Men's Second Style

Plague never rests for long.

The plague doctor moves through dark cities, his heavy cloak rustling with each step, his leather shoes a whisper on the damp streets.  The world groans with sickness, and where there are labored breaths, aching shivers under blankets, and disease-dizzied minds, the doctor will go. Read the rest of this entry »

More like the rest of the month, actually.  As I mentioned earlier in passing, I’m taking some serious vacation time–starting today!–and will be not just away from home but out of the country (U.S.) for a couple of weeks.  Things will be kind of quiet around here, although I do have one Guest Style Consultant post that I hope to have ready so I can schedule it to appear later this week.  I’ll be back later in the first week of November, so look around for me then…but not before! 

In SL, I try to get out of my RL box, from time to time at least.  Isn’t that a big part of what SL is for, really?  My recent Prince of the Underworld is miles removed from anything I’d wear in RL, probably even for Halloween, if only for practical reasons.  Stuff like that is a lot of fun, and it’s good to stretch.  I do have my comfort zone, though, and every once in a while I run into some new designs that seem quite literally tailor-made for me and my own tastes.  AlexanderHunter Rembrandt’s just-opened {AHC} (the initials stand for “AlexanderHunter’s Couture”) houses just such a collection.  AlexanderHunter says that his goal with {AHC} is “class and excellence with just a hint of sexiness for both men and women…haute couture and accessories inspired by real life’s top designers.  The collections are seasonal and therefore available only for a few months, making every design a limited edition.”  The names of the various specialty shops at {AHC} reflect these inspirations:  Dulce & Ghanel women’s wear; Valenciaga men’s wear; Prava men and women’s footwear; Vuittior men and women’s jewelry, handbags, and additional accessories; and San Lauren men and women’s skins and hairstyles.  They also convey a slyness and sense of fun suggesting that AlexanderHunter isn’t taking himself too seriously. Read the rest of this entry »

He did not know his own name.  It was an interesting conundrum, but neither entirely uncomfortable nor, it seemed, wholly unfamiliar.  He felt that he floated somehow in a peculiar limbo of personality.  He knew some things—what languages he spoke, what foods he enjoyed, that he had never known his parents—but little about his own self.

He did not know his own name, but he knew that he could fight.  His mind might be all but blank, but his sense memory was strong, and his body could do things he did not remember learning or training to do.  He felt his muscles tense and thrum as he moved, wanting to defend, yearning to engage, aching to attack.  He pitied the ill-advised fool who attempted to draw him into conflict; his day would not end well. Read the rest of this entry »

Mortis was bored.  He hadn’t gone anywhere in ages.  Well, unless you counted going to and fro on the earth, and walking up and down upon it.  Which he, himself, did not count.  He couldn’t believe he had ever let Lucifer talk him into that one.  When you came right down to it, it was hardly an enjoyable pastime—in fact, it was worse than jogging—and it wasn’t like he needed the cardio.  No, he wanted to go out and have some fun.  He wanted to go dancing.  Goth black boots or no, his feet were nimble and he knew how to trip the light fantastic.  If you asked Mortis, dancing hadn’t been the same since the end of disco.  That Travolta was one mortal who knew how to move.  Well, he had some moves of his own, if he did say so himself.  God, but the Seventies had been great.  On earth, anyway—everywhere else they had kind of sucked. Read the rest of this entry »

So, overall it’s been a pretty good week.  As I shared earlier, Dragontat Zagato has stepped back into the SL fashion world with his new collection at Deserted.  And, oh by the way, he mentioned that he’s also reopening Brief Encounter this weekend, with new underwear designs and a Halloween collection!  So there’s that as well.  As if all this weren’t enough, at the Deserted opening shindig I got the chance to chat with Zabitan Assia—it had been way too long—and learned that he too has some new designs burning a creative hole in his inventory.  Like DT’s, Zab’s tees have long been among my favorites.  I love their dark, rich color palettes and the subtle intricacy of their design work, which is at least occasionally inspired by anime and manga.

Zab’s new tees have much in common with his earlier designs (a.k.a. The Classics), and that means there’s much to love.  Slinky fit, check.  Black is the new black, check.  Neat edging on collar and sleeves, ch—wait.  What the f—?  Hey, these shirts are jacked!  Seriously, look at ‘em, the edges are all torn up.  Is that just shoddy workmanship, lazy-ass stitching maybe, or did somebody use too much bleach?  No, no.  And no.  These shirts are not jacked.  They are tattered, though, intentionally and ever so stylishly, to add just a bit more low-end grunge to your high-end vibe.  See, there is a method to the madness. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s good to know that some things don’t change.  Or maybe Alphonse Karr had it right, and the truth is more along the lines of his famous saying, “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” (usually translated as “The more things change, the more they stay the same”).  I could get all philosophical, and bore you to death, but fortunately for you that’s not why we’re here today.

No, we’re here to talk about clothing.  Men’s clothing.  Casual men’s clothing, in fact.  I don’t have to imagine your shock and surprise—I can feel it from here!  Now, it’s true, I admit it—I don’t always give a lot of love to jeans and tees.  It’s true that pretty much anyone and everyone who sells clothing in SL has taken a stab at jeans and tees, commodity items that they are.  But it’s also true that, in spite of their commodity status, it’s possible to do them well, even exceptionally so.  Some of my favorite jeans and tees have consistently come from the creative minds and artistic talents of Donovan Brennen, Dragontat Zagato and Zabitan Assia. Read the rest of this entry »

All items for men are marked down to L$50 at Pixel Dolls Menswear.  This includes skins!  Not sure how long this sale will last, so don’t delay.

As they pulled you out of the oxygen tent
You asked for the latest party…
Tod Browning’s freak you was

Some time back, blog reader Miron Jarman emailed to me some pictures of himself in truly fabulous glam-rock drag—it was oh so very “Velvet Goldmine.”  He suggested that this look might be worth exploring for presentation here, and in true Lazy Ryan fashion I tried to recruit him for the mission.  In all honesty, he had done such a good job with his own look that I felt he ought to present and take credit for it.  Unfortunately, although I tried my best, he simply wasn’t able to make that commitment at the time, and left the suggestion with me.  I felt like I couldn’t simply copy his look for myself, partly because it didn’t feel fair, partly because it wouldn’t be “me.”  I needed to do glam my own way. Read the rest of this entry »