Okay. Today I want to discuss jewelry. This is an accessory that is much over-looked and not used as much as it should be. Many don’t understand exactly how a small piece of jewelry can just make an outfit sing and give it that little extra something that many people miss or don’t bother to notice. It can make an outfit seem heavy or just right. Usually you have to follow your own instinct as well as how the trends tend to lean. If you have something heavy on like a ball gown, you don’t want to wear bulky stones around your neck but something light. The color as well can make or break the outfit. If you decide to go bold with neutral colors you need to make sure that it doesn’t class in a bad way but makes your entire outfit pop!

Good jewelry is hard to find in SL, especially if they are obsessed with the bling scripts. I don’t know about anyone else but the bling scripts have always gotten on my nerves- not to mention they always nearly blind me! But one store I found with very nice and quality items was Caroline’s Jewelry. It was certainly a small and modest piece of land but it didn’t detract from the high quality pieces that decorated the well-designed walls. Isn’t it time that you learned to accessorize your SL?? I think so and you should probably get to it now! Just be careful on HOW you accessorize so those around you don’t need to have sunglasses to gaze upon your blinging glory! [laughs]

As a model I think it’s safe to say that having high quality clothing is essential and, of course, expected! But what of the poses and the model walks that we place in our Zhaos and Model AO’s? Those are another essential part of the process of becoming an amazing model and I’ll take just a few minutes to help out the trainees and aspiring models out there! There are a plethora of stores out there that claim to sell the best poses out there in second life but what are you, as a customer supposed to look for to make sure that it’s truly what it claims to be? Well the first thing you should always look at is what is it showcasing? Different poses are made to show off and highlight various parts of your body and works for different outfits. Let me explain. If you would wearing an outfit with a skirt layer or a prim skirt layer, you wouldn’t want to spread your legs all over the place! First off, that’s just not lady like but it also doesn’t show off the outfit to it’s best. You would want to find something that slims you down (especially with skirt layers since they tend to add 30 pounds to your hips from thin air!) and makes you look taller.

Next you would definitely want to see how it makes your body look. I’ve seen tons of poses that looked nice but the small details such as how my hands or feet were placed made me bypass them. You don’t want your foot or hands in awkward positions but natural ones. If you couldn’t bend your hands all the way back why have a pose that’s like that now? Also you want to see how well they flow together from one pose to another. You don’t want those poses that flash from one to the next but that flows naturally with nice transitions. Now that let’s move on to that walk! For the ladies and for some men, you want to find one with long strides that keep your avatar looking strong and tall. You don’t want one that makes you look as if you’re clomping down the runway but gliding! I hope these tips help some aspiring models out there that are looking to start off on the right foot. My prayers are with you and I wish you all the best of luck! ^_~

As a female in the modeling and fashion industry, I’m not amazed at the amount of choices and the variety of styles there are to choose from and the number of jobs available for us out there. It comes as no particular surprise to me that there are so many designers that cater to the female customers of second life. It also, sadly enough, comes of no surprise to me that there are not just as many high quality designers for males as well. Now, that doesn’t mean I wish it wouldn’t change, because I do. I’ve shopped with many male friends to update their looks and I’m saddened by the lack of diverse and varying choices there are out there.

Now please do not think I’m detracting from those designers that do cater to men or design clothing for the average male of second life, because I’m certainly not doing that. I have a deep respect for any designer out there because they are able to do something that I have never had the skill or patience to learn and do. Shopping for men out there can be a pain. I can’t tell you the amount of stores I’ve had to walk around just to find ONE decent hairstyle that would fit their avatar or clothes that were something a bit more than just jeans and a T-shirt. And the funny thing is that as much as this frustrates me, I’m not a man! I wonder exactly how actual men out there feel about this. Are they as frustrated and saddened as I am?

Now to continue our discussion about men in the fashion world, let’s move onto something that hits very close to home for many men that may read this article and blog, the male model of second life. Now I’ve talked to plenty of males in the industry and interviewed them for various articles and whatnot and they’ve all said the same thing. They wished there was more. Let me ask you this…as a female you have TONS of jobs rolling in wherever you go. There’s always something out there and someone in need of a female model to showcase their designs but what of the males?? Now we’ve already established that there are not that many high quality designers out there that make clothing for the average male. Maybe designing for women is a lot easier and more fun for them- who knows. But I know that it must be a lot harder for males to find work in the industry than that of their counterparts.

Does this embitter some males? Do they resent us females because of this, maybe just a little?? I’ve constantly wondered about that, and it’s just become more nagging to me as I’ve become more involved in this industry. Do male models receive just as much work as the female? What type of experiences have they had with the industry and designers? Oh a good question I’ve always wondered- do men really like to shop as much as women?? Please feel free to give your feedback and share your experiences! Curious minds want to know- namely mine! [Laughs]