Written by Maddox DuPont
Men have an inherent need to stand out. Generally speaking, men want to be in control, to be noticed, to attract the opposite sex (well, mostly), and to be seen as successful, confident and strong. This often opposes the way male clothing is designed in Real life and why it is so colourful in Second Life. With women’s clothing, there is such a great, broad variety of ways to express different moods; female fashion is flamboyant, bright, sexy, and fun. Men’s clothing however, is much more subdued.
Is it surprising then, that when some men – or even stylists, try to make a fashion statement in Second Life, their ensembles are often unwearable. No one wants to look like a Christmas Tree. Men want to stand out for a show – not for a beating. In saying that, it is still possible to express yourself with color, even if you are male. Keep in mind that less is almost always more – two colors will often do, in addition to black and white.
When it is time to make a fashion statement, I suggest you restrain your colors. Sure we want to stand out, but we still do not want to look like women. Rely on details to add color, flair and originality to your outfit. Men often forget about the small details. They are concerned only with having the biggest and latest items. That’s why you see so many guys addicted to muscle and red cars in real life, while in Second Life our male fashionists parade somebody else’s idea of style. Just because is it is a latest release, that does not make it fashionable. Remember, unless you are making a trend, you are following one.
To create a trend you do not need to be a designer or a stylist. You just need to be creative. Clothes are your palette, mood is your brush, occasion is your canvas.
< read a complete GLAMsl Magazine article and get style info – after the jump >
As you know from my last article, I do not believe in wearing things from a box, meaning – buy the outfit and wear the outfit. It is always better to make your own outfits, unless we are talking about formal attire – and even then if there is room to play, you should play. I also do not believe (anymore) in getting an ominous fat pack of every color (recovering shopperholic here). After wearing the same item only few times, and always in same color, I realised designers are businessmen first and designers later. So I said goodbye to my addiction in order to be able to afford things that I actually wanted to wear, and could use in many combinations. Choose the color that suits you and you are most likely to wear, something that matches perfectly everything else you own, that is my advice to you.
For this article I’ve selected to show you four looks, and once again I combined different clothing and applied a lot of modification to give it a new look – all while keeping away from too many bright colors. I aimed for masculine lines, while adding the detail that will cause others to look at you a second time.
First up is a sleek and dangerously sexy look for those guys that like to wear their suits, but do not want to look too formal.
Simon is wearing a Blaze Wool Suit in Khaki with a Gisaci Classic Italia Button Up grey shirt. Both of these items were tinted to make them less bright and more equal in tone and value, so as to better match the black tie – also from Gisaci. Clobber Padded Leather Stitched Gloves have been edited to make them into riding gloves, and messed up hair from Good Life style Broder in Midnight suggests Simon has just come out of his convertible and is ready for a formal affair. I made the handkerchief myself out of sculpties to brighten the ensemble and add some detail. Simon wears PXL Adam Skin in TAN (Shaved v6) and subtle color Miriel Sepia eyes. Simon is of medium height and has a slender built shape – available from MADesigns.
Danger does not get hotter than this. This outfit is sure way to make a statement. For a dare devil with an attitude within you.
MADesigns Shape Harley is medium built and tall, presented here with the same PXL skin, Miriel Nectarine eyes and Interactive Golden Platinum hair from Chase. Notice that Harley is not a natural blond. Redgrave’s plain beige pants are an unexpected choice for this rough-looking outfit, but they compliment it well. The Engineer boots from Zero Number have been tinted slightly to match the darkness of the Rider Jacket from the ZOO, which borrows prim elements from Sey sode1 jacket on its sleeves and around the biceps. For some color, a Wakaz-O-Matic Red Scarf from Bare Rose (as part of the outfit). The perfect compliment to this look were FNKY Aviators in Gold – an absolute classic, and a must have for any guy.
Afternoon events call for more brighter clothing, so the next outfit allowed for some play with color. Dexter’s killer outfit started with this Luna Suit Jacket in Midnight from Shai (part of outfit) and Redgrave’s plain white pants and crème sweater provided the perfect texture for it. City walk shoes from Shiny Things grounded this bright outfit well. The orange hanky on his jacket is reflected in a bone Saint Claw necklace from Redgrave and Mhaijik’s Jaitay Gold and Gold Ring. Minnu Skin, hair from Truth, and eyes from FNKY were a subtle canvas for the play of color in this outfit. Dexter is tall, slender, and to die for – only from MADesigns.
While on the topic of death… fresh from under the wheels of a steam punk tank, Lachlan embodies tons of details from one of my favourite accessory creators – Monogrind. I started with casual comfort jeans from Body Politik, and tinted them a brownish color, with a dark green tank top from Ducknipple and boots from Angry Monkey . Belts, gloves, necklace and glasses are all from Monogrind. His hair is from the Truth. The belt needed to be tilted, as well as the glasses – I almost wanted him to look over them if he had to, so I lowered them down to the middle of his nose – it’s all about how you wear things. The skin is from the Abyss and Brown Storm Eyes from FNKY were made to be consistent with the rest of the outfit. The only detail that stood out were blood marks on the tank top, and red screws on the backpack.
I just love strolling down our KMADD City, just observing people walking about. I get inspired and also notice what people enjoy wearing. It is better than being stuck in some dark corner of a nightclub looking at newbies who have not yet worked out where to buy a decent skin. If you want to get inspired and start a trend, go where people buy and wear good clothes. Go to GlamWorld, Kmadd City, The Block, Tableau, Bare Rose, Armidi, just to name a few, and see how skilled some people are at putting their outfits together. See what has already been done and get inspired to do something unique and true to yourself. Steal from the best, but make it your own.
Make a statement!
All Shapes featured in this article are vailable for sale @ MADesigns Store.
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