Coats and Jackets @ Cubic Effect

January 23rd, 2008 at 11:23am Mr. Oh

I’ve written reviews of coats and jackets that have lots of prim attachments with high-tech gizmos or buckles. But mirai Jun’s creations for Cubic Effect are remarkable for their use of organically-shaped sculpted prims. And these aren’t exactly attachments or ornaments, but rather the attachments are the coat or jacket, as with that Soreal sporty jacket reviewed by Daman a few days ago. You may have some hair that’s similar… where a hair ‘garment’ lays down some basic colour on your scalp in strategic locations and then a prim attachment forms the main part of the hair. These jackets and coats are a little bit like that.

My favourite is the military jacket. Look at that collar, lazily flapping back from that wide open neck. Wonderful! It’s an attachment to the spine and provides some of the shape of the coat’s back as well as the collar. There’s also a sculpty attachment to your pelvis that provides the skirt. If you’re ‘blessed’ with a slow enough computer or internet connection, you’ll be able to see it ‘bloom’ in that way sculpted prims have of first rezzing as a little lump and then unfolding themselves into their proper shape. Then there are also prim versions of bunched up sleeves. The jacket-layer garment really is only there to lay down a stretch of similar colour to the boring areas. All the pockets and other main features are done with (or on) the prims.

A bit less informal, the velvet jacket is just as dependent upon sculpted prims. The collar lies back unambitiously and the jacket bottom too is unremarkable except for the pocket flaps which poke slightly forward on a very slight angle. Again the sleeves bunch up away from the wrists. Would you really do this with a velvet jacket, or is this just showing off with prims? It’s very effective in-world, though, and will allow you to show off your bracelets or watches if you go for that sort of thing.

Finally, I couldn’t resist the white trenchcoat. It’s called leather coat on the signs, but its leatheryness is not very evident. The tails flow magnificently as you walk or turn, although for my money, they need a little more gravity especially if it’s leather. There is another magnificent collar on this piece, poised not quite sitting up against the cold, but not sitting flat either. And, as with the other coats in this review, the neck and front stand open wider than your average jacket, allowing you to show off the shirt you’re wearing… with most jackets or coats from other companies, you’d never be able to decipher my magnificent horror film shirt. There’s also one of the best unbuckled belts I’ve seen on any SL garment, the buckle hanging limply at a slight angle from one side and the ‘tongue’ loosely drooping from its loops on the other side.

The use of prims for everything comes with a bit of inconvenience, potentially. The first, major problem is that while garment layers expand and contract with your body shape, prims remain the same. When I wear any of these coats and stand in any pose with widely-spread legs, they poke straight through the prim coat bottoms. And in the shop I saw one particularly buxom woman having real problems with a short little jacket.

Mirai Jun acknowledges this problem by giving away the body shapes that were used as models, guaranteeing an exact fit… but, of course, your face changes as well. Not ideal. Because of the prims’ organic and irregular shape, adjusting them isn’t quite as simple as the odd cone-shaped collar. I was wishing for the interface Daman wrote about with the Soreal jacket. The best solution with these is probably either to tolerate the slight irregularities or modify your own shape to match the settings of the shapes Jun provides. I am short, with a slight build, I expect to have more trouble than most people, and of the three coats, there is only one place on one of the coats, the long white one, where I was unhappy with the out-of-the-box fit.

The second problem with such extensive use of prims is that it’s not possible for the joins to be completely seamless. The light will catch the place where the garment gives way to the prim. Mirai Jun has handled this problem extremely well by only selling these garments with very mottled colours. This is true even of the white trench coat, the hardest of tests, as you’ll see if you click to expand the photos.The irregularity of the pattern almost always disguises well the various seams and joins.

Military Jacket comes in khaki, blue or black. I am modelling the khaki colour. It costs 360L$ and, as I’ve said, it may take some adjusting either of the jacket or of your shape. I was lucky with this one and unless I strike some pose with legs wide apart, it fits like a dream.

The velvet jacket comes in black, blue, red, green or gray. Khaki might again be a better description of the green version I’m wearing. It looks more brownish in most lights. The prims here are less wild and therefore very well behaved and unlikely to cause you trouble. Velvet jacket costs 340L$ and comes with two versions in the folder, with and without a waistcoat integral to the jacket garment.

The long leather coat comes in black, brown or white and costs 320L$ per colour.

There are Cubic Effect shops at Born North (167, 100, 40) and Koenji (147, 218, 33).

Photos were taken in a back alley in Cultures Digitales (93, 24, 23).

Disclosure: Seen in World: Yes | Review Copy: Some | Friends List: No

Notes: On Mr. Oh: Nora Entice - Hunter Almond by Sezmra Svarog (Nora BodySkins & Fashion). "Sleek" freebie hair in nickel by Elikapeka Tiramisu (ETD). Simple sunglasses, mirrored, by Groll Greggan (Groll's Inn & Hideaway). Low Standard Black Tar shoes by Perfect Tomorrow (Perfect Tomorrow). Trousers from Charcoal Evening Suit by Vincente Shepherd (Gaslights Emporium). Creature t-shirt by hell Lamont (Live Fast).

Entry Filed under: Casual, Coats, Cubic Effect, Jackets, Urban