New World Notes

Leila Lists The Fashion Of Virtual Desire

This is a thumbnail of an awesomely sexy image by blogging fashionista Leila Carroll, and it's absolutely not safe for work (unless, say, you work at Nerve.com.)  Leila created the couple's acrobatic love tango for her store, "! Meya !", billed as offering "Not your ordinary poses", an understatement to say the least.  Also interesting is how the picture's accompanying blog post lists all the fashion accessories her models are wearing.  She creates numerous images to model her poses, Leila explains to me, and "[I] started listing the fashion info because I was constantly being asked 'Ohhhhh where'd you get the shoes also if you don't mind me asking.'" 

Ophelia's Gaze: A Beginner's Guide to SL Fashion

Exclusive to NWN, Iris Ophelia's ongoing showcase of all things stylish in SL

It’s easy to talk about fashion in Second Life with Residents, but how do you explain what’s happening in-world to the uninitiated from the real life fashion industry?  I recently had the pleasure of speaking at the Fashion Institute of Technology's "Teaching and Learning in Four Dimensions" conference in Manhattan for exactly that reason.  [Nice reports of Iris' talk here and here. - WJA] 

But what kind of style correspondent if I let the information end there?  So I’ve expanded my presentation into this article-- a beginner’s guide to Second Life’s fashion industry, with renowned brands like ETD, Fleur, and BareRose as examples, plus tips for real world designers interested in learning from metaverse fashionistas.

Overview of the SL Fashion Scene

So what’s being worn in Second Life, and why?  SL fashion mirrors real life in many respects. In the past two years, we’ve seen surges in SL paralleling real trends like babydoll tops, nautical themes, and even vintage high-waisted pants and pencil skirts. There are exceptions though; many trends in SL are popular because they’re so difficult to create in reality. A good example of this is the feline neko culture (below). While it draws on elements of Japanese cosplay, it is very much a trend apart from reality. Likewise the steampunk and cyberpunk aesthetics (above) have flourished in Second Life, driven strongly by a desire for style that real world fashion is unable to produce with the same level of level.

Written On The Body: Anatomy Of A Second Life Skin

What's makes for a high quality avatar skin?  Ryker Beck has an extensive and besmitten appraisal of a new skin by Sita Loire, and she lovingly focuses on its every detail: not just face and torso, but the more difficult regions to believably simulate: fingers, feet, knees, ears, nipples, naval, and genitals, every part depicted with a close-up screenshot.  (Needless to say, not necessarily worksafe viewing, unless you work in a live model drawing studio.) It's undeniably a great state-of-the-art example of a human avatar, but you can also see where the talents of someone like Ms. Loire begin hitting the limitations of the system.  Namely, Second Life avatars don't have fully articulated skeletons (for obvious technical considerations), so fingers, feet and other particularly complex parts of the body are going to fall short.  Realizing our full humanity will require a lot more bandwidth.

Smart Bunny: Playboy Sells Fashion Created And Co-Branded By Second Life Designers

Bunny Kerowynn Lubitsch strikes a pose in KO Designs' Playboy bustier

With regular events and a staff of gregarious, frequently dancing Bunnies, Playboy's official Second Life presence, a tropical island club developed by Boston's Green Grotto Studios, is one of the few real world company sites boasting steady visitor traffic.  (Direct SLURL teleport at this link.) And unless I missed a previous announcement, it can now claim another title: the first major company to link its brand with Second Life-only brands.  In this case, Playboy-branded fashion sold on the official island, but created and promoted by SL designers who are an integral part of the label; among them, KO Designs, Alpha Male, Sharkture, and Simply Spoiled.

"Initially we approached retail by creating replica versions of real clothing that is sold at playboystore.com," Green Grotto's MSGiro Grosso tells me.  "Over time we decided that we would make that a smaller portion of the retail experience and engage some of the top designers in SL to create exclusive SL-only Playboy collections as well as provide them with the opportunity to re-sell some of their existing clothing line and expand their brand."  It's a bold move, considering how sensitive and protective corporations are with their labels and trademarks (even Linden Lab themselves)-- especially Playboy, one of the most well-known brands on the planet. 

According to Grosso, however, it wasn't hard to convince executives in Hefner's empire to experiment.

Armidi Rules: Arguing For A High Fashion Monopoly

Last October, Iris Ophelia noted how the official emporium of real world fashion designer Armani was tepid in comparison to Second Life's homegrown clothing empire with a similar name, Armidi.  According to SL-Newspaper's Alesia Schumann, Armidi has come to dominate metaverse couture in general, with fashionistas openly talking about "the rise of Armidi and their ability to suck the grid's talent pool of clothing and hair designers".  So much so, the twin M words, monopoly and Microsoft, are mentioned.  Ultimately Alesia rejects those comparisons, and makes the case that Armidi's dominance is a good thing, fostering competition in a market that's already fragmented.  (What with the sheer size of Second Life's fashion industry, and its many disparate varieties.)  In any case, the mere fact of Armidi's success suggests that recent concern over content theft may be overstated.  If IP violations were so rampant and economically harmful, how did a relatively new metaverse brand grow to such prominence so quickly?

Ophelia And Hamlet Take Manhattan: Iris Talks Second Life Style At The Fashion Institute Of Technology On April 25th

It's a college known as "the Harvard of Fashion", it boasts an impressive roster of alumni which includes Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, and Joel Schumacher-- and on April 25, New World Notes style correspondent Iris Ophelia will give the keynote at FIT's Technology Day, for a talk entitled "The Second Life of Fashion Design: Metaverse as Prototype Platform". I'll be there to provide a broader overview of the world, but Iris will be the star, telling the industry's future leaders what she's learned reporting from the metaverse fashionista scene-- and what they can learn from SL.

All the details here.  Event's open to the public, hope to see some New York SL fashionistas there!

Spot An SL Style Disaster? Call The Fashion Police!

I just stumbled into this snarky gem of a blog, and it's long, long, long overdue:  The SL Fashion Police, a regular blotter documenting crimes against all that is stylish in Second Life.  Whether it's glowing hair, dresses seemingly made from plastic wrap, or that perennial favorite-- and like several selections, this one's almost certainly not safe for work, unless you work in Orange County-- excessive female breast size, patrolwomen Chief D. Rocking, Sergeant Phoenix, and Pansy Snoring ably preserve the thin blue line of metaverse taste.  Avatar faces are obscured to protect the guilty, and designers of these, um, controversial ensembles, are left unmentioned.  Good moves, both, keeping the tone light and the unnecessary fashionista drama to a  minimum.   If you haven't already, jump aboard their paddywagon here.

Eshi's Metaverse-Only Fashion

On my visit to Neptune, you might have noticed Eshi Otawara wearing a magically, breathtakingly diaphanous dress.  Created by the artist (previously seen on NWN lighting up Parsec), she calls her design "Imperial Lotus", and debuts it with images and video, while describing it on her blog thus:  "[N]ot really wearable in 1st life, but which is nevertheless pretty and beautifying for the ladies who wear it." (Click here to see more.) I'm foolishly treading into Iris' territory here, but this seems to be an example of a uniquely Second Life style of fashion: not genre specific like cosplay or steampunk, but nevertheless fantastic and only possible in SL.  Is there a name for it?  (Image/design credit: Eshi Otawara.)

And Harper's Award For Best Oscar Gown Goes To...

We're coming up on Oscar weekend, but rather than gaze longingly at the clothes of the over-paid and over-exposed, why not watch it while your avatar is better dressed than Julia?  Harper Ganesvoort is searching for Oscar-worthy gowns, including this silky number from fashionista Connie Sec, depicted her in Shenzen.  Go to Harper's post and suggest what other gowns she should feature.  I'm half-tempted to mention Nylon Pinkney's classic take on Björk's infamous swan dress.

Ophelia's Gaze: Advertising That Works, Made In Japan

Exclusive to NWN, Iris Ophelia's ongoing showcase of all things stylish in SL

Every now and then I'm amazed by some of the clever marketing techniques that are employed in Second Life, either by residents or by RL companies that are dipping their toes in the pool. I was absolutely blown away over the weekend by a joint effort between Mod's Hair Paris, BALS TOKYO, and NTT DoCoMo. These three real world groups (specializing in hair care and styling, chic furniture and home accessories, and mobile phone services. respectively) have found a way to make us look at all of their products, while rewarding us with something we actually want in SL-- fabulous hair.

Fashion Prototype: IBM Showcases SL As Design Platform

Of course, Residents have amply demonstrated SL's power as a fashion design prototyping platform for years, but the real world garment industry has been slow to notice.  So it's significant that a team of IBM staffers recently gave such a demo not at a tech show, but the National Retail Federation.  Here's a video report from the floor.  Hopefully they showed off some of the existing ecology of Resident-made fashion.  Hat tip: IBM's Eightbar.

Model Behavior: Brace's Do's And Don'ts For Fashion Shows

She's glamorous, she's powerful, and she takes no guff, so you better listen up:  New Citizens Inc. founder Brace Coral lays out the etiquette of attending Second Life fashion runway shows.  Particularly fascinating to me is how much of her rules are based on SL's technical limitations.  Brace recommends audience members take off their animation overrides and "check your personal prim count", including prim-heavy hair attachments.  All that's to minimize server lag, because, she says, "The focus is gonna be on the runway, and you can help NOT contribute to the lag and ixnay the wig altogether."  In other words, for the fashion models to look fabulous, the audience must be willing to look less so.  In a snappy follow-up post, she explains the virtual economics behind her advice to "BUY Something!" at the show.  For too long, she says, Residents have treated runway shows as entertainment, when in fact they're promotion events designers put a lot of time and money into.  "Go to a fashion show with the intent to SHOP," she concludes, "Or just stay home. Leave room for the avies that know what the dealyo is."

Zoe Connolly: Steampunk Fashionista

One day, a brave soul will compile a list of the most active subcultures in SL, and later, an even braver soul will list the sub-subcultures within them.  When that happens, I tend to think that the heading for "Steampunk" will include the subsidiary, "Aviatrix extraordinaire".  Providing a primer to that style is Zoe Connolly, Marshal of the Royal Caledon Air Force, and kickass Victorian accessorizor.  In this case, all the ornate clocks and brass bolts are almost as attractive and evocative as the model.  See her full spread here.

Image credit: zoeconnolly.blogspot.com.

Iris Seeks International SL Designers / Iris Cherche les Créateurs Internationales de SL / アイリスが国際的なＳＬデザイナーを探してます / Iris Procura Designers Internacionais no SL / Poszukuję twórców Second Life / Ik ben op zoek naar Second Life / Estoy buscando diseñadores

Exclusive to NWN, Iris Ophelia's ongoing showcase of all things stylish in SL

I am looking for Second Life designers who are at a disadvantage because English is not their first language. If you know anyone who makes clothing, hair, skins, accessories, shoes, or even builds furniture, send me a notecard with a shop landmark, or leave a comment here or anywhere on my blog with a SLURL. Just be sure to leave your SL name, too. Why? If I have never been to that designer’s store before, I will personally pay you L$100. This offer does not have a time limit, it will be a continuous part of my efforts to reduce the publicity gap between creators who speak English and creators who don’t.  (And if you can help translate this message in any language not featured here, please do so in Comments.) More languages after the cut!

Update, 1/31: Added Spanish, Dutch, and Polish translations-- thanks much to Dpende Control, Daman Tenk, and Anulka Zimminy, respectively.  Keep 'em coming!

Update, 2/1: Added Korean, thanks to Arwen Epin!

The Mean Girls Guide to Blingtards

What's the deal with virtual bling, anyway?  I understand the appeal of glinting jewelry, I just don't get how a large segment of SL society came to demand that it twinkle brightly and steadily enough as to guide Eastern astrologers to baby Jesus.  Guenevere DeCuir from the Mean Girls Guide to SL takes some shocking photos from the scene, and reveals that blingtards come in three flavors of suck.

Free Skins: Are they a Sin?

Mygdala March has a handy guide to great free skins available around SL, with links to the locations offering them (hat tip: Harper Ganesvoort). Shortly after I noticed that, as it happens, I came across this sharp rant from dandellion Kimban, self-described "phenomenologist of virtual worlds".  A designer who's given away free skins herself, Ms. Kimban steps back to consider the ethical dimensions behind these economics:

[C]ontent creators are working for third world wages while land barons are doing serious biz here... All of a sudden there is an ethical problem of giving those skins for free! Dropping prices is not a good idea anymore. Dropping prices is taking money from content creators. And content creators need money... They need to pay for the land their shop is on. And that price won't drop with everything else.

An extensive Comment thread ensues, beginning with Argent Bury's trenchant observation, "I think this is another symptom of conflicting attitudes towards the 'purpose' of SL."  Read it all here. What do you think?

IBM Announces Last-Minute Tennis Fashion Contest with L$250,000 Grand Prize

Rik Riel just passed along this very, very, very late announcement from IBM's Second Life group, for an SL fashion contest to promote its sponsorship of the Australian Open, which is being broadcast on one of their islands.  (Direct teleport here.)

"Couture on the Court" is a search for the best tennis outfit in Second Life, with first prize (selected by Resident vote) being a quarter million Linden Dollars.  (About $927 at current exchange rates.) 

The catch?  The deadline is this Sunday at Midnight, Eastern Australia time, and you have to go to their island to submit the form before then-- click this direct teleport SLURL to go there.

Pictured: NWN Style Correspondent Iris Ophelia models "Love All" by Roslin Petion and CJ Carnot of Tête à Pied at the CoMeta Sporting Centre.

Ophelia's Gaze: Iris' Guide to Using WindLight with Style

Exclusive to NWN, Iris Ophelia's ongoing showcase of all things stylish in SL

When the WindLight version of Second Life was released last Summer, I completely converted. WindLight offers much more advanced atmospheric controls than the official viewer, from the clouds to the water, with much more effective and realistic lighting controls. The problem is... there are so many controls, and avatars have so many little flaws. Getting the most out of WindLight’s effects on your avatar, even for basic exploring and snapshots, can be really intimidating.

I want to get you over your fear of WindLight, I want to get you gut-deep into the sliders, and as always, I want to help you look your absolute best.  Here's how:

Gorgeous Gets Wasted (Diva Animations)

Second Life's fashion industry is large and catty enough to have supermodel divas and social scandals, so it's probably inevitable that these should be available, too: animation sets for supermodels who want to behave scandalously in public.  On her fashionista blog Gogolita.com, the eminently scrumptious Gorgeous Yongho has just released a set of eight poses, each of them ideal for appearing in next week's gossip column: knock-kneed and passed out, struggling to get off the ground in stiletto heels, and, of course, paying tribute at the ceramic altar.  With luck, a sequel will include animations for spilling champagne on the mayor of New York and throwing cell phones at the maid.  (For now, I'm also fond of her Messed Up Beauty Queen skin.)  Scandalous images generously provided by Gorgeous.

Ophelia's Gaze: Iris' Top 10 Hottest Male SL Avatars for '07

Exclusive to NWN, Iris Ophelia's ongoing showcase of all things stylish in SL

The angelic Kate Amdahl started a heated debate when she proclaimed a dearth of beautiful men of Second Life. She rightly points out that options for male avatars can be very limited, leaving a lot of sub-par gentlemen strolling the grid. The truth is they're only recently getting the same kind of attention female avatars have been enjoying from Second Life’s fashion community since the world's beginning. But despite this, there are gorgeous male avatars with great style out there, and it’s time to give them some recognition (and some credit) for the work they’ve put into themselves!  As a bonus, most of the guys I've selected also offer their personal fashion tips for avatar men who want to look as good as them.

Ophelia's Gaze: Iris' Fashion Gift Guide for the Holidays

Exclusive to NWN, Iris Ophelia's ongoing showcase of all things stylish in SL

When it comes to gift giving, they say it's the care that went into the selection, not the gift itself. It seems quite unsettling, then, that gift giving in the fashion sector of SL has become dominated by gift certificates and store cards. Yes, these things are very convenient, but you just can’t replace the emotional value of a hand-picked gift. To help free us from the gift card rut, I’ve found ten gift-friendly stores to please even the pickiest person on your list.  To make things even easier, I've taken pains to select items that the sellers have designated as Transferable*.  (After all, the fact that most fashion designers make their wares No Transfer is what provoked the horrid explosion of impersonal gift cards in the first place.)

Ophelia's Gaze: Fashion in the Home

Exclusive to NWN, Iris Ophelia's ongoing showcase of all things stylish in SL

Fashion’s not limited to what you can wear. Decorating and interior design are ruled as much by style and creativity as any little black dress. While there are almost innumerable writers covering the wearable art that is Second Life fashion, there are only a handful covering decorative elements for our virtual homes. While my passion obviously lies more with the avatar than the apartment, I thought it would be nice to take a little break to talk about the fashioniable second home.

Open Forum: What Male Avatars Should Iris Ophelia Consider in her Top Ten List?

New World Notes style correspondent Iris Ophelia is looking for a few good men.  Actually, ten.  But do they even exist?

Last week, I noted a fascinating editorial by noted fashionista Kate Amdahl, wondering why there seemed to be so few attractive male avatars out there in the world.  Her argument suggested it was a matter of fundamental shortcoming in simulation-- that unlike women, real men are most attractive not for their looks, or anything else that can be easily digitized, but for poise, bearing, confidence, and so on.  That in turn led to an equally engaging reader conversation, with an opinion that was decidedly divided.  Some rejected Kate's premise altogether, insisting that there were handsome avatars out there, if you knew where to look.  Others agreed that it was at least in part a failure of Second Life architecture:  "Idealized women have soft transitions around the face; men tend to have more abrupt transitions," Cyn Vandeverre argued. "It's harder to adjust the sliders for that without looking like a face full of mountains."

To help settle this argument, I called on Iris, to scour Second Life for dream dudes of all shapes, styles, and ethnicities (both real world and SL-based races.)  She'll be out there searching, so I call on readers to assist her in this man hunt. 

Who are the male avatars that she must positively consider for her write-up?  Post in Comments, for Iris' consideration!

Ophelia's Gaze: Losing Ginny

Exclusive to NWN, Iris Ophelia's ongoing showcase of all things stylish in SL...

Wearing Ginny's Isabelle dress in remembrance of a truly Dazzling person

On November 10th, fans of Last Call, a leading SL fashion studio, learned shocking news about one of the company's co-owners on the official website: in late October, the avatar we’d all known as Ginny Talamasca had died. This explained an earlier five day closure of “The Quad”, the name of the four adjoining sims where Last Call's boutique is located. In spite of requests to respect these sim owners’ privacy, there was a flurry of gossip and speculation over the closing. I don’t think anyone really expected a real life death to be the reason, and certainly no one wanted it to be.

As one of SL's top fashion designers, Ginny Talamasca provoked a wide range of emotions, both admiration and jealously, love and resentment, all a reflection of the fiercely competitive industry.  But through it all, she (or rather, he) remained Ginny, one of the most passionate, charming, and dynamic residents that Second Life has ever seen.

Ophelia's Gaze: 10 Second Life Fashion Designers Who Should Get Real

There's a lot of coverage for real-life fashion brands stepping into Second Life, and MadamG Zagato was the belle of the ball at SLCC after her presentation on bringing virtual designs into reality. But it all begs the question, could Second Life designers make a name for themselves in the real life fashion world? Without a doubt the answer is yes, but not necessarily every designer. There are many designers who really separate themselves from the masses with their work (selected for creativity and practicality), and who would undoubtedly bring a lot to the fashion scene outside of Second Life.

Iris Ophelia gets real!

Iris in her studio sky loft

Earlier this week, New World Notes style correspondent Iris Ophelia cast a jaundiced eye on Armani's attempt to bring its real world styles to SL.  Next week, she reverses the fashion polarity: what SL-based designs would work best recreated in the real world?  She's already assembled a massive selection, she tells me, and I can't wait to see what she's selected.  I just hope companies like Armani are paying attention.

Ophelia's Gaze: Iris explores (and deplores) Armani's official site in Second Life

Can a leading name in fashion compete in a virtual world with its own thriving grassroots industry?  When word got out that Armani was opening a branch in SL, I sent New World Notes style correspondent Iris Ophelia  to review the legendary designer's contribution to metaverse fashion.  She was decidedly unimpressed, and sent back this scathing diatribe. - HA

If I had to list the top ten fashion names of real life style, it should go without saying that Giorgio Armani would be included. So naturally when the company's presence in Second Life was announced, the fashion community busted at the seams with excitement.

But when that highly anticipated sim finally opened, the bubble burst. I, like many other fashionistas, found myself completely at a loss for how a company (and a man) with such an innovative style could fall so terribly short at innovation.  The irony is that the media may blame Second Life for this-- but not even know about a place like Armidi, the homegrown fashion emporium which succeeds where Armani has failed.

IRIS OPHELIA TAKES NEW YORK!

She conquered Japan, and now she's taking Manhattan, and here at New World Notes, we're bursting with pride: NWN style columnist Iris Ophelia and her real life counterpart were prominently featured in yesterday's Sunday New York Times.  "Even in a Virtual World, ‘Stuff’ Matters", a new take on Second Life consumerism by Shira Boss, author of Green with Envy, is a worthwhile read in itself-- it's currently among the Times' top ten most popular articles-- and I have some thoughts on its provocative thesis for later.  But for now, all eyes on Iris, who once told me her avatar was modeled after her real life self-- looking at her Times portrait, I can see the resemblance.  (Click through the image, to see, then read the whole article here.)

Update, 12:43pm:  In case you came here from the NYT story, or otherwise haven't seen her work, check out Iris Ophelia's style coverage for New World Notes here.

Ophelia's Second Life of Japanese Fashion, Part 2/アイリスオフィーリアによって選ばれた最高の日 本のファッション！そして 英 語を話さないデザ イナーへのヒントです。

Exclusive to NWN, Iris Ophelia's ongoing showcase of all things stylish in SL

There are a lot of impressive shops in Second Life's Japanese community, and while many of the most prolific Japanese designers were covered in Part 1, there's still so much more out there worth mentioning. Read on for more hot Japanese fashion finds, and tips* for Japanese and other non-English speaking designers in SL.

Ophelia's Gaze: the Second Life of Japanese Fashion, Part 1

Exclusive to NWN, Iris Ophelia's ongoing showcase of all things stylish in SL

More and more talented Japanese artists and companies are developing the virtual world around us-- even a quick glance shows how groundbreaking these efforts have been, or can be. But with so much innovation happening on the Japanese frontiers of Second Life, why is there so little coverage of their work in the SL fashion scene?  It's time for the sun to rise on our fashionable friends from the East.

The first installment of this two part feature showcases ten of my favorite Japanese-owned shops in SL, highlighting three outfits apiece. First up...

OPEN FORUM: WHERE IN THE WORLD CAN IRIS FIND THE BEST IN JAPANESE FASHION?

[English translation after the break]

アイリスはいったいどこで日本のトップファッションデザインを見つけられるのでしょ う？

夏の流行ものから、ビジネスの必須、世界のファッションを駆け回って見た、Iris Ophelia New World Notesの一番手のコラミスト、アイリスの次のプロジェクトはセカンドライフの 日本のファッションを探検すること。東京の町並みを描いたデザインから、漫画、アニメの世界を創造するありとあらゆるファッションを追及。日本語がわからないのは さておき、ＳＬに根付いてきた日本のファッションを徹底的に発見すると、アイリス はすっかり張りきってます。Commentsにアイリスがお邪魔できる場所、お店を紹介し よう！ＳＩＭの名前と出来ればSLURLS を含んでね。

Ophelia's Gaze: Summer's Hottest Fashions

Exclusive to NWN, Iris Ophelia's ongoing showcase of all things stylish in SL

It’s summer on one hemisphere of the planet, and whether you're enjoying it, or shivering on the colder side, a tropical vacation in the metaverse may be in order. Why not head for a digital destination where the sun, the sand, and the swimwear are as consistently hot as the real deal?  And after all, real world fashion designers are starting to take tips from SL's finest fashionistas.  So the bikinis you see on the shores of Second Life this Summer may very well influence what's worn on real life beaches next year. 

SUMMER OF IRIS

Iris Ophelia has returned from her Summer fashion shoot with a sweltering compendium of dazzlingly sexy beach wear.  Barring sudden breaking news, she'll unveil them next Tuesday.  Until then, here's a sun-dappled sneak peek.

OPEN FORUM: WHERE CAN IRIS FIND FASHIONS FOR THE BOYS OF SUMMER?

Iris Ophelia's sexy and playful Summer Fashion Review for NWN is imminent!  But she needs some tips to finish it.  Thing is, while she already has a vast catalog of bikinis and other beach and sun-centric fashions for women avatars in mind, she's not finding much in the way for men.  (When visiting an SL beach, she memorably told me, her guy friends usually just strip down to their underwear.)

So if you have an inside line on Summer wear for guys, post suggestions here.  (Bonus for including a SLURL or at least a searchable store location where she can find them.)  And if you have ideas on the perfect place for an ocean front photo shoot, those tips are welcome too. 

Ophelia's Gaze: How to Dress for SL Success

Exclusive to NWN, Iris Ophelia's ongoing showcase of all things stylish in SL

What’s the business-minded avatar wearing?  Hard to tell, especially when there's so many different kinds of business going on: some companies exist only in Second Life, while others expand into real life; a few help RL firms launch in SL, and some RL businesses elect to do it themselves. Now big companies like Microsoft and eBay are participating in actual job fairs held in-world, too.  So what to wear if you want to look business-like, but maintain your fantastic avatar persona?

That in mind, I had a chat with two respected SL fashion personalities, then flew off to gather a wardrobe for the up-and-coming avatar-based executive.

THAT BOOK BY NABOKOV

Iris Ophelia models Elegant Gothic Lolita attire-- and a source of metaverse moral panic

Lolita is the name of Vladimir Nabokov's best known novel, a strange and shattering fable of decadent old Europe and brash, ignorant America, as told through the eyes of a sexual predator.  And though it would surely pain Nabokov, who makes it plain that his anti-hero Humbert Humbert is a deluded sociopath perhaps to be pitied but definitely to be jailed, "Lolita" has also become code for fetishized underage girls. 

It's for this reason that the word itself effectively no longer exists in Second Life.  For several years the Lindens declined to act on community complaints against the niche "age play" subculture, in which Residents create pre-adult avatars, often for innocent roleplay, but to the outrage of most, occasionally for sexual fantasy.  (Sometimes this would lead to bouts of vigilantism, age play areas beset by sign-waving neighbors, and when that didn't take, neighbors waving weapons.) In recent months, however, the Lindens reversed course and explicitly forbade the obscene variety.  (This is likely because Second Life servers are soon to be co-located in European countries where even virtual pedophilia is outlawed.)  Related to this, the Lindens removed numerous terms connoting age play from the world's database of groups and places-- and so now, entering the title of a classic American novel as a search query only gets you the terse retu