Men's Second Style

As a rule, out of professional and general courtesy, I make every effort not to co-opt someone else’s idea for an ensemble, no matter how impressed I am with the accomplishment. However, a while back I was at one of my more favorite dance clubs, and it was a theme night, but a non-specific theme night, if you know what I mean—I think it may actually have been Come As You Are. It definitely wasn’t Sands of the Sahara, Enchantment Under the Sea, or Pocket-Sized And Smokin’ Hot (at least, I don’t think so). Anyway, I noticed a guy there rather boldly attired all in pink, and I thought, “Unexpected, and yet it works.” So of course, as one does, at least as I do, I sent him a complimentary IM and hoped he would volunteer a shop name or even a landmark (otherwise, I would just have to inquire more directly). Turns out he was called Galen Dudek, and he was in fact the designer of his own ensemble, which just goes to remind us once again how very small the Second World can be.

For a while, I tried to resist the idea of appropriating another’s (although of course I would consider it an homage rather than an appropriation and certainly offer credit where credit was due). After all, I had made a point of visiting the shop and the various clothing designs did in fact come in colors other than pink. And yet…and yet it was working so well in my head, and I was sure I could have some fun with it. So I decided, Caution, be ye thrown unto the winds, and I sent an IM to Galen that said “Hey, just FYI, I’m totally stealing your Pretty In Pink idea.” I believe his response was “LOL” (I’m pretty sure that’s verbatim). Feeling entitled and justified, or at least emboldened, I started accessorizing.

Galen’s Antonias Shirt is dance-club dressy, seemingly conservative in overall style but with a fabric texture that cleverly emulates disco-ball reflections on metallic threadwork, sequins, or other shiny, sparkly elements. The shirt is unbuttoned almost to the waist (no “just a tease” here), the better to show off your Tony Manero dance moves. I like the contrast of this dressy shirt with the decidedly casual Pink Jeans, with their wash-faded fabric texture, their tightly rolled (almost pegged) cuffs, and their slim-slim fit.

If you’re feeling oh-so-slightly less uninhibited, you may prefer to opt instead for the Glitterati Shirt. It looks to have been cut from the same cloth as Antonias, or perhaps it’s even the same shirt worn by a diferent guy, or the same guy in a different frame of mind—sleeves neatly cuffed at the wrist rather than casually rolled up, collar crisply in place rather than “popped” up, shirt front discreetly buttoned rather than extravagantly open. I’ve paired this shirt with Galen’s Pink Striped Jeans. Something tells me that I won’t be the only one putting these together—the low rise, which is super-low indeed, seems intentionally designed to match perfectly the fall of the shirt’s hem and reveal just a hint of skin. Sculpted slouchie cuffs are the finishing touch.

Galen’s clothing designs are a nice find, and at reasonable prices—jeans are L$99, shirts just L$49. The texture work is overall quite fine. My only minor gripe might be that the shading under the pecs on the shirts seems maybe just a bit heavy. Sculpted attachments are no-mod, but they’re resize-scripted for fitting. Clothing items too are no-mod, which wasn’t a problem for me, but you’ll be out of luck if you want to tint (although I can’t imagine wanting to do that here) or, more importantly, alter the fit from the “out of the box” settings.

Look for these and a variety of other casual designs for men, in pink and other colors, at Twin Bridge Designs (Rue dAlliez 220, 138, 21).