New: Polos and Sweaters @ GearShift

May 16th, 2007 at 02:30pm Catero Revolution

When I first entered SL some of the first clothes I bought were from a small store inside the Miau Haus in Yelas. I browsed around while the designer was in-store setting up new vendors. There were some hoodies, a tee and a pair of jeans that caught my eye and I ended up buying them. Some of the best purchases I’ve made in SL. In the following weeks I ended up rotating between these and other items in my meager wardrobe. What continues to appeal to me about the clothes are their finishing details (the hood attachment and neck cinch strings), the sleeve extensions in the glove layer, and lastly - but certainly my favourite - the uneven crosshatch strokes in the base fabric. The slick texturing technique created a visual impact that reminded me of the comic book art I digested in my youth.

As such, it didn’t surprise me to find out that Donovan Brennen of GearShift is a hopeless comic book junkie. And lucky for the SL male population Donovan has super powers of his own - a metahuman ability to turn pixels into sharp urban apparel.

Everyone who has ever slid a collectible comic book into a protective polybag knows that one of the essentials of a great character is a striking and memorable outfit. For eager fanboys GearShift’s current issue brings us clothing with variance, and, unlike the classic hero you won’t be relegated to a decorative spandex unitard. Donovan delivers his latest creations with dramatic layering - just like a good graphic serial.

“Phoenix Breeze” and “War Machine” sweaters with polo shirts (180L each): Etched with striking imagery and under-laid with a paint drip effect, each piece verves with Brennen’s shading emphasizing a natural bunching of the fabric. Regardless of which shirt type is worn, the themed sketching is visible - on the left breast panel of the sweater and the central torso of the polo. The addition of a prim collar draws the wearer into a three-dimensional dress up experience and its expert texturing fuses seamlessly into the clothing.

“I, myself, have been wearing a lot of Polo shirts recently,” says Brennen. “And I’ve been spotting a lot more people wearing these sporty striped tops when out and about in the real world. I really wanted to bring that look to Second Life, GearShift style.”

The polos are banded horizontally across the torso and sweaters are striped vertically along the outer length of the arm - features of athletic styling. Buyers have the option of wearing the collared shirt as a stand-alone item or combining it with the pullover. Colour choices were partially inspired by real world influences as well as a desire to show cooler tones in “Phoenix Breeze” and warmer ones in “War Machine”. Each purchase set contains the collar attachment, sweater (jacket layer) and tucked and untucked versions of the polo (jacket and shirt layers).

“Punishment” and “Venomous” polos with prim ties (150L each): Ripped from the pages of the Marvel Comic Universe, these polos strongly feature colours and symbols representative of The Punisher, a psychologically troubled anti-hero and vigilante, and Venom, a savage alien symbiote that terrorizes Spider-Man’s world. Dark and violent subjects that give rise to edgier graphic portrayals with motifs further bound by a 1974 storyline in which The Punisher initially appeared as an adversary of Spider-Man.

Brennen’s approach contrasts between fluid and abrasive elements that meld in a balanced design - a smooth base texture blanketed with gritty graphics. “Punishment’s” front panel bears a primal and bloodied logo, its reverse is branded with the number of the California Penal Code for homicide (The Punisher’s motivation as well as his method of meting out justice). “Venomous” has a wrap-around repetition of the Spider-Man arachnid which mirrors his nemesis Venom in black-and-white composition.

The two-button shirts can be worn with either a standard collar or one combined with a signature tie that echoes the visuals in each shirt. Within a purchase set you will find these two collar versions as well as tucked (shirt layer) and untucked (jacket layer) versions of the polo.

With locations in the newly opened Downtown and The Block sims Donovan shows off his appreciation for superhero culture with buildings styled after comic book shops. Navigate through comic stands to find your way to product releases - the newest ones are displayed on a “New Issues” wall leading subscribers to wonder what’s coming out next. Don’t let the suspense eat you up inside. Says the apparel avenger, “As for more colours, I will definitely have more”. Create your own high quality storyline in GearShift’s wearable artwork at Downtown (182, 98, 102), Endicott (162, 76, 506) and The Block (159, 38, 24).

Disclosure: Seen in World: Yes | Review Copy: Yes | Friends List: No

Notes: On Catero: Skin, Antonio - Stubble Soul (FNKY! / Funk Schnook); Hair, Bleached Sway in black (Renown By Aitui / Jesseaitui Petion); Pants, "Brawler" Nile, "Drakkhen" Rust and "GreaseMonkey" Earth (Revelation / Noaru Semyorka); Shoes, Hi-Top Kool Kicks in red (KK Outfitters / Arycon Fasching)

Entry Filed under: Casual, Fantasy, GearShift, Grunge, New Items, Shirts, Sportswear, Sweaters, Ties