Hair is an
issue for all avatars. We scratch our heads trying to find the perfect hair for
different occasions, often rummaging in our inventories and coming up with
nothing that fits the theme. For avatars with recurring hair woes, how do hair
designers cater to their needs? How are the seemingly contradicting
expectations with regard to style, colors, naturalness, and compatibility with
clothes and the social occasion met by designers? I went hair shopping to find
out.
Before going
blindly about the grid, poking my head in stores, standing on model stands,
tweaking prims, and changing colors and outfits, I asked the “Fabulously Free
in SL” group about their favorite hair stores. There were many that deserve
mention, but Truth, Elikatira (formerly ETD), ChiChickie, BiZaRRe HaiR, and
Alli & Ali were mentioned more than once. Truth is most famous for their
mesh hair designs, and as I happened to wear Truth hair, I decided to
concentrate on some other stores to explore their offering.
Before going shopping, Jocelyn Esharham invited me to her
home to discuss hair. In her opinion, the state of the art of hair in SL is
excellent, and mesh has brought on a great improvement. "It's kind of a
big deal now that it doesn't cut through your shoulders when you move. Long
hair was kind of a pipe dream for years." In addition, to Jocelyn, it is
important that mesh hair allows for movement in the avatar. She wears, and
buys, still quite a lot of prim hair as well. "[Mesh for] shorter hair
isn't nearly as important, though." Jocelyn also finds that there is
little difference in for instance textures, in favor of either the classic
styles or mesh hair: “I think great textures are really more a testament to the
ability of the person who textured it.” She conceded that mesh can be a problem
for avatars with hats or other attachments, but for her this is not an issue at
all.
SLE:
"Do you find hair for every occasion in SL, these days?"
Jocelyn:
"Pretty much. The beauty of Second Life, of course, is
that if it doesn't exist, it's possible to get it one way or another. Either to
make it or have it made."
SLE:
“Imagine that you are making yourself ready for an occasion and rummage your
inventory, need to have the perfect hair right there and then. Is this
possible?”
Jocelyn:
“Absolutely, if you know where to look. Marketplace can be a hassle because the
search terms can be a bit iffy. But if you have an idea what kind of style
you're looking for (updo, punk rock kind of thing, etc.) and where to buy those
things, it can be done.”
SLE: “Where
do you go to shop, and do you get good value for your Lindens there with hair?”
Jocelyn:
“Hmm...I shop lots of different places. Elikatira, Burley...sometimes Truth,
but it's rare. I think of all the places I get hair, the best value is
Chemistry.”
SLE: “What
do you value in stores, shopping for hair: selection, styles, ability to get
demos, store layout, customer service...?”
Jocelyn: “A
nice Marketplace store is a great help, and demos are a must. Free demos.”
Since the Enquirer had equipped me with some research funds,
I asked Jocelyn where she would go if she could have her go at hair shopping,
and she replied without hesitation: “Burley”.
We quickly materialized at Burley main store, among the barbershop
chairs and hair clippings on the floor which I found to be a nice, humorous
touch. Jocelyn chose a unisex punk style that we both agreed suits her very
well. Since the vendor box was wearable, she was able to unpack the hair in the
store, which is a big bonus in her book for any store. The hair she chose came
in six colors. “For the price, it's excellent.”
Encouraged
with my shopping experience with Jocelyn, I contacted an old friend, Cathy
Cyberstar, who often times has complained to me about never finding anything
suitable in hair, always going by her trusted Analog Dog hairstyle. “I just
find the styles they offer too elaborate and outlandish, and if I relent and
buy hair, it looks almost the same I already have had for
a long time,” she says. I agreed to take her on tour of some of the stores,
after contacting the designers, to see if she could find anyone to solve her
hair problem.
We decided to
find an “updo” for formal dress use, and found the owner of BiZaRRe HaiR, MyStiCa
Matova willing to help in Cathy’s makeover. She said she understands the appeal
of mesh hair, but that as a designer, she finds the classical styles to allow
more creativity. Some of her styles offer 20 color options, and free hair bases
to suit all skin types, to boot! In addition, she offers resizable attachments
and embellishments to many of her hairstyles.
Cathy and I
made an appointment at BiZaRRe, Cathy arriving in her Analog Dog flexi hair,
and I in my newly acquired Truth mesh hair. BiZaRRe is a spacious store, with
posters on the wall highlighting the styles. MyStiCa rapidly styled Cathy in
her “Classic” updo, with wisps that fall down on her face, making her look
ready to hit the cocktail hour on any metropolitan main strip. “I just love what
she did with my hair,” exclaimed Cathy, after she had resized the hair and the
wisps, with MyStiCa’s help. “Now I feel so much more confident, and the updo is
not overblown at all like many others I have seen.”
The state of
hair in Second life seems to be in very good shape. With my hair shopping
expedition, I became confident that avatars are well taken care of in terms of
their hair needs. Hairstyles and colors span the full gamut, and hair can be
made resizable and modifiable to accommodate different avatar shapes, skins,
looks, and clothing. It seems possible to find hair for every occasion, and not
everything has to be mesh. You just need a bit of patience to start with hair,
and experience that comes with, not only from you trying out hair by yourself,
but also with going hair shopping with your avatar friends.
Aren’t we all eager
to help a girl in her hair need?
Wonderful blog!
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