CnS

Going Out with a Bang

I came up with this style as I was searching for a look for a bonfire party. I know it's not November yet, but I like an excuse to start burning things early in the year.

O'Lantern is a recent Lookr release that's simply fun to wear. Whether it's in the run up to Halloween or long after, this oddly expressive character tshirt is a great addition to your wardrobe. It sits nicely beneath this open shirt from a Barerose set; the plaid texture makes this fairly traditional, easy wear and the wide roll-up cuffs add a little extra flare. The prims are a bit of an odd fit, but with some stretching, twisting and turning you can achieve a reasonable result.

The jeans are from Aitui, very low-rise with forced creases on the thighs and a bronzed zipper on the right side. The inside of the legs have a double-line of stitched seaming and you'll find the maker's label above the back pockets.

The belt has a sharper detailing than the rest of the outfit, drawing the eye slightly. Still, I like the quality you find from Kalnins, and this simple and classic style is one that would work equally well in a more formal setting. To give you a bit more for your money, it's scripted to colour change (and the shades are very nice) and there's even a shine option if you want a bit more bling on your hips.

The trainers by SOREAL are very high res: Adam tells me they're made at a higher res than SL actually allows on clothing textures. Prim textures tend to look best when blurred to match the rest of the mesh, but you really can't knock SOREAL for good textures. If the shine isn't enough to persuade you, be swayed by the fact that these are completely sculpted and very well put together. You can't really go wrong if you're looking for current casual shoes.

Accessories come by way of scarf and cuff. You can take pretty much anything from your Summer wardrobe and prep it for Autumn with a scarf, and there is such a range on the grid at the moment that you'll find yourself spoilt for choice. Aitui's contribution is this lightly patterned muffler which wraps once around the neck, with thick, tasseled ends resting to the front. If you want a scarf that doesn't envelop the rest of your outfit, this is the perfect choice: short and snug.

The cuff from Shiny Things is festooned with hand-painted beads, strings and rings. It has an ethnic feel to it, an artistic piece to adorn your wrist with on those days where you'd rather not be tied to your watch.

To finish, I'd like to credit the hair. There's something about a messy style that I can't resist, and this medium length wig from Junwave is just the ticket. I love the deliberate arrangement: the hair is a good length all over, spiking out to the sides and back. A section has been swept over to the top, with a barely parted fringe to the front leaving these piercing blue eyes from MADesigns to shine through.

Outfit:

Scarf: Aitui, Double Wrap Muffler Scarf, Plain - Pea
Overshirt: BareRose, Naoya - Black
Tshirt: Lookr, O'Lantern - Black
Belt: Kalnins, Belt - Elegance
Jeans: Aitui, Tokyo Jeans, Ultra Low Rise - Medium Wash
Shoes: Soreal, City Steps Sneakers (SSN001) - Black
Cuff: Shiny Things, Belou Cuff - Black

Body:

Hair: Junwave, Masaki - Brown
Eyes: MADesigns, Eyes Exposed - Love
Skin: Belleza, Ewan - Med 7
Pose: Cns Poses, Male Model s1 - Standing 006b

Comments: 0

Tagged: Aitui, BareRose, Belleza, CnS, For your Second Life, Lookr, MADesigns, Mens Fashion, Shiny Things, SOREAL

Why, wouldn't you?

This jacket from Grasp demanded blogging, and while it's available for both men and women, Adam beat me to it this time. I have to say that my personal preference for coats is that they use the jacket layer and then prims to detail: this one doesn't disappoint, offering some very well made sculpted parts. The prims fit neatly without the need for editing, and there are plenty of sculpted embellishments. "Nothing a texture wouldn't sort," Adam said when inspecting the many sculpties used to create a button, "but kudos for the effort". Close examination shows that even the zips on the arms have their own sculpties, and while it seems there is quite a lot of photosourcing, there are some nice details like the hand stitching on the neck. A lot of effort went into this one.

The tshirt is iSpy from Lookr. I'll admit my designs are eclectic, but I often run with an animal theme. This one was inspired by our dog making eyes at me when I refused to share a snack with her. I think I managed to capture something of that woeful longing in her eye: wear it enough and you may find people start to pass you gifts out of some unplaceable sense of guilt.

A trip to LikeA produced these grungy jeans, which really won Adam over. They have an interesting colouration at the top that's seldom seen in SL. Using it here makes the jeans more unique, and a worthy addition to your wardrobe even if you already own your fair share of denim. The cuffs have a good slouch to them and are scripted for easy resizing. The only downside with that is the cuffs are no-modify so tinting is impossible. With most standard sky settings they render fine, but unusual lighting may give a sharper contrast.

The neckchain is also from Grasp and shows the same level of care and thought as the jacket. Because the tags are done in the same style as the jacket buttons, there's a certain amount of harmony in this outfit's design, which rounds the whole thing off nicely.

Belleza came up trumps with this skin. I can't resist the handsome smile, the perfectly hewn body, and that fine sprinkling of stubble that somehow jellifies my feeble female form. Rest assured that my love of the Belleza's ladies lines is completely irrelevant here. Notice how I didn't even mention the fact that I can shop in the opposite room while my better half peruses the latest in manly tans? I hope you noticed. I wouldn't want you to have me down as a self-centred skinaholic.

Moving swiftly on to the finale, this hair is another great style by MADesign. The sculpts give their dos an edge and charm that's easy to appreciate, proving to the sceptics that while there is generally a lot less choice in men's hair on the grid, there are some fantastic designers out there doing it for the boys.

Outfit:

Jacket: Grasp, Leather Biker Jacket - Brown (Mens)
Tshirt: Lookr, iSpy - White (M)
Trousers: LikeA : DP#01 - Black
Jewellery: Grasp, Dog Tag (Mens)
Shoes: Shiny Things, Old Boots - Hard Black

Body:

Hair: MADesigns, Jeremy - DB II
Eyes: MADesigns, Eyes Exposed - Love
Skin: Belleza, Ewan - Med 7
Pose: Cns Poses, Male Model s1 - Standing 001b

Comments: 0

Tagged: Belleza, CnS, For your Second Life, Grasp, LikeA, MADesigns, Mens Fashion, Shiny Things

The Difference Between Penguins and Cats

I get cold really easily, which can be a problem when you live in the UK. When I go out I usually have three or four layers on, and in the winter I refuse to leave the house without a full-length coat and one of my ridiculous hats. I'm all about the log fires and roast dinners from early October til late March.

Adam is more the sort of person who throws a scarf on over a tshirt, steps out into the open air and remarks about how it's "nice and fresh". That's pretty much what this outfit is about.

If you're going to wear a scarf, this one is definitely a good buy. Argrace have done a neat job, creating something that is as much a fashion statement as it is about defending from the elements. As a bonus, no fitting was needed. This crosses around the neck without any fuss, and is detailed to the ends with stringy tassels. Available in lots of colours, and Adam tells me there's a women's version too. I'll be all over that a little later.

Cosy is a classic tshirt. It's simple but striking, and available at the Lookr store in several colour choices for both men and women. Even with short sleeves, this manages to look warm and inviting, but if you did want to pop on another layer then a long-sleeved tee beneath would give you some extra coverage without stealing the style.

The jeans are by Zaara, and I don't think this is the last time they will make an appearance on the blog. The texturing is spot on, with subtle shading, creasing and stitching details defining these as seriously stylish casuals. For maximum wear, three prim options are offered for the cuffs. All of them are superbly executed.

The shoes are low top chucks from Akeyo. These are a good casual shoe, well textured with stitch and eyelet details, as well as lace sculpts. The pack comes with 'closed' and 'open' versions of the shoe, depending on how laid back you want to make your look.They're also recolourable, so there's plenty of wear to be had.

The skin is from a complete avatar set from MADesigns. I'm not used to inspecting male skins in intricate detail (if you had me down for a pixel perv, you were sorely mistaken) but this one seems to tick all the boxes from my point of view. When you get close up youll notice the features are actually very soft, but the body remains well defined even at a distance. The torso is seriously toned, with downy hair on the chest and leading down from the belly button - the legs are also very muscular, so you may need to adjust your thighs to properly fill them out.

The finishing touch is a watch by GOS. If you're familiar with the brand, you may feel GOS watches are expensive, but considering how intricate the pieces are, with no prim-count spared, they do make a good choice for the discerning buyer. They certainly stand out, so work well as a statement piece.

Outfit:

Scarf: *ARGRACE*, Long Stole(M) - Paisley - Black
Tshirt: Lookr, Cosy - DGreen (M)
Trousers: Zaara, Classic jeans for men - Indigo
Shoes: AKEYO, Chucks - Low Top
Watch: GOS, Steel Navitimer

Body:

Hair: MADesigns, James - DB II
Skin and Eyes: MADesigns, Complete Avatars - Jayden (White)
Pose: Cns Poses, Male Model s1 Standing 006

Comments: 0

Tagged: Akeyo, Argrace, CnS, For your Second Life, GOS, MADesigns, Mens Fashion, Zaara