Still, some people see fashion magazines like a money making machine, because there are ads and it's part of an economy.
However, the quality of those magazines is very questionable. Print modeling in SL is changing into another directions and that is definitely not through the 'old sames old' magazines, then hosted on the website Issuu.
Some of their photographers are the same old photographers. Nothing new there. So, what's new? Nothing, actually. The layout of the magazine is not updated, every RL fashion magazine has the best staff to keep the layout renewed, always taking into consideration that they are fashion magazines, with a very specific target.
What I wanted to show you is a huge mistake that cannot happen, if we are talking of a fashion magazine. This would never happen in RL.
I hereby declare the original work of the cropped image I'm about to show you belongs to Style Kingdom Magazine and the full photo is the work of Pam Astonia as a photographer. No copyright infringement intended, as a blogger. This photo doesn't belong to me and I'm using just a portion of it according to DCMA Fair Use (the explanatory legal aspect can be consulted on the web and also in some of my previous posts) to express my opinion about it. The link to original work is provided here.
This type of mistake shouldn't happen in a quality fashion magazine. Do you see it?
The Style Credits aren't right.
Shall we see?
- Dress Into the White and Fur Shawl - where is the shawl in the photo?
- Palma bracelet with hud - where is the bracelet?
- Hair - B429 in grey - is it grey?
Where is the reference to the bag the model is wearing in the original photo [they were so detailed about the complete look, us readers, we are missing the bag] . Where is the reference to the ring?
I must say I was quite impressed [ and excited too, a breath of fresh air] when I knew that some of the previous staff members from Avenue started their own Academy and Models Agency - Scala. Those of you who have been reading me for years, know I'm going after SL fashion shows and focus greatly on runway walking and posing. As the fashion community and activities started to change, I started to follow print work too. Scala Models Academy is run by one of the best SL professional models [with an extensive career, that I have followed] - Seashell Dench and by the well recognized and reputable Model Trainer Kryptonia Paperdoll. The fact that Scala started their activities with teaching, speaks highly to me. Training is the most important thing for a SL model and these two highly respected members of the fashion community in SL started right where SL models most need right now. What to do, where to start, when everything in modeling is changing so fast? Training, obviously. They were extremely smart and cleaver to start giving to models what they most need right now. This only shows me that they mean to help new models to have their careers going, as opposed to some egotistic activities or self-centered 'famous' models that , I believe have started something connected to "luxury", this week, I believe? Another Model's Agency that didn't really impress me, that much. Trying to see what's going on among the professional model's community, I can't help wondering: this new Agency that sent out their press release this week, is full of 'famous' (?) models as members of their staff. I really don't want to mention their names here, they don't need publicity - they made sure by their professional activities that it's all about them, not helping others. I can give the example of one of them, Anna Saphire - I wrote about her before, regarding the work she was doing at Avenue Magazine. From a certain moment on, there was Anna Saphire all over the magazine, month after month after month. Boring! That's when Avenue Magazine started to go down. People don't change easily, so, I'm guessing this new 'Agency' run by Anna Saphire will also be all about herself. They released a website, where their models will be able to post, it doesn't seem like a blog, but more of a website. They also mention in their press release they are a 'boutique-style agency' and that brings me back in time when another 'famous' SL model created a 'boutique' group of models that went down as fast as it came up. It has been done before, this 'boutique' concept.
In opposition, Scala emerged focusing on other models, not on the owners of the Agency and Academy. It's going to be interesting to see how this goes, because all this means the end of Avenue, as these two groups of people came from Avenue - now dead and buried. Scala, however, surfaced as extremely humble [with no 'luxury' or 'boutique' concept attached to it] in their press release, efficient in their communication - first, they started teaching. Well done! Then, I was able to read a note on Scala FB page, by Seashell Dench. The mindset of Scala seems to be a total refreshment in the fashion industry. First business target - create jobs and pay people for the jobs they do. She mentions Scala won't give people tags, unless there is actually a job connected to it. So, these people from Scala, have a clear goal: change mentalities [according to Ms Dench's words]. Models and people that want to work in the fashion industry must be payed and not invited to SL Groups, to get a tag - if I read it correctly. This stunned me, really. This is a complete twist in the way models see their careers in SL. I too see may tags in fashion events and believe me, I know that so many times, a tag is the result of nothing. It's just a tag, not a job. The way Ms Dench put it, I think SL professional models are going to experience how this amazing perspective unravels. I saw people being sad, because Avenue ended; now I say, I can't wait to see how Scala is able to relate to a community that has been based on fake jobs, egotistic attitudes - when models just love to be the next 'it-girl'. In a toxic environment, where words like 'luxury'and 'boutique' sound fashionable, I really want to see this shift of mindset in SL modeling, that seems to be Scala's main focus - models work, they get payed; creation of jobs, not tags. To impress by the work done, focus on improving professional SL models' careers and also seems like they are giving away the 'luxury' and 'boutique' ideas to those who are really after showcasing themselves, just like Anna Saphire did when she took over Avenue Magazine. Just one minor detail I saw at Anna Saphire's new 'project's release and I quote: "(...) models will stand out as they are the most skilled, talented and unique models in the industry, ready to work with the designers and ensure they are extremely well represented." This needs a clarification: a Model's Agency represents Models, not designers. But again, this was probably written in the wrong way and conveyed the idea that Model Agencies represent designers. They don't. They represent models and then have contracts with designers [as it is done on SL - in RL it's different]. Not a very good marketing strategy, conveying the wrong idea right from the start: Model Agencies 'representing' designers. Strange, to say the least. Model Agencies represent models to then, be hired by designers. But well, we will see where all this will go.
For me, Scala really got my positive attention. I'll be around, as usual.
This is the subtitle of L'Homme Magazine for June 2013.
Let me write it again: 'The Authority in SL's Men's Fashion' (?????)
Whose authority, may I ask?
Zachary something [I forgot his last name] 's authority?
Are we talking about SL fashion regarding a boy in his twenties who pulled together a magazine he thinks it's focused on male fashion?
I'm not even going to have link to the magazine; for sure you'll find it and take a look at it if you haven't already.
Good news is that Zachary states in the first page of the magazine he's going to step down as Editor-in-Chief. Last thing the fashion community in SL needs is a kid to run a fashion magazine in SL.
In graphic terms, imagery is regular; this Zachary person is well connected. He got some 'famous' SL photographers to pull the magazine together; again, I'm not going to say some names, because these 'famous' SL photographers are extremely popular, yet that doesn't mean they are very good in fashion photography. They can be good at PS, sure!
These photographers have created quite a reputation in their Flickr accounts; liking their photos or not is a personal opinion. Maybe one is worth mentioning - Marcopol Oh who is actually a visionnaire and more artistic in creating his imagery.
There is a section in the magazine that is quite childish, fashionwise, called Paparazzi. The paparazzi 'victims' are a couple of models in SL , that, again, may be considered popular; however, this particular section, the way I see it, has nothing to do with fashion. It's a SL couple with their SL child. The outfits' description is there, indeed; here, the photo quality decreases greatly.
There is also a spread called Road Trip. The photos were taken by a SL male model that has achieved quite a good professional reputation in male fashion and is, in RL, a woman - Hikaru Enimo. Personally, I have no problems with that. In the first pages of the magazine, the SL photographer Petra Messioptra [who we all think is a woman in RL, but we can't tell] poses with her male avatar.
And finally, I'd like to mention Marcopol's vision on a fashion spread that is really editorial; photos taken with a white or black background, focused on the model and his style. Here is what we could easily see in a RL fashion magazine - the concept of an editorial spread.
Basically, this edition of L'Homme magazine is this person's goodbye - Zachary, I mean. Being focused greatly on SL fashion for years, having attended myself many fashion shows, having read several SL fashion magazines, I don't even know who this Zachary character is.
He may have been Mister Virtual something. I'm done even considering pageants as part of the fashion scene in SL. If he was, that explains me not knowing who Zachary is.
Indeed I mentioned his age - he is around his twenties, that I was told - just like most of you I'm well connected among the fashion/modeling world in SL and people talk. Nevertheles, I have never met or seen any fashion show with this male Zachary ' model'.
It's a very good decision of his to just go away. Being so young, it's unlikely he has the personal and professional maturity to do a good job and there would be a good chance that he could get the 'Editorial Clarity' disease (another one that is in his twenties) - 'I'm a nobody in RL; but hey, people know my SL name'. Laughable, of course!
To read L'Homme magazine this month, is like going through Flickr. Some photos are average - considering that more and more SL fashion photographers are raising the bar - always taking into consideration that I'm talking about fashion and fashion magazines, not talking about PS effects.
Farewell, Zachary! Take your time to mature and eventually be good at what you want to do.
I have been trying to avoid writing about this particular group of people. I don't know what to call it but they say they train SL models, so it should be like a 'model academy'? Actually, it's a University of Models!!
I hear people complain about paying lots of money and being treated unfairly and by now you must have guessed that I'm talking about Classic With Style.
There is a SL mentality thing going on like forever; at least people talk about a lot about it which is 'making money in SL'. Making money or have an income in SL is as valid as making money in RL. There's nothing wrong about it.
However, the whole purpose of me writing this blog was always about quality. Making things better in terms of SL modeling.
I ended up watching several videos on Youtube from this 'Classic With Style' thing. I still don't know what it is. It's not clear and transparent publicly.
What is this?
The classiest idea I have of women wearing classic night gowns is NOT club music and having them club dancing. I don't know about you but all I feel is this weirdness. I keep thinking of RL fashion shows and this is not even close. Once you watch this video, you all can see how 'famous' all these models are on SL. I personaly haven't heard of any of them.
Fashionwise, I do believe that the closest SL gets to RL, the more quality lies in it, especially since there are RL designers investing in SL, creating in SL.
The big issue seems to be new SL models - or SL models wannabes - pay too much to join this Classic With Style thing. The rough truth is that people need to invest in themselves to learn. This happens everywhere in RL, from high school to college. Even in RL, we all have to pay for some kind of training we may need. I don't quite understand why people complain about paying.
But, but - and this must be taken into consideration - payment must be fair in relation to what kind of training you're going to get!
The marketing strategy behind Classic With Style is extremely unprofessional, to say the least! In their blog - they call it Modeling University - they clearly state that you will be famous after graduating as a model. (!!!)
I mean, really? How long has Classic With Style been around and how many of their 'graduates' have been famous models in SL? This is something nobody can promise or even promote! No company, no model agency, nobody can, because 'being famous' is hard individual work, no matter how good SL models are.
The whole concept of their blog, the videos on Youtube, everything Classic With Style shows is everything but stylish and classic.
When we open their blog, we see their CEOs photos. The quality of the photos is terrible and the avatars take me back to my first year in SL. I mean, are you serious about this?
I don't know about you but I'd love to watch a fashion show produced and executed by Classic With Style, a graduation show maybe? Something that's really related to the work real models do.
For dancing, there are groups in SL that do that, they don't pretend to be models, they're dancers. It's fun , I know, but maybe take the gowns out and do a well produced video of your dancers (not models).
And another thing is professional fashion models aren't 'hot', no matter how beautiful they are or how curvy they may be. Doing the 'hot contest of something' is to lower the models to the quality of a low life dancer, with swimwear, prim hair and old basic skins (some of them oily skins!!!).
We all know that in RL there are more comercial models and high fashion models. Depending always on what the designers are after to showcase their visions and creations. Again, I don't see high fashion designers in SL connected in any way with Classic With Style. And no, wearing a gown doesn't make you stylish nor classic. It takes so much more than that. Style is from head to toe. Starts from hair to the tip of your big toe. It's in the attitude, too.
Remember, not everybody can be a model, just like not everybody can be a doctor or a teacher.
I took the time of going to Classic With Style several places and it's public, so here is their application for eventual 'alumni':
Now Accepting Enrollment Applications Classes starting soon. If you have a love for great art and a passion for modeling—why not consider a career in modeling. University of Classic W/ Style have it all for you.
Professionals can choose from a variety of career paths in: If you desire to pursue a career in modeling, the University of Classic W/ Style can teach you the skills you need to get started.
➤~ Modeling ➤~ Photography ➤~ Blogging
Fee for 3 weeks class: 10,000 linden, to be paid directly to Anrol Anthiny.
Fill in Application below and send in to Anrol Anthony:
Don't miss your opportunity to get UCWS training. Don’t settle for anything less. * Hands on * Taught by professional executive instructors * A recognized name in the modeling, owner is the guru in fashion. * Available in several tracks * Real world experience –in modeling * Guided by a support system of faculty, networks, and alumni * Succesful and Established Fashion Business since 2008 Located in 2 Sims * Weekly Fashion shows.
We hope you will all understand that this is a business - however, it is also our goal to make modeling fun and something you will all enjoy.
Very well. Let's see. I'm usually on top of the latest news regarding modeling in SL and I have never watched a fashion show produced, organized or put together by this group of people. Have you? It's clearly stated in this application:
* Weekly Fashion shows.
How does Classic With Style advertise their fashion shows, because the information is not as public as it should be. I mean every fashion show in SL is advertised in several ways, through some public fashion and modeling related SL groups. How come we don't see any of these weekly fashion shows? Perhaps it's just me. Have you seen any?
Not to mention their blog, website and Youtube channel. I haven't seen any fashion show from this group of people on Youtube (nor inworld , for that matter). Yes, the girls sure dance on video, but a full fashion show?
I'd like to have an invitation from Classic With Style to watch one of your fashion shows. I'll be there, for sure. And of course, I'm guessing all models in SL would like to watch it too. Can we all have an invitation? That'd be nice!
