Fashion Gifts for Guys

I found some great holiday gifts for your favorite guys at Soho Menswear, located on Hyades (216, 207, 28).
For under $100L you can get a knitted hat and scarf in a variety of colors. For a bit more, you can get custom shirts in a variety of colors, including some with added bling to them. The fancy shirts would be great for a New Yeaŕs Eve party. For only $55L you can buy a silk neck scarf to dress up a more traditional shirt.
     The shoe selection is very good, too. Snakeskin dress shoes are available in black, brown, and tan. Chucks come in red, brown, green, and a really fun blue SnowStar design. The shoes, hat and scarf set, and sexy meńs briefs are available in gift boxes that can be personalized, too.
     The man behind the designs is Boris Juneberry, a relatively new resident of SL. He came into the scene in February, 2009. Initially he started out with furniture design, but a few months ago he moved into meńs clothing. In RL, the man behind Juneberry is studying graphic design, and he is transferring those skills into SL.
In January, Juneberry plans to expand by adding styles for women.

Grey Lupindo

A Timeless Classic

Hats on Second Life are somewhat hit and miss, often the hat in theory is much better than what you end up wearing on your head, and if this is the case with ladies hats it is a hundred times more so with mens hats but there is a well kept secret that I am going to let you in on.
The remarkable hats made by Mr Whenever Timeless, not only are these hats beautifully made with fine textures, they hold an extra special suprise, they are scripted.
Ahh, I hear you say, a scripted hat, so what? Well these hats allow you to lift your hat to a lady, and there are several version of the "tip" so you can give a casual tip, a lift of the hat or a full bow, just like a real, old fashioned gentleman!
The range is constantly expanding, but it is a slow process as Mr Timeless has very high standards and is painstaking in his work. Good gentlemens hats are rare even in real life, but thanks to Mr Timeless they are now available in SL.
These hats are classics, with the secret of old fashioned manners built in. Ladies, take all the men (by which I mean your family and friends, not just your significant other) in your SL to Mr Timeless' store

Styles of Edo Tuxedo Collection 2008

Click images to see full size

Tuxedo 3 co ordinate 10

Tuxedo 3 co ordinate 01

Tux 01, with the shirt from co ordinate o2 and the waistcoat from co ordinate 38.

Tuxedo 02 corodinate 05 and tuxedo 01 coordinate 38.

Tuxedo o1 coordinate 02 and tuxedo 01 coordinate 38 again.

For weeks I have been waxing lyrical about the Styles of Edo new tuxedo collection. I have told you about the multitude of variations available (Edo himself claims 96 variations, but if you buy the indiviual neck ties etc I am certain you can get more - but NINETY SIX VARIATIONS - and not a bad one amongst them!). I have sung the praises of the details, colours and texturing. I have whispered that Edo is a god among menswear designers.
Weeks ago I was hoping to bring you an article that was most pictures of a selection of the collection, unfortunately computers die, connections fry and things happen - so only now am I able to bring you that article.To end this article I would like to say that there are limitations to SL photography and to the quality levels I can get Blogger to reproduce for me - so this is by way of a teaser - these clothes are a hundred times better in world than I can manage to reproduce here.

I would also like to thank Minty Bachem for modelling (he is also available to escort ladies to any formal event - he even has the wardrobe), also much thanks to Hempy Weezles and Medow5571 Shilova for stepping into the breach when our photographer lost their internet connection leaving us somewhat in the lurch. Great job guys, thank you.

And again, gents, go - add at least one of these tuxedos to your wardrobe - then you too will be helping make SL a prettier place one male avatar at a time.

Styling your Secondlife with Firehorse

This week I styled a male av for L$500 from www.SLexchange.com.
Now the process of signing up is basically similar to last weeks signing up at www.onrez.com, go to the website, fill in the details, go to the email address you registered with to get your activation code, find a terminal in world (easier because the site has a massive list of terminals for you to tp to), activate your account and pay the terminal – now the money you deposited is available for use on the SLexchange site.
Personally I didn’t find SLexchange particularly easy to use, the search doesn’t seem very refined, and the site feel didn’t suit me. In the past I have had problems with SLexchange – or to be accurate, the people who sell on there – because of the ability to sell second hand goods I have seen freebies being sold for quite large amounts of money and I have, in the past been ripped off – the item I’ve bought being nothing like the description. To be fair this can happen even in world or on any other out of world shopping site and there are thousands of users who use SLexchange who have never had a problem. My other small niggle is that for some reason SLexchange doesn’t allow you to gift freebies. Right – on to the styling.

The first purchase was a Redford skin from Sane Krasins for L$40. Now this was a most pleasant surprise – this is actually a good skin, it has good facial detail and on the whole good body detail – the back of the skin looks a little odd and the hands lace any refinement. But having said that my guinea pig commented that this skin was at least as good if not better than the skin he regularly wears.
The next thing was the JPC Animation Overrider for men, sold by Jhary Priestly for L$49. If I were kind I’d say nothing – after all – you can’t have high expectations of an L$49 AO – but I am not kind and seeing how many wonderful cheap (and free) AO’s are available for women I had hoped that this would at least be an improvement on the duck walk. It wasn’t – not unless you want to look like a Thunder Birds puppet. It was so bad that my guinea pig was reluctant to put it on even to show me – he’d tried it at home and caused an outbreak of rather unkind laughter.
The next item was hair – and searching for cheap mens hair on SLexchange made my eyes bleed – I was a dozen pages in before I got past the various free demos – but for you dear reader, I persisted. As a fashion addict I know how much bad hair there is out there, as a mens stylist I know how rare good mens hair can seem so imagine my delight when low expectations were more then surpassed. I bought Cabelo Renegade from Lasher Oh for L$39. This is a lovely hair, well textured, well coloured and with a refreshing, young, devil-may-care feel. A bargain indeed – I have seen much, much worse mens hair for a lot more money – my only caveat is that it may need resizing to fit you properly – if this hair came in a choice of sized it would be perfect.
On to the clothes, and if clothes maketh the man, then we might be struggling but – hey – I love a challenge.
My first purchase was “man belted pants in brown” For L$100 from Patoula Yao.
They have some nice details, they aren’t outstanding but they are reasonable and for everyday wear they fit the bill.
Next was the Empire Dark Collar Shirt from Arron Dreadlow for L$30. This shirt is a bit of a must have for the price. The only flaw is it is too short if it isn’t changed so you walk around with a bare belly button – not wonderful.
My next purchase was a pair of Urban Shoes from Slworld Boa for L$10 – these are unlaced. Very well made, very well textured and a real bargain if the style suits you (the mother in me wanted to shout at my poor guinea pig to do his laces up and put his shoes on properly – I am just not hip and trendy!).
The next purchase was the *Karizma* Black Tuxedo, by Karmen Harris for L$125. This was a disappointment. The front of the jacket is beautifully detailed, but the back has an unfinished look and the trousers have no detail.
To go with the tuxedo I bought a pair of **MQ sculpted Men shoe black by Mira Questi for L$51. These were a reasonable attempt, sculpted shoes aren’t easy to make and although a brave attempt I couldn’t recommend these.
Next I ventured into swimwear. I bought a pair of FD Swim Trunks from Frisco Laguna for L$30. These were great – a good design that most men would be more than happy to wear on the beach – an unqualified success.
To finish the look I opted for a pair of sunglasses with a black frame from Zoltan Beck for L$10. These are well made and my only gripe is the lens are clear but never the less quite fetching, if a little bookish.
To conclude, this experiment was not a total success and I couldn’t, in good faith recommend anyone tries this for themselves. If you know what you want, or want to get ideas to shop for in world then SLexchange is a great tool, and I dare say we would have been more successful if we’d been doing the same experiment for a female avatar, but good menswear is hard to find at the best of times, and SLexchange (or any off world shopping site) probably isn’t the best place to try to get your look together.
Much thanks to Mr Neuron Bandit, my guinea pig for this article who was a good sport and didn’t object to anything I made him wear (except the AO).

Style your Secondife with Firehorse

Todays article is late – for which I apologise – blame a certain SL wedding and a certain RL child deleting all my word documents by accident…Children – aren’t they just darling?
Anyway – today will be brief – mens freebies are harder to find than ladies – a lot of mens stores do special one off free gifts for men – join a good freebie group for more updates.
As mentioned last week Free Dove have mens stuff as well as womens items, also you should check out Sarah Nerd’s freebie paradise has some good items for all sorts of avs – more of this place next week.
IZUMIYA ,at MoonCat Ringo has freebies upstairs for men and women - good quality cheap stuff down stairs
Calla has free hair for newbies and a "jack" and "Jill"boxes which are complete avs for new people.
Also pick up a freebie box for male and female at the G spot cafe
and also the huge freebie boxees for men at SL- newspapers head office – the style your sl box there is all mens stuff and has a lot of full perm shapes as well as a choice of skins. I put it together myself – a lot of the items in this box are sold but as I got ‘em for free I’m willing to forgo profit for the joy of seeing SL a prettier place one male av at a time.
Also pick up a freebie box for male and female at the G spot café.
Freebie street is well worth a visit, not only are there bags of clothing for both male and female but lots of fun gadgets and toys (and boys love their toys – right?)
Hair is probably one of the hardest things for male avs to find – but as well as calla, ETD has very good quality almost free (ONE LINDEN guys – give me a break!).
Right – that’s it for now – more info in the note card at the newspaper head office.
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Ian%20Bernard/90/169/37

KMADD MENS UNDERWEAR FASHION SHOW

Explore the rich, yet sexy culture of the sun-drenched ancient Mediterranean, as the winged MAD Agency male models tickle your fancy (along with other parts!) amidst the burning pyres and life-like statues of immortal gods on Saturday, May 24 at 1:00pm SLT.
The fashion show, sponsored by several leading SL businesses (VISTA Animations, Material Squirrel, Costa Rica Sims and Runway Magazine) and featuring KMADD City designers, offers colorful and sparkling reminders of the sophistication of Greek and Roman taste and style, from the marbled columns to the richly ornamented terracotta vases filled with fresh blooms. Yet lust permeates the air, with the gorgeous male models making their way through the slow-moving mists spanning the cracked granite. The colliding moods of the show can even be seen in the invitation photo, shot by up-and-coming photographer Damon Varriale, combining elegance with a sizzle.
Please arrive 20 minutes before the start of the show to ensure a seat, and make plans to stay afterwards, as DJ Azu spins the tunes to get your blood boiling and your body sweating
Featured designers: Hoorenbeek Aitui, Brief Encounter, Valiant Vita, MENGB Style, MD Underwear, Muism, Casa Del Shai, Mechanism
Sponsors:Material Squirrel, Costa Rica Sims, VISTA Animations, RUNWAY Magazine

Launching of the Hombre Mens Collection for Nuclear Boutique

Come January 12, Saturday at 10 am,
Nuclear Boutique will launch their men's collection.
Nuclear Boutique has made quite a name for itself with gorgeous breathtaking women's designs. Now they are about to take men's clothing to the next level. The line will include casual wear, suits and suit alternatives in new and exciting styles and colors with fine detailing.
How many men in sl are always complaining about not being able to find the "right" mens clothing? Well search no more, now you can find all that you desire of well tailored beautifully designed men's clothing created and designed by one of the best designers in Secondlife.
Arikinui Adria holds nothing back as she designs this new line for men. She puts just as much pride and detailing into her mens line as she does her beautifully designed women's clothing.
The well known owner of Nuclear Boutique, Arikinui Adria, has been an artist for over 30 years. She focused on color and movement in her real life work and that has translated into the beautiful colorful designs that she creates for Nuclear Boutique.
Now for the couples that love to shop together you have a one stop shop for everything. No longer do you have to go from a spot to shop for her then leave to find a spot to shop for him. Now you can both shop in the same location for fabulous clothing!
Amanda Blackmountain and Briane Demme of Polish Up! are creating matching shoes for the outfits to complete the new stunning sets. Also Urid Dal, one of Second Life's premiere hatters and creator of fine accessories for men will have some of his exquisite items avialable in The Mens Shop.
To celebrate the release of the new line on January 12th, Nuclear Boutique will be having a scavenger hunt and prize give aways starting at 10am and running through 3pm SLT.

Date : 12 January 2008 (Saturday)
Time : 10 am
Venue : Nuclear Boutique: High Quality, Archipelago Wild (128,129.29)
Please join us for the unveiling of the most anticipated men's clothing launch in secondlife.

For more information please contact Arikinui Adria (owner) Nuclear Boutique
or Annette Wilder (owner) Wilder Public Relations Firm.

So whats on offer for the men this Xmas?

As the Christmas season approaches and the invitations pour in the fashion industry becomes a hive of activity bringing out wonderful gowns and evening dresses. In this hectic environment it is usually assumed that the men can 'find' a tux or suit and the focus is pointed squarely at the gowns.

But lets look at this - How good is a lady going to look if her partners suit/tux is below standard? There are hundreds of suits out there but few are well made. Styles of edo have to be one of the best, the huge range alone is enough to make a person go 'WOW'

Tuxedos come in many styles and the suit range is amazing, you cannot leave here without finding that perfect suit. The range of shirts and ties is equally large and you could are sure to find something to compliment your partners wonderful gown.
Your partner has undoubtedly spent many hours choosing just the right dress for the occasion, can the gentlemen do any less?

Styles of edo also have a few ladies gowns and cocktail dresses, these look deceptively simple, the attention to detail is what makes them stand out from the crowd.

Visit 'Styles of edo' this holiday season, you won't be disappointed.

Dana

SL's first award for new designers of men's clothes

Press Release from Second Guy Clothiers
October 30, 2007
Contact LB Fellini or Balthazar Balhaus

SL's first award for new designers of men's clothes.

Today Second Guy Clothiers announces the Ballini Award, which will recognize new designers of quality men's clothes.
Four Awards will be given in the areas of Business, Casual, Athletic, and Rebel Cool.
The winner in each category will receive a cash award of L$10,000, a 1/4 page ad on Men's Second Style magazine with a value of $3000 and one month of free retail space at Second Guy Clothiers including promotion.

Judging will be done by a distinguished panel in the world of men's fashion: Ryan Darragh of Men's Second Style, Shai Delacroix of Casa del Shai, Swaffette Firefly of SF Design, Jesseaitui Petion of Aitui, and Ben Vanguard of SLMen.com.
"Second Guy was founded on the principle of quality clothing for men and we are excited to help bring the best new talent in that area to public attention," said, Balthazar Balhaus of the Ballini Suite.

Submissions are due by Friday November 16. "We encourage everyone who has recently started to design in the area of men's clothes to entertheir best work for consideration.
We are casting a broad net and wish the best of luck to SL's next star designers." said LB Fellini of the Ballini Suite.

Winners will be announced at a party at Second Guy on Saturday December 8 and in Men's Second Style.

Rules for Submission
Eligibility: Less than one year in Second Life. Less than three months selling clothing for either sex. No stand-alone main store.
A designer may enter and win in more than one category.

Process to enter:
Send a folder with one set of clothes for each category you are entering to LB Fellini.
All clothing MUST be full permission so that it can be distributed to the judges.
Clothing will be relabeled as "no transfer" before it is sent to the judges. Do NOT submit your clothes directly to the judges or contact them for information. All folders MUST be labeled with the category you are entering followed by your name. Do not submit more than one outfit per category. Do not give your folder submission a clever name. If you do not receive a confirmation from LB Fellini after 24 hours, resend your submission. All submissions are due to LB Fellini by midnight PST Friday November 16. We reserve the right to consider your work in a different category than you have submitted it.
Category Definitions: Business traditional business wear as well as formal attire. Casual includes jeans, pants, shirts jackets, swimwearand underwear. Athletic includes clothing designed for any and all sports. Rebel Cool is a loosely designed category for alternative clothing including club wear and extreme urban fashion.

Finalist phase:
If you are chosen as a finalist in one or more categories, you will be asked to provide a full wardrobe for judging on Saturday November 24. Clothing will be judged on style, construction and originality. Winners will be invited to attend the party on December 8, but attendance is not required to win.

Mens fashion in SL?

Being down time today, I thought, what better way to spend my afternoon than buying a gift for the man in my life - turns out it was a long job, much longer than anticipated. Now mens fashion is something I have rarely looked for - the occasional suit for a friend - but fashion, no.

Ok SLExchange, the biggest shopping experience in SL I must be able to find something there? Well to be honest I did but what struck me most was the lack of mens clothing designers! Sure if you want shoes, boots, jewelry, or outrageous no problem, but day wear? Work suits of good quality? Yes I struggled.

There are some pretty good designers out there for the men - but nothing compared to the womans! The pictures you see here are a few of the ones I found today, and old favourites that I go to time and again, like RFYRE, NYTE N DAY and DE but I also found a few newer ones(at least new to me) like LAPOINTE DESIGNS (loved this shirt btw).

Classic menswear with style and wearability, probably what most men are looking for and its not that easy to find.

So if you know of a great mens designer add it to the comments here, let everyone share your good fortune - and designers maybe its time to think more about the menswear market?

DanaXxX