Men’s Corner: Gentleman’s wear

November 17th, 2007 at 04:28pm Ryan Darragh

When I was growing up, my mother always told me that there’s a difference between being a man and being a gentleman.  As with so many things my mother told me, I’ve learned over time that this is true.  I think it’s safe to say that this rule applies equally in Second Life.  What makes one a gentleman?  The term is usually associated today with a certain propriety and courtesy in one’s conduct, but historically also had connotations of belonging to a good family and perhaps even having the right connections.  While I can’t help you with your manners or breeding, I can suggest some clothing and accessories without which no gentleman should venture into polite society.  Feel free to take these necessarily specific recommendations and implement them more generally in your own gentlemanly pursuits.

I would not want to go through life with a single suit—after all, a gentleman esteems variety as the “spice of life.”  However, if for some reason you were permitted just one suit in your wardrobe, the Englishman Suit by Lissa Maertens would be an excellent choice.  With open and closed jackets, pants with tasteful prim cuffs, vest, ivory dress shirt with ascot (as shown at right) and without, the set provides options for occasions ranging from a day in court to a day at the races.  As if that were not enough, the set also includes a large selection of white dress shirts with more contemporary neckties in a variety of different colors and patterns.  Available for L$450 at Cattivo (Annapurna 107, 146, 296) and at Cattivo’s Second Guy Mall location (Sweetgrass 50, 139, 251).

A gentleman must be able to accommodate inclement weather with aplomb.  How else is he to stroll discreetly through the London fog to arrive, comfortable and dry, at his assignation?  The Slick Rick Trenchcoat by Shai Delacroix is beautifully textured and practically a complete outfit on its own—the set includes coat top, flexi coat bottom with wide leather belt and oversize brass buckle, and lovingly textured corduroy pants.  All you need contribute is a shirt and shoes.  The prim coat bottom is thoughtfully included in three different sizes for ease in fitting, a truly helpful practice I applaud and encourage more designers to adopt.  Available in Brownstone (as shown at left), Navy Blue, Black Sugar, Green and Red for L$500 each or L$2200 for the pack of all five colors.

Also available from Shai is the similarly styled but very diffferent in vibe Le Smoking Croc jacket (L$700), which evokes a bygone era in which gentlemen excused themselves to the library or smoking gallery for cognac, a cigar, and discussion of business or politics, while proper ladies busied themselves elsewhere.  The set includes jacket, pants, shirt with coordinating tie, flexi jacket tails with belt and buckle, luxurious black fur collar, and black leather gloves.  The jacket fabric is patterned with the grain of crocodile skin in all its mottled and pebbled glory.  Le Smoking Croc comes in Brown, Red, Black, and Mold, as shown here.  Available at Casa Del Shai (Deco 94, 170, 32).

Since no season passes without a wedding or other formal occasion, no gentleman’s wardrobe is complete without a tuxedo or other formal attire.  Blaze Columbia’s new Columbia Tux includes jacket (which can be worn open or closed), white tuxedo shirt, bowtie—a first for Blaze—and pants with nicely realized sculpted-prim cuffs.  The lapels have a subtle but distinct sheen, and the velvet-striped pants are sharply creased.  The classically simple sculpted-prim bowtie matches the tux’s color.  The Columbia Tux comes in 12 far from standard colors: Silver, Plum, Earth, Olive, Indigo, Slate, White, Purple, Red, Green, Blue and classic Black (Purple and Black are shown here).  Priced at L$500 for a single tux or L$1500 for Earth Tones and Rich Tones sets of six different colors each.  Available at Blaze Fine Fashions (Blaze 71, 118, 23).

Not every gentleman is a contemporary creature.  For the gentleman whose taste runs to days gone by, I recommend the Victorian-styled Formal Dinner Suit (L$400) by Vincente Shepherd.  The set includes jacket with flexiprim tails, vest, dress shirt, pants, and prim bowtie.  I’m wearing the suit here in faded-looking yet still rich Sepia, but you’ll also find it available in Charcoal, Claret, Black, Indigo and Brown.  There are many designers of quality period clothing in SL; Vincente’s Victorian-steampunk styles are among my favorites.  Also shown, but not included with the suit, is the Gaslights Cane (L$250), which features a flickering gas lamp in the cane shaft and a metal tip that touches off sparks when it strikes the pavement.  Both suit and cane are available for purchase at Gaslights Emporium (Port Babbage 122, 221, 27).

A gentleman’s choice in jewelry always demonstrates tasteful restraint.  I love watches—a man can always wear a watch, even when other items of jewelry might not be quite appropriate.  Now, I know you don’t actually have to look at your avatar’s watch to see the time, so you can call me crazy, but I think if you’re going to call it a watch, it should keep and tell the time.  The Slimline Watch (L$599) by Gedden Winthorpe is both beautifully decorative and functional—it keeps SL time by default, and can easily be adjusted via menu to keep your local time if you prefer.  There are also three different sounds: ticks, quarter-hour chimes, and hourly chimes.  All can be adjusted independently to suit your personal preference.  The date is also kept and displayed, with automatic adjustment for leap years.  Available in a wide variety of color combinations at Winthorpe Enterprises (Mogwa 85, 227, 86).  You are welcome to IM Gedden Winthorpe regarding custom color combinations or chimes.

Sometimes even a gentleman needs to carry more than he can fit in his pockets.  In such a circumstance, a lady has recourse to her purse or handbag, but a gentleman has no such immediate option (and no, in most cases a backpack simply won’t do).  Fortunately, rescue comes in the form of the new Brown Leather Case (L$250) by Faery Sola.  Shown at right in its businesslike handheld form, the set also includes cases with long and short shoulder straps, for maximum flexibility.  The beautifully detailed leather textures are the result of more than 18 hours of intense work in Gimp—Faery says that’s when she gave up and stopped counting.  Every minute of her effort shows here.  The case is not scripted with an overriding hold or pose animation, so your regular stand animations will play as usual.  Available at Studio Sidhe (Alpha Centauri 209, 239, 27).

Of course, all the accoutrements in the world won’t magically make you into a gentleman.  However, well-chosen, tasteful attire can indeed be the outward expression of the gentleman inside.  Hopefully these suggestions will help you find expression for your inner gentleman.

This is an expanded version of the Men’s Corner column originally published in Second Style Magazine (Issue #13).

Disclosure: Seen in World: Yes | Review Copy: Some | Friends List: Some

Notes: On Ryan: Entice "David" skin by Sezmra Svarog (Nora). "The Ibiza" hair by Liam Oliver (Armidi). Wool suit, men’s dress shirt and flexi tie by Blaze Columbia (Blaze Fine Fashions). "Carl Perkins" shoes by Eponymous Trenchmouth (Jeepers Creepers). "City Walk" dress shoes by Fallingwater Cellardoor (Shiny Things). Gentleman’s Black Suede Shoes by Vincente Shepherd (Gaslights Emporium).

Entry Filed under: Accessories, Bags, Blaze Columbia, Casa Del Shai, Casual, Cattivo, Coats, Dressy, Formal, Gaslights Emporium, Gedden Winthorpe, Men's Corner, Period, Steampunk, Studio Sidhe, Suits