Is There Such a Thing as Virtual Vintage Fashion?

I need a new coat to wear, I go down to a vintage clothier called Schauplatz in San Francisco's Mission District, my lady helps find me a finely detailed single-breasted jacket from the 1950s, we get the green light from the store's lovely German owner ("Oh that is a beautiful one," he purrs), I feel goddamn suave like Kevin Spacey from L.A. Confidential while wearing it, and buy the thing at a reasonable price.

Now, Ms. Alicia Chenaux goes to a store in Second Life, finds a vintage freebie made in 2005 (decades ago, in metaverse years), and comes away, um, unimpressed -- and sarcastic: "Isn't it awesome? Doesn't it make you want to learn more about SL fashion? Those seams! Those hems!" As is often the case, Alicia's offhand comment inspires a new thought: Is there such a thing as vintage fashion in a virtual world? Clothes made with craftsmanship and style that lasts over time and subsequent technological advances? Or to put it in a more personal way: what's the oldest item of clothing your avatar still wears, that still seems stylish? Image credit: Ms. Chenaux.

Comments

[Tenshi Vielle]

No.

[Alicia Chenaux]

Before anyone accuses me of being a snob about old clothes - I collect Last Call items because although they're all pretty much 2 years old, I believe the texture work still remains some of the best in SL. :)

But uh, yeah, this outfit I was wearing...no bueno. LOL

[Ordinal Malaprop]

I have some fairly old items of clothing which I still wear, but they do not really exhibit any particular stylistic differences to more modern ones - they are just _well made_. I think the oldest is a pair of ankle boots from Lassitude & Ennui acquired in March 2006. I have a few hats which are quite old, too, but I expect that they would have been made in the same way now.

It is quite possible for older items not using sculpts to stand up to newer ones which do, but if the designer had had access to the newer technologies, I am sure they would have taken advantage of them.

[Subghoul Epsilon]

I've never taken off my Ultimate Combat Boots, created by Vidien Takashi.

I can't remember/find when I first bought them. I suppose they might be getting rather smelly after all these years though.

--Subghoul Epsilon

[Roslin Petion]

Yes, because trends move so much quicker in sl than in RL, there is such a thing as vintage fashion in SL. Just as holds true in RL, an sl vintage fashion has to be a piece that is well constructed and is well designed enough that it manages to transcend trends. Without a doubt there are some designers out there that have managed to create clothing that still holds up today. A lot of Ginny Talamasca's later work still looks fresh today, so much so that wearing 'vintage' Ginny is considered fabulous rather than faux pas. A lot of Neph's work for Pixel Dolls still holds up rather well. I personally love pulling out a 'vintage' piece for special occasions where what you wear is important and you want to stand out in a crowd. I've also been known to bust out pieces by Fashionably Dead and Nylon Outfitters that are more than 2 years old.

Just how old something has to be to be considered 'vintage' is another question though. For me, it would be anything pre-sculptie but that's honestly a bit of an arbitrary marker.

[Matthew Anthony]

I think there's definitely such a thing as "vintage style" in Second Life, and in fact I have created a blog that features (male) outfits mixing vintage style and new releases. I have described "vintage" as anything that is no longer available in-world for one reason or another.

There are definitely some things from that time frame that are worth having, and in fact, some of my favorite items are from 2004.

[Sioban McMahon]

I treasure my Last Call outfits. To me, they are high quality and vintage, in that they aren't being made anymore.

[Fine Caliber]

I hope you wear that jacket with something straight-legged, Hamlet!

I blogged about some items from 2005 here.

[CronoCloud Creeggan]

I agree with Dame Ordinal, and my skin crack dealer Roslin.

I've got some stuffage from 2006 that still holds up today, that includes skin and hair too. It would take a Blingon warfleet from Vulgaria to pry my old Dazzle LE's, Miriel Enfield eyes, or the 2006 version of ETD Patootie (Patootie II is NOT the same) from my hands.

[Marianne McCann]

I think that we'll see more stuff to come that will be our "vintage" -- much of the early outfits, I think, will be viewed as RL people might view primitive buckskins and furs.

[Connie Sec]

Yep..Last Call outfits will never be deleted from my inv..and the Lush dress / Gown by Blaze is what I feel a SL "classic"

[Doreen Garrigus]

I have a few beautiful older pieces, but I mean older like 2007, not older like 2005. And the difference in quality is especially pronounced when you are looking at freebies.

Sometime between 2007 and 2008, freebies changed from, "This isn't good enough to sell so you can have it," to "This is an example of what I can do. Come shop at my store." And a lot of the conflict surrounding freebies stems from a misunderstanding on the part of designers about that change. If you, as a designer, are still giving away things that are not good enough to sell, it is far worse than giving nothing away at all---it is actually a negative advertisement. Your customers will judge the quality of the rest of your work by the quality of your freebies. The 2005-era freebies, the ones you find at The Free Dove, were created with that older mindset. They do not hold up well in the current environment.

Now, designers began using freebies as business cards when competition from other designers increased. It's competition---and escalating expectation---that has driven the increase in quality of SL fashion, too. It's not about technological change at all.

There have been changes in the technology, certainly, but it was always possible to match seams up neatly and create alpha-finished edges. Robin Wood's beautiful layered templates are from 2005, after all. I don't own anything she made from as long ago as that, but I bet all her work is still wearable---even if it doesn't have sculpted trim.

In 2005, SL was still new and designers were few. A designer could get away without attention to that kind of detail. It only had to be better than slider clothing to be marketable. Freebies could actually _be_ slider clothing. In 2009, there are many, many designers. Competition is fierce, expectations have risen, and even the free stuff is gorgeous. My eyes dilate when I think about the designers of 2013...

[Toxic Menges]

You will have to pluck my Miriel peacock eyes from my cold dead avatar before I stop wearing them, and I suppose they will be called retro soon.

[Harper Ganesvoort]

There's a difference between "fashion" and "style." "Fashion" is what comes and goes, and is often more interested in (obsessed with) trends. Style endures. Look at how Audrey Hepburn's choices in clothes are still respected and imitated to this day.

So yes, there is such a thing as "vintage style" in SL. You'll usually know when you see something that's just so good, and doesn't look like it comes off the racks of the latest trendoid store.

[Doreen Garrigus]

Oh, CronoCloud and Toxic---thank you both for mentioning Miriel. I have almost every blue eye that Miriel ever made. I have no idea how long ago she made them. They were exquisite when I bought them and they have little competition to this day. Miriel, dear, we miss you.