Ophelia's Gaze: 2008's Top Ten Hottest Avatar Guys-- My Final Five

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

Welcome to part two of my list of hottest male avatars of 2008 (if you missed it last week, you can find part 1 here). No, you're not hallucinating, that is six very hot gentlemen in the header. Just like last year, I've broken my own rules just a little bit for the sake of showcasing as many of these gorgeous guys as possible. Keep reading for my final six picks.

Arj Friedkin is the surprisingly sweet face behind Homme Magazine, an SL publication geared towards the male avatar of discriminating tastes, and because of it's lush, highly visual style, it's one of my personal favourite magazines as well. Arj is a template of male style in SL: he's classy, well spoken, original, and of course well-dressed. The evolution of male style in Second Life in the past year owes a lot to the work of Arj and Homme.

Last year when I composed my list, for some reason one of the most attractive male avatars I have ever met completely slipped my mind. When I remembered Dpende Control after the fact, I was completely aghast that I could have forgotten him. Dpende is an incredibly under-exposed fashion blogger, who blogs with his partner in Spanish. While they appear to be on hiatus, I really recommend going back through their archives, as the originality of their outfits and the amazing items they find all over the Grid are just stunning. Even if you think you have everything worth having in the sphere of SL Fashion, I guarantee that Dpende will have some surprises for you. Since I wasn't able to get in contact with Dpende in time, this is a shot from his Flickr.

Frutti Freschi is... kind of weird, to be honest, though clearly that's not a bad thing. His avatar can be all at once captivatingly handsome, and Rob-Zombieishly creepy. He says that his avatar is a traveler/immigrant representation, a stranger in a strange land. I think of all the men on the list, Frutti has the clearest sense of attitude, and perhaps the strongest personality as portrayed through his avatar. I was also unable to reach Frutti in time so this picture is also from his Flickr account, which I would recommend based on the clever real life pictures alone.

Ororon Kamachi is the partner of one of last year's winners, Vasean Talamasca, who also took this wonderful picture for his Flickr page. He's also the gifted creator behind Animus, a store carrying some of my favourite skins and hairstyles, but which are also sorely underused. One of Ororon's most recognizable features is his red hair. Someone please tell me, why are there so few men in SL willing to go red? It's clearly fiery hot!

My last two picks are Kirk Claymore and Maddox Dupont, the founders of the KMadd shape empire. The KMadd sim is one of the best starting places for male avatars looking to revamp their look (along with The Block of course). Their sim hosts dozens of mostly male-oriented designs from tons of talented designers. Kirk and Maddox have helped shine a spotlight on a previously undervalued side of menswear in SL, moving beyond grungy jeans and t-shirts into a realm of chicness that is evident in all the men on this year's list.

We're not done with 2008 yet, though. Next week, I will be announcing the People's Choice winners, the 3 men that won the most hearts during the initial voting, along with a couple other surprises...

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

[Mitch Wagner]

Damn, not on the list. Guess nobody loves a rusty, steam-powered robot.

[Pappy Enoch]

Oh boo hoo hoo...tu quote that-thar filosophur Bugs Bunny, "always a bridesmaid, nevur a bride!"

Nex' year, purty gals, I'll bee back. Don't yu worry, Miz Ofeelya. I are changin' hair-pomades frum Fop tu Dapper Dan...I reckon that'll git mee intu the finals in '09.