New: This Week in Men’s Fashion: April 29 - May 5, 2007
May 6th, 2007 at 09:40pm Catero Revolution
I managed to wittle down this week’s bulletin to only four items, which affords me the opportunity to spend a little more time to focus on each. And I’m doing it completely guilt free.
For those who regularly follow the blog this marks the fourth week we’ve put out this weekly wrap-up and we’d appreciate your feedback since we’re doing it for you, kids. Is it working for you? Not working? Are you completely ambivalent or uncaring? We want to know and can handle any criticisms you may have.
While you’re taking some time to mull it over take some time to scan this week’s trendy tidbits.
Releases at: Aitui/Renown � The Good Life � Nylon Outfitters � Random
Aitui/Renown by Jesseaitui Petion
Advance Skinline (Limited time introductory specials)
Just over two months since he threw his hat into the skin creation market, Jesseaitui Petion has put forth a concerted effort to meet the needs of his consumer audience with a new photoreal skin that comes in muscle-bound “Fit” or the less bulky “Cut” body versions. While maintaining his current customer base that subscribes to a Muscle Beach Venice lifestyle, Jesse now appeals to the portion of the SL public that prefers to show a less brawny side. The difference between the two can be primarily seen in the abdominal wall musculature.
Facial definition has been bumped up with a more dappled colouration. Skin tones offered currently include a light Creme and a more tanned Sun Kissed with more pigments to follow (I spy an unfinished Caramel vendor in-store). Two facial hair options (clean shaven and soul patch) are included in the product’s current line-up as well as eyeliner. Each purchase set includes bald and hair base versions. For a limited time the store offers an introductory special: buy the first skin at 1,500L and receive a second skin purchase for 1,000L (regular price 1,899L each). As an added bonus Advance skins are packaged with complimentary realistic boxers in white by Renown and Driftwood hair by Aitui. According to an earlier group update notice, members will receive 250L cash back upon purchase.
With all the value added to these recent skins it’s obvious that Jesse is competitively striving to provide quality product to potential and existing customers. To get a feel for an Advanced skin try on one of the 1L demos.
Available @ Aitui (200, 175, 27).
Permissions: Copy / No Mod / No Trans
Disclosure: Seen in World: Yes | Review Copy: No | Friends List: No
The Good Life by Avant Scofield
“Aaron” and “Justin” skins (1,700L or 2,400L per 5-pack)
This new brand debuts with three skins - two for the gents and one for the ladies. Each male skin comes with 4 skin tones (fair, light tan, tan and dark). With 10 facial hair options per tone skins can be purchased in singles or one of two sets. Set One boasts clean, soul patch, stubble, soul stubble and soul ’stache while Set Two has goatee, beard, strap, chin goatee and eyeliner. Singles packs will contain an individual bald skin, a shape and a flaccid penis.
Though both skins are athletic in appearance and very much geared towards those desiring a toned physique, each has an individualized overtone - the latter having more muscle definition shading, which can be particularly seen below the pectorals. Facially, “Aaron’s” sharper, angular features contrast against “Justin’s” softer, rounder visage as illustrated in the delineation of the cheeks.
Buying in bulk saves you about 6,100L per set. Demos are available at 1L and contain a full showing of all ten facial hair options.
The Good Life also has a modest selection of men’s and women’s casual attire. Undoubtedly more products will follow from the fledgling fashion boutique.
Available @ Sterling Pointe (212, 44, 22) .
Permissions: Copy / No Mod / No Trans
Disclosure: Seen in World: Yes | Review Copy: No | Friends List: No
Nylon Outfitters by Nylon Pinkney
Leather hoody (90L or 130L), Crazy Flower Face v-neck graphic tee (100L) and Suede pants (95L)
Keeping with the trend of the easy, breezy summer wear menu that many designers are now serving on their customers, Nylon rations out a light and refreshing series of casual items. A leather hoodie. A white v-neck graphic tee. A pair of suede pants. Available as single items or as a bulk purchase (at 415L) . The releases follow Nylon’s skilled painterly approach which has established her as one of the originators of the movement of artistically hand-drawn clothing articles.
When asked why she thought the artistic technique appeals to so many people and has inspired other designers to follow suit, Miss Pinkey replied, “I think it makes it more fun to look at a drawn shirt then a picture of one,”. It’s definitely more personal and offers a unique perspective on the possibilities of virtual fashion.
The white v-neck shirt bears an unusual face composited by lavender coloured flowers. Its provision in the jacket layer allows for added length. The open-breasted brown leather hoodie has a laid-back and natural feel and is bashfully furrowed along the front breast pocketing, zipper line, arms and back pleating. The lightly coloured pants are exhausted with even lighter striations. Shoppers have the option of buying the shirt and jacket separately or as a combined piece. It’s certainly advisable to purchase the entire set as it maximizes your mix-and-matching opportunities with these and other non-NO items in your wardrobe.
Says Nylon, “I hope guys will to be able to dress fashionably if they want to with my clothes”.
Available @ Tableau (142, 167, 17).
Permissions: Copy / Mod / No Trans
Disclosure: Seen in World: Yes | Review Copy: No | Friends List: No
Random by Garbage Prototype
“Brad”, “Brian” and “Derrick” hair (150L each, 350L/5-pack, 550L/10-pack, 950L/15-pack)
This week revealed three new tousled styles for the boys from Garbage Prototype. As mentioned in Ryan’s previous reviews, Prototype has adopted a revolutionary scripted dying system for new hairs. “Brad”, “Brian” and “Derrick” are amongst Garbage’s new line which incorporates the single dye hair system that enables customers to choose one tint out of 50+ colour options in regular and glossy textures. It’s definitely an alternative to having to buy a hair colour multi-pack when all you really want is one.
All the styles have a banged, windswept appearance with multidirectional lines that emphasize the carefully careless composition. Strokes gesture across the forehead, partially obscuring the eyes and eyebrows.
Prospective buyers have the option of buying a single hairdo, a 5-pack, a 10-pack or a 15-pack. All hairs contained within are single-dye, so, upon purchase please refer to the notecard included for dying instructions. If in doubt it is recommended that you contact the designer for direction, as the hair is non-transferrable and probably can not be returned for refund.
Available @ Louise (45, 102, 656).
Permissions: Copy / Mod / No Trans
Disclosure: Seen in World: Yes | Review Copy: No | Friends List: No
Notes: On Catero: Skin, Sienna - Skullcap/Stubble (Nylon Outfitters / Nylon Pinkney); Shoes, Orti Flip Flop Gypsy Leather (KangarOOs / Leyla Firefly)
Entry Filed under: Aitui, Aitui Tattoo & Piercing, Hair, New Items, Nylon Outfitters, Pants, Random Fashions, Shirts, Skins, The Good Life, Underwear
12 Comments Add your own
1. Dery Lufbery | May 7th, 2007 at 12:15 am
I am glad you *can* accept criticisms. Some creator got all nasty with me after I expressed an indirect not-so-positive (but certainly not meant to be destructive) comment. But none from me for this feature, best thing to happen to second man since I started reading.
Only a small thing: Just kinda wished for more items and less from the usual suspects. Case-in-point: The release of Redgrave’s new shoes and jewelry and expanded clothes line.
2. Ruach Gamba | May 7th, 2007 at 4:13 am
Nono, Keep up the good job- I love this site. The Blog is very informative. love the new bulletins as they come out. This place is my mecca for SL Fashion.
3. Juushika | May 7th, 2007 at 2:20 pm
Unlike a lot of women’s fashion news, men’s fashion news doesn’t get copy pasted between half a dozen fashion blogs. In other words, most of the stuff I read in these weekly roundups is news to me, so I find it very useful. As Dery mentioned, I do wish it would cover even more, but I don’t know how you guys get your news–and any way, I assume even fashion bloggers can’t know everything, all the time. I also think that a weekly summary could be a tiny bit more concise.
On the whole? I love the service and heartily encourage you to keep going as you’re going. It’s a useful way to round out the week in men’s fashion with the full gamut of news that may not have made it into normal posts.
4. Oscar Page | May 8th, 2007 at 11:09 pm
You know my opinion. Can’t…stop…hand…from…right clicking…and pressing buy. The leather hoody will be in my inv shortly.
I would like to see a larger coverage area as well, but to be honest I haven’t seen a whole lot of people dedicate themselves to mens clothes so much that they deserve to be reviewed. Over my years of being a man of fashion in this game, a lot of designers say, “Yeah I want to do mens stuff because they need great fashion too!” On their word they do put out something, but 2 or 3 weeks down the road you don’t hear a peep about them adding anything else new or at least anything else of worth in the mens department. Like fireworks with “Oooh! Ahhh!” and then disappearing, and men are sitting there holding their nuts and going “But…I thought that…where did?” It mainly comes down to them looking @ their women’s sales to their men’s sales and say, “Why the hell am I wasting my time on mens clothing?”
Okay so I digressed a bit there, but maybe that’ll make it easier to understand why the coverage isn’t so far and wide. If it’s not quality or the designer isn’t serious enough to promote it…then it probably won’t get reviewed here.
5. Catero Revolution | May 9th, 2007 at 12:17 am
I can’t speak for Ryan, but I personally get most of my info from the ‘Classifieds’ section of the SL forums. I’m an addict. Have been for a while. Lots of designers have no idea what a valuable and free advertising resource this is. Probably the most widely read by consumers in SL. I think men’s fashion designers are less aware of it than those of womens. And it always surprises me how little known it is by smaller or up-and-coming designers. “The usual suspects” are always the ones that use the forums as well as reviewers, which has influenced their exposure on some level.
A secondary source for me is word-of-mouth. And tertiary is from the designers themselves. There is a small following who will send me review copies of their new releases.
(FYI, Dery, I am familiar with Redgrave. But the biggest drawback is the No Modness of the items. So, I haven’t blogged it. My own rationale. Would you care to step into the ring? I encourage you.)
I will say flat out that I have a preference for casual clothes. There’s no way you’ll catch me in leather chaps … or vamp wear for that matter. It’s just not for me, personally. But I appreciate diversity.
It would be great to get reviewers of various tastes.
/me points to the “Write for Us” page. Ryan doesn’t bite, peoples.
I always enjoy reading what other reviewers write and what readers comment. I crave feedback on any level … and information in general. And I don’t bite either - for fun or profit - so, send me an IM in-world if there’s something you feel I must absolutely know. I like to consider myself an approachable avie. I have references! I think Oscar can vouch for me … as I accosted him in a store one night.
6. Echo | May 9th, 2007 at 2:44 pm
I enjoy this weekly wrapup, and hope to see it continue. This blog in general is my best source for SL men’s fashion news.
7. Alphabet Qi | May 9th, 2007 at 4:22 pm
LOVE the weekly wrap-up, thank you very much. I am female, and I like to shop for my male partner. He doesn’t have the right mind-set to cruise the blogosphere, and I don’t have the right guy sensibility to know what might appeal to a fella, that me as a girl may not appreciate.
The writing here is wonderful, and deserves to be read thoroughly, so it pains me to have to skim over the longer reviews quickly when I am in a hurry (too 0ften). Often, rather than skim, I will skip them, meaning to come back, but then getting sidetracked.
That is why I love the weekly wrap-up—tips me off to what I need to go back and investigate.
Thank you for providing an incredibly useful service.
My only suggestion goes along with what Juushika said above, about being concise.
What about some bulleted points indicating content? You are getting there, with the line where you say, “Releases at: Aitui/Renown · The Good Life · Nylon Outfitters · Random” That is helpful, except I don’t know, for example, if the Aitui release is skin, tats, or some more fab t-shirts.
Let’s say I am only looking for hair, I still have to crawl down the page a ways to see if any is there, unless I know for a fact that Random only does hair. New residents will not know a lot of designers’ specialties, so the names at the top won’t help to draw them in.
Maybe something like this:
–SKINS: New releases fromAitui/Renown by Jesseaitui Petion, and welcome to a new skin designer blah, blah, The Good Life blah, blah Avant Scofield
–CLOTHING: casual summer blah, blah from blah
–HAIR: blah blah blah
So, there you go, feedback. Ask and ye shall receive.
8. Jesse | May 9th, 2007 at 4:41 pm
Wow A discussion!! lol
I definitely agree with Alphabet Qi. I think the first weekly roundup had bullets. Now its just a horizontal line of whats inside and it looks runny. And I think on one of the past ‘issues’ you had to click “more” before you could view the “releases at:” part.
My opinion would be to do this: Under the banner of “This week in men`s fashion” you should immidiately put bullets of who is being discussed in it. THEN do your paragraph(s) you`re currently putting under the banner.
The reason I suggest this is because I know that a lot of people just want to ‘get to the point’ and if they could have the ability to see who is being discussed in it and that be at the very top (under the banner) it would just make for an easier more enjoyable read, IMO.
———-
In regards to the ‘variety’ comments, I used to be one of the people who said “Dang you guys blog the same people over and over” (this was on another blog though)…I just stopped reading it as I was not interested in the people they were blogging. Sure mens fashion blog kind of does do the same people, but as catero mentioned…. alot of these people use the “Forums> New products” and thats where alot of bloggers seem to get their content. Sure there probably is some good quality stuff out there and if you like it maybe send cat or ryan and IM and give them the heads up on it.
One thing I like about this blog is that there -is- a diversity in who ryan and cat blog about. Meaning, I see catero blog about people ryan doesnt, and vice versa. And catero mentioned he didnt bother to blog a certain brand due to personal preference…and I think thats good! Its better to read a review by someone who LIKES the brand theyre blogging about, rather than someone who blogged it just cause they were sent a review copy or something.
Given, i`m not really much of a reader, When I do get on here I tend to kind of scan through things and look at pics but for those of you who are…
lol
9. Oscar Page | May 9th, 2007 at 8:23 pm
Yes Cat did accost me…and I never got my wallet back. If those big rig slippers ever get scripted to turn into Optimus Prime, do let me know.
10. Catero Revolution | May 10th, 2007 at 5:56 pm
I appreciate everyone’s feedback. You’re all valued readers and I am (mentally) processing all the comments you’ve shared.
So, I’ve changed some of the format to incorporate these great ideas. You can look forward to categories and more concise product descriptions.
As for Oscar, I really needed the money to feed my … uh … kids?
11. Ryan Darragh | May 10th, 2007 at 6:54 pm
I don’t really have anything new to add…and yet I’m commenting anyway.
Seriously, I do want to second Cat’s observations as well as confirm that some others have the right ideas about how and why our coverage is what it is. Both Cat and I do refer to the New Releases forum for ideas and announcements. There are designers who let us know about new releases as they happen or even in advance. I also like to check in periodically at certain shops where the designers may not routinely post forum announcements or otherwise publicize new releases, but honestly this is the least efficient, most time-consuming way to find out about new items and I do this less and less as time goes by.
In his comment, Oscar touches on the interesting reality of the quality-and-quantity situation in SL menswear. The simple truth is that I myself am not terribly interested in covering a menswear collection that consists of just a few items, most of them t-shirts. The designers I want to cover are those whose collections are interesting, noteworthy and growing. Of course this is my personal preference, but it’s my personal time I’m taking to do this, and it needs to be fun and feel worthwhile for me to do it. I hope the result is that it’s fun and worthwhile for you to read the coverage.
I promise that we’re always on the lookout for new designers to cover. When we review certain designers frequently, it’s because we think their continuing design work and ongoing commitment to designing for SL men merits the additional attention.
As always, thanks for reading!
12. Feature: Where the Boys A&hellip | January 2nd, 2008 at 4:01 pm
[...] + Photos [MSS][Paratge (1) - Justin] [Paratge(2) - [...]
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