[Guest Style Consultant] : Elric Anatine

March 18th, 2009 at 10:32am Ryan Darragh

After two years in Second Life (SL) I am only now realizing how much SL mimics Real Life (RL) — be it personalities, behaviours, creations, fashions and more (1).  I dare say, without trying, my RL self has bled almost fully into my SL self.  When I first entered SL I knew I wished to explore the Victorian gentleman aspect of myself.  Being a clothes whore in RL, it was natural for me to insist on finding just the perfect outfits that I had envisioned towards my creation.  Two years ago, the selection of Victorian clothing available was miniscule and in many cases, not exactly what I was looking for.  I suffered my fashion crisis in silence, but remained vigilant in keeping a spectacled eye towards growing and new designers.

My RL preference for Elegant Goth Aristocrat (EGA) fashions (2) began seeping into SL, but I was a little disheartened — no one was creating EGA fashions, although a number of monochrome Victorian and costume ensembles sufficed for the moment and prevented me from impaling myself on my sword cane.  Many of the Goth fashions I could find were more fetish-inspired, or hard core.  The Victorian fashions were, dare I say, too Victorian.  Out of necessity, I learned the subtle and fine art of clothing mashup.  However, the wondrous thing about SL is that time moves exponentially faster in the virtual world, and before long, I became aware of Falln’s excellent array of fashions, watched Silent Sparrow fly high with fantastic new designs, and welcomed the arrival of AVid.  Nocturnal Threads had a few nice ensembles, but sadly, are now dated and they are no longer producing (which is a shame as I enjoyed the direction they were heading).  RFyre and Lapointe did not, surprisingly to some, thrill me for various reasons, although some of their ensembles proved useful for mashups. 

Most of the Japanese sims featuring Lolita fashions offered a men’s ensemble or two, but I have not yet found one that I truly enjoy on its own.  I suspect RL EGA Japanese boys have not yet discovered SL or else the Japanese sims would more closely approximate the offerings in RL Harajuku!  Wretched Dollies has a couple of nice EGA ensembles, but they are, even by their own admission, geared towards resembling clothes suitable for a Ball Jointed Doll (BJD), which does strike me as humorous given that our avatars truly are our own personal dollies.  However, I will say that the ensembles are great for using in a mashup, as are the ones I have acquired on other Japanese sims. 

And so, after a long introduction, my style, at its core, most closely resembles EGA, but I do enjoy veering off into similarly veined directions depending on my mood or venue.  Pure Victorian and Steampunk are certainly not out of my realm of interest.  And every so often I unleash my inner vampire (appropriately albino skin, fangs and all).  Elegance is key for myself as it is the style I am most comfortable in whether it is lounging around, shopping or attending a ball.  I am indeed most passionate for:  sumptuous velvet, lace cuffs, regal brocade, high collars, flowing cravats, buckles, shiny buttons, billowing coat tails, tight trousers, silken shirts, stylized waist coats, and pointed-toe footwear.  Generally I prefer monochrome “colours” although have recently taken to various shades of blue to match my fox avatar’s eyes.  I likewise shift from human to fox and back again on a whim, and mood. 

I enjoy that which is a little different, a little off the beaten path, and as inconceivable as this may sound, the search for “different” has been a most arduous journey in SL.  For example, I prefer monochrome attire and silver is generally most suitable to accent monochrome.  I also have an unearthly cane and pocket watch fetish, which has been difficult to feed.  Finding beautiful and functional walking stick accessories comprised of silver elements in near impossible.  Stunning silver pocket watches are likewise very scarce in SL.  And don’t get me started on the absence of elegant footwear!  But I digress and do not wish to transform my composition into a diatribe of “why is this not available in SL?”. 

SL is an incredible venue for exploration on so many levels, and I’m pleased that I can fill in the gaps of my own RL wardrobe with my SL wardrobe.  At heart I like to think of myself as a well-mannered gentleman.  I am painfully shy, although not necessarily reserved.  And I do believe that nature has taken its course and exemplified my personality in my style without my having put much thought into it.  Either that I should have played with dolls as a child instead of “playing scientist”! 

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(1) I do acknowledge that for many in SL, there is little mimicking of RL as they are here for Role Play (RP).

(2) The more regal side of EGA, and less the glam oriented fashions as sported, on occasion, by Malice Mizer (no disrespect to Malice Mizer).

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For those who might wish to purchase

Skin - Scorpio Revelation (3A Smooth) by Khai Sinister of The Abyss
Hair - Elliot (LightBlond) by Six Kennedy of GuRL 6
Eyes - Blue Opal by Miriel Enfield of Miriel
Main Suit, including top hat - Vincent Black by Azriel Demain of Falln
Gloves - Fur gloves (from Fur Coat [male]) by Darwin Mizser of AVid
Cane - Steel Cane by Vincente Shepherd of Gaslights Emporium
Monocle - GC-Monokel (Dark-Knight clock) by Grazioso Alekseev of Guild of Crie Eyewear
Shoes - Laudanum by Jackal Ennui of Lassitude & Ennui
Earring - CBR Earring by Elric Anatine, available at
The Apothecary by Elric Anatine

At The Apothecary, you can also obtain, free of charge, Elric’s regularly updated list of recommended designers and sellers of fine clothing and furnishings for elegant gentlemen.  — Ed.

Entry Filed under: AVid, Accessories, Coats, Dressy, Eyes, Eyewear, Falln, Formal, Gaslights Emporium, Gloves, Gothic, GuRL 6, Guild of Crie Eyewear, Hair, Hats, Lassitude & Ennui, Miriel, Pants, Period, Shoes, Skins, Suits, The Abyss, [Guest Style Consultant]