Welcome to My Home

A few weeks ago, I decided to move close to the Blake Sea … several friends live there, and I was anxious to get back into community-based living, something I thoroughly enjoyed when I was part of the publicity team at the old Costa Rica Sims.  While homes in any of the themed estate groups that participate in the United Sailing Sims aren’t competitively priced, they more than add in value in the fact that you can “live authentically:”  you can spend an afternoon sailing to a friends home (or with a friend), or to any of the events going on in Second Norway, Sailor’s Cove East (where I chose my lot), and many others.  When someone says they’re coming over – expect a wait – they are likely climbing in their boat, and probably won’t teleport.

Once there, I plopped down Barnesworth Anubis’ “Bates House,” which was so reasonably priced at Collabor8 that you’ll see several of them around the Sea.  Since you or one of your friends likely has one in inventory, I won’t bore you with pictures of the house, but I’d like to show you what I’m starting to do with some of the rooms …

Where in the World is …

… Phantom Republic?

A free _______________ for the one who guesses correctly!!

 

If the Suit Fits

Recently, a couple of occasions have come up in SL where a nice mesh outfit would have been nice – but I didn’t the time and energy for a proper shopping odyssey.  Of course – I have a suit, I have lots of them – but there was never the right moment where it became apparent that I needed to upgrade them.  The one below (pre-mesh) was the one I ended up wearing – one that seemed so lifelike when it was released at Redgrave so many years ago (despite the non-resizable cuffs).

My first suit was the one I got “married” in (below), which was pre-sculptie … and never worn again until I posed for this picture.  The divorce party a couple of months later was a great excuse to dress with more flair (apologies are given for having lost those photos after a PC crash & burn).

Working on the fashion HUD project let me to a couple of stores where I knew I would have good luck, so my first stop was FATEwear where a friend helped through their selections.  The demo on the one below was really nice – I really liked the way it fit my body without looking like a malformed shell.

Then we flew over to Kauna where I demo’d this lovely get up; just as fitting, but with the options to mix and match separates (brilliant!).

So, which did I pick?

I picked these lovely separates from Kauna … plaid navy (three pieces – I just didn’t add the vest), with a sky blue shirt, and their checked (#1) accessories.

Ciao!

POWERSHOPPING in SL

Shopping great in Second Life is something that takes a while (or a really patient and fashion conscious friend) to master.  Most of this is because Second Life is really not like the First Life – and we realize this because of the things in the first life we take for granted: media (television, radio, the internet) and organized shopping areas.  In the Real – if I want to look like a GQ model, I know where the high end mall is, and I just drive there, or order things online from retailers and designers I trust.

In second life, those tools just aren’t there and often have to be greatly accentuated by tools in the first life.  Although we can now access internet media in-world, these are still nothing more than a portal back into the first world, and there’s still the problem with organization.  Fashion blogs help a lot – and are still relied on by many fashion conscious residents – but, we’re still quite reliant on the skill, the retail-establishment awareness, and the activeness of any blogger in question.

SL Search is essentially the “yellow-pages” of SL (and about as useful when looking for high-end fashion).  Fashion Hunts, fairs, and update groups fill in the gap, but again, they’re not as instant as those “shopping pangs” might dictate.

To combat this, we at fantôme have come up with a more useful tool, something to assist the fashion conscious male to shop like a fashion blogger! (after the jump)

One Linden Sale!

Fantome is please to announce a WEEKEND LONG “Everything’s One Linden Sale!“  This sale applies to all non-fashion items; every one of our buildings and tents are up for sale for just ONE LINDEN!

What’s the catch?  Really … nothing, but if you like what you get, we do ask that you add a review on Marketplace after collecting and trying out your merchandise.

Where can you get this merchandise?  Why … fantome … of course!

 

 

Phantom Lounging

Shopping HUD – Women’s Hair Edition

Shopping HAS to be easy, especially for the modern woman on the go.  Using the same concepts as the popular shopping HUDs for men, fantome is pleased to announce their FIRST shopping HUD for women, “Women’s Hair Edition,” which is released just in time for the winter holiday shopping season!

What’s the fantome shopping HUD all about?  In a nut shell, we take the lag and search time out of the shopping experience.  Typical SL shopping entails spending hours looking at the fashion blogs, getting a migraine relying on SL Search, or waiting around for the fashion fairs … which are always lag pergatory (the fashion hunts not being much better).

Our HUDS take you to the top ten locations for women’s hair … no fuss, just an automatic TP right to the best of all SL.  No waits, no hassles!

Of course, the service isn’t free … but it is offered at a horrifically low price … only 99L per HUD!  Less than most things you can buy in SL!

Try us out … we don’t make the items you want to wear … we just show you where they are!

Women’s HairHUD online

fantome online store

Model: Amara Barrymore

Men’s Shopping HUD – Men’s Fashion Edition

I remember my first “hunt” … I was really excited to get started, looking for clues and freebies, but the best part was finding new places to shop.  When I started SL, there wasn’t a lot of quality clothing options for men, and these new ways of exploring SL’s commercial venues was a great way to match motivated shoppers with eager retailers.

I also enjoy the fashion fairs as well, but often, both can be lagged out – making it difficult to move, especially on weekends.

To combat “event-related” lag, I’ve created Shopping HUDS for Men, and our latest edition matches men with lindens to spare with those that make the HOTTEST clothes in SL.  One touch of a button takes you right to the mainstore of SL’s most creative designers – no more waiting, no more sorting through tons of blog posts to find out where everyone’s shopping.

We’ve also released HUDs for Men’s Hair, and Men’s Bodies (skin/shapes) … and if you look around the store, you might even find a … well, I can’t talk about that until next week!

Check us out inworld or online!

Shopping HUD … Men’s Body Edition

Looking good doesn’t have to be hard, and it doesn’t have to take a lot of time.  The best way to find the sexiest body possible isn’t by having your girlfriend IM the cutest people she can find in the club (you don’t really want her doing that, do you?) or having that fashion-challenged friend of yours drag you to the freebie dumps … it’s by using fantome’s MEN’S BODIES shopping HUD and letting it do the hard work for you.

Simply click any of the numbered buttons, and be instantly transported to one of Second Life’s top-ten hottest male skin/shapes vendors in SL!  Whether taking that journey to those or the dozen other vendors listed in the enclosed notecard, you’ll just be a teleport away to the avatar of your dreams!

Available online, or directly in SL!  We don’t make the best bodies in Second Life, but we DO show you where it is!

Introducing … Shopping HUD, Men’s Hair Edition

As we mentioned last week, shopping in SL can be difficult for a variety of reasons, and although there is never a shortage of opinion on where to find good fashion products for men, there is an enormous shortage of unbiased opinion.  Hunts, fairs, SL classifieds, and even blogs rely on the promoter’s relationships with content creators, and the content creator’s willingness to participate.

That’s complex, and you – the shopper – don’t really care about all of that (and neither do we).  You want access to best stores NOW … and so, we introduce another avenue to make that happen for you …