When you look up the word shopping, in more words or less, articles in one form or another describe the only shoppers on the planet as women. There is a disregard for the male shopper, probably because statistics found that women shop more, according to Optinmonster. Female shoppers make up 72% of the shopping market, while male shoppers bring up the rear at 68%. While this gap is not significant, it does show that men shop less than women, but the keyword is that they do shop. According to Zoovu, men may shop less because their reasoning behind the habit is different from women; Men shop for the item's functionality while women are purported to shop for the thrill of the hunt and the joy shopping brings. While this statistical data may be valid or invalid, I believe there is a shift in the male thinking regarding the habit of shopping. And, to cater to the more fashion-forward male that enjoys leisurely shopping for the thrill, here are a few locations on the SL grid that caters to a discerning male fashion palette.
I took to the pavement, coming across the MENS DEPT event in-world, spotting Semller, a store I knew from a past iteration. Semller is a Secondlife store well known for its trendy footwear located in-world and on the marketplace. Semller provides trendy, high-quality footwear, from boots to sneakers and clothing, to the fashionable male avatar that enjoys quality. While they do not cater to just male shoppers, they provide footwear the male shopper likes. In fact, on my visit to the store in-world, there were twice as many male shoppers as there were female shoppers. The only downside is that the creator of the brand has only made it available for legacy male and female; eBody; Belleza male and female; Gianni; and unrigged/resizable, with the latter option in the list being available for those whose mesh form the shoe does not have a size for.
An image of the sizes that Semller caters to
The only clothing item in the Semller store in-world
A showcase of some of the shoe styles sold at Semller
In-world URL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bali/230/30/1001
Marketplace URL: Second Life Marketplace - Semller by semller
Facebook URL: Semller - Home | Facebook
Flickr URL: semller | Flickr
Group URL: https://my.secondlife.com/groups/abeeb204-12fd-27aa-febe-8f14a668aba7
In a group chat a day or two ago, a question about which store was best for male fashion was posted, and one name thrown around a bit was Cold Ash, so I decided to explore the store to see why it had come highly recommended. I dropped in and could immediately see that the store's content is high quality with fantastic attention to detail. For the most part, they cater to the most popular male mesh forms, I presume, and they have a decent selection of clothing for every occasion. The store was pretty much a ghost town when I dropped in; however, if I were a male avatar, I would often drop into Cold Ash to add to my clothing collection.
The storefront for Cold Ash
The entrance of Cold Ash
An aisle in the Cold Ash store
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/coldashsl
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coldashsl
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coldashsl
Plurk: https://www.plurk.com/ColdAsh
Twitter: https://twitter.com/coldashsl
In-world URL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cold%20Ash/172/198/35
Marketplace URL: Second Life Marketplace - Cold Ash by ColdAsh
Nothing in this world, or the real world, is sexier than the skin you are in. I do not care how fancy or qualitative the clothing that one wears; what matters most is the skin that the clothing is hiding underneath looks. With the demands for photorealistic and premium quality skins on the rise, more and more creators are investing more time and energy into creating skins that mimic real life. The meticulous placement of shadows and highlights to the mindful chiseling of the fine lines, wrinkles, and pores provides numerous options for quality skins. One creator of quality skin, Stray Dog, has gotten the attention of many male avatar users. The brand's name is misleading as there is nothing shabby or low quality about the brand's content. Stray Dog provides skin for all of the top male mesh forms, and they cater to all of the top mesh head brands. The best thing about the company, in my opinion, is that they provide their skin tone RGB codes to ensure that all of your attachments blend seamlessly. There are many options for mesh head skins that span every ethnicity.
Stray Dog Entrance
Some of Stray Dog’s BOM options
Some of Stray Dog’s more enormous collection
In-world URL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Heavens%20Touch/96/191/22
Group URL: secondlife:///app/group/c26611b9-f30c-7993-98c0-262d872f73e9/about
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/gac_akina/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mynameisgac
Marketplace: Second Life Marketplace - STRAY DOG by Gac Akina
Disclaimer: In no shape or fashion am I acting as the authority on male fashion or the fashion creators that cater to this demographic. These are but one person's opinions based on their taste in quality and style. What defines the "BEST" in male fashion is what suits your individual needs and desires. Happy Shopping!
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