Sexy is as sexy does

March 5th, 2009 at 05:02pm Ryan Darragh

Life is like a box of chocolates.  That’s all I have to say about that.  Sexy is as sexy does.  Okay, neither Forrest nor his mother ever said that last one.  It sounds like something my granny might have said, if she hadn’t been raised so very prim and proper.  My granny, and my grandad for that matter, had a million little sayings.  One of her favorites was: “Some people just ain’t happy unless they ain’t happy.”  I remember her using that one a lot when I was little.  I didn’t understand what it really meant until years later, but then I realized it was one of the most true things I’ve ever heard.

What, then, is sexy?  We could probably spend all day on that one and never agree, and even then neither your S.O. nor mine might agree with either of us.  Sexy is a puzzle, a conundrum, a challenge.  All I can say with certainty is that most of us would say we know it when we see it.  Far from being a cop-out, that too is a profoundly true thing, if only because our evaluation process for what is sexy is, ah, not entirely cerebral.  It isn’t just our brains that know from sexy.

All I can do, really, is show you some things I think are sexy.  You may or may not agree, but hopefully you’ll find at least one thing that grabs your attention (grabs something, anyway) and sends you shopping.  It may come as little surprise that most of these items are from Cubic Effect–mirai Jun is one of several designers doing remarkable work with sculpted-prim clothing.  (One of my absolute favorite sweaters is from Cubic Effect.)  I can’t even describe all of these items as simply “prim-enhanced” as in many cases the sculpties are actually doing the lion’s share of the work in defining the garment’s form and structure.  When done well, sculpted prims can not only bring additional realism to clothing items but make them truly beautiful as well.

So, back to the question of the day: what is sexy?

Sexy is casual.

I love love love mirai’s Cleric Shirt for men (L$320).  The pinstripe fabric print is a brave choice, as narrow stripes can really look like hell on SL garments.  That’s when you realize that those contours that look so smooth on your skin…well, really aren’t, not so much.  It’s all illusion.  Smoke and mirrors!  Avatars are made of polygons.  Polygons have edges.  We’re stuck with it.  Here, in my humble opinion, the stripes actually look quite good, all things considered.  I think it helps that the colors are muted, and that the stripe pattern is small enough that it doesn’t really resolve into stripes until your view is close enough for them to look pretty good.  (My theory, ahem.)  The sculpted cuffs are simple and elegant, but the collar piece is fairly complex as the shirt is open to mid-chest…sexy, remember?  The collar actually includes some of the surrounding shirtfront, so the shirt will have the right look across a hopefully wide range of torso proportions.  I bought it in blue for myself, but a bunch of other colors are available.  Here I’ve paired the Cleric Shirt with mirai’s Long Length Jeans (L$110).  These are baggy, comfy-looking jeans with sculpted “cuffs” that are really more like the entire lower leg.  These have great natural-looking bagginess, plus realistic drape of the hem over the instep and fall over the heel.  The faded denim fabric texture isn’t bad, either.  One criticism: I was unable to align the inner seams on the cuffs with those on the pants-layer garment, or even get close.  Overall, though, I really like these jeans.

Sexy is comfortable.

Another good match for these jeans is the Hooded Parker (L$400).  I’ve seen (and worn) a lot of hoodies, including many that were well executed, handsome, and comfy–but this is the first one I’d call sexy.  It’s also the most complicated hoodie I’ve ever fitted, with several sculpted pieces that have to be properly sized and aligned (but I’ll say more about fitting in a minute).  The fabric looks plush, like you could crush it softly between your fingers without worrying about wrinkles.  The look, with its casual not-quite coverage, definitely emphasizes comfort over all else save, just possibly, style.  (And you thought that off-the-shoulder was only for strapless cocktail dresses.)  Sculpted attachments make the pushed-up sleeves, the extra-long length that falls well past the hips, and the wide-open collar with hood.  The hood itself, rather than fitting at the top of the neck in back, falls away carelessly to one side and down to one shoulder blade.  I’ve added a white tank, just to retain some mystery and make it more of a tease than a free show, but you may prefer to do without–and that works, too.  There’s a nice selection of colors, but I got mine in red, the brighest of the bunch.  With this red-white-and-blue thing I’ve got going, I feel kinda like Smallville’s Clark Kent.  Only sexier.

Sexy is revealing.

Although the shirt and hoodie put hints of skin on display (smaller and larger hints, respectively), the Suede Half Coat for men (L$385) abandons pretty much all subtlety in favor of full display.  Hey, that skin wasn’t cheap!  You might as well show it off.  You can certainly wear this coat with a shirt, and indeed I do, but take a tip from the store vendor artwork and try it without.  While you’re taking tips, take one from me: after much back-and-forth in fitting, it finally clicked that I needed to fit this coat, um, like a coat, and not like a shirt.  Put simply, coats are bigger than shirts, and the fit on this coat is big and loose–no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t make it fit close like a shirt and look right at the same time.  The spread collar and the loose, almost blousey rolled-up sleeves are sculpties, while the main body of the open coat is flexi, so it falls well away from your waist and has nice drift and movement.  I found the fabric texture to be somewhat Impressionist in its execution–it looks quite realistic at normal viewing distance and even on closer inspection, but if you zoom in very close it starts to look more abstract.  That’s just an observation, not a criticism, and this effect may well be more apparent on the lighter beige coat I bought than it is on some of the other, darker colors.

Here I’m also wearing the Cotton Pants for men (L$190) in a deep, dark brown.  These are much like the Long Length Jeans in construction, so there’s not a lot more to say about them other than that, unlike the jeans, they’re available in a slew of different colors.  I was able to get better inner seam alignment on these pants than I could on the jeans.

Sexy is unexpected.

Anyone who noticed my reference the other day to Kith’s “harem pants” may well have been wondering.  I had thought he might just include them in his own outfit, but he didn’t, so I figure that makes them fair game.  So: Behold!  mirai Jun’s Flare Trousers (L$290).  Imagine the sound of a trumpet fanfare.  Now, if I’m to be completely honest with you, I must confess that at first I wasn’t sure about these pants, but Kith assured me that I could pull them off.  (Hmm, the way that came out it sounds kinda funny.  Words are crazy things.)  For those of you keeping score at home, they are not actually harem pants–they’re just very loosely fitted, with a shape and drape that should be smoothly flowing fabric, and would be if only sculpties could be flexi, too.  Those are indeed waist-to-ankle sculpties, with a pants-layer garment underneath, to fill in any gaps that may arise and so preserve your modesty.  The impractically high waist is more stylish form than actual function, as it doubles back over all around, decidedly not fastened in front by two oversize buttons.  If you find yourself uncertain about wearing these to a business meeting or job interview, I can’t blame you.  Consider them instead for lounging around the house and for, shall we say, more amorous pastimes.

My sweater here vis the only featured item not from Cubic Effect: the Transparent Knit Sweater (L$390), by Emilia Redgrave.  I love the earth tones, the asymmetrical flap collar, and the big, chunky weave.  True to its name, the woven fabric itself is magically semi-transparent, so it takes on your own skin tone and allows a hint of your fine physical definition to show through.  The effect is subtle but noticeable; here you can probably make it out most readily in the prim sleeve pockets and sculpted cuffs.  This beautiful sweater has immediately become another of my all-time favorites.

So go on, drop a dime on something sexy.  Your other half will appreciate it!  All designs by mirai Jun are available at Cubic Effect (Chantilly 112, 138, 28).  Emilia’s sweater can be found at Redgrave (REDGRAVE Mens Fashion 34, 241, 22).

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It has undoubtedly not escaped your attention that these designs are a bit on the pricey side.  I won’t lie to you.  Do I think they’re expensive?  Yes.  Do I think they’re overpriced?  Thoughtfully considered, no.  These are carefully planned, well executed, unique garments that offer plentiful wear options and real beauty.  I do offer the following few caveats and observations.

No demos are provided for any of these Cubic Effect designs.  This is unfortunate, because fitting these is challenging, to say the least.  (Actually, I believe the phrase I used at the time was “bitch and a half.”)  I think I spent about an hour and a half fitting the five C.E. garments.  Also, permissions are No Copy, which allows you to give them as gifts but means you can’t make backup copies of prim pieces before you start tweaking.  Make sure your confidence level is high, no alcohol beforehand (trust me), and for God’s sake use a posing stand!

Highly primtastic clothing presents special challenges to your AO (and modeling poses, if you use them–here again, trust me).  You may find that some garments seem to “break apart” in certain poses.  Careful coordination is called for.  Also, prims in general (not just sculpties) reflect light differently than mesh (layer) clothing does.  You may notice that the garment color matches more or less well at lines where prim and clothing-layer sections meet, depending on lighting conditions.  This is the nature of the beast.

I don’t pretend to understand more than the basic idea behind sculpted prims, but I hear they’re not simple.  All things considered, I’m less likely to demand 100% perfection when complex sculpties are at play.  I did notice the very occasional visible prim edge or other small apparent irregularity, but nothing that in any way detracts from the beauty of the garment at normal viewing distance.  I’m being specific here just for your information, not to pick these designs apart.

For those who bothered to read this far: Art imitates Life.

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

Notes: On Ryan: "Daniel" skin by Simple Spad (Signature). "TFH26" hair by boo Nakamura (booN). White tank by Shai Delacroix (Casa Del Shai). Boho Sandals by Fallingwater Cellardoor (Shiny Things). Heart Gold and Leather Choker by Mhaijik Guillaume (Mhaijik Things). Bone & Silver Engraved Choker by Faery Sola (Studio Sidhe). Guardian Cross necklace by Masaru Raymaker (M.R.M.).

Entry Filed under: Casual,Coats,Cubic Effect,Designer Reviews,Jeans,Pants,Redgrave,Shirts,Sweaters