Posts filed under 'Announcements'
My apologies if you’ve tried to leave a comment recently and found you couldn’t. Somehow a WordPress setting got changed to require login to leave a comment, which didn’t help much as we haven’t enabled self-registration. That should be fixed now, so comment away. In fact, somebody leave one just so I’ll know for sure it’s working!
Thanks to reader BoyNamed Xue, who dropped me a notecard inworld to inquire politely wtf was up with the comments. 
Post Category: Announcements
June 12th, 2009 at 12:57pmRyan Darragh
“Make Him Over Hunt ~ Second Life’s first MEN ONLY hunt”
June 1 - 30, 2009
The organizers of the Make Him Over Hunt understand your frustration with most hunts, oriented as they often are toward women and their interests. Their goal is to get men involved in the fun of a hunt, giving them a chance to pick up some free items while discovering and exploring stores they might not be familiar with.
As with most hunts, once a starting location has been set, participants will be provided with a starting landmark. At each store, you can find and claim your gift item, along with the landmark for the next store location, until you reach the end. The hunt is circular, which means that the landmark at the last location will direct you to the first location. Even if you start the hunt somewhere in the middle, you’ll still be able to visit all the participating stores. Gifts will be hidden somewhere in each store–just look for the orange “male” symbol. Designers may be offering one of their current designs, an exclusive item available only during the hunt, or a store card.
Visit the official hunt blog for the latest updates and a complete list of participating designers!
You may also join the MAKE HIM OVER group inworld to receive updates.
Post Category: Announcements, Events, Freebies
May 29th, 2009 at 11:23amRyan Darragh
Yeah, I’m still here. I’m just desperately busy in RL–lots of stuff going on, including another month of physical therapy. That’s going well, though! My doctor and I both think so. Hopefully the next few weeks will bring further improvement and increased happiness on my part.
I do have a post in the works, although as per usual I’ve been overly ambitious and it’s taking longer than I expected to put together. With any luck, it’ll be ready by tomorrow. I really need to work out a better routine of alternating shorter, less complex articles with the longer, more ambitious ones. Hey, what a great idea! Why didn’t I think of that before?
Just as a reminder, if you’re interested in appearing here as a Guest Style Consultant, please let me know by dropping me a notecard! I think all the guys who have appeared so far would tell you that I’m fun and easy to work with. You can read more about how the process works here.
Thanks for reading!
Post Category: Announcements
May 13th, 2009 at 02:22pmRyan Darragh
It’s true — I am alive, I haven’t died yet, although on Wednesday I did think my physical therapist was trying to kill me. When I accused her of this, she was indignant and responded, “No! Of course not. I was only trying to make you cry.” Which she almost did, but I was too manly to let that show.
So far I’m giving the process a verdict of qualified success. I have a few more sessions before following up with my orthopedist, and then we’ll decide if I need further therapy or if they’ll discharge me. I’m hoping this will be all I need — my therapist is great (aside from trying to kill me and make me cry), but even though my insurance does cover the bulk of the cost the co-pays do add up, pretty scary, pretty quickly. And of course I’d like to feel better sooner rather than later.
In the meantime, I know I’ve been pretty absent (as I had feared I would be), but I am working on a post now and am hoping to be back in my “regular” swing of things soon. My apologies all around, both to readers who wonder what I’m liking lately and to designers who have generously provided samples for review consideration and hope to see their creations here. It truly does suck to have your time constrained in ways that aren’t even any fun.
Also, Express told me this morning that this week’s Style Throwdown is experiencing some technical difficulties due to RL interference. We’ll have that back on track as soon as all the participants are ready and able, not just willing.
Post Category: Announcements
May 1st, 2009 at 03:01pmRyan Darragh
Hmm, it dawns on me that you may have been wondering just where the hell I’ve been lately. No, I haven’t been on vacation. That would have been more pleasant. Actually I’ve been dealing with some RL physical/medical stuff–nothing serious, let’s just say that getting older is teh suck. You may remember a while back (October) that I mentioned some intermittent neck and shoulder pain I’d been having. Well, sadly that has never really cleared up, although it did lessen considerably. So now after, let’s see, X-rays and drugs and MRIs (oh my!) I’ve started physical therapy this week. The good news is, I feel great about this–the therapist seemed to know and understand exactly what I’m struggling with and how to address it. The bad news is, the sessions are twice a week for four to eight weeks, that time has to come from somewhere, and it can’t really come from the RL job. It’s bound to put a crimp in my SL time, so brace yourselves for somewhat diminished activity around here for a while. I’ll still be around, just probably not as much as I’d like to be. Did I mention that getting older sucks? 
Post Category: Announcements
April 15th, 2009 at 10:23amRyan Darragh
Thanks to a tip from a friend (and her blog) and the brilliant WPtouch plugin, Men’s Second Style now has a more elegant interface in your smartphone’s browser. If you haven’t checked recently–by which I mean, since yesterday–give it another try. I’m fairly impressed and I think you will be, too. You can of course read posts, with good placement of images, and I’ve just enabled comments so you can spout off as well. I can’t vouch for every smartphone platform out there, but it looks great on my partner’s iPhone and my G1. Yes, we are a house divided, but so far that hasn’t been a problem. 
Post Category: Announcements
April 2nd, 2009 at 09:56amRyan Darragh
I’m not usually able to spend much time on hunts, but they can be a lot of fun, and for a change this one sounds like it will actually be rewarding for guys! And so I bring you the following Public Service Announcement. — Ryan
I thought you’d like to know about an exciting month-long hunt called “Spring Is In the Air.” It’s for lesser known designers to show off just what they can do; all are small businesses. Each store owner hides an Easter Egg somewhere in their store and with a starting point and clues, our hunters begin! There will be assistants in many areas to help out with any issues. The Hunt runs from April 1 - 30! We’ve all made a huge attempt to design things with men in mind because so many don’t always think of them. So far, over half of our designers have items that would be of interest to men! (more…)
Post Category: Announcements, Events, Freebies
March 31st, 2009 at 09:03pmRyan Darragh
Click on through to Roland Zepp’s SL style blog and check out his coverage of the SL Relay For Life 2009 Clothing Fair, opening today! RL demands sadly prevent me from exploring this as much as I’d like, but Roland has the 411 on all you need to know. It’s shopping, it’s for a good cause…what’s not to love?
Thanks for the great coverage, Roland!
Post Category: Announcements
March 16th, 2009 at 11:17amRyan Darragh
My apologies for the drop in coverage the last several days. A lot of RL stuff has demanded my attention lately, and that kind of has to come first. Also, I found out last night that my mother took herself to the hospital yesterday (she’s like that). Hopefully it’s nothing major, but we won’t know until some tests are done today. Things may be fairly quiet around here for a little while.
Post Category: Announcements
March 11th, 2009 at 08:45amRyan Darragh
It occurred to me a little while back that there might be guys out there who wouldn’t necessarily want to sign up for contributing regularly to this blog, but who might just be interested in kicking in some kind of one-off. The question was, what form would that take? Long story short, the concept I settled on is something I’m calling Guest Style Consultant. I think that not only sounds but looks impressive, especially with the capital letters, and if you say it right you can almost hear them.
Here’s how it works: you have a great look, so you bring yourself to my attention or maybe I spot you somewhere and invade your personal space with an invitation. Relying on your strong sense of personal style, you put together an outfit, write up a list of the items so others can track them down, and maybe write a few lines on why and how the outfit reflects your own style. Then we work out a convenient time for a short photo shoot, I take a bunch of pictures and collect the details. At this point your work is done, so you get to be lazy while I do the grunt work of assembling and publishing the post. Then you get to brag and show off to your friends. I do a lot of the work, you get all the glory! How sweet is that? (more…)
Post Category: Announcements, [Guest Style Consultant]
March 2nd, 2009 at 12:08pmRyan Darragh
I’d like to take a moment and formally welcome Micheru Mathys on board as the newest contributor to Men’s Second Style. Ordinarily I’d give him a quick intro, say a few words about his style, his goals, blah blah blah. But in reviewing his first post (which will be published almost immediately) I see that he’s already included a brief bio and such, so there’s not much left for me to say. Oh wait–I can add that he gives good interview.
Post Category: Announcements
February 3rd, 2009 at 11:49amRyan Darragh
Hmm, things have been kinda slow around here the last several days. What’s up with that? Here’s the deal: I had some kind of muscle strain or something in my neck and back that was bothering me and didn’t seem to want to go away on its own, so I went to the doctor. Doc said, oh so helpfully, “I think you strained a muscle. The older you get, the longer things like this take to heal. Keep taking your Ibuprofen, you’ll be more comfortable. And do you have a heating pad?” Gee, thanks! It sucks to get old, just so you know.
Several days later, I was feeling better but still not 100% normal (no jokes, please). So off I went again to the doctor. This time, I got me some drugs–muscle relaxants, to be specific. Those have helped quite a bit, as I’m feeling much better. Unfortunately, some of the side effects are drowsiness and lethargy. So, I’ve been sleeping more than usual and feeling pretty low-energy when I am awake. This has sadly curtailed my SL activities.
Now that I’m feeling almost human again, I’m off on a long weekend trip, so I’ll be away tomorrow (Friday) through Monday. Never fear, kids–I’ll be back on Tuesday and plan to get back in the groove with the next installment of my Halloween series. And I’ve got a post in the works that I should be able to publish today, if I can get my timing together. Wish me luck!
Post Category: Announcements
October 9th, 2008 at 11:36amRyan Darragh
[PRESS RELEASE] Studio Red is hosting the most deviant event of the year! In Darkness is a Halloween event with the theme of “when creatures of the night come out to play.” The set is a beautiful yet dark cathedral-inspired build by Maddox DuPont of KMADD, where slaves and captures replace religious statues, and the DJs preach their musical, fiery, entrancing sermons from the pulpit. Situated on two sims, the build is vast and incredibly impressive.
Unlike a traditional show of any type, models for this event will be in a stationary position–no walking, posing, or clothing changes are required. Attire for this event will be minimal (at best) and in most instances consist of underwear only. You must be comfortable in what some may consider to be compromising positions (i.e. chained to a wall, kneeling, etc.).
While the event is scheduled to last 4 ½ hours, each model will work a one-hour shift and must be able to remain in their assigned position for the duration of the shift. Additionally, each model will be required to attend one (1) meeting prior to the event. [It's our understanding that male models are particularly in demand for this event.] (more…)
Post Category: Announcements
October 8th, 2008 at 12:33amRyan Darragh
Just a reminder that polling for Style Throwdown #1: Japanese Swordsman will be wrapping up at noon SLT on Thursday, 21 August. Hey, that’s tomorrow! If you haven’t voted yet, be sure to do so before the poll closes. You can read the post and vote here. You’ll also no doubt want to check back to see whose ensemble was selected as the winner by you, the readers. Stay tuned for an announcement of the theme for Style Throwdown #2!
Post Category: Announcements, Style Throwdown
August 20th, 2008 at 10:27amRyan Darragh
So about a month ago I had this great idea for a new type of post on the site. I thought it was a cool idea, but experience has told me that what I think is a good idea usually isn’t. So I went around and asked a bunch of people if they thought it was a good idea. Now, they were probably lying, but they said it was a great idea. But then, one night, I threw my pitch at a friend and instead of saying it was a great idea, he said it was an awesome idea. And then he proceeded to tell me what he understood of the idea, which was nearly nothing. On the other hand, his interpretation, a similar but rather different idea was in my eyes a much better one. So, with his blessing, I’m stealing his idea. (more…)
Post Category: Announcements, Style Throwdown
August 4th, 2008 at 07:35amExpress Zenovka
And if you think that lazy would be the operative word here–you’re right. Yes, I am indeed going on vacation yet again. I’ll be away from 15 July through 21 July, and theoretically back to “normal” (whatever that is) within a day or two after I get back. I’ll hopefully have a post or two I can schedule to pop up magically while I’m away, Express will be around, and Mr. Oh may stick his head in to say hi. Keep an eye on the place for me, and no wild parties while I’m gone! I’ve got my eye on you, Oscar.
Post Category: Announcements
July 14th, 2008 at 10:47amRyan Darragh
The Faces of Darklands Fashion Show will be held at 1000 a.m. SLT this Saturday, June 28, at Crimson Shadow. This is an event in the previously announced model search contest, and new skins by Draconic Kiss will be released. Contact Lokum Shilova inworld for more details.
Post Category: Announcements, Asides
June 27th, 2008 at 10:24amRyan Darragh
Are you a goth/vampire/psychobilly/alternative or all of the above? Do you have a unique and fascinating look? Have you always wanted to become a model but you’re just not interested in the standard SL fashion look? Now’s your chance for those of you that live outside the fashion industry’s norm! Rezzable is searching for the best male and female model to become the Faces of the Darklands.
Judges Voshie Paine, hyasynth Tiramisu, Kylie Gears, Hart Larsson and JennyH Gossipgirl will narrow the field of contestants to 16 finalists. Ultimately, one male and one female winner will be chosen to be the Faces of the Darkland Sims. (more…)
Post Category: Announcements, Contests
June 12th, 2008 at 02:05pmRyan Darragh
Orange is back at it with another hunt at Discord. The old one is still going on too, btw. New prizes (click to see some) and ends June 1st.
Disclosure: Seen in World: Yes | Review Copy: No | Friends List: No
Notes: On Express: "Andrew Milk -Orange Eyeshadow-" skin by Garbage Prototype (Random Fashions). "Mike Oxlong" shape by Creamy Cooljoke(free*style).
Post Category: Announcements, Asides, Discord
May 21st, 2008 at 10:19pmExpress Zenovka
In case you might have been wondering when that workaholic Ryan would be going on vacation again…it’s this week. Sean and I are leavin’ on a jet plane for New Orleans tomorrow morning, and we won’t be back until May 7. So, sad but true, you won’t be hearing much from me in the meanwhile. Try to refrain from sending IMs as they’ll surely cap while I’m away. You are more than welcome to e-mail me at ryandarraghsl (at) gmail dot com, and who knows?–I might even respond.
I’ve got one more post in the works for today or this evening, and I’ll try to get pictures taken and notes made for one or two more that I can work on during the very occasional vacation “downtime” (it does happen). Express and Mr. Oh will keep you informed and entertained while I’m away, so do check in. Look forward to a well rested Ryan when I get back!
Post Category: Announcements
April 22nd, 2008 at 11:18amRyan Darragh
Content Creators Bare All to Raise Awareness for Intellectual Property Rights
Campaign features prominent Second Life creatives naked in first round of ads
An intellectual property rights awareness campaign launches Friday featuring some of Second Life’s most well-known content creators posing in the buff. The idea behind the ads is simple; educate as many of Second Life’s residents as possible about the issues, effects and consequences surrounding theft in Second Life (SL).
The first round of ads in the campaign have been in production for the last two weeks and will feature Sachi Vixen and Damen Gorilla of Adam n Eve, Minnu Palen of Minnu Model Skins - MM skins, Tigerlily Koi and Haedon Quine of Calla, Nyte Caligari of Nyte’N'Day, Caliah Lyon of Muse Fine Jewelry and Stroker Serpentine of Strokerz Toyz. (more…)
Post Category: Announcements
March 5th, 2008 at 03:08amRyan Darragh
P R E S S R E L E A S E
==================
Vanity Universe is proud to present Second Life’s first International Skin Fair in our brand new Vanity Universe location, opening its doors on Saturday, March 1 at 1:00 pm SL time. More than 65 Second Life skin designers are waiting to present their existing and new products to those visiting the fair.
The huge skin variety guarantees something for everyone. Meet known designers exhibiting next to talented newcomers and small companies, not only to enjoy the new products being debuted, but also to enjoy an amazing fashion show being put together by the FACES modeling agency.
We hope to see you there and are pleased to welcome you to Vanity Universe!
Skin Fair 2008 (VANITY UNIVERSE 119, 74, 600).
Post Category: Announcements
February 29th, 2008 at 09:24amRyan Darragh
Hey all, I’m probably the oldest new guy here at Men’s Second Style, seeing as I’ve been meaning to write my first article here for well over six months and just finally got to it. Before I start getting bogged down in details, let me tell you why I’m here. I’m dirt poor. I’m a student and quite a bit of my money (when I have a job) goes straight from my employer to my school. As a result, I can’t always afford the fancy clothes other folks here like Ryan always want to wear. On the other hand, I don’t like looking like a newbie. In some cases, I just save up and grudgingly fork over the lindens. But in most of those cases, I just sigh and wish designers didn’t hike up their prices so that they remain so exclusive. More often than not, I then go to a less expensive place and spend what few lindens I have on that stuff instead. (more…)
Notes: On Express: "Antonio Dark - Stubble" skin by Funk Schnook (FNKY!). "PE Boyd - Black" (modded) hair by Aemilia Case (Philotic Energy). "Men's Long T's" by Torrid Midnight (TorridWear) available at GNUbie. "Classic Jeans - Dark Faded Blue" by Nicole David (Elephant Outfitters). "Freebie Painter Shoes" by Fallingwater Cellardoor (Shiny Things).
Post Category: Announcements, Freebies
February 19th, 2008 at 10:12amExpress Zenovka
Some of you may remember Express Zenovka from some modeling he did here a while back. We had chatted at the time, during the photo shoot and after, and I thought his perspective as a Stylish Man On A Budget would be a great one to present here. Unfortunately, his free time was also in limited supply and he wasn’t able to join up as a contributor right away. Usually I would say a few more nice introductory things at this point, but in his first post he’s done a great job introducing himself and his goals in writing for the blog, so I’ll just get out of the way and let him speak for himself. 
Welcome, Express!
Post Category: Announcements
February 19th, 2008 at 10:09amRyan Darragh
Blink Pinion joins the Men’s Second Style writing staff as an established SL photographer and someone with a self-confessed eye for fashion and style in the SL community. I’m looking forward to seeing how his particular talents and perspective will enhance and expand our areas of coverage. His first post is in the can and will be published shortly.
Welcome, Blink! Join me in the rousing chorus.
Post Category: Announcements
January 14th, 2008 at 06:26amRyan Darragh
apex-high studio. has teamed up with ASpiRE! to hold a contest for male fashion in Second Life. In an effort to promote male this contest was created not to help place more emphasis on male fashion and male designers in Second Life. This contest is the first in a seasonal contest meant to advertise the best, most creative new male fashion line for the upcoming season.
Prizes for this contest are:
- A Fashion show in Second Life, performed by ASpiRE! on ASpiRE Isle and sponsored by apex-high studio. on February 17th, 2008
- 3 issues of free full-page advertising in the ASpiRE! Magazine
- A fashion launch party at your location in Second Life provided by Nexeus Fatale
This contest has two phases, the submission phase and the call-back phase. The submission phase is open to any Second Life designer that has 1 line of male clothing (5 or more male clothing pieces) and will start that from November 5th, 2007 to January 21st, 2008.
The second phase, the call-back phase, will happen between January 22nd, 2008 and January 31st, 2008, where the top five submissions will be called back for a final review.
On February 1st, 2008, the winner of the contest will be announced and have a fashion show sponsored by apex-high studio. and performed by ASpiRE! on February 17th, 2008.
apex-high studio. is run by Nexeus Fatale. ASpiRE! is ran by Bianca Darling and Trina Noland.
For full information and contest rules, visit: http://www.apexhighstudio.com/?p=23
Post Category: Announcements
December 19th, 2007 at 09:00amCatero Revolution
Join me in welcoming Daman Tenk as a new contributor to the blog. When I sat down to chat with Daman prior to dragging bringing him on board, I asked him what interested about writing about men’s SL fashion. I’m curious like that. His reponse:
“I’ve been reading the blogs around SL topics for a long time now, and playing SL for a while also. SL is so diverse–name any alternative lifestyle, and you’ll have people in SL practicing it. And not just lifestyles, just about anything.” Daman plans to bring some of this diversity to our attention through his style posts here.
Daman’s personal style? “Usually I stick to stuff in the style of places like FORM, GearShift, Brutal Gear, BroGear. I have clothes of about any style. Rough casual just fits me best, I think.”
Daman’s first post is ready to go and will be up shortly.
Welome, Daman!
Post Category: Announcements
November 28th, 2007 at 03:26pmRyan Darragh
Ewing Fashion Agency and OnRez Launch Fashion Design Awards in Second Life
Second Life, November 19, 2007: Today Ewing Fashion Agency (”EFA”) and OnRez announced the creation of the Ewing Design Awards in Second Life. With the Ewing Design Awards, EFA and OnRez are creating a global online contest that will unite the entire Second Life community in a celebration of the best that Second Life fashion has to offer.
Ewing Fashion Agency Chief Executive Officer Una Ewing said, “The Ewing Fashion Agency (EFA) has been in operation for five months and in that time, we have witnessed numerous contests and competitions geared towards models, but never anything concrete for the people who actually toil and sweat to create the beautiful fashions that we enjoy wearing. The Ewing Design Awards gives the Second Life community the opportunity to reward the creativity and innovation of the fashion content creators in Second Life.” (more…)
Post Category: Announcements, Contests
November 26th, 2007 at 02:15pmRyan Darragh
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