Men's Second Style

I get a fair bit of crap for how I largely ignore t-shirts and jeans.  It’s true—I don’t often give a lot of love to jeans and tees.  I honestly don’t mean to be elitist.  Most of the time—the vast majority, in fact—I think I’m completely justified in not paying particular attention to these particular staple wardrobe items.  For starters, you can find them pretty much anywhere and everywhere.  I don’t think I’ll run into much disagreement there.  Also, most guys are pretty good at picking out and picking up tees and jeans that suit their personality and budget.  I’m not sure they really need any help from me.  So, in general, I think my rule is a pretty good one.  That’s my story, and I’m sticking with it.

But there are exceptions to any rule.  After all, it’s not like simple clothing items are inherently bad or less worthy.  Hey, when I’m feeling lazy on Saturday morning, it’s jeans (or shorts) and a tee I reach for.  For me—or anyone, for that matter—to characterize a tee-and-jeans ensemble as uncaring wouldn’t exactly be fair.  It’s certainly possible for a designer to bestow lovingly executed texture artwork on something as basic as a tee, as basic as jeans.  When that happens, it’s something worth talking about.

The jeans and tees at Aeon Jiminy’s shop no.07 aren’t just worth talking about—they’re worth taking home and wearing with pride.  Check out the detailing in the Remixed – Hand Tee I’m wearing here.  Good-looking garment textures are a combination of several layers, blended together to create and present the illusion of not just real fabric but a real piece of clothing.  I’ve seen plenty of both good and not-so-good fabric textures over the last few years, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a smoother, more convincing blend of elements than this.  Look closely, but more importantly look long, and take it all in.  The base fabric weave; hems, stitching and seams that look like pieced fabric; the graphic design work; wrinkle and fold artwork that suggests realistic pulling, not just arbitrary shadows; and subtle but distinct shading of the underlying torso muscles.  It’s just sweet.

To the tee I’ve added Aeon’s striped Slip-On Sleeves in Brown.  These are a fun add-on that add a slinky, skin-tight long-sleeved shirt under your outer shirt.  Note, though, that these are sleeves only and cannot be worn on their own as a shirt.  Sculpted attachments add rumpled, slouchie cuffs—they’re moddable, so resize away and make them look as loose or tight as you like.  They’re available in several colors, striped and solid.

Although as I may have said here before it’s impossible for me to think of leather pants without thinking of Trinny and Susannah’s reflexive response to the very concept of leather pants (“Sweaty crotch!”), I quite like these.  The color is Soil, a rich, chocolaty brown.  The sculpted cuffs are casual and slouchie, bunching up over the instep and falling down over the heel.  I’ve left them a bit oversized here, so they fall down properly over my boots (more on the boots later).  Each pair of Aeon’s pants and jeans also includes a sculptie “booster” attachment for optional wear as a package enhancer.  I’ve seen similar attachments provided with underwear and form-fitting swimwear, but this may be the first I’ve seen included with pants.  As with so many things in life, package enhancement is best done in moderation, although there’s certainly potential for results that could be described as striking.

Although I had trouble setting aside this earth-toned ensemble, which is kind of perfect for my avatar’s usual coloring, for your benefit I did put together one other outfit.  The deep jewel-like color of the Plain Ico Blue Tee struck me as a good match for/contrast with the faded comfort of the Pente Alpha Jeans.  You know how it’s done, so you can take it from here.

All available at no.07 (The Box 93, 198, 21).  no.07 currently features a selection of tees (L$200; slip-on sleeves are L$80), jeans (L$300), leather pants (L$300) and underwear, all in an array of colors and designs.  Aeon plans to add hairstyles, shoes, a variety of accessories as well as animated gadgets and toys.  It’s worth noting that no.07’s region is accessible only by residents with payment info on file.  This is likely to exclude at least some potential customers and so may be a controversial choice.  In his press-release notecard, Aeon mentions that he made this decision based on concerns including protection of his design work and a lag-free shopping experience.

I haven’t made many specific comments regarding hairstyles lately, but I want to single out the great styles for men Sebastian Aries is releasing at Shag—and releasing regularly at that, with hardly a week going by that I don’t receive an announcement notecard.  This casually shaggy (hey!) style is called “The Substitute.”  Sebastian’s hairstyles are always carefully designed and constructed, even when the vibe is one of wild abandon, and this one is no exception.  I’ve got several other Shag styles waiting in my inventory to be shown off at the first available opportunity, but don’t feel you have to wait—drop by Shag at Silent 194, 146, 36 and check things out for yourself.  Individual styles are priced at L$250 each in color/shade packs.

My Aviator sunglasses here are by Gospel Voom.  Gos’ eyewear is easily among the best I’ve seen in SL, and that’s saying something.  The all-prim construction (my personal preference) is painstakingly precise, and each pair is extensively scripted with all manner of options for customization.  You can resize and reposition the glasses, change the frame and lens color and opacity, and turn glow on or off.  Aviator comes pre-loaded with ten different frame and lens texture presets, and additional textures are available for purchase.  The pack also includes a folded pair of glasses (customizable just like the regular pair) that you can wear as if hanging from your shirt, or maybe a jacket pocket.  No Mod, but Copy-enabled so you can tweak without fear and save customized copies with different outfits.  Definitely a luxury at L$1200.  Other great-looking eyewear styles are also available.

Gos also created my “Docs” 8-Hole Boots.  Like his eyewear, these boots are scripted to within an inch of their lives (albeit virtual) to let you customize their feet and appearance—and have fun while you’re at it.  You can choose from three different shapes by touch menu:  Pristine, Abused and Loose.  Recolor the laces and eyelets to make the boots your very own.  Even the back pull-tabs can be “turned off”, to keep them from showing unrealistically through pants.  L$875 a pair in your choice of a wall full of colors.  You can buy additional colors (boot texture add-ons) as “polish” for L$300—I won’t spoil your fun by describing how you “apply” the “polish” to your boots.  I checked out Brown, Black and Blue, and to me it looks like the different polish options aren’t simply re-colored versions of the same base texture—each has its own unique highlights and other detailing.  Laces and toecaps add-ons are also available.

I think it’s worth mentioning that even the packaging for these items has been created and designed with a sense of fun.  The sunglasses come in not just a simple box but a properly shaped case that unpacks with a clever animation, and although I truly don’t want to spoil your fun with the polish, it did make me think of Dapper Dan.  Just sayin’.

Gospel Voom’s prim designs can be found at [Gos] (Fat Tuesday 88, 164, 933).  Free demos are available, so you can try before you guy.  Although I didn’t try any out, I noticed a showroom with some great wristwatches on display too.