Pixelapproved!

There’s a new lingerie brand on the grid, and although we’re hardly suffering from a shortage of pretty underwear in Second Life, Hushed has come up with something that genuinely caught my attention. Oddly enough, it isn’t the lingerie itself, although that certainly deserves a closer look.

Hushed currently has two sets available for Legacy and Reborn. I’m wearing Mabel, a simple T-shirt bra and matching panties in a gorgeous deep red. No elaborate lace, unnecessary bows or frills. Just a nicely shaped, uncomplicated set that looks rather good on.

I’m not entirely convinced by the texturing yet. Being a T-shirt bra, Mabel probably represents a soft, matte cotton, which would explain the relatively plain finish. Fair enough, but I’d love to see more attention to the fabric itself. Texture can make such a difference in SL, particularly with lingerie, where there’s very little else to distract from it. Give me delicate lace, finely embroidered tulle, silk that actually looks like silk, or satin with a convincing sheen. Those are the details that can turn an attractive piece of mesh into something you really want to wear.

Still, Hushed has only released two sets so far, and I rather like what I’m seeing. There’s plenty of room to grow, and I’m curious about their next releases. What really sets Hushed apart for me, though, is the HUD that comes with the lingerie. It addresses a problem we’ve been putting up with for years.

Underwear That Actually Works Under Clothes

If you’ve ever tried wearing mesh lingerie under mesh clothing, you’ll know exactly how annoying it can be. Everything fits perfectly until you put on a blouse or dress, and suddenly half your bra is sticking through it. Sometimes you can fiddle with your shape or find a combination that works, but more often than not, you simply take the underwear off.

Hushed has found a rather ingenious way around that. The accompanying HUD lets you derender individual sections of the lingerie mesh. Not the entire bra at once, unless that’s what you want, but specific parts of it. So you can leave a strap visible beneath an off-shoulder top while hiding the cups, or make the whole thing disappear beneath a fitted dress. You can also save four configurations, which is particularly useful if you regularly wear the same outfits.

Seriously, why hasn’t anyone thought of this before? We’ve had alpha functionality in SL for years, and yet we’ve somehow accepted that wearing actual mesh underwear beneath our clothes is usually more trouble than it’s worth. This is such a sensible application of existing technology that I’m surprised it took this long. I love it. It solves a real problem, and it makes lingerie considerably more useful than something you put on exclusively to photograph or admire in the privacy of your virtual bedroom. Now give me that same HUD with some beautifully textured lace and silk, and you’ll have my attention for quite a while.

Red Lips, Blonde Waves and a Rather Comfortable Bed

I wasn’t particularly interested in making these photographs look like a conventional lingerie advertisement. I wanted something a little more intimate, perhaps a touch decadent, with a hint of old Hollywood glamour. The sort of woman who’s made herself comfortable on her bed, lit a cigarette and isn’t terribly concerned about what anybody else thinks she ought to be doing.

I’m wearing LeLUTKA’s Otta head with Avi-Glam’s Chloe skin. Yes, Chloe again. Two blog posts in a row, and I’m not even slightly sorry. I really do love this skin. There’s something wonderfully soft about her features, particularly around the eyes and mouth, and she works beautifully on Otta. She has a sweetness that I rather enjoy playing against more provocative styling.

Ives Bae Gloss in a rich, glossy red was practically compulsory with this lingerie. I could have gone for something understated, but frankly, why bother? The colour brings the whole face to life, and the shine catches just enough light in an otherwise fairly dark photograph. I love a good red lip, and this one is particularly delicious.

For the hair, I chose Nova’s Idyllic, with its soft blonde waves and slightly tousled finish. It’s glamorous without looking too carefully arranged, which is exactly what I wanted. I don’t particularly enjoy hair that looks as though every strand has been glued into place. Give me some movement, a little volume and a few strands falling wherever they please.

Hushed, Prêt-à-Studio and All That Facebook Fuss

At the moment, Hushed is available exclusively on the Second Life Marketplace, although their atelier on Prêt-à-Studio mentions that an in-world store is being planned. And speaking of Prêt-à-Studio, I suppose I should say something about the commotion that’s been filling my Facebook feed lately.

Prêt-à-Studio is a project by Armidi Group, intended to bring various services for SL creators together. One of those is Inksphere, a system for managing blogger programmes, applications, product distribution, submissions and deadlines. There are portfolios, directories and other tools, with more features planned. Having been a blogger for nearly twenty years, I’ve encountered just about every conceivable method of distributing review copies and keeping track of assignments. Some work beautifully, others are an administrative nightmare. So I don’t mind the idea of a new platform trying to make everyone’s life a little easier.

But apparently, the Blogger Score has caused something of a panic. From some of the reactions I’ve seen, you could almost believe that designers are being invited to award bloggers marks for their photography, creativity or general willingness to kiss the occasional virtual backside. That’s not what’s happening. The Blogger Score is built through your own activity on the platform. It reflects consistency and reliability, based on the work you submit. Designers aren’t sitting there handing out ratings, and nobody is deducting points because they don’t like your latest photograph. Meanwhile, you also decide whether you want to display your score publicly.

I find it rather difficult to get worked up about that. It doesn’t pretend to tell anyone whether you’re an exceptional photographer or an interesting writer. Nor should it. Reliability and creativity are two entirely different things. I’ve seen bloggers who produce perfectly adequate work with clockwork regularity, and others whose photographs are absolutely wonderful but whose relationship with deadlines is best described as complicated. A score reflecting reliability isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Designers already take that into account when choosing bloggers, whether they admit it or not.

There is, however, another feature in development that I’m less convinced about. Prêt-à-Studio plans to introduce badges that can be awarded by a Haus or by fellow bloggers for outstanding work. There won’t be negative ratings, and I understand the intention. It’s nice to recognise someone who’s done something exceptional, but I do wonder how long it would take before those badges became a popularity contest.

SL isn’t exactly unfamiliar with little circles of mutual admiration. If bloggers can award one another badges, there’s a fairly obvious risk of people collecting them because they’re popular, well-connected or particularly generous in returning the favour. And while I certainly don’t begrudge anybody a compliment, I’d prefer recognition for good work to mean something more than having plenty of friends. If I were part of the development team, I’d give that feature another look before rolling it out. Perhaps there are ways to prevent it from becoming a badge-swapping exercise. I hope so, because the idea itself isn’t necessarily bad.

As for the Blogger Score, I think some people have been rather quick to condemn something they haven’t fully understood. It’s perfectly reasonable to question a new system, particularly one involving bloggers and brands, but it helps to know what you’re actually arguing about. I’m interested to see how Prêt-à-Studio develops. I like some of the ideas, and I have reservations about others. That’s usually how I approach things, actually.

And no, I have no intention of changing the way I blog to chase a score or collect badges. I’ve always been selective about the brands I work with, I’m mostly independent anyway, and I intend to stay that way. Review copies are appreciated, naturally, but they aren’t the reason I’ve been doing this since 2007. I like discovering things, photographing them and writing about them. Sometimes I love what I find, sometimes I don’t, and occasionally I think something could be considerably better. My readers can expect me to say so.

Anyway, Back to My Underwear

Hushed has made a promising start. The lingerie itself could use more refinement, particularly where the fabric textures are concerned, but that HUD is a genuinely good idea. I’m looking forward to seeing what they come up with next, especially if they start experimenting with more elaborate designs and luxurious materials. A beautifully embroidered balconette, perhaps? Some delicate lace? A little silk and satin? I’m quite prepared to be persuaded.

For now, though, Mabel will do nicely. And since I’m already in bed, I see absolutely no reason to get out of it. Getting dressed can wait.