Illustration: Danny Roberts

That Sexy Male Look

When I was a kid, my Barbie Doll had her adoring Ken while my brother got GIJoe.  Viewed from the outside, Barbie was delighted to receive her blonde boyfriend for endless hours in her splendid Town House.  What nobody could suspect was that ever since Joe moved into the neighborhood, Ken seemed … well… to say the least…a little bland.  When my brother accused me of allowing Barbie to have a love affair with Joe, I could not find a better explanation than to accuse Ken of being – in comparison to Joe – like an ¨un-sauced¨ Spaghetti meal or a cake without topping.  Joe´s seeming ruggedness left Ken looking like an eternal varsity preppy…HAM!  Joe? … well … he seemed mysterious, adventurous and exciting as Barbie climbed happily inside his Jeep.   No more boring visits for Barbie!

Traditionally, females take a lot of care in their appearance both in RL and SL.   Not every male wants to look like a model in SL, so what ´s a guy to do if he wants to improve on his appearance quotient without spending a fortune?     Besides paying close attention to your shoes and hair (yes guys, women do notice) here are some out of the box alternatives:

Jermaine Adored with Landa Crystal.

Style Card: On Landa Crystal, Irina Dress Solidea Folies SS12 Faces Collection

Jermaine Adored is a DJ who plays at music clubs and events and who is also the owner of JAMS (Jermaine Adored Male Stuff).    When he first started creating he put up his things for sale in XStreet.  Then, about a year later, he opened his store in-world.  The inspiration for his creations comes from RL and he now sells hot and funky everyday clothes; cute and witty T-Shirts, Tattoos, other Accessories, Skins, Shapes and DJ Equipment.

When I ask him what he likes to buy in SL, he tells me it is a difficult question but admits to enjoying Mesh items right now.  ¨I believe it’s an amazing feature that god Lindens gave us. ¨ He prefers to shop at mostly men only shops and says he finds these difficult to find.    Although JAMS caters to the informal needs of a young crowd, anybody can wear their clothes and their DJ Equipment is Top Notch.

Skins at JAMS Include Options: Particularly Sexy Body hair

Inside JAMS DJ Equipment

JohnFrancis Laville came to SL in 2007 after reading something about SL avatars and becoming curious.   At first he came in only to create an avatar that would look like him but says something happened along the way and he somehow became a permanent resident.    Since then he has become a content creator making clothes for JFL Men´s Wear; his own store. ¨After more than 4 years, SL became a part of my RL¨ he says, but he is not comfortable sharing details about the person behind the Avi except to admit that having PS skills helped him to begin designing clothes for himself.  Then people began to ask questions.   ¨After a few months I opened a small store, and have been doing it since, but always at my own pace; the notion of pleasure has to stay present in the work. I make clothes that look like what I would wear in RL. They are mostly casual yet elegant clothes, and I like them to look realistic so I pay attention to the quality of the textures, which I like detailed with a real feel. ¨ There are now 4 Points of Sale for JFL Men´s Wear across the grid.

JohnFrancis Laville, Outfit From JFL

When I ask him what his shopping preferences are he says:   ¨I don’t need to buy clothes, so I buy – in order – hair (often women hair if it’s mod), shoes, glasses, facial/body hair, and the occasional skin (but like most men, when I find a skin I like, I stick to it for a while).  When you look you can find all you want, but often you need to look very hard because the good surprises are out of the way… for instance, It took me a while to find facial and body hair that I liked, but it did exist, it was there, somewhere. ¨

JFL Asymmetrical Cardigan Worn on Both

Landa and JohnFrancis wearing the same JFL Hand Knit Turtleneck

Although his clothes are made for men I was tempted to try them on myself.  They provided both, an interesting fit and out of the ordinary chic, not to mention the sensual feeling that can arise when you wear a BFs shirt that you are not supposed to touch.

Until next week….Muackiss !