Do You Speak Inventory? How We Use Virtual Fashion

[kateamdahl]

It's a good thing for everyone involved that I don't treat my boyfriends and girlfriends the way I treat my wardrobe, because I'm constantly falling in and out of love with outfits. I'm not sure whether this is the universal Way of the Fashionista or my particular thing, though, because for instance I hear a lot of mention of people getting outfits

Comments

[azureavian]

yes, i do this, to a certain extent. i used to organize my clothes according to what they were (pants, skirts, long, short) now i organize (the complete outfits anyway) into colors. i find that i'm in a color mood more than a short sleeve mood most days. and my hair will usually match my outfit also.

[kateamdahl]

Hi Feather!

So do certain colors usually mean certain moods? Do you find yourself changing often?

^^^\ Kate /^^^

[azureavian]

the color chosen can depend on what season i feel like at the moments or just that i feel (or need to feel) sunny = yellow or white. i feel sick or depressed = grey or leather or something dark or strict. i feel calm or lovely = blue or a lovely green. it also depends on if i see something out of the ordinary and i might try to match that color. sometimes i'll feel like wearing a certain hair and match the clothes to that hair. =)

Why I Buy

[anonymous]

I enjoy buying new clothing items (and this includes jewelry, hair and skin as well) because I can't afford much in RL. To look in my "closet" and see 200 dresses, 150 pairs of shoes, 50 different hair styles...it's a rush I only get to experieince in SL.

Maybe it's becuase I'm a Gemini IRL and change my look 2 or 3 times a day. ;-)

Elsbeth Writer

Re: Why I Buy

[kateamdahl]

*Kate nods* You know, I think I feel a bit the same way. There's a sense of opulence when I look at my huge array of options, something that for me in First Life would make me think of waste if I had so many things. So do you get a bit of a rush when you buy something new? Or when you wear it for the first time? Or when you go through your inventory? Or is it a more general satisfaction, not so much a particular thrill?

Hope you don't mind all the questions. :)

^^^\ Kate /^^^

Re: Why I Buy

[anonymous]

All good questions, Kate.

I do have a feeling of satisfaction when I see all the items in my clothing folders. I like to match outfits to events I attend...jeans for rock concerts, cocktail dresses for jazz clubs, gowns for the theater, etc. And I do landscape photography, so comfortable shoes are a must!

And as I said, I don't have a lot of RL money to spend on clothes, so a couple of dollars to buy a whole outfit is wonderful. (And, I fear, addicting...*sigh)

Also, I really admire the people who create (my building skills are zero). So buying stuff is a way for me to express gratitude to those who make our world the beautiful place it is.

Another thing...shopping is a relaxing way to spend time. Wasn't it on your blog where I read about shopping being a form of meditation? I go to different stores everyday, cause there's always something new and unique to discover.

Elsbeth

Re: Why I Buy

[kateamdahl]

Thanks, hon. It's interesting to hear where you're coming from!

"Wasn't it on your blog where I read about shopping being a form of meditation?"

Yes, it was!

^^^\ Kate /^^^

[darkbay]

I am a fashionita in SL. That's "my thing." Here's my fashion blog http://heidivolare.wordpress.com/ ('cause the world needs yet another SL fashion blog)

My inventory is 25K. Staying organized is key and I have moments of out of control. I do like your "new items" folder idea a lot.

The sad fact is when I'm scrolling in my inventory and can't find a DAMN thing to wear. What's wrong with me?

[kateamdahl]

Great blog, hon! You have some posts there that I need to look into...

I have that "can't find a thing to wear" feeling sometimes too. It's freaky! If you're a mood dresser, maybe it's because we have moods that we haven't found the outfits to express yet? Or maybe there are facets of ourselves we haven't understood well enough to dress for yet?

Or maybe sometimes I'm getting too attached to some idea that's preventing me from wearing what I really would be most happy wearing. For instance, sometimes I resist wearing cute little mini dresses because they can be...I don't know, trivializing? As though I'm not a serious person... But maybe there are times when I'm thinking that but what will really make me happy is to wear a Bare Rose mini-kimono, and either I don't need to be taken seriously or I can manage it despite the hemline.

I'm just throwing out theories. Any ideas, Heidi, or anyone else who might be reading along?

^^^\ Kate /^^^

[joshooahlove]

I'm a bit unusual for a typical SL guy in that I have a bit of extensive wardrobe (some would say that is an understatement) but I'm utterly unorganized with regards to my inventory so I bear deep seated resentment and antipathy towards evil people like YOU with nested, colour coded folders lol. Having said that, I guess I am a typical guy in some ways in that if I can't find something in my SL inventory, like when I can't find clean underwear in rl, I'll just go out to buy some new ones :)

[kateamdahl]

You know, as long as I'm drawing parallels between clothing and communication, I wonder if that's one reason why a man who can dress well is so appealing in both lives...maybe we see that and say to ourselves "Wow, a man who can communicate!" Not that there aren't many men, both sharp dressers and basic dressers, who can communicate, but maybe that's a kind of hint suggesting that skill. If it is, I wonder if it's a *true* hint. You obviously have both skills, Joshooah, but you're in a category of your own. :)

^^^\ Kate /^^^

Clothes

[mokey_rocks]

I change my clothes for the situation and the mood all the time, and I frequently find myself pointing it out in my friends. One of my good friends changes her hair nearly every day (sometimes even her skin), and I almost feel as though it would be rude to ignore -- there's a reason she made a change, and, as in RL, people like to have their changes recognized. "Your hair looks so cool tonight!" :)

By the way, I am coveting the hell out of your belly dance dress. It's fabulous.

Re: Clothes

[kateamdahl]

*Kate smiles*

If you're interested in finding that outfit or seeing what else they have, it's from Nasty Dreams at http://slurl.com/secondlife/City%20of%20Tor/178/178/651/?title=Nasty%20Dreams and it's called "Ashira". :)