DragonLady Merlin

:thumbsup I understand perfectly about the formal wear. That bugs me, too -little bustier top, big poofy bottom...over and over and over. I'll try to make things that aren't hard to find coordinates for. I think thats the #1 reason for wardrobe failure: offbeat colors that don't fit well with anything elsel Prims fitting properly is turning into one of my biggest challenges. I get it perfectly aligned on one side, but the other is all wrong...and sculpties are never quite right. I really don't see myself having to make my own, but it looks like that might be the only way to be 100% happy with them. Menswear, rockabilly and western...lots of food for thought there. Thanks, everyone, for the great suggestions and ideas. Keep 'em coming. I promise to read every word.

And an alt doesn't cost you a penny (unless you start giving her a clothing allowance, of course). ha ha ha...my alt would likely keep me up at night begging for her own horse, and then her own house, and then her own sim.... No, pleasing one of me is enough.

Thanks! I have no alts, and won't be getting any, so I'll just have to toss it all in together. Should make an interesting soup. Or would that be a salad? Either way, bring some croutons.

I've had an idea that hadn't been done before in SL and I sat on it so long that now it's being done. But that's OK, because those doing the idea are the ones I always felt should be first with it... I think we've all done that a time or two. Can someone tell me if one person can have two stores here? I'd like to seperate my clothing from my other builds, if I can do that?

Yay! There's been some debate (always is) over which is better: copy or trans. Most people seem to favor copy, with a minority favoring trans. Not a bad idea to offer both, at least by request; but also a good idea for the main releases to be copy. Transfer is nice sometimes, especially when I'm going through my clothes and think something is "too nice" or was "too expensive" to throw away. But...I prefer to be able to change things to suit me more, and since there's always the chance I'll bury part of it in a far hillside or accidentally zing it to the stars, it's nice to be able to pull out a fresh copy and start over. The best technique I've seen for side seams on solid colored items is good shading - rather than trying to hide, as some do; or just ignoring it, as others do (hey, it's under the arm, no one will notice, right?), shade the seam to emmulate RL clothing. Waist seams can be hidden with a good belt or bow, etc. Sl is certainly limited in some ways, compared to RL, though. Yes; measure twice n cut once really doesn't apply here. But...if you don't sew, you don't know the headache known as "the full bust adjustment" which is...a plague AND a pox AND a pestilence. But...I admit that sometimes I wonder what the Lindens are thinking with or about, because they never seem to do anything the same way I would. This works best, in my experience, in an inworld store where all the items can be seen in the same "group." It's much harder to visualize on the marketplace, where the only way you can show the items together is to put the coordinates in the "related items" tab on the bottom and maybe add some pictures to each item of all the items together, or different pieces being worn together. (The second is also a good thing to do in-store, of course - some pictures on the walls of ways to wear the coordinates has made me buy several things I might not have otherwise.) Yeah; I see what you're saying. I'll have to think that over a bit. I have land in SL, but probably won't be able to keep it much longer because we really can't afford the tier payments. ;(

Stonedwarf: Yes; I understand what you're saying. In real life, I like to paint with watercolors, and they work essentially the same way -only one can only go darker, not lighter, so overlayering one shade over another becomes second nature. My copy of Photoshop is ancient. I really started this venture as a fun way to learn to use PS better, and to learn to use all the features that weren't important when I was taking photographs. I had to quit that because my computer won't run a mesh viewer, and too many of my clients were arriving in clothing that was invisible to me. A lot of the tutorials and videos are made with newer versions, and it can take me a long time to figure out how to do roughly the same things with my older one. Re: purple with pink hearts....hmmm...other colors are coming, but I don't know about that combo. We'll see. Kembri: thanks for the encouragement! I own a real life business, so this is more of a hobby. However, my DH lost his job a few months ago, so any extra money I make at it will be a blessing right now. That said, I certainly don't expect to get rich and I don't need another full time job, so this will remain something I do for stress relief and fun more than a serious career. But I do agree there's no point doing anything just halfway. MuffinUnsane: I plan to sell everything copy/mod. I hate buying anything that I can't tweak a bit to make it "my own". In RL, I own a sewing forum. And making clothing that suits not only your body but your taste and your lifestyle is a constant topic. And I think I bring a lot of bias toward RL clothing to SL with me: I like things to fit and flatter. As far as wearing the clothing, I agree. I wore my outfit around the grid for a couple of days before I decided to list it for sale. I know I still have a lot to learn about making things flow properly and appear good from every angle, too. But that is one of my priorities. Right now, I still have trouble with getting rid of the jagged edges and lining seams up and such. I did purchase some templates to use to start with, and am *pretty* happy with them, although I already chafe at the limits of what I can do with them -and what I can do with SL clothing, in general. As I make so many clothes in RL, I miss the ability to manipulate things in SL the way I would in RL. I want raglan and batwing sleeves! I want stripes that match and a LOT more fabric choices..... I *think* I'm also going to try to do some work with wardrobing. I can't count how many times someone has told me they own 8,000 pieces of clothing but have nothing to wear. Coordinated outfits that mix and match would be a lot of fun to do, I think.

Wow! Thank-you, all of you, for the wonderfully comprehensive replies! I'll have to read through them all a few times, and then I'll try to reply to each of you.

Just kidding, obviously I hope so.... That's been one thing that's irritated me since my Rezz day...slutwear, skankwear, barely there, and nothing there seems everywhere. My avatar dresses like I do...and I don't wear things that make people believe I'm moonlighting as a hooker, looking for a "good time" or that will get me arrested. But finding nice clothes to wear here is a constant challenge.

Hi everyone! I've shut down my photography business, and am wanting to start a clothing store. I'm just learning to make them, so serious works will be slow in coming for a while (although I do have one outfit here on the Marketplace I'm proud of). But...looking around, I feel like the market is flooded. Any ideas for a niche that isn't already completely full up? I personally prefer business-casual type clothing, and don't see a lot of it, but...I'm not sure how popular that is here? Any suggestions or handy tips for a beginner are also welcome. :D Thanks in advance! DL

I have the same problem and it's been that way since the last downgrade. I hit the "remove marked" button, but nothing happens. The button rollover works, but the page doesn't refresh and the items are still there. It's really annoying because I'm up to about ten pages of favorites now, despite having already bought a bunch of them in-world.