Billy Beaverhausen
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Suiting up Signature
A while ago a friend told me that an acquaintance of a neighbour of the niece of his sister in law would be tapping me on the shoulder for some advice concerning the availability of suits for the Signature Gianni body. I rummaged through my wardrobe (underpants! so many underpants!) and looked at freebies as well as demos to put together some looks.
First let me get some technical information out of the way which for some of you will seem like I’m teaching grandma to suck eggs, but for others it may be an “aha!” moment (and then you’ll start humming the 80’s smash hit “Take On Me”). Please keep in mind that I’m just talking from experience here and I’m not fully aware of all the technical ins and outs.
- A suit can be rigged specifically for the Signature mesh body and in that case it will mostly conform to your shape, but you still need to go into the hud and click alpha cuts to hide parts of your body and stop your skin from poking through the fabric as you move. The suit will grow and shrink with the adjustments you make to your shape.
- There is a size called Fitmesh. This type of clothing also conforms to your shape, but usually less accurately then a dedicated Signature version. Again, any changes you make to your shape are reflected by the suit. This can be handy when for example you find that the sleeves make your arms look much thinner than what you are used to. In that case you can try pushing the muscle mass slider to the maximum value.
- Standard Sizing clothing is another and less accommodating option. This is where you will find S, M, L and XL versions of the suit in its folder. You pick the one which most closely resembles your shape, but changes to your body will not impact the look of the suit and in essence this means the shape of the suit becomes your body shape. Now let us dive in and look at some pretty pictures.
Left: (Fitmesh) This Black Three-Piece Suit from Gabriel comes in a check and striped fabric with shorter and longer trouser legs (shorter version worn in this image). Depending on your usual butt-size, you may have to turn it down a little because this suit tends to exaggerate the derrière. Personally I also reduced my love handles, to create a sharper more tailored look. There seems to be a slight clipping issue in the neck area.
Middle: (Fitmesh) Switch things up with the Casual Blazer and the Original Chinos from Kalback. Perfect for a Starbucks date or casual Fridays at the job because sweetie, the sweatpants and crop top are not for work. NO! The jacket comes with a bunch of options for the shirt and t-shirt and the pair of chinos has several belts.
Right: (Standard Sizing) Get ready for autumn with this Grey-Black Suit complete with scarf from Gizza. It’s one of those all-in-on pieces and it’s a Group Gift at the moment.
Left: (Standard Sizing) If you like your legs lean and lanky, you may enjoy this silver 2BN Suit by Kauna. Without the alpha cuts I would be busting out of it at all sides and I noticed that my neck was poking through the collar every now and again.
Middle: (Standard Sizing & Fitmesh jeans) Here’s another sharp casual Friday option with the Ghoran blazer and shirt from FE Style and a pair of jeans from Deadwool. I always love it when I can get away with combining pieces from different creators.
Right: (Fitmesh) Whether you have an important meeting at work or you’re a guest at a high society wedding, you can’t go wrong with the Peak suit from Deadwool. You can even get a matching coat to arrive in truly fabulous style on cold evenings and of course everything is available in a range of colours.
Left: (Fitmesh) Let us stay with Deadwool for a little longer. There is a very snazzy and sharp tux version of the Peak suit that’s bound to make you the beau of the ball, if it weren’t for the fact that Deadwool is extremely popular among the suit-favoring crowd, so basically they’ll be lots of beaus to go round… Yay! The tux comes with its own hud with some colour options for the shirt, buttons, bow tie and pocket handkerchief.
Middle: (Standard Sizing) I’m not done with Deadwool yet! After all, they are dominating the suit baring community in SL. This is their aptly named Dandy suit. It’s not a perfect fit, as the Large version makes me look chunky but the Medium version clips on my wrists. However, I love the look of this suit and the extensive colour options for the tie, handkerchief and shirt, but I wish it was fitmesh.
Right: (Standard Sizing) I’m on the fence about this tweed suit from Hoorenbeek too. Much of what I said about the Dandy suit can be repeated here and while I do like the materials and the ribbon around the edge of the jacket, I think it could do with a big update.
Left: (Standard Sizing) The XIV Blazer, Trousers, Shirt and Vest can all be bought separately, allowing you to put together your own suit. Again, as it’s not fitmesh I do feel some displeasure with the shape, but overall it is a pretty sharp look. I went for a dark chocolate brown, but Kauna have some more extravagant colour options at their store.
Middle: (Signature size) A better option from Kauna for the Signature body is the more recently created UPCL Jacket & Jumper. The name doesn’t clearly mention it, but the package does include a pair of trousers. With the hud that comes with this outfit you can choose between a tan and a grey base colour which you then can tint, giving me this nice blue version.
Right: (Signature size) A little more flamboyant yet masculine is the Marc Jacket, combined with the Jack Cargo Pants by Ascend. In short: I love everything about this combination.
I’m sure there is more choice out there but I also feel there still is a gap in the market for well made interesting, edgy suits as well more classic designs.
Credits:
Mesh body and mesh head by Signature.
Skin appliers by Stray Dog (note: the skin used on the mesh head is not currently available, but the body applier is).
Hair by Stealthic (black) and Burley (brown)
Sneakers and dress shoes by Deadwool.
Boots by Ascend.
Jockstrap by Noche.
Glam Closet (with altered textures for clothes) by Bazar.
Billy Beaverhausen 