Okay. I have whittled all my SL fashion wishes for the new year into one type of item that I feel will benefit us as a virtual society. Designers, if you are reading, hear my plea.
I estimate ninety percent of SL women have somewhere between a hundred and ten thousand outfits that suffer from EMS (Exposed Midriff Syndrome). These are lovely items that could be interchanged and salvaged if we had a variety of jacket-layer cinchers (also called corset belts and obi belts these days) to help us.
Take the adorable little Tanya dress I blogged a while back. It’s a darling little dress and I love everything about it down to it’s pretty tartan pixels. However, I would also love to be able to wear the top with my favorite jeans, or even an a la carte black skirt from another designer. When I try to do this, however, I get a horrible case of EMS:
The solution? It’s a cinch! We need a range of jacket-layer belts (not prims - I know there are some glorious prim belts out there, but I would honestly rather be Britney Spears’ publicist than try to fit another one).
They could be simple or intricate in corset or obi styles in a variety of textures, colors, and virtual fabrics. And because we SL gals love to mix and match there is a market for them to be both casual and dressy. There are many designers sensitive to multi-layer needs these days (Armidi, with all its faults really is a stand out in this regard) but expecting them to go back through years of inventory and update pants to underpants layers just isn’t practical. And, if you’re like me, there are still a few favorite items that you just can’t part with (this explains my RL closets as well).
And before you think I’ve been sipping at the cooking sherry while watching too many Dynasty reruns, let me just point out that 2007 RL fashion saw several of these accessories employed in both formal and casual flair.
Let’s all fight EMS together, please, and absolve ourselves of yet another hoochie SL fashion sin.
YES! YES! YES! AMEN!
But the limits to layering in SL really sucks! I have a fab jeans jacket from Bare Rose, and others, both short and open. To wear a waist cincher on jacket layer means I can’t wear a jacket too. Start to make hichwaisted pants!!!! I have a few from Persona and Tuli and Artilleri, and i will see more. Come with them in lighter and shimmering colors for summer too. Silk and linen highwaist pants!
Why is it impossible to make prim belts in a more natural shape??? look at all those builds, but to make a belt in a timeglass shape is darn impossible….
Comment by Marianne — January 5, 2008 @ 10:14 am
Here here!!!
thank you for bringing this issue to light
i have a realistic looking avatar that reflects my middle aged, not very svelte rl body, and the last think i want is to be sticking my belly out for all to see
i often shop for mens clothes that have high waisted jeans (omg, some of the women’s jeans are so low cut, unless i have a brazilian skin on, well, really, it is just too much)
i have also taken to making high waisted underpants layers in the appropriate color to cover up, but it is hard to match the colors exactly, and impossible to match the texture
so, wide attractive belts would be most welcome
and if the lindens are listening, another vote here for more clothing layers and multiple prim attachments to single attachment points
oh, and thank you for your wonderful blog, i check it every day
Comment by terry brenner — January 5, 2008 @ 2:45 pm
Yes-more high-waisted jeans! I hate running around in SL with my belly showing when I don’t want it showing! And I love corset belts.
Comment by Alyx Sands — January 5, 2008 @ 4:19 pm
Hear Hear!!
Completely with you 100% on this one girls..let’s hope the wonderful designers in world take the bait..ahem, I mean hint, and start making some of these!
Kitty =^..^=
Comment by Kitty O'toole — January 5, 2008 @ 6:38 pm
The designer Nena Janus has a wide belt as part of an outfit in her store The Leaque. The belt is exactly what you described. I have heard that Nena is going to offer the wide belt, either on it’s own or as part of a collection of belts some time soon.
Comment by Harris — January 5, 2008 @ 6:39 pm
A worthy cause, and one I full heartedly support, but still… it’s like putting a band aid on a full body burn… I wish LL would do something about the clothing layers and mesh ~sighs~.
Comment by Rheta Shan — January 5, 2008 @ 7:52 pm
Bravo! I agree completely with the post & with the suggestions (pleas) for high-waisted jeans. As Marianne points out, it would also be nice to have some wide belts on the shirt layer, so we could wear a shirt on the undershirt layer and a jacket on the jacket layer.
Comment by Lunette Fouroux — January 5, 2008 @ 8:03 pm
Yes! Totally agree. I personally though would like the jeans to bit a bit higher - not 80’s waist! - but high enough wear my underwear doesn’t have to show. And more blouses/shirts, etc that cover that tummy area. Designers, are ya listening???? =)
Comment by Solanghe Sarlo — January 5, 2008 @ 8:13 pm
Hmm, didn’t “Oh! What a neat Boutique” have some nice corsets? Not sure about the layers, but worth to look!
Comment by Cinthia Eckersley — January 6, 2008 @ 12:29 am
I have belts & sashes worn as jacket or shirt. Fit beautifully; aren’t adjustable & ride on ribcage - too short for them
Demos are a lot of extra trouble, but pretty please.
Comment by Casandra Shilova — January 6, 2008 @ 3:10 pm
While maybe not representative of all of our sisters, this is one poor little goth girl who is quite sick of this. And at least three of my shopping-struck sisters can attest to this little issue. While we tend to love the pale look, we don’t really want a glowing beacon of light perched just over our belt line. We all do love the beautiful primmed dresses but occasionally, we’d like to where jeans and maybe a t-shirt.
As mentioned above, Tuli makes a few nice alternatives. Wrong and Canimal also get it right pretty regularly. Trust me, we like high fashion too, just in darker colors.
Comment by Daemon Nikitin — January 6, 2008 @ 4:33 pm
I agree completely on the need to deal with this bare midriff issue.
However, the belt, or even partial corsets that you show as examples, wouldn’t help! If you overlap the two images, you’ll see that the bare midriff happens well below the navel, and is actually a bare upper pelvic area. Even the widest corset image you show would not help your ultra-low cut jean issue unless it encases the hips to the crotch as well, and they don’t, generally.
We need higher cut jeans to solve the issue, though I’d like some nifty corset belts for fashion’s sake. Maybe I need to take a detour from my horse business and make some sculpty belts.
Comment by Fiona Branagh — January 7, 2008 @ 6:10 pm
[…] clothing options, so it is high time that I live up to this promise… besides, over at Linden Lifestyles, Salomé has written a plea straight from the heart about EMS (Exposed Midriff Syndrome) and from the Second Style gang I would like to support this plea. […]
Pingback by EMS: Salomé.. I Agree With You!!! at Second Style Fashionista — January 9, 2008 @ 4:08 pm
Try these - just out from Pixel Dolls….
http://www.nafii.com/PixelDolls/?p=328
Corset belts on *all* layers - delicious!!
Comment by Lillie Guildenstern — January 17, 2008 @ 6:57 am
i was ABOUT to suggest the corset belts from pixel dolls
i tried them on if your in her group you got a set for free but I didnt really like them more because i couldnt find something to really go with them but they are really cute just not really my style
Comment by Lauren — January 22, 2008 @ 1:42 am
thank you so much for speaking about this!! i have felt this way since i have started secondlife and me and my sister are always trying to create new ways to keep from showing our mid drift. i really like when i can dress like a lady, i do not want to show my stomich necause i want to respect myself and those around me by dressing in a way that does not 1, get in the way of others relationships (or be used to flirt with anyone) and also because i dont think it’s right to me to wear skimpy clothing and set a bad example like that fdo myself and othters, when a belt or an undershirt can solve the problum. plus it makes me feel more like a lady. anyway, thank you.
Comment by mahogohney — January 23, 2008 @ 6:55 pm
It occurs to me that, though the designers are the ones that create the clothes, we’re the ones who support them with our lindens. (I won’t say they set the trends, though there is some truth to that, but a true fashionista creates his or her own style statement.) If we make it plain to the designers that “bare midriff” is not desirable fashion any more, and hasn’t been since Madonna stopped being Like a Virgin, we might make an impression on them…?
The trick here, of course, is how do you know your navel’s going to be exposed until you’re wearing the outfit. Perhaps more demos to try on a dress/pants/whatever? Would cheap demos contribute to design theft, even when they’re plainly marked?
Comment by Harper Ganesvoort — February 27, 2008 @ 2:11 pm
I think this particular issue is a little more complex than just trend-setting because it involves the limitations of certain clothing slots. I think most designers just got into the habit of top = shirt layer without realizing that we might want to mix-and-match. More than just the exposed midriff, shirt layers tend to cut off without any style and that doesn’t make us or the clothes look good ;-).
Today, most of the upscale designers are putting their clothing on multiple layers which I think demonstrates a new level of respect for shoppers and I hope that trend continues.
Comment by Salome Strangelove — February 27, 2008 @ 11:05 pm
Funny to read this, I just finished a collection of about 4 dozen of those gap-covering belts (different styles/colors, of course) - would you like to have review copies as soon as I put them into my store…? Just if you’re still interested, that is - your posting IS a bit older…
Comment by Naergilien Wunderlich — April 27, 2008 @ 11:33 pm
As announced in my last posting, I’ve now finished my collection of photorealistic “jacket-layer” belts - they’re now available here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/ZoHa%20Islands%20E/244/121/22 - just in case you’re still searching for them
Comment by Naergilien Wunderlich — April 29, 2008 @ 9:58 pm
Actually..
There is a designer who has made Belts that are in two different positions, I believe all on the Jacket and Shirt layers that are created JUST to fight EMS.
They come in leather in a variety of tones, with large textured buckles.
I cannot her recall her name at the moment but her store is called LEAGUE and I know for a fact that it is in both Creeve and Steam Forge (Adjoining sims)
You should totally check it out
Comment by Sonya Kivioq — May 21, 2008 @ 4:44 pm
[…] free all over the grid. There’s no getting around the fact that you’re going to have EMS when you wear it. And I will freely admit tube tops are not the most creative when it comes to […]
Pingback by » It’s an Ornamental Life - Linden Lifestyles - The Unofficial Second Life® Fashion Shopping Blog — November 15, 2008 @ 12:27 pm
[…] for the 3rd day in a row it’s absolutely gorgeous weather here, I decided to get over my EMS and show some stomach! I’m wearing the new Beach Bum shirt and bikini top from Skin Flicks, […]
Pingback by Look of the Day, June 2, 2009 « More than Meets the Eye — June 2, 2009 @ 6:09 am