Has SL Fashion Become Too Homogeneous?

[Myficals]

A lot depends on the skin though cuz I have a Catwa head and definitely don't look like that. It could be because I'm still wearing a pre-bento head. The bento seem to be the ones that can be twisted into the frowny face. And honestly some of the skin makers make it easy to do; two designers in particular come to mind.

Myf's head is Catwa too, and I spent a lot of time and energy crafting a face without the frowny look to it. Skin choice certainly played a role, and some skins I've tried are better than others at minimising the look. I just think that the Catwa face designs tend towards the angry pixie look more than other designers do, but it's a generalisation for sure.

 

[Ellen Cordeaux]

I buy quite a lot of clothes, usually for something specific. It's a frustrating experience buying clothes and animations if you don't want short and slutty or grande dame evening clothing. I have several dresses from Pulse and Chat which I loved, but which don't fit with my mesh body because they have scoop backs and there is a horrible choice between having transparent parts showing or body showing through the dresses. I have recently found one knee-length dress I love at ArisAris, which reacts to lighting and fits with my mesh body.

Try these stores for grown up fashion minus the slutty:

Valentina E - currently designs only for the Maitreya body but she has a lot of regular mesh in the store too.
ISON
Hilly Haalan
COCO
Just Because

 

[Caliandris]

Try these stores for grown up fashion minus the slutty:

Valentina E - currently designs only for the Maitreya body but she has a lot of regular mesh in the store too.
ISON
Hilly Haalan
COCO
Just Because

Thank you for those recommendations. I know Ison and COCO and Just Because, but Valentina E and Hilly Haalen are new to me.

Although...due to this thread I now have a Piggu June avatar and a range of associated clothing... and need new AO animations as my arms are inside my body a fair amount of the time!

 

[Ryanna Enfield]

Check out Voir for animations. They have one for "Fat Girls" that works with the Piggu June avatar.

 

[Caliandris]

Check out Voir for animations. They have one for "Fat Girls" that works with the Piggu June avatar.

Yep. Now I have that too!

 

[Caliandris]

Well it's been an expensive week already - but I thought I should post again because I found a shop which bucks the trend of homogenity....homogeneousness??? oh well, you know what I mean, the subject of the thread. I'm afraid this beautiful dress shot me back into my normal Cali avatar because it was love at first sight. I have no links with the creator or the shop, but I foresee a lot of my lindens finding their way there. They have an eclectic selection of clothing and shoes etc. Also posted a picture of the inside of the shop which is ALB DREAM FASHION at Millais

 

[CronoCloud Creeggan]

Bout time I responded in this thread.

Try these stores for grown up fashion minus the slutty:

Valentina E - currently designs only for the Maitreya body but she has a lot of regular mesh in the store too.

Yes. Some of it is neo-vintage too.

ISON

Some ISON things can end up a bit into the "Bebe" end of things. (Bebe is a RL store. Women's Fashion: Chic & Contemporary Clothing | bebe ) That might be a little bit too into the sexy side for some.

Hilly Haalan

Ditto for Hilly, but she releases a LOT so you can probably find things you like.

Just Because

While I like Just Because she has raised her hemlines recently and has released a pair of thigh high boots. She's suffering from what I call
"Neve" syndrome, where a designer raises her hemlines and skimpifies her stuff to increase the mass market appeal. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but can be if they do it too much and don't keep releasing more classic stuff.

Heads: Demo lots. As I've said, I was pressured by a friend to get my first one. She said I wasn't much of a fashionista if I didn't have one and that I needed to keep up. I hadn't found one I really liked yet, but picked up the least objectional one at that time. It still wasn't perfect for me, and in fact it was quite a few updates before certain issues I had with it got fixed. I actually stopped wearing it. My second head worked better for me because it was more classic. My third, which I currently wear is Bento and I finally look like pre-mesh CC in the head again.

I'm fairly satisfied with my current head, though yes I've got some pouty RBF, though I'm "Aristocratic" not bitchy. If I was to pick up a new head, it would (and will) probably be a Genus head.

Bodies and Shapes: I've been using the same shape since late July of 2006, modified over time. It was originally designed for SL runway/lingerie work by the creator. Over time I've made it shorter and added a touch of muscle. It is still very slender but more in a "catalog model" way. Think models for TahariASL, White House Black Market, Ann Taylor, or yes... Bebe. Tahari ASL | Official Site | Premium Designer Women's Clothing Women's Clothing, Dresses, Tops, Pants, Petite & Plus Size - White House Black Market - White House Black Market ANN TAYLOR: Women's Clothing, Suits, Dresses, Cashmere, Sweaters, Petites
But that is what I WANT my avatar to look like. In general I'm a bit more classic than most, though I have Bebe-ized my wardrobe some over the past couple of years.

Clothing: You can find non-slutty clothing, even some Bebe-ish stores have some less slutty things. Keep your eyes open and if you see someone wearing something you like, immediately use the "What is she wearing HUD" on them. Which you should be doing regularly. Also if you do see a well dressed fashionista, check to see if she has a flickr, if so you can find OTHER things to buy. Also bloggers. Even though Strawberry Singh isn't blogging anymore you can read up her old posts that she did before she started doing too many videos to see where she shopped.

Here's a few more stores to check out:

Neve (formerly Coldlogic) I'd call them the LOFT of SL, though they have skimpified a touch as I've said. Lets just say that when Stacy London of the RL TV show What Not To Wear came into SL, she wore Coldlogic.

Thalia Heckroth
Belle Epoque
Dead Dollz (vintage/rockabilly/goth)
Tetra
Emery
Rowne might be described as designer resortwear/beachwear. It is actually classic, but will work best if you look like a model hanging out on some Mediterranean resort. Their RL equivalent would be perhaps the resort collection of fancy designers.
Fashionably Dead
Tres Blah
The Secret Store
Pixicat
Mutresse (though she sometimes fails on the color choices)

 

[Maggy Hazelnut]

I have to say be careful buying from Emery. I know they make good clothes but their customer service sucks ass. I had a couple problems with their clothing in the past & sent the owner very nice notecards asking for help & even after repeated IMs & notecards to them there was never a single response. I won't buy from them anymore. They lost a customer but I got the feeling they didn't care.

I highly recommend Neve (Cold Logic). They make great clothes at reasonable prices & ALWAYS answer you if you have a problem or question. Good customer service DOES matter!

 

[Ayesha]

For alternative fashions -- goth, punk, hippie etc. and even a few formal dresses, I recommend Sn@tch. I don't shop much in SL anymore but I look forward to their subscription notecards every week, because they have great puns involving the word Sn@tch. More to the point, they make a wide variety of clothes that are not like everyone else's. They offer lots of sizes/bodies -- no Maitreya only BS. They are also excellent for alternative hairstyles. They do have a fair amount of slutty clothing but it's also alternative, not bimbo stuff. They have riot vendor sale items and specials weekly, and a discount outlet. It's a good place to send newbies as well. Customer service is great.

 

[Ellen Cordeaux]

While I like Just Because she has raised her hemlines recently and has released a pair of thigh high boots. She's suffering from what I call
"Neve" syndrome, where a designer raises her hemlines and skimpifies her stuff to increase the mass market appeal. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but can be if they do it too much and don't keep releasing more classic stuff.

Agree. I used to shop at Cold Logic quite a bit then when they re-branded into Neve, I eventually stopped. The high quality and good fit of the mesh is still there, but it seems the designer is now targeting the "really short, flirty skirt" consumer. Nothing wrong with it; must not my style. My avi is aged 35-40 and I want her to look like it. I do still send newbies there though.

"What is she wearing" hud is such a great tool. I never take it off.

Thalia Heckroth - Belle Epoque - Dead Dollz - Tetra - Emery - Rowne - Fashionably Dead -Tres Blah - The Secret Store - Pixicat - Mutresse

Great list, I forgot these. I shop at all of these stores from time to time. They all have a nice mix of styles that will appeal to all tastes.

Side bar: I LOVE Thalia Heckroth's designs, but the mesh itself is just too "clunky" looking to me, it's like...too thick or something.

 

[Ellen Cordeaux]

For alternative fashions -- goth, punk, hippie etc. and even a few formal dresses, I recommend Sn@tch. I don't shop much in SL anymore but I look forward to their subscription note cards every week, because they have great puns involving the word Sn@tch. More to the point, they make a wide variety of clothes that are not like everyone else's. They offer lots of sizes/bodies -- no Maitreya only BS. They are also excellent for alternative hairstyles. They do have a fair amount of slutty clothing but it's also alternative, not bimbo stuff. They have riot vendor sale items and specials weekly, and a discount outlet. It's a good place to send newbies as well. Customer service is great.

Oh I forgot about Snatch! So much to choose from, really something for everyone. I haven't been there in a long time, I need to go back. It used to be my first stop when I wanted somethig BoHo.

 

[Tiffy Vella]

I've been pondering this homogeneous-ness overnight as it's definitely a thing.

It could be due in part to the gradual change of sl user from creative pioneer to consumer. This was talked about a few times in the old forums. I can't recall if any definite conclusion was reached. I think it's a partial explanation. Templates were once blamed as well, but it sounds as though they are more varied now. The debate over whether templates increase or decrease diversity has good points on both sides (ugh how I now hate that term "both sides" these days, apologies).

Speaking really generally, many creators are playing it safe, perhaps in order to capture as much of the market as possible. My theory is that the market for clothing, accessories and skins is becoming increasingly fragmented as the range of mesh bodies increases, and creators now have to do a lot more work for diminishing returns.

It used to be that if someone made a generic shirt for a system body, that shirt could be worn by 100% of residents. Then, as the market became increasingly sexualised a shirt could be good for either a male or female resident, cutting the potential market in two. A creator (for non-furry humanoids) could diversify into vintage, or fantasy, goth, steam or anything crazy out there, and know that this would mean taking a hit to their customer base, but they could afford to do that as 100% of people who were into that scene could still be their customer. There were corners to capture. Now, that's no longer true.

So creators are perhaps reacting to this by becoming generic, and hopefully avoiding putting in hours and hours of work to produce a pair of shoes that could be worn by only a tiny percentage of the market.

I wonder if events affect the situation? It seems to be harder to atttract new customers to my mainstore as many now shop at events. And so the pressure is on to create 'new exclusives' for events, which may only last a fortnight, narrowing down the window in another way. Events certainly can add to costs, remove customers from mainstores and concentrate releases into gluts. These factors may indirectly channel creators into making safer choices design-wise.

Anyway, it is heartening to see that there are still some who would like to see more diversity in styles. Please don't give up, and keep encouraging artists who have something original and different to offer.

 

[Seven]

I feel like events are sort of a double edged sword in terms of making things more or less homogeneous. On the one hand there's a lot of really generic monthly events that simply ask designers to create something "cute" or "sexy". Lots of really similar stuff gets made month after month for these of course.

Then you have the occasional events that have more specific themes, for example "art deco" or "mermaids". I tend to find these more interesting as a shopper and more fun as a creator. I think this sort of more limited even at least forces creators out of their comfort zone.

Oh, and on the topic of store suggestions. I was wondering if anyone can suggest stores that have fantasy or sci-fi themed things? Some of my personal favorites are:

Trap
Plastik
Seydr
Sweet Thing
Contraption
Aii
Ghoul
Cynefin

 

[Val]

I just miss unisex clothes. Just give me that and I will be happy. I used to be able to mod system avatar ones with faffling with elements and removing boob shadows as it was a standard and people were expected to mod stuff. Sure, I can mod templates but I got sick of them - I seen ALL, seriously all as I used to wonder how many are stolen from other designers off SL (most). Which is another thing - I am sure people stole a sculpt here or there but when clothes were not one piece - they at least stole from each other and not out of SL (not that it is much different but easier to track within a system whilst nowadays real creators are mostly unaware).

 

[Tirellia]

Oh, and on the topic of store suggestions. I was wondering if anyone can suggest stores that have fantasy or sci-fi themed things?

Unless there's a real need to keep everything matching I tend to cobble together outfits from multiple sources. Here are a few of my favourites:

SciFi: A&Y, Graves, Plastix, r2, The Forge, AsteroidBox, Insanya, Wicca's Wardrobe, Hypnos, Meva, Yasum

Fantasy: Zenith, Moon Elixir, aisling, Glyph, The Forge, Luas, On A Lark, Velvet Whip, Salt & Pepper

 

[Amelia Freund]

My avatar's proportions definately aren't wild but even I have trouble finding mesh clothes that fit. It's not clipping that's the problem for me though, it's the clothes looking way too baggy and frumpy. I think it's the saddle bag and love handle sliders that cause it. As a result I usually have to stick to body hugging clothing styles. Things like baby doll dresses, baggy pants, gowns with a full skirt, sweaters, jackets, anything loose fitting, are usually no go's for me.
I don't really see my style as sexy, just flattering.

I haven't worn a proper outfit in months though. Nor have I logged in frequently for that matter, but when I do it's just to go to an event of some such, and I usually make do in the nude with my non-PG bits alpha'd out.

 

[Tirellia]

I don't really think that SL fashion has become homogeneous, but I think the mainstream events have gone that way. There's almost an event style and I can see how that is annoying to a lot of people. I certainly find myself skimming through Seraphim and finding one outfit per event that's worth investigating, but more likely that it's a building, pose set, background or accessory that makes me fight the lag.

What I do find a little disappointing is the apparent disappearance of some clothing genres, or maybe it's just the disappearance from public view of those subcultures. Rockabilly, gothloli, the whole flamboyant Lestat vampire scene, Steampunk, even plain old goths. Maybe hardly anyone made the move into mesh? Or maybe I've just not been to the right places to see them all in their natural habitat

 

[Gear]

Anime maintains a strong subset of EGL/EGA. But since people point at us and scream 'Ageplay' we tend to stick to ourselves.

 

[Cristalle]

If people would wear applier clothing, there would be more diversity in styles. But applier clothing has fallen out of favor and off to the wayside.

 

[IrishSpring]

Bout time I responded in this thread.


Yes. Some of it is neo-vintage too.


Some ISON things can end up a bit into the "Bebe" end of things. (Bebe is a RL store. Women's Fashion: Chic & Contemporary Clothing | bebe ) That might be a little bit too into the sexy side for some.


Ditto for Hilly, but she releases a LOT so you can probably find things you like.


While I like Just Because she has raised her hemlines recently and has released a pair of thigh high boots. She's suffering from what I call
"Neve" syndrome, where a designer raises her hemlines and skimpifies her stuff to increase the mass market appeal. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but can be if they do it too much and don't keep releasing more classic stuff.

Heads: Demo lots. As I've said, I was pressured by a friend to get my first one. She said I wasn't much of a fashionista if I didn't have one and that I needed to keep up. I hadn't found one I really liked yet, but picked up the least objectional one at that time. It still wasn't perfect for me, and in fact it was quite a few updates before certain issues I had with it got fixed. I actually stopped wearing it. My second head worked better for me because it was more classic. My third, which I currently wear is Bento and I finally look like pre-mesh CC in the head again.

I'm fairly satisfied with my current head, though yes I've got some pouty RBF, though I'm "Aristocratic" not bitchy. If I was to pick up a new head, it would (and will) probably be a Genus head.

Bodies and Shapes: I've been using the same shape since late July of 2006, modified over time. It was originally designed for SL runway/lingerie work by the creator. Over time I've made it shorter and added a touch of muscle. It is still very slender but more in a "catalog model" way. Think models for TahariASL, White House Black Market, Ann Taylor, or yes... Bebe. Tahari ASL | Official Site | Premium Designer Women's Clothing Women's Clothing, Dresses, Tops, Pants, Petite & Plus Size - White House Black Market - White House Black Market ANN TAYLOR: Women's Clothing, Suits, Dresses, Cashmere, Sweaters, Petites
But that is what I WANT my avatar to look like. In general I'm a bit more classic than most, though I have Bebe-ized my wardrobe some over the past couple of years.

Clothing: You can find non-slutty clothing, even some Bebe-ish stores have some less slutty things. Keep your eyes open and if you see someone wearing something you like, immediately use the "What is she wearing HUD" on them. Which you should be doing regularly. Also if you do see a well dressed fashionista, check to see if she has a flickr, if so you can find OTHER things to buy. Also bloggers. Even though Strawberry Singh isn't blogging anymore you can read up her old posts that she did before she started doing too many videos to see where she shopped.

Here's a few more stores to check out:

Neve (formerly Coldlogic) I'd call them the LOFT of SL, though they have skimpified a touch as I've said. Lets just say that when Stacy London of the RL TV show What Not To Wear came into SL, she wore Coldlogic.

Thalia Heckroth
Belle Epoque
Dead Dollz (vintage/rockabilly/goth)
Tetra
Emery
Rowne might be described as designer resortwear/beachwear. It is actually classic, but will work best if you look like a model hanging out on some Mediterranean resort. Their RL equivalent would be perhaps the resort collection of fancy designers.
Fashionably Dead
Tres Blah
The Secret Store
Pixicat
Mutresse (though she sometimes fails on the color choices)

Excellent list here, and I agree about coldLogic's, "skimpification", being a disappointment. I really would have preferred fewer releases, and for Neve to be an offshoot brand. It took me a long time to unsubscribe because I thought the 'old store' would eventually creep into the new design, but that never happened. It felt like each new design was a slap in the face to the former customer base.

Hilly Haalan has some hidden gems for sure, and I think that store gets unfairly grouped with others that present their clothing in the same way(on boards, instead of rezzed out). If you take the time to look, you can find some nice items.

Emery is one of my favorites, but there are pretty slow on releases.

The Secret Store, used to be one of my go-to's, but it feels like everything they have put out lately has a built-in harness in it. I don't wear anything harnessed, no chokers, etc, so seeing one of my favorites stores not even offer a normal option has been disappointing. I felt like they had more edge in the past, and have gotten too "doe-eyed" for even my tastes.

Pixicat is surprisingly great, clean, fresh design.

I wonder if events affect the situation? It seems to be harder to atttract new customers to my mainstore as many now shop at events. And so the pressure is on to create 'new exclusives' for events, which may only last a fortnight, narrowing down the window in another way. Events certainly can add to costs, remove customers from mainstores and concentrate releases into gluts. These factors may indirectly channel creators into making safer choices design-wise.

Anyway, it is heartening to see that there are still some who would like to see more diversity in styles. Please don't give up, and keep encouraging artists who have something original and different to offer.

I think events likely play a large role, you are no longer really appealing to your own audience but broader consumers. If a store can balance releasing for events, vs. releasing enough items in store, they can mitigate this. But for creators who are slow releases, I could def. see it influencing the direction of their store.

I don't really think that SL fashion has become homogeneous, but I think the mainstream events have gone that way. There's almost an event style and I can see how that is annoying to a lot of people. I certainly find myself skimming through Seraphim and finding one outfit per event that's worth investigating, but more likely that it's a building, pose set, background or accessory that makes me fight the lag.

What I do find a little disappointing is the apparent disappearance of some clothing genres, or maybe it's just the disappearance from public view of those subcultures. Rockabilly, gothloli, the whole flamboyant Lestat vampire scene, Steampunk, even plain old goths. Maybe hardly anyone made the move into mesh? Or maybe I've just not been to the right places to see them all in their natural habitat

I miss the different clothing genres too, but I got a lot of hate and flack for dressing that way in the past as well. Buying gothloli stuff was also a pretty expensive hobby even in Second Life. Still is.

Real life fashion is in a "blah" period as well, imo, so that may play a part in it.

I'd like to learn more about the business side of SL Shopping Events.