Marybeth Cooperstone

I use the "add" function to wear multiple pieces of clothing on the same layer. For example, I may have a bra and a cami that are both on the "undershirt" layer, and a jacket, belt, and necklace on the "jacket" layer. However, I can not do the same thing on the skirt layer (I use system skirts). For example, I had a belt that was made as skirt. When I was wearing a skirt and I "added" the belt, my skirt disappeared, showing my panties. Taking the belt off, my skirt came back. Same when I wear a short skirt, add a longer skirt, and add a belt. The software knows that I have several items on the Skirt layer, but only the last one added shows, while the others are invisible. The undershirt, underpants, pants, shirt, and jacket layers seem to work OK. Is there any fix for this coming?

Since I make my own clothing, includind bras, panties, and camisoles, I don't need more shops. I have more lingerie than I have any use for. What I have in Sl is pretty much the same as what I buy and wear in RL (or at least what I want to buy and wear in RL - for example, I have an SL bra that I would really like in RL but I couldn't find it in my size). But we could use more shops, better selection, and lower prices in RL:matte-motes-big-grin:

It is more of a problem with us women. Particularly those who are "chesty". (not me). The boobs can really cause distortion on the sides. Most of the tops I make do not have patterns at that level. I use solid colors. However, I add designs, particularly floral patterns, on tops below the boobs and on skirts. That was the distortion doesn't happen that much.

Jojo, Very good video. It is important to use a smaller butt size for system skirts. In my outfits that use skirts, I have a version of my shape that is modified as shown in the video (butt size, hips, love handles, etc.), with the regular shape in the outfits that use pants. Actually, the smaller butt size is not too bad when wearing pants. Not perfect, but not as bad as the inflated butt when wearing system skirts. I wish RL were as simple!

Aaleyah, Just to be clear, the actual clothing in my inventory does not have dates. I right click and pull up the "Properties", and put the texture date in the description. With a name like "Red bra demi trans lace", a texture date in the name would be way too long. I have dates on the names of textures, however. The texture might be named "bra demi trans lace 8-20-11". If only one color is used, (or black and one color), I make one white texture for multiple clothes, then add color using the edit function in-world, with the same item in a number of colors (e.g. "White bra ...."', "Red bra...", Black bra..." etc.). I should organize my textures (in the SL inventory), by clothing type (bra, t-shirt, pants, skirts, etc.) I wil, if I ever get around to it.

I have also been making clothes and have uploaded many textures over the years. One thing that I do is put the date in the name of the texture when I first start making it in GIMP. For example, if I started today on a lace cami, I would name it "cami lace 8-20-11". I usually start with an existing PSD file, so when I make a v-neck top I would start with a bra file to make it easier to see that the top covered the bra. Then I would "Save As..." with the new name (including the date) When I finish in GIMP and upload the texture file the general description of the texture and the date (so I can go back into GIMP and make changes) is on the texture in SL. So far, the only organization of textures I have done in SL is to have a folder called Old of older textures, so their are only a small number of new ones outside of that folder. I should, and probably will, create folders like Top, Bra, Panties, Skirt, etc. My clothing is organized by clothing type. So they will be in a certain order I start the folder name with a number, such as "1-Bras", "2-panties", "3-tops"," 4-Skirts", etc. so they appear in that order. When I create an item of clothing from a texture, I add the date on the texture to the description in the properties of the clothing item.

I assume the box with an X replaced with an x means the image was considered inappropriate. It did show up before. The image was of a red bra referred to in the post. You can see the picture under "my images". I would have considered it to be G rated. After all, if you look at the department store ads in my Sunday newspaper you will see pictures of bras on real women.

Do many people still wear system skirts or have prim skirts taken over?

Bob, Transparency comes in degrees, from totally transparent (invisible) to totally opaque. GIMP, Photoshop, and other programs come in layers; the final product is a combination of layers. Transparency can be used at least two ways. Sometimes I may have a design for clothing that varies from white to gray to look like shadows. Then on top of that a partial transparent layer with the desired color. When the layers are combined there is the color and the appearance of shadows or the 3-D effect and the color. Another reason to use partial transparency is for sheer fabric. Below is a bra that I made some time ago. The main layer is red at 50% transparency. The strategically placed lace is another layer and fully opaque. (as are the straps and edges). This is very much like what I was wearing when I made it. Except on the real one the lace was not as strategically placed :matte-motes-smile:

I make clothes with GIMP, freeware that is something like Photoshop. In GIMP, for each layer you can set the transparency from 0 to 100% I assume that it is similar in Photoshop but I don't know about paint.net. Some parts of some of the clothes are slightly transparent or very transparent. They can still have a color. For example, I made a pink lace bra where the main layer is slightly transparent and pink. The lace, over the main layer, is opaque and pink. Maybe paint.net has such a feature. If so, that is what you need.

I said that "I do not buy clothes". I should have said that I do not buy clothes in Second Live. As my husband has reminded me, in real life I buy many clothes. I always say that it is for work, so a necessary expense. But, as he knows, the truth is that I just like buying clothes that I really like. But in Second Life I can make a really nice piece of clothing faster than I can get to a store in real life. So in SL it is fun to make stuff.

Vicky, I agree about women in real life who wear bras with straps under strapless tops and sun dresses. I also do not like to wear strapless bras in RL because of such things as feeling like they are coming off, things that don't matter in Second Life. So in SL I have several strapless bras which I have made. The latest is a bandeau, ruched in the center. As for what to do in RL, I have sundresses with elastic in the top part; I do not need to wear a bra underneath. But I am rather small up there, so the dress gives all the support I need. I imagine it would be more of a problem for "top heavy" women, however. But, in SL that is not a problem. No, I do not buy clothes. I make more than I can really wear, just as a hobby and way of relaxing. I started sketching clothes, particularly suits, when I had time to kill (at airports, waiting for meetings, etc.). Typically I would see a suit or dress that I kind of liked and sketched it the way I would really like. Then, I found out that with GIMP and Second Life I could not only sketch them, I could draw them in GIMP, upload them to SL, and wear them. Many things I have made, such as underwear and sleepwear, have only been seen by me. But it is still better than a sketch on a pad of paper.

Chelsea, As an amateur game builder do you know of any other gams similar to Second Life but with better, or at least different, avatar mesh designs?

Thank you. I had not seen that feature, I am new to viewer 2, having just recently upgraded. It is a very usefull feature and I can see that I will use it frequently.

"Now that we can have mutiples of each clothing layer this isn't as much of a problem..." How does this work? When ever I put on one layer (e.g. underpants) whatever I had on comes off.

Yes, Bob and I work for the same law firm - different cities but we frequently visit each others offices. (Our last names are not real, however). Bob, yes, you can't see them on me, but I do wear lacy, feminine underwear. Right now I am sitting in a coffee shop using their WIFI and waiting for the time to argue before a state appeals court. So naturally I am wearing what you call a "power suit" - dark charcoal skirt and jacket and red cami. Underneath, what the judges won't see, is a lacy, very thin bra and matching panty. The only way you, or anyone but my husband, will see them is if you visit my home and see them on the drying rack in my laundry room. You are welcome to come over when you are in town. You can even help fold sheets. I make SL lingerie that is like what I would like to wear in RL. There are times when I can't find exactly what I want (style, color, size, etc) on-line or in a store, but I can make in for SL. So, with underwear and other clothes what I have in Sl is what I want, and often, but not always, have and wear in RL. Right now, in GIMP, I am making a demi bra that is red, high transparency except for the cups (opaque), with white lace above the cups and lace covering the red parts, with matching panty. I have also ordered something very similar - the store had them but not in my size.

In SL, like in RL, I always wear a bra and panties, even when they can’t be seen (always the case except when I am wearing a slightly transparent shirt that allows a little bit of the bra to show through). I make my own clothes (using GIMP), including underwear. I usually wear suits (pants or skirts) in SL, like in RL. In both, typically a skirt or pants, a cami, and a jacket. Underneath I have a rather feminine bra and panty, usually lace and a matching set. I just think that it is natural, and fun to pick out and wear nice things that I have spent time making. In RL, like many other women, I wear nice looking feminine underwear even when dressed for work in a suit, I prefer demi bras with lace, so that is what I usually make and wear in SL.

Very little. I make my clothes, that is one of the fun things in SL. But I do spend L$ to upload textures that I make in GIMP. I have bought about L$1000 in jewlery, a couple of shapes, and a couple of skins. That was a couple of years ago, but now the only L$ I spend is to upload textures. But I do that several times a week for underwear and dresses (shirts or jackets and skirts). Of course, how much I spend on my RL computer to log onto SL is another story!

While sitting in an (RL) airport I am looking at a dress. It has vertical lines (actually, more complex than that)) and a seam around what, in SL, would be the skirt line. You have to be close to see the seam; I wouldn't notice except that I am reading this thread. The dress has a horizontal pattern about 2" wide. The vertical pattern is above and below this horizontal pattern. If the vertical pattern was not exactly aligned at the seam, no one can notice because of the horizontal pattern. I wonder if whoever designed that dress designs clothes for SL? Anytime I have a pattern (rather than solid) on a dress (combination of top and skirt) in SL i have either a belt or horizontal break at the top of the skirt.

Lack of acceptable business attire is what got me into designing and making my own SL clothes. Now everything I wear I have made. In RL I am a lawyer who works in a rather stuffy (they don't mind my saying that... we are all proud to be "old school") firm and my clients are legislators and other state officials around the country. So most of my RL wardrobe is business attire. I have many pants suits and skirted suits. I sometimes even wear pants from old pants suits for yard work (after the jacket is too old. I started making skirts that weren't too short (as most that I have seen in in SL are). Now I have jackets, camis (to wear with jackets), pants, skirts, and underwear. For years, when I had time on my hand I would sketch clothing that I wanted to wear or that I had. Now, I do my drawing in GIMP and upload. and then wear in SL. I also have more casual attire such as dresses, sun dresses etc . as well as swim suits, beach pull overs, sleepwear, and intimates. I don't sell them, I just like to have something to do while sitting on an airplane or waiting for a meeting. And being able to actually wear (in SL) what I make is much better than just sketching them on a legal pad.