provided on the jacket layer, for proper layering with shirts, and the open front lets you show off a favorite. Sculpted cuffs and rather dashing stand-up collar complete the coat top, and sachi has thoughtfully included the flexi coat bottom in both long and short lengths. Prim attachments are easily moddable for size, although the coat bottoms arrive already at minimum size, so you won’t be able to size these down further by simple stretch. This shouldn’t be a problem for most, as they fit me quite well “out of the box,” and my avie is smaller than average. Read the rest of this entry »

Perefim Cao is having a store-wide sale down in the vault at [OMFG].  You’ll find tons of steampunk and other themed gear for just L$1.  Clothing, boots, eyes, wings, weapons, insanely detailed accessories –you name it, it’s on sale…for now.