Men's Second Style

Sometimes, when I’m having a particularly lazy day at home, I just don’t feel much like changing into non-lazy (and therefore less comfortable) clothing before going out. Even less do I feel like “dressing up.” Hey, I figure everyone’s lucky I got dressed at all. In real life, this usually means, t-shirt, shorts and sandals. (On less slovenly Saturdays, the shirt may be Cubavera, the shorts linen.) But let’s face it—in SL, I can do better than that. I can be hotter than that. We all can.

In real life, profoundly casual is an easy look to pull off. In fact, it usually just happens. In SL, where everything is a matter of careful planning and nothing “just happens”, it’s not nearly as simple a matter to look that un-put-together. Let’s say I want to bring to SL my real-life Just Off to the Gym look. Yeah, I know, like that ever happens in real life…but work with me. As we’ve established, this isn’t going to “just happen.” It’s going to take a little effort—not as much effort as actually going to the gym, but some.

Drusus DuCasse’s Cropped Athletic Tee perfectly illustrates the paradox that is the carefully planned careless look. It’s surely not that difficult to crop a shirt short above the waist; in fact, that’s a look that many if not most (if not all) of us have tried once or twice, either by wearing shirt-layer tees with low-rise jeans or by making clever but potentially unfortunate use of a particular clothing slider. Let’s just say that once was enough, for anyone, and never again. However, it’s another, much less simple thing to make the shirt look realistic as well. Here, the carefully shaped sculpts for sleeves and bottom hem are easy to fit—closely or loosely, your preference—for a look that very much resembles the natural flare and drape of real fabric. L$160 each (or L$765 for the pack) in six dark hues; Favre is shown here. At Zanzo (Zanzo 182, 192, 22) in the Union ’82 shop.

The Harlem Sweat Pants, also by Drusus DuCasse, are similarly engineered to within an inch of their virtual lives, solely for the purpose of looking entirely unplanned. Building on the foundation of the softly shaded clothing-layer garment, sculpted pieces add not just shape but truly realistic dimension and depth. Separate sculpts for upper and lower leg blend successfully if not quite seamlessly at the knee (damn those joints!), especially when carefully fitted. I was especially impressed by the precisely shaped waistband, which was easy to resize and fit as closely as I liked. There’s also a convincingly irregular string tie, and the waistband is textured to match the contrasting ribbed cuffs that hug each calf just below the knee. L$200 a pair in a half-dozen color combinations; this one, called Johnson, was a Zanzo group gift and is not available for purchase. Also at Zanzo (Zanzo 182, 192, 22), right next to the cropped tees.

For such a casual, seemingly thrown-together look, I didn’t want to go overboard with accessories, but I was sure I could make one or two things work without too much fear of overkill. Guu Nishi’s Aviator Style Glasses (Unisex #003) are proper all-prim builds—eyewear that uses flat 2-D textures can be handsome and work well, but I’m kind of picky about this (among other things). They’re also scripted for a handful of frame and lens colors, as well as lens transparency, by handy touch menu. Just L$40 a pair at HOC Industries (Upper Fenland 47, 38, 66).

An accurate timepiece is absolutely essential for a proper workout. How else will you know that you’re sustaining that elevated heart rate for proper cardio benefit, or if you’re burning off all the calories you need to? If the timepiece is also both fun and stylish, that’s just a plus. I had gone shopping for a simple but realistic digital watch, preferably one with classic red LED numerals—very old school. What I found and took home instead was something very different but, in its own way, just as much fun. The Lego Watch, by Ryca Doobie, isn’t just a prop—through the magic of scripting, it keeps SL time (another thing I’m picky about). You can also customize the colors for the various watch components (face, hands, bezel, links in the band) by touch. L$350 at RYCA Jewelry (Baechu 113, 181, 94), or on the Second Life Marketplace.

Achieving this level of casual in your look may not be easy. In fact, you may have to work at it, just a little bit. But it’s worth it.