Gearing up -- new releases and gifts

Getting It On For Fall - The weather is getting chillier where I am, bringing back memories of of other autumns, halloween parties and fall festivals. Luckily Paco over at 22769 has me covered, and he does it so very well. First up is a gift for the Boo for 2 hunt. He's mixing it up a bit with these cords and a deep green silk shirt. The cords are relaxed and timeless, 50's style cuffs that go really well with my favorite Boots from Gabriel. Open collar shirt and a classic look all around. Free is good, but when 22769 gives you a gift, you know it's going to be something you want to wear, not just something you want to find so you can get to the next stop on the hunt.



Not free but amazingly reasonable at $190L is this very, very cool lightweight green parka with a fur-edged hood. The fur itself is very very fun and well done, and the jacket managed to stay with me when I moved -- something not all prim coats do. It comes with basic black jeans, rolled 50's style cuffs and and a really nice loose necked turtleneck in a brown//black color. The ribbed knit on the turtleneck is also well done. I think I want Paco to texture my RL clothes, thanks. This item was designed for the Gallery Gift Shop, so take a look around while there.

Real Men Wear Lavender - I'm not shy in my admiration for Lexi Vargas's work for Brocade Tiger. Here's a designer who started out wanting to make clothes he would wear for fun, who has only gotten better as he goes on. It's possible the fact that he's both a RL artist and an SL model contributes to this - if you've ever wandered through Rfyre, you've seen him on the posters there although chameleon that he is you may not recognize him at first.

All that aside, Lexi goes for the elegant and sometimes the outrageous -- if you ever wanted to wear Steampunk Glam, Lexi's the guy to go see. His latest release is Double Take, which is a colorfully fun take on a traditional style -- Classic suit styling in Lavender Plaid. Sharp pointed vest and open necked tie make it casual fun, and the placard pleat at the waist gives it the kind of detail only an artist (or a clothes horse like me) could love. It rings in at $250L and if you want to make a statement at a bash this autumn, slip this on and try not to look too smug. Now, if lavender isn't your thing -- feel free to view his less flamboyant other suits in a similar style.

Where Art Meet Function - artMEfashion is new to me but I have to say I was impressed right off the bat. The offering was this truly excellent and detailed Steampunk Duster in black. At $400L it's something you want to make sure you are going to get some wear out of -- but the details on this long coat are really worth looking at. The coat is self moves really well, has that worn leather look that's hard to translate in SL, has buckles enough for any Steampunk adventurer and the loose flexi details at the shoulder, collar and skirt are a whole lot of fun. Their catalog currently seems to be geared more toward the gals, but I only had a few minutes to look around and plan to go back. Demand creates opportunity, so if you are looking for some truly incredible Steampunk Gear, then by all mean encourage designer Moonstone Eiren into putting her remarkable talents toward more guy gear. All of us will thank you.

Twisted Unseelie Courts versus the Steampunk Hunters

I only wish I had more time to devote to both hunts; but I fear I'm going to miss some really excellent gifts on both. So I'm tagging some favs:

Sangre Noir, 22769, and CoLLisions:

I readily admit to my bias in favor of Sangre Noir. Noirran Marx has an eye for the gothic style with rich fabrics and small details that catch the imagination. Her offering for Twisted: Unseelie was one I knew I didn't want to miss because she never disappoints.

For the ladies there's a flowing silky shirt/dress, ruffled hem and flowing fabric attached to the shoulders and back with delicate dark roses. Like most of Noirran's designs, the fabric moves easily, and seems to slide against this skin. Worn alone, its a sexy mini or lingerie like casual. Worn with a skirt or jeans and it turns casual into elegant.

For the gents is the Unseelie Kilt, which obviously brought out my oft hidden dark elf side. Shimmering blue/black fabric, held up by a belt of roses caught on barbed wire. I like kilts. I like this kilt a lot.

The perfect match to the Sangre Noir design are two offerings from CoLLisions: Mab's Apprentice tattoo for the Twisted Hunt and for the men, The Pandemonium Necklace for Steam.

22769 rarely disappoints and being a ling time X-Men Fan (like prior to the current crop of cinematic representations) to see their take on two of the original X-Men in all their vintage glory fills me with glee.

For the ladies, Jean Grey effects her transformation into the elegant but lethal Phoenix, prior to any redemptive tales, and 22769 captures that leashed power an calm assurance we first saw in the First Lady of the X-Men. Cyclops is likewise captured; and I appreciate that the rendering eschews the overly ornate for the sleek lines and body hugging necessity of clothing a super hero. Or a pair of them.

All of these gifts are well done, are packed with imagination and creative spirit and can be yours for free. But like the silent movements of the Unseelie Courts and the unacknowledged heroics of the superhero set, the gifts too will fade from sight if you don't collect them soon.

Morning after the Day Before

Make Him Over 4 starts tomorrow, and I wanted to show some recent finds before that takes over my time and brain (not to mention my inventory).

After a long hiatus, the creative minds at Zanzo are trying to make it up to us: shirts eyes, new skins, they've been a busy bunch. This smart looking striped polo shirt came through as a gift this week, along with two pairs of eyes. Zanzo Le Classique Polo (Rochelais) is a double layered polo with rolled, buttoned sleeves and a prim lower shirt option to give you that loose fitting look so many of us prefer.

Paired with the shirt, I have on Fashion Bar Peppermint Blue's 3rd anniversary gift - Cell Frame Glasses in Midnight Blue, which are simple and sharp looking. There's a women's set in the gift as well. They come with a resizer and I really do like them better than most glasses I've paid for. Also from Peppermint Blue were the Paws Walker Tartan Blue Sneakers I'm wearing to go with F2H's September gift - Monday Jeans, available for free in their lobby.

Not to be outdone by anyone, 22769 has released more of their ethnic casual couture styles; on of which is their MHO4 Gift: Brown linen zebra pants & pink Comfisweater and for Festifall Fair: Fall kick off Leaves Vest & striped trouser.

Both outfits have that kind of funky fun casual look, but still with an edgy style. The striped pants, especially, are growing on me with each new version they release. And while Pink is not my first choice, ever, I have to admit mixing it with the brown makes it work for me pretty well. If they don't offer a unisex version of these, then there will be a complementary one for the ladies, so, take a jump over to 22769 tomorrow and take a chance on something a little off the wall, a little out of your comfort zone and a whole lot of fun.

The last thing isn't a freebie. The new Redgrave skin - King -- appeals to me on a lot of levels. It's got a truly different look from most skins -- older, mature male, a little rough around the edges without being a classic or historical warrior. I know in a few weeks, this skin will be everywhere, as Redgrave skins tend to be, but I think this one is worth taking a look at if you want to stand out among the other bad boys in SL. This skin is representative of the bad boy that makes it through to middle age and still has that sense of mischief, tempered by a lot of experience. There are two versions of the base skin, both tan. One with body hair and one without -- both come with multiple beard options. And then, there's the King FX skins, designed specifically for RPers. Roughs, scarred, bloodied and still standing. You can see it above in the Zanzo pictures for a close up of the face. Left is the full body version and Albertt Olkhovsky does a nice review and picture spread of it on his blog, Stylish Man.

Pictured: Redgrave Men: Tan Skin -King- /unshaved+base+bodyhair. A single iteration of a Redgrave skin runs $990L, Full packs are $2990L.

also pictured above is MADesigns Army Crop hair (also not free.)

Twisted Gears.

There's always hunts going on around the grid, but for some reason, fall seems to bring out the biggest and in someways, the best. Starting today a whole new set of hunts opened up including two of my favorites; Twisted and Steam Punk. Twisted has the benefit of a lot of seriously well known designers who all get to play a bit and put a slight bend in their designs, and really put their creativity to work. And Steam punk, well, I have a special place in my heart for the Steam Punk hunt: it's not so much that I use or need a lot of what is in the hunt, but it's all so damn clever! Seriously...they need an inworld museum just to show off some of the seriously amazing builds and gadgets that emerge from this hunt.

Neither hunt is limited to clothing; in truth I'd say clothing makes up less than half of twisted and even less than that of Steam Punk, but everything that you do get really is a testament to the amazingly smart dedicated people who make up the core of SL Life. But for some of what you can wear and just marvel at, stick around.

First up is#4 Mire, who always has something really fitting the themes of the hunts they participate in. Pathfinder is a full outfit except shoes, Tailcoat and ragged jacket and pants, top hat and goggles (for show) and an armband full of tools. Perfect wear for someone pushing through the rough ahead of everyone else.

22769 went a different vintage directions and fans of comic books and their long history will understand why. Enter a Vintage Captain America Tribute; red white and blue body suit, leather Baldric and belt, gloves, helmet and a shield, all to help you wage the good fight against the enemies of the post (past?) modern steampunk era. Haven't you always wanted to be a super hero?

From Twisted we get a mix of cool piercing sets from #67 .:CoLLisions:., the hand set I blogged earlier from #68 Sable Rose and for something completely different...a corn field maze from the twisted mind behind#103 Oddment. (hint: Sable Rose, .:CoLLisions:., and Oddment are all on the Gallinas sim and within walking distance of each other. TP's have been a little flakey lately so if you have trouble, you can grab all three without having to TP to the next stop.)


Guenevere DeCuir at .:CoLLisions:. offers two sets of piercings. A three pronged navel set with skull and bat wings on a chain and a torso chain set for the lower belly/hip area. She includes a set for men and women to accomodate disparity in avatar sizes and my set needed only the most minor of adjustments to fit properly. She also includes a facial tattoo called "Cracked" with a whitish base to match the metals on her piercings. It has the kind of eerie bone through skin look to it, perfectly matching the Twisted Hunt's Spooky theme.

Oddment actually has two gifts for hunters. There's an easy to find gift right by the sign that contains a crazy fun avatar that looks just like the orange twisted hunt gift box, including the rotation. It's the kind of wacky fun Helix Constantine, the creative mind behind Oddment, is known for. The other gift you will have to hunt for: it's a DIY cornfield maze complete with scarecrow emitter. You can see it underneath the shop build, so if you are looking to decorate for Halloween, Oddment gives you a massive headstart on decorations.

The last thing here isn't a hunt gift, it's a group gifts (for $1L) from LaVie to promote the soon to be released Echo skin. I really like this skin and have been waiting for the release since it was first announced. the gift comes in three versions: pale, normal, and dark and the dragon tattoo on this version is part of the skin. Goatee beard and a really nicely involved fully body and face tattoo with nice faded aged look to it. I don't know how long it will be available and you need to be a LaVie member to get it. Currently enrollment will set you back $250L but for the skin alone it's worth it, plus the other gifts Pompeja routinely sends out to the group (and occasionally membership is made free but it isn't currently. )

Before the summer flees

The first two you need to grab quickly. The Biker set (right) is from Mary's Threads and is only available this weekend for $60L; leather chaps & jeans combo pants, biker jacket, mesh undershirt. Nice fit and detail. The soft leather texture on the wide belt is especially well done. (Boots from Annexx - not free)

Also soon to be gone is this group gift from 22769 (left), giving a nod to both summer and the coming autumn. Striped linen lightweight slacks in sand and this soft looking comfortable red autumn long sleeve shirt. This is the August group gift so be sure to get it before September arrives. (Loafers are from HOC and not free)

The hand chain I'm wearing isn't available yet but it will be soon. This is the men's gift from Sable Rose for the Twisted Hunt. So, mark your calendar because it starts on the first. This rounds theme is "Spooky" and if you take a hard look at the emerald in the Sable Rose gift, you might just find something looking back at you. Ladies set is an elegant necklace with matching bracelet.

This dollarbie from Candy Metal (right) makes me pretty happy. I keep hoping CM will put out more men's things, but I'll take what I can get. Open neck leather shirt, studded belt and leather pants... in black. And you know, everything goes with black.

Browsing through the xstreetsl marketplace beta, I found some interesting looking sets from Guarded Cross (left). I like their outfits and they are worth you looking too, but for free they have several t-shirts both in world and on the marketplace. Upscale Grunge and culture commentary is the overall theme.

Happy UnBirthday

I didn't get all the pics up for the SL House hunt, but you still have a few hours to finish it. (Pictures on the website) .What I'm looking at today is gifts -- which, honestly is the reason I want more groups slots. Yes, I'm that shallow. *grins*

But when you have designers like Gabriel, and Zanzo giving you things just because you click a group join link, it's hard not to be a little greedy and a lot grateful.

First up is Gabriel. The blue sleeveless polo I'm wearing is actually the female version of the male short sleeved shirt. You can get it in the lucky chairs at the Gabriel main store. You have to be in the Gabriel group to use the chairs.

The version I'm wearing comes with a dress/skirt prim. just don't wear it. The chest shading is minimal and while the short sleeved shirts are nice, I like the muscle shirt look to this better with the finished sleeves and actual collar. (But yes, you will need to wear the shit/tucked version to make it work. ) The collar comes with a resizer and chances are you will need it and to make minor position adjustments

The necklace pictured close up to the right is this month's group gift. It comes in male and female versions and the simplicity of the actual pendant lets you miss the intricate bead work along the strings. this is a really nice multipurpose necklace, and works for both casual and formal clothing.

Zanzo has been quiet for several months for a lot of reasons, including a sim redesign, but to say hello and celebrate the return of Zanzo creations and lines to the SL fashion world, this gift came out along the notices. You do have to be a member and joining the group isn't free. ($90L last time I checked). You also got a set of eyes in the gift pack.

The Pegasus shirt is a gift from Aemeth Lysette to celebrate the opening of her new gallery Lust4Art , which is adjacent to the 22769 shop (who were co sponsers of the openeing event). You can get the shirt and some very cool art, some at a discount, either there or at the aemeth mainstore. It's easy to forget when I spend a lot of time looking at clothes in SL that there all kinds of creative minds here. Visual and graphic artists, performing artists, writers. Aemeth brings you a mix of real world art as well as some amazing digital art and photography. If you ever log into SL an wonder what you should do, you might take a minute and visit aemeth or any of the hundreds of other art galleries and show spaces available. You may not like it all, but you likely will be impressed anyway.

**Leather pants are from Sf Design (not free)

Working at the Car Wash

It's time again for the $10L Cart sale at the Car Wash and The Wash sims. The sims may be retro but not everything you find on the carts is.

You're going to see a lot of familiar design names (Hell Bop, 22769, SD Wears) and some new players (Hey, Dark Water Designs). You can find everything from accessories to textures and a bunch of stuff in between.

Everything on the carts is $10L or less. The bulk of the clothing is for the ladies, but you don't have to look hard to find unisex and men's things as well.

Among the goodies are always some fun choices from Hell Bop. Their cart is located in front of their main store on the The Wash sim. I think I bought everything on their cart except for the sock-gloves and I may go back for those.

Upper left: Hell Bop - Wyatt - Black Cow shirt, Maloney & Hudson Grey Jeans with Belt.

Upper Right: GoodVibez American Pride henley, Hell Bop Manny - Black Dickies.

Lower Left: Hell Bop white tank, DarkWater Designs Vegas shirt (may need some adjustment via Edit appearance. close the shirt front), Hell Bop, Sammy B Black Board Shorts. Shoes: Kalnin's Milestones (from the Addiction Hunt).

Lower Right: 22769 Yellow Paisley scarf, 22769 Green long sleeved shirt (push up sleeves), Maloney & Hudson Leather Pants.

Taxi: Car Wash and The Wash

Glam, Grunge and Groovy man

I got a virtual and literal handful of advances from two of my favorite designers: 22769 and Equilibrium, and a new find, the discount room at Glam Affair on the Beauty Avatar sim. Not all free but definitely worth a look.

(As always, click for larger pictures.)

22769 is participating in several hunts: Go 4 the Goal, Groovy Love, Fallen Angel, and the Song Lyric Hunt. (Fallen Angel ends Sunday, the 20th.)

Also 22769 is giving out a skin, Julian, as a gift for the group hitting 250 members (pictured left and right). This is a nicely detailed skin, striking classical features, moderate body hair and and overall nice even skin tone, excellently shaded and with a skin texture that eliminate the bland perfection of a lot of skins.

Left: The June group gift is this Lounge Lizard casual look -- for those nights when Muzak and a bowling ball is all that you need.

Right: Child of the Sun should evoke every summer of love reference you ever heard. It's a unisex set, flamboyant and bright. I'm not sure how often I will actually wear the pants, but hey, everyone should have something flashy in their wardrobe for those club nights where the theme is peace, lovem and rock & roll. Comes with the belt, necklace and bracelet.



Below - Left to Right: 22769 - #1: Go 4 the Goal hunt gift #2: Modern Hippies hunt gift #3: Song Lyric Hunt gift#4: Living in the Seventies hunt gift.

Equilibrium has released an entire grunge line for your fashion pleasure. Six styles of grey gritty t-shirts and 6 versions of jeans at various levels of distressing.

The graphic Tees run $150L Each and the jeans are $250L.

I'm particularly fond of the Mug Grey jean and the N002284 shirt - I like the fit and stresses of them both, and overall I think Junior offers a nice addition to the casual wardrobe.

While you are there though, do check upstairs and get on the MM board and grab your prize for picks. EQ also has a Mystery Board as well, so you can try your luck at the prizes there.
For World Cup Fans, $10L gets you Brasil's yellow team shirt.

And if that wasn't awesome enough, someone tipped me off to the discount room at Glam Affair which, seriously, empty out your virtual piggy bank and take a look.

(Glam Affair is formerly Beauty Avatar and some of the clothing still has that line name. Don't be confused)

Almost everything is $10L. A couple of the suits will cost you $20 -- separates and sets, there's a lot to choose from.

Left is one of the suit sets at $20L: Padborg 08, separate jacket and tie set.

Right: Caen Blue/white - one of several color combinations.

Below, Left: Nevers Pants and shirt set. Center: Amry. Right: Nevers Pants and Kapus 10 (other colors available.)

It's a good weekend to update your wardrobe.