Men's Second Style

He stood on the dock at sunrise and waited for her, his lovely Lorelei, Lorelei who had left him behind lo these many months before, sailing away in a Chinese junk—to China, naturally—on adventures mysterious and as yet unknown.  Every day for him began like this.  Not knowing for certain the day and date of her return, he came every morning to the place where he had last seen her, the place to which he knew she must eventually return.

It was a small price to pay for Love. Read the rest of this entry »

Hey!  I just want to let everyone know that I’ll be away for the next few days—nothing to worry about, just a big work project taking me out of town.  I’ve got fodder for a couple of posts to take with me and work on, in the event of any significant downtime (hey, it could happen).  I’ll be back middle of next week, ready to get back to my regular routine.

Getting dressed is as easy as throwing on a pair of jeans and a shirt.  But style is in the details, and that often means accessories – an area of fashion often difficult for men.  Should the belt match the shoes?  Should the shoes match the coat?  Should the coat match the watch?  Can’t I just say to hell with it and put on my bathrobe and stay home?

In any outfit, finding the right balance of accessories is key.  Too few is bland; many and you end up looking like Mr. T (and that is only a good look on Mr. T).  Further, your accessories should complement each other.  While they don’t have to match exactly, they should appear to have the same purpose.  Dress shoes look good with a suit, or parts of one; less so with Bermuda shorts. Read the rest of this entry »

I don’t wear a lot of jewelry in real life.  Oh, I have a few items I love and wear regularly.  Pretty much every day I wear the Celtic knot ring in silver that I bought from a street vendor in Dublin, as well as a simple but unusual fleur-de-lis pendant I found in New Orleans.  I also have my grandfather’s gold high school class ring (Class of 1932), which gets pride of place on my right hand (the middle finger—he was a big man) on special occasions.  From time to time, I wear a watch, although mostly these days I rely on my mobile phone to tell me the time—strictly functional, not especially classy.

But SL is different.  And I don’t mean just because in SL I can afford all kinds of extravagant jewelry that I could never even dream of touching in RL.  I mean, that’s true of course—I can do that if I want to, and I certainly have.  But that’s not the only difference.   Equally real is the possibility of exploring different aspects of one’s personality by venturing into different genres, styles and themes that in RL might not take first priority or even be accessible. Read the rest of this entry »

Lookr is about to undergo major changes, but until 25 September they’re having a big sale, with many items 50% off or more.  Some items will be discontinued, so if there’s something you’ve had your eye on, get it now!

I must confess:  I took Elric’s recent feature as something of a personal challenge.  Not that he oh so gracefully threw down an elegantly embroidered velvet gauntlet, or anything like that.  Oh, no—it was far more subtle than that.  You had to read between the lines, quite literally.  I’ve been fascinated by the furry culture in SL—who hasn’t?—but I never felt any personal interest in taking that particular plunge.  I suppose the closest I’ve come to date has been my neko alter-ego.  But Elric presented a furry of refinement and sophistication, and that seemed infinitely more accessible to me.

Elric’s gentleman fox was, however, most decidedly not a creation to be casually copied or imitated.  In any case, I still didn’t feel any special pull or calling to be a fox myself, however gentlemanly a fox I might manage.  I decided to ponder on what might appeal and even speak to me, and to be on the lookout for something intriguing as I shopped and explored around, as is my occasional wont. Read the rest of this entry »

I was just going to add this as a postscript to my previous Deadwool post, but at the last minute I decided that the design work here deserves its own notice, albeit a quick one.  It hasn’t been all that long, so you’ll no doubt remember that I was quite impressed by Masa Plympton’s Old West-inspired suits at Deadwool.  It turns out that Masa has been busier than I realized–the medieval clothing designs I mentioned just briefly are in fact now available inworld.  And they are no less impressive.  The Crusader Armour ensemble I’m wearing here is available in your choice of white, red and black, and due to the flexibility of its construction it can be worn in a variety of ways that actually approximates the wear of real clothing.  Each set includes tunic, leggings and gloves, plus a vast array of sculpted add-ons, including boots, belt, cape, greaves, chain mail armor, hood and helmet.  No weapons are provided, but you do get a beautifully textured shield.  It appears to be actually useful for personal defense, and in fact has already taken a couple of arrows.  The set also includes an imposing Crusader shape, which I am wearing here, in part because I was lazy and it made everything just fit.  You’ll also find a similarly equipped but differently detailed set of Medieval Armour.  L$999 each.

Available at the Medieval Church at Deadwool (Isola Gavia 8, 141, 1714).  Beware the crumbling old structure doesn’t collapse on you!

They told me I could find the tailor’s cabin out in the forest of Isola Gavia.  I was at first a bit taken aback—this would be no easy trek of a day or two and, as I would not be able to bring my horse across the channel, I would be on foot on the island.  I was given further pause when I learned that my guns would not be welcome.  What manner of place was this?  I was assured that my safety would be in no way compromised.  This tailor, Masa by name, was reputed to be among the very best, and I was, after all, in great and dire need of one or more new suits of clothing.  So saddled up and I undertook the journey with high hopes and, truth be told, some small apprehension.

The traveling directions I had been given were clear and accurate, and I was met at the channel crossing by a man of quiet demeanor and serious but not dour expression.  We negotiated payment for the crossing and return.  “Will you be staying the night, sir?  There are accommodations to be found, and entertainments to be enjoyed.”  I felt certain that I could not sleep the night without my guns nearby, and told the man I would meet him to return an hour before sundown.  He nodded, and then he helped me to stable my horse and silently took my guns when I offered them.  I found myself feeling not just vulnerable but somehow unclothed without them. Read the rest of this entry »

All this talk lately about N1H1 Flu has got me thinking – why do we always have to look our best in SL?  What about those days when you’re just not feelin’ it and want your AV to reflect that?  My friend Miko has an answer, a folder with her Sick/Mental Health Day Outfit complete with bathrobe, hair towel, fuzzy slipper, eye covering cucumber slices and a mud mask, all perfect for just such a day.  She tops it off with a tag reading “Haven’t had my Coffee” and a steaming mug.  It’s hilarious! Read the rest of this entry »

And he had thought his life was crazy before he moved to Bon Temps.

Things had been hard in New Orleans since his grandpa died.  He had never been one to run from trouble or hardship, but the music gigs had pretty much dried up, he lost his day job (oh well–it was boring, anyway), and then one day an old Creole woman stopped him on the street, looked him deep in the eye and told him it was time for a change.  Maybe, he thought, it really was. Read the rest of this entry »