Men's Second Style

Last time I saw Jesseaitui Petion, he was busy getting his new menswear designs set out, arranged to his satisfaction, and properly priced so he could re-open Aitui to the public.  Pretty much every time I’ve seen or talked with him, he’s been pretty mellow, but that night he was a man on a mission.  He said that he’d probably be pulling an all-nighter, and I thought, Wow, I thought we gave all that up when we finished college.  I guess some things don’t change.  He re-opened a few days ago now, so you may have already discovered his new collection, but I wanted to share a few of my favorite items with you here.

I don’t know if Jesse considers his Tokyo Intake Jacket (L$235) the centerpiece of his new collection, but to me it epitomizes the attitude and vibe of his new designs.  The jacket is cut high rather than low on the hip, and it can be worn with or without the untucked printed tee (the tee is not on a separate clothing layer and can’t be worn on its own).  Although I’m wearing one of Jesse’s scarves here–more on that in a moment–the jacket has a sculpted turned-up collar, which Jesse has thoughtfully provided pre-set for two different attachment points (chest and spine).  Several different fabric finishes are available; Charcoal is shown here.  I love love love this jacket and I’m already plotting what other cool tees I can wear with it.

And now, as promised–I’m wearing the Sculpted Muffler Scarf (L$195) in the “Boy Girl” style, Storm color option.  It seems to me that there’s an awful lot going on here for “just an accessory.”  It’s kind of difficult to get your mind around the realism of the sculpted shape, and the soft finish of the woven texture looks highly touchable.  The loose flexi yarn ends are what caught my eye when I zoomed in close–that’s just fun, and no apologies for it.  The scarf is scripted for automatic resize via touch menu, and like the aforementioned jacket collar it comes pre-set for two different attachment points, for convenience or conflict avoidance, your choice.

Proof that the style can work for guys as well as it does for Mary Tyler Moore, the ultra-low-rise Tokyo Capris ($140) come in the very non-Laura Petrie finishes Dark Wash, Grunge, Medium Wash, and Splattered Grunge.  Pants-layer and underwear-layer versions are included, and the fabric texture work is rich and detailed, with a distressed but not destroyed feel.  Out of the box they’re pretty much skin-tight, but I did bump the fit slider out just a little to give myself a tiny bit of breathing room.

The silver-grey shirt shown here is the “Her Among Thorns” tee (L$100), an elegant new design.  Jesse’s tees come on all available garment layers, so you should be able to wear them with anything.  At right you see the “Armor” Low V Neck tee (L$85) in Sky blue.  The low neckline has high dead-sexy potential, if you cop the right attitude, and the ornate design does indeed suggest a stylized breastplate.

The deceptively simple shoes are the new Sculpted Slip-Ons (L$100) in the “Decorated” style.  I admire the contrast of the fairly elaborate, even formal tapestry-like fabric with the casual slip-on style.  If you look closely to check the fabric texture, and you should, you’ll also notice comfy elastic inserts on the side and a small metal “Aitui” tag.  The set includes shoes in Small (presumably for the ladies or size zero feet) and for feet at sizes 5, 10 and 30.  As I recall I had to bring the foot slider down a bit below the indicated size to eliminate all show-through along the sides, but as always it’s just a matter of (a) choosing the right size shoes for your avatar and (2) making sure that your feet look right in them.

The “Eagle Gathering” hoodie (L$200) is one of a number of new hoodies that descend from Jesse’s popular “Grid God” design.  Double front patch pockets provide a place to keep your hands warm when it’s chilly, but a glove-layer extension makes for extra-long sleeves, so you may not need it.  The beautifully sculpted hood is resize-scripted, has dangling flexi ties, and can be worn on either of two different attachment points.

Last but certainly not least, you may be interested to know that Jesse has re-worked his highly realistic line of underwear.  The new Verge Boxer Briefs (L$95 each) come in several different colors, and a handy notecard offers some tips on dealing with unsightly or simply unflattering distortion in your “package.”  For what it’s worth, this isn’t something I’ve seen included with RL underwear purchases. 

All available at the newly redesigned Aitui (Aitui 200, 182, 23).  I also noticed that Jesse has dramatic new eyes for sale (L$75 each, by which of course I mean for a pair), but I wasn’t sure they looked quite right for me.  A free gift bag can be found at the entrance, so wait a moment for the front counter to rez or come back on your way out.  Inside you’ll find a handsomely textured V-neck tee, store-branded but very attractive.