Men's Second Style

When he stepped off the train into the empty station, he felt not fear or apprehension but, rather, simple annoyance. He hesitated for a moment and turned to signal the porter, but the porter had vanished back into the car and the train was already pulling out of the station in chuffing clouds of steam. He was annoyed because it had been no small task to secure passage to New Babbage on such short notice (notwithstanding the urgent nature and secretly noble origins of the request), especially in a style to which he was most comfortably accustomed. He was annoyed because he could see clearly that, in spite of all extravagant promises to the contrary, no one was there to meet him. He was annoyed because he could see that the nearby hostelry was the Mechanix Arms—no doubt a fine enough establishment, but it was not the Brunel Hall Hotel, where he had rooms reserved for his immediate occupancy. Read the rest of this entry »

Lo these many or at least several months ago, so long ago I’m not sure exactly when, I remember receiving an IM one evening from someone I knew by reputation, but not personally. “We’re making new stuff! We’re opening a shop! We’re so excited!” The “we” in question was Ghost Harris and Willow Caldera, and the ensuing chat was friendly, humorous and altogether enjoyable. In all honesty, at this point I’m not really sure which one of them I was chatting with that evening. Was it Ghost? Was it Willow? Does it matter? Nah, not really. It was good news, and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. Read the rest of this entry »

I didn’t actually set out to do an Easter-themed outfit, and certainly not one with a bunny motif. However, things sometimes come together in unexpected ways. When that happens, I find it’s best to just sit back and enjoy the ride. Otherwise there’s a risk of missing out on something interesting, and that would be a shame. What you see here is no Easter bunny. No, this is a different kind of bunny, the kind who’s just had his gym workout and is now heading home, backpack loaded with gear. Maybe he’ll just crash in front of the TV, or maybe he’ll glam up and head back out to see what’s going on at that new club across town that everybody’s talking about. It might just be that kind of evening. Read the rest of this entry »

Having featured such a wealth of formal suits over the last few weeks, I found myself really jonesing for some simple, straight-up but stylish casual designs. I found what I wanted, deep deep down, at Kaydence Genezzia’s KREW. In the shop you’ll find a fairly small but worthwhile selection of shirts, sweaters, hoodies and the like—unfortunately there are no jeans or pants, at least not yet. But I mean that as hopeful encouragement and not as a complaint, as the tops I picked up and tried on are all handsome and well executed. Here are a few of my favorites. Read the rest of this entry »

I cannot tell you—I don’t think I can even begin—how much I dislike the word “murse.”  It’s not even a word, really.  It’s just a fake word somebody made up because they didn’t want to say “man purse.”  And you can see why, but still.  I mean, why does it have to be a “purse” of any kind?

Because I do like bags, and men often do really get the short end of the stick when it comes to things to contain and carry their stuff in.  Women of course have purses, which are (in Western culture, at least) universally accepted not just as a utilitarian necessity but as a legitimate fashion accessory, and often a quite beautiful one.  They take a variety of forms, as well, for different seasons and occasions:  shoulder bags, tote bags, handbags, clutches, and the list goes on.  And then there are the many interpretations and variations in shape, size, color, accents, trim—they’re almost like butterflies, with no two alike.

Men have wallets.  Usually in black or brown.  See what I mean? Read the rest of this entry »

It had been an age since he had seen New Babbage.  He couldn’t say for certain how long it had been since he had left, but after what had happened, it was to no one’s surprise that he had made himself more or less permanently scarce.  (He understood that the incident had come to be known as “The Coppercog Debacle,” but the less said about that, the better.)  Only an occasion of dire import could have induced him to return.  He supposed that the reading of one’s father’s last will and testament would qualify, no matter how estranged that father might have been. Read the rest of this entry »

Jesse is offering a sweet “Snow Blue” tee as his holiday gift to you.  It comes with Santa’s Magic Bag, which you can wear to show off your generous spirit.  Look at you, always a giver!  Pick ‘em up at Aitui (Aitui 128, 128, 41).

When I was a kid, living in Kansas City, we had a black-and-white tabby cat named Patches.  He didn’t much care for winter–he was an indoor cat, but he liked to run around in the yard, chew on the grass and chase grasshoppers.  Snow three feet deep was, for Patches, a major buzzkill.

But not all cats hate snow.  In fact, some of us kittehs can’t wait to get out and tear around in it.  When you think about it, snow is water that doesn’t make your fur get all clumpy.  What’s not to love? Read the rest of this entry »

I was so impressed with the beautiful Emvee Cuba build by Menno Ophelia that I did “location photography” there for not just one but two of my recent posts–and I still haven’t exhausted all of its possibilities.  It seemed something of an interesting coincidence, then, when I heard about Menno’s new clothing and accessories shop, Kari.  It took me a few days (I got sidetracked by Hair Fair, so shoot me), but on my first visit to Menno’s shop I found myself grinning more often than not as I perused the eclectic selection.

“Kari has been in creation for over a year,” says Menno.  “My style is not the easiest to describe, but basically it is unisex clothes, sculpted shoes, accessories,  posed props and whatever I feel like making.  My influence comes from personal things I wear, like to wear and see on the streets [of Amsterdam] on a daily basis.”  I can only speak for myself, but I admire designers who follow their bliss, so to speak, simply creating things that appeal to them.  I honestly believe that, when a designer is excited, passionate and having fun, that shows through in their work.

“If you build it, they will come”?  Yeah, it’s a cliché, I know.  But still. 

Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes when I go shopping at June Dion’s BareRose Tokyo, it makes me crazy. That could be the lag, which can be ferocious. Or it could be that I can’t walk out of there without clicking BUY at least, oh, four or five times. I usually have a folder in my inventory that contains just the last few things I picked up there, so hopefully I’ll think of them when special occasions arise, or at least remember to try them on at some point. The very existence of this folder inspired the topic (and title) of this post. I’m only surprised it took so long. I’ve had these for at least a little while, so I won’t call them “new.” I checked last night, and there are a number of more recently released designs available now, so some of these have been moved out of the New Items towers at the front of the store. Such are the productivity and prowess of June’s CS3 monkeys.

The “Galaxy Train Ride” ensemble for men makes me happy. The name alone puts a smile on my face. I mean, honestly–can you not think of a dandy gentleman boarding a steam-powered rocket train for a quick jaunt to the center of the Milky Way? And, being a gentleman, of course he’d take along some bread, cheese, fruit and wine for a nice picnic lunch. Read the rest of this entry »