Wicked styles

December 1st, 2009 at 10:04pm Ryan Darragh

Wow, um, sorry about that post title.  Apparently I’m pathologically unable to resist a pun, even a fairly obvious one.  I’m also such a sucker for sweet fabric textures, I can’t even tell you.  Maybe this is why I find Wicked Loudon’s new menswear designs so appealing.  After all, one could argue that, on the surface, they’re not necessarily breaking much new ground from a design perspective.  Sweater vest with shirt?  T-shirt?  Jeans?  Ho-hum, I hear you saying…some of you, anyway, and you know who you are.  But surely there’s room enough in the world for designers to put their own spin on familiar items, and hopefully, just maybe, bring something to them that’s fresh?  I like to think so.  Because here’s the thing: a good designer can take a familiar design and bring freshness to it, even if it’s “only” the designer’s own unique stylistic tweaks.  I don’t know about you, but in RL I have more than one pair of jeans.  Let’s not even talk about shoes.  And am I a whore for a beautiful sweater?  You bet your ass I am.

This brings me back to Wicked Loudon’s clothing designs for men.  Even if you find yourself less than wowed by the admittedly limited initial selection (a handful of unique items, but each in several variations), you can’t help but be impressed by the fabric texture work on display.  Consider first the Sweater Vest combo I’m wearing here—the fabric textures make the garments look lovingly worn and comfy rather than pristine and new.  The wrinkles and folds are soft, not crisp, and the shading suggests some slight fading from wear, not just highlights.  There’s no prim collar, but you do get sculpted cuffs.  Shirt and vest are combined on the jacket layer, which makes sense.  My only gripe is that the front-to-back texture alignment is slightly off on the left side, at the collar.  L$95; shown in Espresso (Vest) and Black (Shirt), but you’ll find several other color combos to choose from.

I’m also wearing the Nouveau Jeans, in Jetwash finish, with Ripped texture.  You may say, “Oh, Ryan, there are tons of jeans out there!” and you’d be right, of course.  But did I mention that I own more than one pair?  I’m sure it’s possible to have plenty of jeans, but I’m not sure it’s possible to own too many.  Wicked’s jeans have sculptie cuffs that slouch realistically over your shoes or feet, and the fabric texture has details that suggest photo-sourced origins, but the overall look is that of hand-painted softness.  Choose from a wide range of washes and finish options; Jetwash Ripped is shown here.  L$100 a pair.

My shoes are the Nouveau Slip Ons, in the pattern called Night Check.  These are classically familiar Vans-style old friends, with the rubber sole construction we all know and love.  But for me it’s the realistically detailed canvas texture that really sells them and makes them work.  A boatload of different designs is available; as you see, I also like them in Alice Swirl White.  L$125 a pair.

For an even more casual look, I turned (as I do in RL, pretty much all summer long) to tee, jeans and sandals.  NouMir Graphic Tees come in a wide range of colors, with graphic designs in a variety of styles an subjects, so there’s almost no excuse for you not to take home at least one.  The wrinkle and fold shading is a bit heavier than I prefer myself, but that’s perhaps not inappropriate for a tee, especially if the look you’re going for is “Just Rolled Out of Bed on Saturday Morning.”  L$95 each.  Here the jeans are Medium Wash Paint-stained.  My sandals are Wicked’s Beach Flip Flops.  Their sculpted shape is sturdy rather than delicate, but not at all ungraceful.  This color combo is Espresso/Soil, but you can choose your favorite from several different variations.  L$155 a pair.  Although they don’t have the scripted “bonus” features of some of my favorite eyewear, Wicked’s Aviators sunglasses have a beautifully smooth sculpted shape, with oversize lenses and retro proportions.  L$95 a pair; shown in White Gold/Black Fade.

My third ensemble features the Trademark Jacket + Tee in Bronze.  This interesting design features several different fabric textures, clear muscle detailing that suggests a skin-tight fit, and almost baroque embellishments.  It’s not the kind of thing I typically go for, but when I saw it in the shop I knew I had to give it a try.  Several colors, L$85 each.  Worn here with the Nouveau Jeans in Diesel.  The Liberty Boots are ankle-high and very military-issue, but with a bit more style than you might expect to find at the Army-Navy Store.  I understand it’s not easy to make “one-piece” boots that work well—in fact, the rumor I hear is that it’s a bitch of a challenge—and the ones I’ve tried on all show signs of the designer’s efforts to beat the beast into submission.  Here, Wicked has used a fairly substantial invisiprim on each boot to prevent ugly fallout like your ankles pushing through the tight-fitting sides.  You may, as I did, decide to use Edit Linked Parts to tweak the invisiprim to a minimum footprint (so to speak) that still does the job.  L$145 a pair in a bunch of colors.

Unfortunately, there are no demos available for the shoes or other prim accessories, although there are demos for hairstyles and skins.  Maybe this is something Wicked can do in the future.  You’ll also find a line of clothing for women, and a growing selection of hairstyles that includes one, “Alexander,” for men.  (This was released after I had already taken the pictures for this post…d’oh!)  I happen to think it’s a great style, so let’s all band together and encourage Wicked to come up with not just more clothing but more hairstyles for men.  In fact, buy “Alexander” today to show your support!  No, seriously.  Go and buy it now.  Try on the demo, at least!

All available at Nouveau Miranda (Nouveau Miranda 132, 100, 79).  Look for Nouveau Casuals shoes and Glamrock Jackets as dollarbies.

Disclosure: Seen in world: Yes | Review copy: Some | Friends list: No

Notes: On Ryan: "Narcissus" skin by Theodore DuCasse (Zanzo). "Hinder" hair by Bryce Tully (Bryce Designs).

Entry Filed under: Boots,Casual,Designer Reviews,Eyewear,Jeans,New Items,Nouveau Miranda,Sandals,Shirts,Shoes,Sweaters