Men's Second Style

The snow crunched under Etienne’s feet as he slowly and deliberately made his way across the great open space that would, in warmer weather, be a verdant lawn. It was a long way from the manor house to the stand of trees on the south side of the grounds, and already he was beginning to feel the chill. It would not do for him to be shivering with cold; it simply would not. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s almost embarrassing, really, how much I love pea coats. You may remember that I’ve featured more than a few here over the last few years, and I’m highly confident that I own at least a few others. I do have one in RL as well—just the one, but it’s a very nice one, and my favorite coat. But in RL I have just one, and in SL I can have as many as I want. You do the math. Read the rest of this entry »

I believe firmly that we can all learn from History. In terms of cold-weather attire for the male of the species, History shows us (if nothing else) that oh, I do so love a good pea coat. In RL, I have a calf-length pea coat in a wonderful foresty green, with burnt-orange lining—not exactly traditional, but really quite handsome. In SL, on the other hand, I have…well, not just one but two more. At least. Three (or possibly more) pea coats should surely be enough, at least one would think so; yet how could I resist one more? As it turns out, I could not. Read the rest of this entry »

The city in winter was a wet, sopping ruin. The darkness at night was total, except for what light there was from the few proton-bombardment streetlamps that still burned, and the daytime gloom was oppressive and soul-crushing. There was no escape from the rain; brickwork, soaked to its dusty core, crumbled overhead and underfoot, and it was almost impossible to keep even an everglo cigarette alight.

Almost. But not quite. Read the rest of this entry »

When the Gunmage arrived at Fort Stygian, he was struck by the sheer desolation of the place. He supposed that should have been surprising—after all, what did one expect of a place its residents had decided to call Stygian? And apparently with no irony whatsoever. His trek across the desert had been long and arduous, so imagine his dismay when he discovered that the fortified town had been built not encircling a spring or oasis but on the edge of a live volcanic crater, heaving with molten rock almost to the surface. It was truly a sight to behold, if one could manage to do more than squint in the sulfurous smoke and shimmering heat. He had heard that the magma well was reputedly a fantastic power source, although the means of extraction or conversation was apparently (and understandably) a profound secret. Hopefully this meant that he would have no trouble obtaining charge for his plasma-bulb weapons. Read the rest of this entry »

I was more than a little amused when I read a recent comment from Rhys, something along the lines of “going more steampunk.” It was funny because I was already putting together a steampunk feature in my head, having realized that it had been a while since I had been to Babbage. Unfortunately, finishing it up took longer than I had anticipated—but here we are at last! Read the rest of this entry »

Tchaikovsky’s ballet “The Nutcracker” is, of course, an enormously popular holiday musical tradition for families around the world. It may well be the secular equivalent of Handel’s “Messiah”. For many, there may be no more well loved musical experience. The story of little Marie Stahlbaum’s victory over the evil Mouse King and selfless rescue of her beloved Nutcracker from his cursed state, restoring his true princely form, is the stuff of legend. Indeed, families by the score enjoy productions of “The Nutcracker” every winter, and visions of sugarplum fairies dance in the heads of children everywhere on Christmas Eve. Read the rest of this entry »

As has been my custom the last few years, I thought to close out the old year (and quite possibly ring in the new) by sharing with you some formalwear options. There are always year-end parties and other wintry festivities in the offing, and in any event a good formal suit knows no season. Be sure to check back in days to come for the rest of this series. Read the rest of this entry »

Every once in a while, I find it impossible to resist the temptation to indulge in a shopping spree of wild abandon. It’s been a while since the last time, and I thought maybe I had somehow been cured. But it happened again just recently, and for this latest fall from grace I really must blame Mr. Oh, if not for the indulgence itself then at least for the temptation. You see, it was he who told me about Scars, suggesting that I should drop by and at least take a look, as he suspected that I would like what I saw. And so I found myself, having walked into Sin Knoller’s beautifully situated little main shop, almost entirely unable to walk back out (or teleport, for that matter) without pretty much buying the place out. Mr. Oh, j’accuse! Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been a while since we were blessed by any new clothing designs for men from Shai Delacroix. I don’t know about you, but I’ve missed her contributions to male couture and style in SL. I’ll be honest here—Shai was among the first designers of clothing for men whose style leapt out at me as being fresh and unique as well as comfortable and accessible. That’s a lot of adjectives, I know, but I thought the accomplishment was impressive. I loved her designs then, and I love them now. Although in many ways the world has moved on, and we’re somewhat spoiled by the addition of sculpted-prim components to our wardrobes, Shai’s early garment-only designs still hold up for me. This is entirely due to the quality and beauty of her texture work. Read the rest of this entry »