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unisex clothing question

Elinah Iredell
Registered User
Join date: 14 Aug 2006
Posts: 269
03-23-2007 19:05
Hi can anyone tell me if there is any real difference between shirts jackets pants and other clothing created on a female av and that same clothing created on a male av? I would like to know if I create a unisex style shirt or jacket on a template and upload it does the gender of the avatar its created on really make any difference to how it fits or looks? I would like to create some unisex clothing on my own female avatar but I wonder if it will look just as good on a male av when he tries it on as if it had been created on one? Is there any real difference between clothes for males and clothes for females? I dont think so but I wanted to double check and ask advice .The icons are exaclty the same right so the clothes are the same? How do you create unisex style clothes? Thanks everyone.

Elinah
Wilhelm Neumann
Runs with Crayons
Join date: 20 Apr 2006
Posts: 2,204
03-23-2007 19:13
if they have lots of detail in front there will be a difference as there is a strange err "abberation" that will make the design in certain areas stretch in the wrong way

here is an example

once i made a tshirt with a bottle on the front an "ad" for a tonic it was a simple bottle about the shape of a coke can so very simple type of bottle if you put it on a male avatar the bottle was all "bent out of shape" if you put it on a female the proportions were perfect. The reason being the are where it was placed (center of the shirt from side to side) stretches differently due to umm "parts" hehe

on the other hand if you have a fairly flat chested female avatar the female clothing may not fit to well on the front depending on how the shape was made. In other words if your avatar isn't the "usual female shape" or the "usual male shape" you will experience problems

If someone says to you "this clothing is not unisex" by the way believe them because they have likely tried it on both avatar sexes and found out already what happens.

Unisex clothing you have to be very careful where various designs are placed on the upper body. ON the lower body pants are pants etc .

Shoes well for some reason female avatars have to have like size 5 feet for most female designed shoes so make sure you buy modifiable shoes if your avatar has bigger feet.

So yes for the upper body there is a difference if there is detail in the design the design may stretch the wrong way. The only exception to this is prim clothing which you will need to resize your avatar for or resize the clothing. since most prim clothing is pretty complex its usually easier to change the size of the avatar. So make sure to have an adjustable shape around in case you need to make your feet or head smaller or something
Warda Kawabata
Amityville Horror
Join date: 4 Nov 2005
Posts: 1,300
03-23-2007 19:16
Some clothiers work the textured shadows differently for male and female clothing, to account for the different contours. Other than that, and the usual gender-based stereotypes of what men and women should wear, they are the same thing.

But really, getting shadows right is the difference between good clothes and great clothes.
Bree Giffen
♥♣♦♠ Furrtune Hunter ♠♦♣♥
Join date: 22 Jun 2006
Posts: 2,715
03-23-2007 19:32
I think the upload preview allows you to view both male and female avatars. You can also switch your body shape in the game so you can see the differences first hand. I think most clothes for males work fine for females in SL. Most female clothes are designed to look so feminine that they would look absurd on a male avatar.
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Beebo Brink
Uppity Alt
Join date: 12 Jan 2007
Posts: 574
03-23-2007 22:21
Both my main and alt avatars wear what is commonly sold in SL as men's clothing. Suits, vests, jackets, slacks, etc. Only a very few outfits have not fit, and most of them were cheap or freebie clothes.

In general, the well made tailored men's clothing works just fine if you're not an especially... er, busty... avatar. Neither Regan or Beebo are flat-chested, but they're not at the "bazooka" end of the spectrum either.

The only real problem is shoes. I *hate* the women's shoes in SL but the men's shoes are HUGE. I've squandered lots of L$ buying men's shoes, scaling them down, then throwing them away. Some simply can't be altered that much without damage. But that's not your question, so I'll cut off my rant here.
Nepenthes Ixchel
Broadly Offended.
Join date: 6 Dec 2005
Posts: 696
03-24-2007 00:24
I'll let you in on a secret: all avatars are female! The female "ruth" mesh from an ancient edition of poser is twisted and distorted to make the male shape, which is why the chest mesh is so horrible on a male character.
Raindrop Drinkwater
Globally Creative
Join date: 28 Jun 2006
Posts: 240
03-24-2007 02:16
Beebo: if you don't like women shoes, have a look at KK outfitters. They've got great sport shoes. Also, check Beckenbauer's Doc Marteens.

Re. male/female clothes:
For pants: the major difference is that most women pants are generally low-waist. This is a design issue, not a mesh issue. If you make a pair of standard denims, going all the way up the waist, it will fit both men and women.

For tops: that's a different kettle of fish.
First, a mesh issue: the chest of the female and male avatar don't strech the same way (read: the male chest is a nightmare). This means you'll have to be careful with the placement of your design elements -- the nifty little logo, the bottle Wilhelm was talking about...
To see the difference, try shoving a vertical stripes texture on a shirt. Switch from a female to a male avatar. Now sit back and laugh (or cry... your choice!) :p

The second issue has to do with shading. That's not a mesh issue. It's an atanomical one. We girls have boobs. :eek: It means that a woman shirt won't be shaded the same way, and won't have wrinkles at the same place, either. To see the difference, go to Tableau and grab the free tee-shirts. They have made a male and a female version, and the reason why should be obvious once you wear them.

Despite all of this, it is still possible to make unisex clothes.
For example, a sweater won't need strong shades like a tight cotton shirt does.
Loose clothes aren't too much of a problem, either.
Tee-shirts? I think you can get away with them being unisex. Be careful with the shading, that's all. Jackets should be fine, and trousers, too.

I advise you to make a few shapes -- standard male, standard female, busty booty female, testosterone-abusing male... and try your clothes on them. The results can be fun :D
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Francesca Alva
Registered Trademark
Join date: 17 Jul 2006
Posts: 507
03-24-2007 02:34
From: Nepenthes Ixchel
I'll let you in on a secret: all avatars are female! The female "ruth" mesh from an ancient edition of poser is twisted and distorted to make the male shape, which is why the chest mesh is so horrible on a male character.


Hmm - interesting. So SL mirrors RL where all embryos start out female.
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Beebo Brink
Uppity Alt
Join date: 12 Jan 2007
Posts: 574
03-24-2007 05:08
From: Raindrop Drinkwater
Beebo: if you don't like women shoes, have a look at KK outfitters. They've got great sport shoes. Also, check Beckenbauer's Doc Marteens.

I already have a pair of women's KK high tops that I love! I have a few other casual women's shoes that are also quite werable. The biggest challenge is dress shoes. Women's dress shoes are high heels. Period.

For a recent photo shoot, I needed a pair of black highly polished dress shoes to wear with a military costume. After a long search, I found some beautiful men's black oxfords at Jeepers Creepers, but they were large and no mod.

Ah, the trials and tribulations of cross-dressing in SL.
Elinah Iredell
Registered User
Join date: 14 Aug 2006
Posts: 269
Thank you all
03-24-2007 14:33
Thanks so much for all your help and advice :)

Elinah