New SL Skins from Gauze May Not be Right for Everyone, But They Might Be For You

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of virtual world and MMO fashion

Yukio Ida's brand Gauze is a staple for a lot of elves, fauns, nekos, ravers, and even anime fans in Second Life [SLurl to her store at this link], but it's often overlooked by the mainstream fashion scene. Although Gauze definitely has an edgy style with obvious niche appeal, there's no reason for someone without any edge of their own to assume this store has nothing for them. Case in point: Gauze's latest V2 skin line, a unique-looking nude base (with both male and female options available) that's guaranteed to help you stand out from the herd.

While I love love love this earnest looking skin, it's definitely not for everyone, for a few reasons:

I love the androgynously pretty face of this skin, which would make a perfect base for any number of tattoo makeup layers. I can also appreciate that it looks a little more mature than many of the popular flawless, model-like skins that are worn to death all over SL. I don't mean that this skin looks "old", but it doesn't look like a fresh-faced tween on the way to a Justin Bieber concert either. There's a knowing and almost world-weary quality to the face (at least the way it sits on my own face shape) that makes it intensely appealing to me. It even looks perfect with a pair of oversized wayfarers like some of my favourite hipster idols. As much as all of these traits make the skin appealing and unique to me, I know many fashionistas will still be quite turned off.

I'd say that this skin's lack of covergirl flawlessness is a selling point, but I'll also admit that it's not technically flawless, either. I have one major issue with V2, really... the butt.

It may seem like an insignificant thing if your avatar is less prone to prancing around in underpants than mine, but the shading on V2's backside just doesn't look quite right to me. While the shading on most of the body has almost purple undertones, the backside seems practically orange by comparison. It's not my favourite butt on a Second Life skin by far, but if you're more inclined to keep yourself covered then don't let it deter you.

If you're looking for a skin to set you apart from the crowd, give the V2 demo a try. Layer it with some makeup tattoos, try on a few different outfits, and this realistic and down-to-earth-looking skin may just surprise you. Click here to teleport to Gauze at THE TWILIGHT or visit Yukio's Flickr to see more of her one-of-a-kind work.

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Iris Ophelia (Janine Hawkins IRL) has been featured in the New York Times and has spoken about SL-based design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan and with pop culture/fashion maven Johanna Blakley.

Comments

[foneco zuzu]

Hard to try q skin when i use the same one since the 1st month of SL.
Im one of those, not so rare cases, that refuses to change its avatar just cause skin creators need to sell and im still looking, after more the 2 years, for a best pack then Curio Sundust fatpack!