The other day Ciera Bergman of Vitamin Ci wrote a provocative post on her blog, which got me (and at least one other person) thinking. Do Second Life designers have to sell sex in order to sell clothes? Ciera writes,
I remember when I first started Vitamin Ci…it was to cater to those people. The people who wanted more clothes on than not…Sure, the quality of my designs have gotten better, but my skirts have gotten shorter, tops skimpier, and pants as low as they can go. Why? Because I started to cater to the bigger crowd, [instead of] the crowd my line was intended for.
In other words, what Ciera’s customers seemed to want was to be exposed, not covered up. Making us draw the conclusion that “if it isn’t slutwear, it doesn’t sell.” Ciera is determined to return to her roots, and has brought out an adorable ruffle shirt and pants combo, called Liz (shown left). While there isn’t any exposed cleavage or midriff in this outfit, it’s anything but frumpy. But, but if Ciera’s premise is true, it won’t sell nearly as well as it would if she had opened the blouse and paired it with a tight mini.
But surely Ciera is not alone in this predicament. I’m curious whether any other designers have had similar experiences. Have you had to increase the sexiness of your line in order to attract a broader audience? Have you noticed a difference in sales between your sexy versus non-sexy items? Or, have you traditionally designed tiny skirts and midriff-exposing tops, only to find that sales went through the roof when you brought your hemline down?
But I’m also curious to hear from SL fashion shoppers. Is the assumption right? Do you prefer that your clothes in SL lean toward more sexy than not? Do you avoid skirts that go past mid thigh or shirts that cover your belly button? Or, have you struggled with finding clothes that are sexy enough or conservative enough for your taste?
In other words, is the ideal SL style, well, slutty? And if it is, I’m interested in your thoughts as to why.
what a cool post… i’ll bite, lol. well for me, my stuff is not slutwear by SL standards and i will say up until ‘army baby’ my one BESTSELLER was “red hottie” which has a corsett with hotpants… and was my ‘most stutty’ outfit.
when i did ms. bizzie, my suit, that also had a LOT of sales, other end of the spectrum for ME.
“red hottie” is NOT by any means anywhere NEAR slutwear, but i will say, i have had a LOT of people who like my clothing who perhaps own a strip club, ask me if would make more “sexy” clohting with “my” style (whatever that is) for them as they like my “look” but want to show more skin.
personally, i think when ppl come into SL they want more “extreme” stuff first, be it “princess, fantasy, ’sexy-slut’ or whatever, i mean i remember almost everyone i met when i first joined had “boobies” on 100… and if i still know them… they are down in the 70’s now, hehe.
so… maybe when we first join, or THEY, ppl get “hoothie” clothes like for “dancing” jobs.. etc… then when they’ve been in SL awhile, the reject the “bling”, “slut wear” and want to tone it back a bit???
seems to be what i have personally noticed.
for me, the kind of customers i seem to attract tell me they can’t find much stuff like mine… but… i can tell you, they are NOT the people who dress in what you would call “slut wear” at all.
i tried hard to make some “sexy” clothing, even was gonna name a line called “slutty” haha, but i went with “flirt” instead for the line… but have you seen a release in it yet??? NO, i have them, but whenever callie puts them on, she blushes and runs out of the room!!! so can’t get a picture!!!
anyway… it’s a fine line between “business” if you are in it to make a sole living, and ART… but that’s the struggle of the business owner and artist..
hopefully we find the balance that makes whatever our goal is come into fruition, be it making a ton of money (and filling a need) or be it artistic expression, or a bit of both.
hopefully whatever we do, we’ll create from our hearts, and be happy when people do buy what we make, cuz if you think about it, that’s SO cool… there are many choices in SL, lots of GREAT stuff. when someone buys mine, i’m so happy that they think what i made is worth adding to their SL experience.
so….
who knows??? i hope that my rambling is some of what you wanted choice.
the long and short of it…
ya my “stereotypical” sexy outfit is one of my best sellers.. and the polar is true also, so is my “suit”
but… army baby… that one is the best seller ever, and it does have “HOT PANTS” and one customer commented, why did she make “slut” pants with it, lol… so who the heck knows!!!
i think as women, or men, our av’s are mulitfacted, and trying new stuff is cool, so maybe we phaze in and out of styles.. and maybe our customers do too!
as soon as i get my real computer back, i think i’ll release my “flirt” line, and tell callie to get a spine and stay on the pose ball!
xoxo,
caLLie
p.s. i realize i wrote this as the person behind “caLLie’s” av, don’t know why, but hope you get my drift.
oh one more thing, hehe… in RL, prolly most of us, some of us, a number of us, don’t have the perfect pamela anderson body to pull of showing our, ’skin” but in sl, you CAN, so maybe we need to get that out of our system when we first join… like, big hair, big boobies, etc..
when i joined i was so shy, my boobs were like 20, and i turned my head a LOT when people walked by 1/2 naked. but i am a bit conservative, and it was just sorta a shock. i went for a tiara, some converse sneakers and moded the irish lady outfit for a few months, until i learned hot to not get a box stuck on my head… then my first real outfit was…
from pixel dolls, hardly slut wear at all.
ok, done now
caLLie
I prefer more conservative clothes than probably most of SL. I guess b/c IRL I am big busted and I try to not draw attention to it. Same is true in SL. Sure I wear my buttondowns with an extra button undone, but I generally do not wear tight or low-cut tops. I wear more skirts in SL than I do IRL, but chances are if you see me in world, I’ll have on a pair of jeans (just like IRL). I LOVE sweaters IRL but tend to shy away from them in SL b/c they are SO tight! My theory has always been that, in general, if you pay for bigger boobs, you WANT to show them off while a lot of us who came by it naturally try to downplay the size.
As for ultra-minis and booty shorts, no way, no how, either IRL or ISL. The only possible exception is if I’m entering some type of costume contest, and that is generally ISL. I want my slacks to be loose, my jeans to be straight-leg or bootcut and somewhere between baggy and tight, and my skirts to be no shorter than mid-thigh.
I tend to take a few more, um, chances (if you will) with my clothes ISL than I do IRL, but, my tastes are pretty similar in both worlds. So, although I often find something I really like ISL that might not be something I would ever DARE wear IRL (too tight, too short, or too low-cut), I will buy it. But if it were IRL, I’d keep on walking.
The OPIUM Everyday line of mine was originally an experiment to see if basic casual/businesswear would sell to a market saturated in slutwear. Originally it failed miserably, LOL. I think the more people join Second Life, the more variety we will see in avatar’s fashion needs.
Typically, I’ve noticed my best sales are a) slutwear and b) stuff that’s hard to find a nice outfit in, like the dress suits. There aren’t many of those out there.
I wonder if I just suddenly made more sluttier items, my junk’ll sell.
I personally don’t like “slutty” clothing but I think maybe its popularity stems from the fact it’s the internet and in a world where you can basically do whatever the hell you want, people will lean towards the sex so therefore the whole “slut” clothing THING sells. I mean … Aren’t the majority of the popular places in SL sex or escort related?
Heh, I don’t know. I dig cuteness and just wellmade stuff. I mean, certain skimpy wear is nice but it’s not really a staple for me x.x;
I think there’s plenty room in Second Life for all styles. My sexier outfits sell well, that’s for sure, but my upscale fashions (like Revolution Femme, wich i think is my best seller in the field of women fashion) and formals sell just as much.
), and shop for it.
As long as a set of clothing is well made (and, sadly, sometimes even if it isn’t) and well marketed (aggressive marketing is becoming more and more important in SL, as the competition becomes fiercer) there will always be a quite big market for it in SL.
Upscale fashions sell well, at least in my experience, lots of girls prefer to be classy more than “exposed” (some managed to be both at the same time too
So, as always, I’ll continue making what i like, if one day I’ll feel like “undressing” my customers i will, if the day after I’ll feel like covering them up completely, I will as well. After all the fun lies in that. Make what you like, the quality will show that you made it with passion, and the customers will appreciate.
Considering my best seller for nearly a year straight is “Erotica Leather” with a second runner up of Teacher’s Pet I would have to say that sex definitely sells
The majority of skimpy sets that I make, are hardly something that I would ever even look at nevermind put on my rl body, I’m out of my comfort zone with anything but jeans and sweatshirt lol
Sadly skimpier does almost always seem to outsell things that dont show much skin. I don’t really make “slut wear” persay…but I do tend to show cleavage on almost everything. I agree that most of us want to wear things that we probably wouldnt or couldnt wear IRL.
I ‘ve had alot of customers tell me their more then excited to see clothing that is “sexy” but not slutty “classy” yet desireable. I think there is a distinctive line between the two. I’ve recently been playing around in the latex material world and my catsuits and gown are selling equally as well as the classic ball gowns,jeans or sweater sets. Sexy clothing can still be done in good taste and not dive into the ’skanky-slutty” fashion . Personally I don’t find the need to design in the “slutwear” type of fashion to have a successful bussiness and my customers are very happy that I don’t .I design what they give me feedback on and wish to see ^_^ and well without them I’m nothing.
mos tof the slutty girls in sl have the ugliest avatars. Even the models look bad. I’ve seen almost everyone and maybe a handful were pretty. Most not known at all. I think slutty sucks and I’m hoping to see a change in the clothing, to more realistic. Even the goth stuff has gotten way out of hand and trashy and not anything like the traditional look.
Right now I do not make enough to pay a sim with my sales. If I made pink, fuzzy-blinging-slutty-skimpy-stuff, how much you wanna bet I would be able to own two, and yes, even with the new prices? LOL! Joke aside, since SL is kind of my main income atm, and that my RL boyfriend sees that sex sells in SL, he (who doesn’t even play) told me I should get an anonymous alt and start making low-quality but extremaly sexy clothes and sell them for big $L. I know he is right, I’d make one hella big pile of ca$h if I did, but I just can’t. I make things I have interest in (aka what I wear in RL actually) and I am already lazy, so imagine if I had to make something I lack appeal to, ugh! So I won’t. I just can’t it’s not me, at all. But the sad truth is that yeah, slutty is 80% of SL. On the other hand I can’t say I don’t respect it, somewhat. Most of the people in SL are here to realize a dream. If in RL their body shape / financial situation / life in general does not let them be of feel sexy, they will definitively be able to do it here. Most of them have giant 7′ tall avatars with enormous boobs, blonde hair, own a villa, diamonds and cars, etc. They are realizing their dream… It’s normal I guess! I play a LOT of Tringo (ok shh, it’s my right to have fun at that LOL) and all the people I meet are like that. They think my avatar is weird, and I think their is eew. But we respect each other’s tastes and still talk and have lots of fun! Anyways I got sidetracked but what I meant is that the “general” croud I meet outside my customers (who obviously have same style as me) and the fashionista croud, and I meet a LOT of them and often since I play those games, are actually, yes, ALL wearing pole-dancer clothes and never ever heard of this blog, my store, or anything related. So… I must say, YES. That is the answer to your question.
As a consumer, I’d say slutwear (meaning clothing for dancers/strippers/sex workers) outnumbers non-slutwear. Avatars wearing the slutwear seem to outnumber those who don’t. Though people have IM’d me to say that it’s nide to see someone who looks like a “lady”. And for my sake it’s nice to see other members of tribe fashionista.
When I first arrived in SL all I could find was slutwear and I was a bit despondent. Then I searched SLBoutique and found Alaska’s stuff, which eventually led to google searches and finding the blogs, which led to other places.
I still have problems finding long enough skirts, even among those designers that aren’t really “slutwear” Like at Ciera Bergmans Vitamin C!, I liked a lot of the items but the skirts just turned me off because they’re too short for me.
I’ve not purchased other items at various tores because they just edged a bit too much into slutty territory. I’d contact the designers to suggest a longer skirt but I don’t want them to lose sales. And well they’re the designer and have a vision, it’s their line and I don’t want to come across as bitchy.
Maybe I’m being too picky. I don’t mind showing cleavage, or a little leg, or my navel but generally not all three at once.
There is also another thing to think about, the sex/dance/strip industry is always hiring and is one way for an avatar without building/scripting/clothesmaking skills to make money. And to strip/be a ho you need the stripper clothes, stripper skin, stripper hair, animations, shoes, etc, to do it. I have to admit I’ve thought about doing it. I’ve spent more than I probably should purchasing from the Lindex. But I can’t bring myself to do it and well since I seem to be getting a reputation for being classy, I’d like to keep it, mostly.
I don’t go for “slutwear” but one of the things things that makes me wear lower tops in SL that I would wear in RL, is the way that high-neck tops shrink-wrap around your boobs! It looks unnatural and “feels” uncomfortable. If you see what I mean
Callie’s blouse looks lovely but just look at the way the boobs hang out of it (I realise this is not her fault – its a Linden problem). Admitedly mine are much smaller than that so they might look alright
When I first started designing clothes in SL I started with bikinis, and I must say my bikinis were tame compared to what was around and I added a sarong skirt for modesty
but customers seem to like the sarongs. Then I made catsuits, which gave customers lots of choices for mix and matches… even a totally covered up version. Most of my clothes I try to design sexy but not slutty, as Raven said it is a fine line there. Basically I design things that I would want my AV in SL to wear 
and hey it is fun to have a great figure in SL *grins* Though I have had requests for silks and more club wear stuff.
This is a good question, and I only have my answer for it!
I have a huge array of different styles in SL, but I am at my comfyest in a pair of jeans and maybe a tank top (low cut mind you) but I do like to dress up occasionally and wear things I wouldn’t normally.
The biggest sway on my desicions with SL clothing is the fact I can wear what I want in SL without having to worry about lumps, bumps and wobbly bits, but I have to say I swing more for the casual clothes, whereas, as a noob, it was all about the pole dancing leather pieces of string baby!
I think it is the same when most people join SL. You’ve got this perfect AV that has this teeny tiny waist and legs that never stop (and for alot of us this just ain’t the case in RL) and yes you wanna show it off. Why? Because this is Second Life, not First Life, where most of us would be way too embarassed to just slap on some pasties and a thong and walk the streets! lol
When I shop (every day, all day!) I make it a habit not to buy anything that I would not wear in rl. Dia, the avatar, is very realistic and hardly skinny, and some of her stuff is still from the hoochie mama rack. Also, along the theme of sex selling, ALOT of female avs have jobs as dancers and escorts. I don’t know of too many girls that slip into a business suit to twirl around the pole
Myself… well, I find myself gravitating towards a little of everything. Since more than half of my sl experience revolves around being in some store or another, I find all kinds of cool things, many of them conservative, tasteful AND sexy. I am no more likely to buy a bra (passing as a shirt) than I am to buy a turtleneck.
But that’s just me
I have to ways to answer this as a consumer and a new designer.
From the consumer perspective I have to say that at the begining I WAS mostly interested in the slutty clothing. It was new and exciting for me. But that was very quick to change and you will very rarely see my avitar in slutwear anymore. I got a job as a reporter and went out looking for suits, business clothing, and classy casual.
And that’s where I started design. I spent a lot of time looking and although I did find some, it wasn’t enough to make up a full wardrobe. My first suit set was a little sexier than most of my line will be. I sincerely hope that there IS a demand for classy, feminine clothing or I won’t last long.
On a side note, I saw someone wearing Ciera’s ruffled shirt the yesterday and said to myself “WOW! I neeed that.” but I was so busy I didn’t get a chance to find out where it was from. So thank you! I can go buy it today
Wow. Really cool to see so many different people giving input here–designers and big time shoppers, alike.
The points about actually having the body to flaunt sexy clothes here are well taken. And with so many new people in world, satisfying most females’ desires to finally be able to wear that slinky, short dress they’ve always lusted after. An equally good point is that with escorting and dancing being the only widely-available service industry jobs in SL, there is a strong need for sexy clothes to cater to these women’s needs.
The other theme I’m noticing is that, at least amongst those who have responded, no one believes that what they design or wear qualifies as slutwear. For instance butt cleavage is acceptable (scratch that, desirable) to me, but completely skanky to others. Where as a transparent blouse is a no go for me (unless I can layer something over or under it), as is a skirt that doesn’t come to at least mid-thigh.
But looking forward to more input in this discussion. I’m glad you all are interested in discussing this.
As a designer, I mostly sell jewelry, so I can’t really answer from that perspective. And the clothing I do make is generally formal, so usually can’t get all _that_ slutty in the first place.
As a consumer, I’m probably unusual in that, 99% of the time, I’m not aiming to look sexy at all — not even classy-sexy. I’m just thoroughly uninterested in it. (And when I _am_ interested in it, it’s either as a novelty or because I’m modeling.) I tend to feel a bit weird when my avatar’s in skimpy or otherwise overtly sexual clothing. It’s just not me, you know? I often end up buying things that are a smidgen more revealing than I’d like (most people probably wouldn’t consider them revealing at all), and that’s in spite of the amount of skin they show, not because of it.
First of all…
I don’t think its appropriate to use the term: “Slutwear” it might be insulting to some people.
Everyone in SL has a choice of what they wear, and how they wear it, and where they buy it from.
judging someone else on what they wear is inappropriate behavior.
In my store i make what comes to my mind I try to alternate my styles, today it might be something sexy, tomorrow might be something formal..
Questions you have to ask yourself.
– Do people wear formals all the time?
– Do people dress sexy all the time?
– Do people wear casuals?
– Do people wear urban clothes?
These are some of the things you need to comprehend before making something to sell. Do you want to target a specific group?
I rather target a few groups with different tastes, so one outfit might not sell good, but the other one sells great.
Saying “Sexywear” sells more, that is not true.
It’s not the type of outfit it is, its the quality of the item. Look at how many stores out there that sells casual and formal stuff, They are still in business and they are doing great!
So i suggest before assuming what sells better you try experimenting on your store
and remember…………….
Making something should be about how you feel and how your mood is at that time, not on what sells the best.
- Wuv!!
I am what you would consider a serious SL shopper. It’s what I do
I neither like nor wear any of the so called “slut wear.” I only frequent stores and designers that I feel understand what a woman like me wants – to leave something to the imagination and express my inner fashionista.
I particularly like the more girlie shops with the clothes that have great detail and obvious care/technique in design. I must say, there are far more slut wear stores than there are classy, flirty and fun stores. I am not saying I wear a habit or live in turtlenecks…quite the contrary. But you won’t catch me blinged out, wearing a boob shirt and a thong – at least not in public
I greatly appreciate the designers that allow for style conscience women (and men) to not have to go slutty to be interesting to look at
Interesting discussion because i’m currently looking into designing a more modest gown, due to personal desire and customer requests (plus the Gorean FW need more options!).
Sex does sell, and it always will. But there has always been a market for more modest quality clothing. And with all the new ventures by RL companies and educational institutions into Second Life, the demand for modest items seems to be growing.
I have to keep reminding myself that you don’t have to show so much skin for clothing to be appealing or even sexy.
Also…
There is nothing wrong with people having their avatar’s boobs at 100%.
People are too judgmental on others, so what if they have big boobs what does that have to do with you?
Most people here are trying to say that having big breasts make you a instant slut, i don’t get that.
Some of these big breasted girls could be your customer and your making fun of them.
and there is nothing wrong with blonde hair….
My avatar boobs are at 71% just to let you know! LOL
This is a very interesting discussion!!
For my part…while I agree that to some extent ’sex’ DOES sell…I think that ’sexy’ is such a subjective thing…and what we find sexy is really very rooted in our own personal style.
For my part…I LOVE to dress my avi in what I find sexy. I mean…let’s face it…to some extent we ALL dress to get noticed…to make an impression…to make a statement. If we didn’t care about any of those things…we’d all just be wearing those default clothes that came in our libraries all the time!
As a designer…I find a lot of my clothes have a tendency to be much more midriff/tummy-baring than cleavage-baring…probably because, for me, that’s the part of the body I find sexiest to bare…so that means a lot of cropped tops and low-cut pants and skirts (most of which, admittedly, are also short-to-very-short). However…baring a certain amount of skin is never in my plan…it’s much more about the vision or idea I have for an outfit…and I think most designers would say the same. Personally I would find it difficult to design something outside my own ’style’…and certainly can’t see me making something I wouldn’t wear (and feel good in) myself.
I see healthy sales in the sexy, tummy-baring schoolgirl outfits…but I also see healthy sales in the 60’s/mod/retro clothes I do, most of which bare little or no cleavage/tummy…and in more ‘basic’ pieces like sweaters etc.
This leads me to think that consumers mostly seek out designers whose style meshes with their own…and what they personally find sexy…be it skimpy, high-cut, low-cut, goth, punk, victorian…what have you!
I may occasionally step outside my ‘comfort zone’ as a consumer if I want something different for a specific reason, but by and large I gravitate to my tried & true favorite designers over and over because I’ve found I like their styles!
I’ll add my voice to everybody else who’s reported wearing more revealing clothing when I started out, simply because I had the body to pull it off and was enjoying the fantasy. These days I’m in jeans and a polo shirt more often than not. (And I work at an escort agency, and I’ve successfully gotten clients when fully clothed. Some people really go for that.)
I would add that one factor not yet mentioned in this thread is that loose-fitting clothing and longer skirts generally don’t look as good with the game’s meshes. Prim skirts and glitchpants work, after a fashion, but on the whole, it’s harder to find something modest that doesn’t look awkward or dowdy. I think that’s a technical issue with SL’s tools more than anything else.
But I’m a consumer, not a designer, so I may be wrong.
For me gowns are my best selling clothes, my skimpier outfits don’t sell anywhere near as well as they do.
Having said that I think SL is about fantasy and people have all kinds of ideas about how they want to view themselves. I think sometimes how people dress their av is how they wish they were in real life and not always how they are, or what they wish they could afford to wear real life.
I don’t like the term ’slut wear’. In my opinion exposed flesh can be just as beautiful and classy as a formal gown, it depends how you wear it and whether you wear it with class. I don’t think I have a slutty outfit i my store, I think I have cute, peeking, naughty, impish, sexy clothes along with the gowns and other stuff.
Some cleavage and a short skirt or accentuating a bum don’t make you a slut, that is just a stereotypical perception.
sachi
Didn’t anyone say that sex sells mainly because a good part of female avvies are male iRL yet? Sometimes i feel like people are afraid to admit the obvious.
correction:
christine said “callie’s blouse looks lovely” it’s ciera’s blouse
also, i never meant to offenend anyone with using the term “slutwear” i jsut was quoting what was used in the title of the post.
i don’t care if my customers have 0 or 100 boobs. just the problem with the 100 boobs it it strechtes the textures so much, they sometimes wonder why it doesn’t look like the pic.
sl is to express ourselves however we want and i don’t pass judgement on that, i love all my customers, from the furries, to the goreans to the fairies and everyone in between.
so if i offended anyone, that was NOT my intention at all…
respectfully,
caLLie
btw, great discussion everyone.
oh and..
wearing revealing clothing or sexy or flirty or whatever to me doens’t make anyone a slut anymore than wearing a business suit makes someone a CEO or office gal.
I LOVE THE DIVERSITY IN SL!
I don’t think anyone was offended Callie, just putting across a different point of view. To be honest I’d never heard the term slut wear before SL so it might be a cultural thing, a phrase used more in some countries than others perhaps. I just think, like Wuvme, that there is a lot of stereotyping in Sl and it’s a bit unfair.
I am blond real life, not dumb and not slutty but I show off my cleavage in summer, well I have that sort of figure, round and curvy and melons. I can’t pretend the girls aren’t there and I wilt in the heat so I’m not wearing a sweater in August for anyone.
For instance I think that silks are beautiful and a large part of SL fashion, though many of the blogs don’t seem to favour them. Most designers make them because they are popular; many silks customers aren’t even Gorean. They are pure fantasy wear that has more to do with exotica than with perceptions of real life slavery and some of my nicest and most polite customers are Goreans.
I like the diversity of SL too. Not everyone is conservative but that is ok. Some people want to live out a fantasy life, that is ok too.
Just to be clear, “slutwear” is a term I borrowed from Ciera’s blog. My choice to use that phrase may have made the post seem more derogatory than was intended, as I realize many may find the word “slut” to be offensive. My sense of humor is dark, so the term “slutwear” was bit funny to me. but lest you misunderstand me, this is not a post to attack people who love or design skimpy clothes.
Ciera’s blog post was provocative to me for many reasons and I felt that the issues she raised might resonate with more than just me. But the questions I pose in the post are not about the particular fetishes or promiscuities of the female avs; but about whether the pressure to create or wear sexy clothes is genuine and widespread.
I’ve been told that Picasso never understood why people liked his modern work – because he didn’t – but it paid the bills. Yes, ’slutwear’ (as good a term as any since we all know what it means) sells very well. Hey, suddenly we all have the body we always wanted – or used to have before time & children got to us). I seem to like the Peg Bundy look, m’self – black leggins and form fitting tops. No oversized boobs, though. I want my av to look good. I choose the things I wish I could have worn back in the days of my youth (when disco was in and the clothes AWFUL). I love short, flex skirts. I really do. But if someone makes a good pair of painter pants and a loose fitting over shirt, I’d love to know about it! I think what I like best is that I don’t LOOK like Gramma in SL. Thanx to all for that!
Everyone says “slutwear” or hoochie hair or whatever, and, seriously Six I love you (and you know it mama, I DO LOVE YOU lol) but I think people who get offended by slutwear, well bah them! I have a friend who takes pride in saying it “I’m a bling hoochie and I love it!” Most of these people DON’T care we call it that way… Hehe. And I think you are very wrong that it’s quality that sells before slutty, sadly my dear. I (we) know of manyyyy stores that sells stuff that takes 2 minutes to makes, opaque colors with no detailing no seams no nothing, and sell for like 300-600 $L price range (nothing I verified but I just know) and all these people BUY IT. Good or not. Is it only because it’s slutty? No I don’t think so tho. It’s also because they DON’T know better exists, and even sometimes, don’t care it might exist, because that’s what they want, why care about non-sexy anyways, you know? They don’t know about this blog, my store or anything related like I said in my previous comment. Anyhoo my point is, don’t go say quality on top of sexyness, because nope, it’s not reality. Well I mean, it may be a reality for the few of us that are in the fashion croud, but not for 80% of the croud out there. How can you pick quality when you don’t KNOW what’s quality in SL hehe. But then again it’s not like I have some crazy expertise or anything but I do strongly believe in that anyways. After 2 years seeing it happen
But, we all need to take all that with a grain of salt too, since it’s also a question of tastes, and tastes shall not be discussed!? (And on the boobs thing, noone said it was bad to have a giant rack, I know I didn’t! I just said it wasn’t appealing to me but that I understood why they did it and respected it 
I love your bumps, don’t worry LAWL, mine are at 60 mind you! 
)
I was not trying to be offensive by using the term “slutwear”…I know several designers that use that term for their own clothing.
Hey there! LOL
Well on her blog she mentioned “Slutwear” vs “Goodwear” as in:
Normal everyday clothes vs Sexy clothes
When you go for a walk in SL, do you see more people wearing normal everyday clothes? Or do you see everyone wearing “Sexy wear”.
This really depends on what your meaning for “Sexy” and “Normal” and where you hang out at.
You might see more people wearing sexier clothes in clubs. (duh) and you might see more casual stuff in other places like at home or in welcome area.
I know i said it up there that quality sells, well it does, quality does sell, but again……
There could be “Sexy” or what some people have referred as “Slutwear” with good quality so the discussion is invalid hehehe
Anyways i have to go to bed!
sleep *tight* don’t let the wuv bugs bite!
Ugh, I wrote Six and I meant Wuv, but seems you caught that my vibrating friend LOL *mwahs* nini!
OK… to touch on a few things that have been mentioned so far…
Slutwear -vs- Goodwear…why can’t it be both? I have some slutty and downright trampy clothes where the detailing is so good and CRISP that I am surprised that I didn’t have to pay more for it. But I guess, for the sake of this conversation, that we are talking more about style than quality. I think that people are taking their taste and trying to make it seem like it is the only right way. I mean if I like wearing very revealing clothes and that is my “taste” than it is not only “taste” but good “taste” because that’s what I enjoy wearing. SL has so many subdivsions and cultures of it’s own that there is no norm or really even a trend.
I also agree with the person who said that many of the longer skirts or some of the more conservative wear doesn’t look very good on SL’s meshes. TOO TRUE. I really do not wear skirts unless they are flexi prims that come with glitch pants. While I would like to wear some of those nice pencil skirts, they look awful on me because it makes my butt look huge (ok no, maybe my butt makes my butt look huge XD).
And no all “slutwear” isn’t just for dancers, escorts, and sex workers. While I still believe that there is a good amount of sl women who do work in these industries, it is not fair to limit sexy clothing to just them, or should i say US. There are also clubbers and other women who just want to look sexy, and that is not a crime.
I applaud women who dress conservatively. It just goes to show that women can be intelligent and well liked without having to show off their bodies. Hooray for you, really
But don’t trash those of us that like to dress like we’re out on “the stroll” every once in a while lol
Oh and as kind of a side note thingy… the atrist in me sympathizes for the those who feel they have to compromise their visions just to have better sales. Although I have not a designer (but I line your pockets everyday lol j/k) I can understand how that can be hard. I don’t really have an answer as to how you can stay true to yourself and still make a product that everyone wants to buy. All I can say is hang in there because if your clothes are beautiful (and IMO there are way more good designers out there than there are crappy ones) then people do take notice, regardless of whether or not they can see a buttcheek in the ad.
choice: on one point you’re wrong: i’m totally aware (and sometimes even kinda proud
) That some of my designs totally classify as “slutwear” or “sexywear” (as wuv prefers 
), why do i design them? Because i like them. I’m a male after all, what do you expect? 
I like designing them just as much as i liked designing my completely chaste office suit (ok, some combinations of it could be less chaste, but still, it’s fairly covering).
I think it’s all about personal tastes and creative fun. I don’t see sexy clothing as having less dignity than classy or realistic clothing. Also i don’t see the automatic assumption that some posted that overly sexy outfits are also low quality.
I see lots of slut/sexywear sporting quite the high quality as well as creative passion and effort from the designer.
What makes a good designer (and as such his/her sales) is not the amount of skin he/she covers or uncovers, it’s his quality, his creativity and his respect he shows for his customer’s money.
I have MUCH more respect for a designer that concentrates on stripperwear (yay, i created a new term myself) than for one that designs only high fashion but can’t (or better, doesn’t bother, because it’s not a matter of ability, but simply of repeatitive trial and error) match his seams.
Actually, now i remember, Choice actually slapped my wirst in her review because my office suit set was TOO covering and chaste… umh… *grabs the scissors and begins cutting off some more fabric*
Lubs you Choice
My ever-expanding wardrobe (and I promise, after only a month and a half in the game, the amount of hair and clothes I have is sick) has a lot of skimpy clothes in it. I don’t really want to call it slutwear, cause even skimpy clothes can have style. There is a vast difference between silks, for example. Same with underwear-like outfits, or those that show off a good deal of cleavage. There’s slut wear, and then there’s skimpy wear.
I use my skimpy wear when I dance. But when I don’t, I would like to dress much, MUCH more conservative, or just pretty clothes with style, not necesarily showing off a lot of skin. I don’t go to live music events dressed in my mini-mini skirt and boobie pasties. Also, I don’t help my makeover clients shop wearing nothing but a see-through silk leaving little to the imagination. Nor do I go shopping for myself in a top that more or less presents my digital chest on a plate to anyone who passes by.
No, I prefer casual clothes. However, I have found it tremendously hard to find stylish casual clothes that both looks good (to my eye), has that right feeling, the right colors (gosh, that’s hard to find…most designers focus on only a few, set colors) and not looking too business’y nor too frumpy. Where are all the sweaters? Where’s the not-jeans pants? Where’s the skirts that cover a little more than your bum..the half-length skirts, (thank you Nyte, I love my Spherule set), the cosy, gorgeous soft sweaters with big prim collars/necks, the dresses that are neither too formal or too skimpy. Where’s the autumn/winter clothes? The nice shoes that aren’t high heels or boots? The accessories that have no bling (god, I loathe the bling…), the classy, non-boob centric outfits that makes you look like a bomb anyway? Where’s all the casual stuff we wear all wear daily in our RL, or stuff we see at the movies? If you know about it, let me know, cause I’m starving for more. And then, if I want to buy skimpy clothes (or slutwear, if you *must* call it that), I can do that at every Tom, Dick and Harry shop. There’s too much of that, and too little casual clothes. Sadly.
Fashion is a reflection of yourself, and the suppliers (you designers
have to be the ones that give us the opportunity to dress as we want. Do market research, polls, questionaires. Ask people ingame, the customers at your store. Don’t rely on your blogs to give you the answer, a very limited number of customers read it.
I am awed daily by all the gorgeous clothes out there. There is so much to see, so many pretty things, so exciting to check if your favorite shops have gotten new items since last time you were there. I just wish there were more casual, good looking clothes to pick from.
As an example, I would point to Nyt Caligari. I must believe his store goes well, and in my opinion, there is nothing even remotely skanky or slutlike in there. Stylish, casual, pretty. Some skin, yes. But only where it fits. You can be both sexy and casual at once, without looking like The Next Big Pornstar.
I can’t believe I just referred to Nyte Caligari as a “he”. I’m so ashamed. I must repent by blowing off a couple of thousands in her shop. *blink*
Hmm very interesting points, my apologies if my own post offended.
A good point was brought up in the matter of personal choice which should be respected.
Another was brought up, that is very important: Everyone deserves good quality stuff, no matter what their taste. So could someone compile a list of places that make good quality “sexywear” so I can point folks who want quality great looking items to go there for their needs?
I’ve had shopping experiences similar to Tallia Shui. I can find good t-shirts and jeans anywhere. I can find gorgeous gowns and cocktail dresses. But the inbetween (which itself covers a lot of territory, from sweaters and khaki’s to traditional business wear for women) stuff is a bit harder. I can find it, but it’s like a “little bit here, a little bit there” So it takes more time to find and acquire it, and there tends to be less new releases.
Luminosity
OPIUM
Nyte & Day
ETD has some
Vitamin Ci
FUNK has some
Little Rebel
SHINE
Pukk Abel
Boing Fromage ( really kyoot capri’s)
TART has some great pants
Re: in-between clothes. While his main focus is formalwear, Blaze* has some. Golf shirts, shorts, and a turtleneck/capri set I’m quite fond of.
Casual Clothing is what you are looking for? Try checking out Catts Creations. I did some modeling for her the other day, the new outfits are CUTE. Casual beige pants with a faint cream stripe and a sweater to match. Catt has been doing casual for a long time with her own special designs. Not the slutty but the Soccer Mom type. I love it. Although there are times I like to dress daring and slutty I also like to dress in the good girl look. Go check it out, I’m sure you will love what you see. Oh and check out the new Guys Khaki Pants and Shirts. Nice.
oh almost forgot, check out Catts Creations Blog to see the pics of new items.
Going through my inventory, I have discovered a few things I think are *pretty* funny. While I do have a couple of nice *normal* outfits, most of my good casual stuff, like sweaters, hoodies, khakis, jeans… are MEN’S clothes. Am I the only one who buys guy clothes to get comfy? lol
I just wanted to comment on a couple of things I read here.
“Where’s all the casual stuff we wear all wear daily in our RL, or stuff we see at the movies? If you know about it, let me know, cause I’m starving for more. ”
“But the inbetween (which itself covers a lot of territory, from sweaters and khaki’s to traditional business wear for women) stuff is a bit harder. I can find it, but it’s like a “little bit here, a little bit there.”
First of all what you have to remember is a lot of design in Sl is a form of art and it can be a little dull creatively to make 20 business casuals in various shades of grey, brown and black from an artistic perspective which may be a factor why many designers don’t do them.
I enjoy designing fantasy things, or things that take my mood or fancy, the frivilous or whimsical, and that why I make a lot of the things that I do with regard clothes at my store. I offer a range of colours because people enjoy the selection, but for me the end result is always the colour I stated with. That is my ‘creation’.
Having said all that when I was on my rented island at nusambaruku, before I had my sim, I had a range of business type suits and dresses for ladies, in pin stripe and flannel, I even had a pale pink pin stripe suit a friend of mine still wears sometimes with a painted rose across the shoulder. – I never sold one. The one my friend wears was a gift to her. So because space can be limited, I tend to make and sell items that my customers seem to like and buy. Partly because I like to make people who shop at Adam n Eve happy and partly because the things they buy enable me to upkeep the sim andcarry on designing.
I had recently made some suits for men and have been wearing one myself on and off and thought about releasing them for women, but in my past experience they just don’t sell so I’m sitting on the idea at present.
Sachi, your post is very interesting from a marketing perspective.
Personally when I think of certain shops, I think of certain kinds of things. I suppose others might do that too, a sort of stereotyping of the designer (probably not a good thing)
Okay. suppose I was a designer of gorgeous goth-wear and I decide to stretch my designer legs and out comes a pretty pink party dress. Such a dress might not sell very well to my regular clientel and those who tend to like that sort of thing, might not think to look in my shop to find it.
So what could I do? Here’s an idea, “cross licensing” (though that’s probably not the right business term for it) Take my design and offer it to another designer whose market/customers already go for that kind of thing. Work out some kind of percentage deal so we both benefit,and perhaps do a bit of cross promotion.
Whether such an idea would work in practice, I don’t know, but it’s something to think about.
Your idea is interesting Crono but I’m not sure how it would work in practise, for one thing space is often an issue in stores even a big one like mine so it simply might not be an option to put out a number of colours and styles by another designer due to lack of space.
I often find my store gets a little sterotyped, as do others but the sheer volume of the things we make are very diverse. I like to think we are really hard to categorise but I don’t know if others do categorise us. I know some people think of silks with regard my store when in fact silks are just a small area of our stock line. I think my largest area of produce is really skins, I have so many skins and they are all different, there are at least 6 different female skin ‘lines’ all look a little different. There are 3 or 4 mens too and they are fast catching up, not to mention the fantasy and goth skins.
The problem is that out of 1,000,000 residents you can guarantee just about all of them are males and most likely also in the 15-25 age range.