Men’s Corner: Halloween 2007 Roundup

October 10th, 2007 at 03:36pm Ryan Darragh

I had a great time decorating for Halloween last year.  I think one of the appeals of Second Life is the opportunity to do things that can’t be done reasonably or maybe even at all in Real Life.  In addition to going a little crazy with the house and yard decorations, I also had, um, several different costumes for myself.  You may not feel the need to go quite that far, but surely you’ll need at least one.  Here are some ideas I’m playing with for this year, some new and some that have been around for a while.  I only wore one of these last year, though, so I’m not just recycling things that are already sitting in my inventory!  I’ve tried to include a mix of clothing costumes and avatars, although some costumes can be so elaborate that the line between often seems blurred.  These are just some personal favorites of mine, and we’re by no means done for the season–you’ll undoubtedly see at least a few more seasonally themed items in the next few weeks. 

The recently released “Danse Macabre” costume (L$900) suggests to me the idea of a Plague Doctor Gone Goth.  This elaborate outfit is a collaborative effort by Draconic Lioncourt of Draconic Kiss and hyasynth Tiramisu of Silent Sparrow, with hyasynth designing the richly textured clothing pieces and Draconic creating the various prim accessories.

The elaborate set includes jacket with tails and lace cuffs, pants, gloves, prim Caduceus staff (with and without scripted Is-He-Dead-Yet? “poke” action), sculpted Plague Doctor mask, and top hat with infected rat perched on the brim.  (The “Grande Set,” priced at L$1200, also includes Draconic’s themed skin.)  It’s available in five different colors:  Green, Blue, Red, Purple and Soot (shown here).  The Soot version was made available only as a limited-edition “Grande Set,” and it’s anybody’s guess how many will remain by the time you read this.  Fortunately all the other colors are beautiful, too!

Left to right: Caduceus staff; top hat with rat; jacket detail.

Available at Draconic Kiss (Koreshan 210, 121, 25) and Silent Sparrow (Silent Sparrow 71, 32, 21).  A women’s version of this costume is available as well.  Extra rats are available for L$75, should you feel the need to increase the level of infestation.

The T/Rage zombie avatar by Heizeus Khan (L$500) makes you into a shambling escapee from “Night of the Living Dead,” or maybe “28 Days Later” is more likely—after all, you are in color.  The set includes a gruesome zombie skin (clearly you’ve been munching on something, or someone), ravaged red eyes, ripped and blood-spattered clothing, and a hulking shape.  (I’m not wearing the shape here; somehow ”Zombie Ryan” just seemed creepier.)  A women’s version is also available, for all you girls who want to be undead too.  Available at The Better Man (Port Seraphine 148, 40, 29).  But it’s really not enough to look like a zombie—you have to act like one, too!  To complete your horrible transformation, wear the Zombie AO by Keiki Lemieux (L$399), available at Huddles Headquarters (Animation Island 116, 68, 322).  The pose you see here is just one of the included undead-appropriate animations and poses.  A demo stand is available in the shop, so you can try out the poses before you buy.

If you want to dress up but not necessarily put on a costume, consider one of kaia Ennui’s beautiful men’s suit sets from Nocturnal Threads.  Here I’m wearing “Mael” (L$325), which uses wonderful Celtic-influenced fabric textures that look like heavy woven tapestry.  The set includes jacket with skirt extension, pants, and gloves, all in bruise-like shades of blue, black and grey; you can also buy it in red tones as “Mael Rouge.”  Available at Nocturnal Threads (Pimushe 86, 29, 67).

The Irie Beholder by Eye Ree (L$500) puts you right in the middle of your own 1950s creature feature—as the hapless victim.  The massive, leathery Beholder has you in his toothsome jaws and it’s far too late for rescue!  He may not have stereoscopic vision, but that doesn’t seem to slow him down!  His eye stalks undulate slowly as he regards others balefully and dares them to try snatching his prey!  I always feel sorry for Ryan when he’s getting munched on like this–his fingers twitch a little sometimes when I’m typing, but beyond that…he’s pretty far gone.  Available at Completely Different (Unreal Woods 77, 74, 67).

If you’ve got something with a cuddlier appearance in mind, the Tiny Werewolf avatar by June Dion (just L$100!) may be just what you’re looking for.  The avatar comes complete with tiny shape, avatar cruncher, skin, flexi fur, and razor-sharp claws for both hands and feet.  Multiple head pieces allow you to be triply menacing with blue, green or red eyes.  Available at BareRose Tokyo (Bare Rose 146, 11, 30).  Look for it in the “Etc.” section.  The BareRose shop is currently tricked out for Halloween, with a huge selection of new and classic costumes and avatars, all at very reasonable prices.

I discovered the New Babbage Victorian steampunk region by way of the New Babbage build at this year’s SL Relay For Life.  Since then I’ve made some fascinating explorations there and discovered the work of some highly talented designers.  From Vincente Shepherd of Gaslights Emporium comes the Mechanical Man avatar—not a robot, to be sure, but a man converted to steam-powered hydraulics and retaining only fragments of his human appearance.  I modified the included shape to put my own face back on the head.  Available at Gaslights Emporium (Port Babbage 122, 221, 27).  You can buy the seven components individually for L$80 each, or as a complete set for L$450.  Also shown:  Battery Cane, portions of the Gentleman’s Victorian Suit, and Gentleman’s Black Suede Shoes, all by Vincente Shepherd.

If this isn’t your first Halloween in SL, you know how much fun it can be.  If it is your first, though, take advantage of the opportunities offered by SL and the creativity of SL’s content creators—get out and give your neighbors a good scare!

This is an expanded version of the Men’s Corner column originally published in Second Style Magazine (Issue #12).

Disclosure: Seen in World: Yes | Review Copy: T/Rage only | Friends List: No

Notes: On Ryan: "Antonio" skin by Funk Schnook (FNKY!). FORM men’s skin by Zabitan Assia (FORM). "Broder" hair by Avant Scofield (The Good Life). "Drift" hair by Jesseaitui Petion (Aitui). "Scratch" shoes by Eponymous Trenchmouth (Jeepers Creepers).

Entry Filed under: Avatars, BareRose Tokyo, Completely Different, Costumes, Draconic Kiss, Fantasy, Gaslights Emporium, Holiday, Huddles Headquarters, Men's Corner, Nocturnal Threads, Outfits, Silent Sparrow, Steampunk, The Better Man