Ophelia's Gaze: What's Virtual Fashion Really Worth?

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

On a recent flight from Paris, I thought about my new pink umbrella wrapped up in the overheard compartment above me, the one that cost €100, and it made me wonder about the cost of fashion-- in France, and Second Life. Material value seems to boil down to one thing: rarity. Stones like diamonds are rare in the natural world, and their price tag reflects that. The more time and quality materials that go into an outfit, the rarer (compared to the abundance of sweatshop knockoffs that may emerge) and the more valuable it will be.

So how do we translate this principle in Second Life?  Of course, most famous SL brands are known to charge more for their fashion, but no brand is perfect.  After the break, three of my tips for finding real value in virtual fashion-- what you should look for before spending your hard-earned Lindens.

At first blush, you could say that rarity is a non-issue in SL, with the exception of limited releases. But that’s not quite the case, which leads me to my first point...

Blood, Sweat, and Tears

The harder a designer works on a clothing item, the more valuable it is. There are thousands of people pumping out mediocre items, but only a couple hundred that are putting out a top-notch product. It takes a lot of time to design a great product in SL. Meticulously painted details on outfits designed by gifted artists are pure gold, compared to something scanned out of a Sears catalog by every Joe or Jane Mall-Renter.

Breaking the Rules

Innovation is a brilliant thing. We’re part of a platform that doesn’t have to submit to the laws of physics or practicality, but still the vast majority of designers stick to the traditional styles. The more unusual or exotic a design, the fewer there are designers willing to take the risk of creating it, the rarer and more valuable it will be.

Don’t Be Deceived By Bling

Bling is meaningless. Most fashionistas, myself included, hate bling, because they see it for what it is-- a cheap trick. You can get free bling scripts, and find bling in even the sloppiest-made accessories. Actually, it’s easier to find bling in the “low end” Second Life accessories than in the “high end”. The bling effect means something in real life because it highlights the clarity and the cut of a gem, both of which are indications of rarity and value. However in SL, quality is in the textures and the primwork, so that little (or big) sparkle is just a mask, distracting (or blinding) any onlookers from what matters.

Those are my thoughts, but what about yours-- how do you define worth or worthlessness in your Second Life wardrobe?

Iris Ophelia has been featured in the New York Times and has spoken about SL-based design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan.

Comments

[Connie Sec]

Things are worth, what people are prepared to pay for it. But that is not to say they will pay the same 6 months from now.
My Fav necklace, is a freebe from Muse.I wear that more than many things i paid for. So, It's worth more to me than the others. To define "Value" in monetary terms is, I feel, only one measure of "worth".
While it is true that rarity can confer value upon an object such as clothing, to me, finding say, a first ever full prim bikini, or full sculpty jacket with amazing texture,immediately makes my other "normal" av texture jackets worth less, because I now use them less, if at all.
Personally, just because something is not available to someone else (limited editions for example)does not make it any more desirable. The fact that I like it is much more of a consideration.

[Gahum Riptide]

To me, something has worth if it is something I enjoy wearing. If I don't enjoy wearing it, it's not going to have worth to me and will of course end up being worthless, even if I spent L250 on it.

I've got a few outfits that just don't fit right on my AV and even though the designer's other items I wear all the time are full of worth, those ill fitting outfits are partly worthless to me. They do have some worth though, they help me figure out what clothes a designer makes that won't work well for me.

[Kate Amdahl]

Those are interesting points! I will say, though, that I think rarity is just one part of the puzzle. Another is quality, which doesn't always match with rarity...I think of Bare Rose, for instance, where the array of styles is bewilderingly wide and the prices are quite low, but the value of the outfits, both in quality and originality, seems high to me.

Although there are a lot of things from Bare Rose that I wouldn't normally wear because they're a little extreme for me, just as there are many things I wouldn't normally wear from Last Call because they're kind of conservative (except, of course, where cleavage is concerned!).

So maybe I'm just supporting your point. Well, *my* point in the end was supposed to be that for me, it seems that value has mostly to do with how much I need (or want) a particular thing. A very well-made black pencil skirt or a pair of color-change go go boots would be of great value to me, just because they're things that I could use.

^^^\ Kate /^^^

[Faerie]

How do I define worth or worthlessness in my Second Life wardrobe? By how it makes me look when I wear it.

In SL because we don't pay for the physical meterials that went into making the item, there is a greater disconnection between what the creator of an item wants to charge for it and what the value of an item is to the buyer.

In SL fashion, all we really have to pay for is how an item makes us (and others) feel. I won't pay more for this blue top just because it is silk and the other is nylon. These boots aren't better because they are fine grain leather. They are only better becasue they look better.

Labels just don't command the same price premium in SL (regardless of quality) as they do in RL.

Somehow I just can't imagine the scene of Edina from (the show) Ab-Fab yelling: "But it's Lacroix darling! Lacroix!" would work the same way in SL to justify wearing an ugly item.

Fortunately we are blessed with some creators who do not charge premium prices for quality items. The items I treasure most in my wardrobe were all less than $200L but I wear them the most and so they are the most valuable to me.

[callie cline]

what a great question. for me value would be hard to determine. there is Personal value, which would be "how much of a good feeling do i get from this item" the higher the good feeling the more "personal value" this is entirely subjective.

REAL value, can only come in transferable items. if i buy it, and can't resell it or give it away or even LEND it, it's value is limited only to my personal value.

it's somthing i've struggled with as a content maker, and i've wanted to follow the RL mod/trans way of doing things. i mean, i can buy a gucci dress, cut it up, die it, and even resell it... it has value as i can enjoy it and get rid of it.

so.. who knows. that's how i determine value, if an expensive item is no transfer i won't buy it. as often rare adn expensive items can be donated to charity and as sL goes on those items will hav e value as they build a history.. for example "the dress miss universe wore" when she was crowed has NO value monetarliy if it can't be bought or even donated to some future sl museum.. so... who knows!