Shoes For Heroes

New Alden desert boots!!!

2011-12-19T13:47:00.000-08:00

If, like me, you feel that socks should be worn but not seen, then you'll understand why I've always preferred boots to shoes in Second Life, mainly because pants tend to be too short unless you like bell-bottoms. Boots keep socks out of sight, and for this reason alone, the humble desert boot is a winner. As always, I found that I could improve on the previous shape, and with a nip here and a tuck there, a new shape was born. Another thing I changed was the fastening. Gone are the laces, instead there is flexible lacing looped round leather covered buttons, that sit on the contrasting facing that extends down from the ankle collar.

New Strike 2 bowling shoes!!!

2011-12-08T11:12:00.000-08:00

From time to time, I get the urge to revisit some of my older designs. My gaze recently fell upon my Strike! bowling shoes, and I decided that they needed a complete makeover. I began with a new shape, while keeping the familiar rounded toe of the original. Then I completely redid the textures. I kept the archetypal Red and Blue color scheme, but all the other colors are new.

"Strike 2" presents the bowling shoe in a wide range of exciting new colors! Feast your eyes on Black & Gold, Black & White, Blue & Yellow, Green & Gold, Orange & Black, Pink & White, Red & Blue and Red & Gold.

These shoes are UniSex and are fitted with a low-lag ReSizer from XS to XXL. Copy OK, Transfer OK, DEMOs and Fatpacks are all available at Jeepers Main Store. Free shirt and bowling ball with every purchase!

New Clifton and Savannah saddle shoes!!!

2011-05-08T21:36:00.000-07:00

Hold onto your hats shoe fans, this week we're releasing not one but TWO new shoes!!!

Jeepers has taken the traditional "saddle" shoe, named for the band of leather that sits like a saddle across the middle of the shoe, and re-invented it with stunning new colors and exotic leathers. The perfect summer shoes with a comfortable rubber sole, they can be worn with jeans, slacks or shorts, with or without socks.

First off is "Clifton", with a plain rounded toe, leather saddle and heel strip, and it's available in two-tone Brown; Gray with a green saddle; Navy with a white saddle; and Olive with a dark brown saddle.

Then there's "Savannah" with a slightly more pointed toe featuring a brogued toecap. Available in two-tone Blue; Buckwheat hessian with a brown saddle; Linen hessian with a dark brown saddle; and Mushroom hessian with genuine ostrich leather saddle!

These shoes are Unisex and are fitted with a built-in ReSizer from XS to XXL. Copy OK, Transfer OK, DEMOs and Fatpacks are all available at Jeepers Main Store.

Sebastian shoes re-released !!!

2011-01-26T16:50:00.000-08:00

The Sebastian shoes were built on the same lasts as the highly polished Colbert men's dress shoes, but they never achieved the same popularity. Now that Jeepers new Main Store is settling in to its new location, I decided to give Sebastian a second look. The first thing that struck me is that these shoes need a polish! A good high gloss polish brought the colors to life, so I added two more colors: Bronze and Black & White. These, plus the original Red, Chalk White, Olive, Mustard and Midnight Blue and a plain old Black suede version completed the do-over. All Sebastian shoes are perforated for coolness. Sebastian - a selection that would please any Rock Star.

Jeepers moves to new Main Store location !!!

2010-12-06T00:09:00.000-08:00

Jeepers @ Shoes 183, 187, 37
A month ago, I was informed that the sim that Jeepers has called home since August '08, was going to be converted from commercial to residential use. Frankly we were not sorry to leave. The calm and natural beauty disappeared with the arrival of the adjacent "Disneyesque" fairy castle. That was the reason for Jeepers ascent to its present floating store. But no more! Jeepers is back to earth!
By an extraordinary stroke of luck (or karma), a perfect location suddenly became available in the sim dedicated to Shoes: (http://slurl.com/secondlife/shoes/183/187/37/) - I kid you not, there is a sim called "Shoes", and Jeepers has a prime location on the square.
Fortunately (again), I had a free weekend and it rained, so I got to spend hours and hours and hours, building a new store, installing the vendors, and changing the Landmarks in a ton of Notecards. There is still lots to be done, but the store is open for business and seems to be benefitting from its proximity to so many other fine (women's) shoe stores nearby.

New Chukka-Booty insulated boots!

2010-11-06T13:42:00.000-07:00

The Duluth Boot Co. Ltd., of Minnesota, USA, has been making boots since 1841, and Jeepers Shoes is proud to present their Chukka-Booty insulated boots. Yes sir, Chukka-Booty insulated boots are the official footwear of MIFCA (the Minnesota Ice Fishing and Curling Association), so don't you know they're good! Presenting the latest in faux-fur technology, and non-slip tread engineering, the Duluth Boot Company is the leader in insulated footwear*. Chukka-Booty is available in black, olive, sanguine and umber.
*Not liable for leaks due inclement weather.
These ankle boots are Unisex and fitted with a built-in ReSizer from XS to XXL. Copy OK, Transfer OK, DEMOs and a fatpack are all available at Jeepers Main Store.

Honestly, I don't know what I enjoy most: creating the actual shoes, their shape and appearance, or creating the mythology and marketing of them. As part of my policy updating of old shoes (in this case Rigger boots), I knew I wanted to make an insulated ankle boot with a fur cuff or collar around the top, and a simple side zipper with a hanging tag to make it easy to grasp with gloved fingers. Instead of the usual sole with the arch in front of the heel, I created a flush sole like a sneaker. This would improve grip and traction on slippery surfaces e.g. ice. Ice made me think of the newly popular Olympic sport of curling, where large granite stones are slid across a sheet of ice towards the target area. Somewhere, in the northern latitudes of the US, an old-fashioned (fictional) company would produce such footwear for local consumption. Thus was born the Duluth Boot Co. Ltd. of Minnesota. When it came to choosing the name, I started with Chukka and added Booty (note to self, keep mind on job at hand). But what would advertisements for Chukka-Booty look like? I'm guessing they wouldn't have changed much since the company was founded in 1841. So I found an ancient winter scene and embossed it onto a planked background. I added a scroll on which to display the name "Chukka-Booty". Then I had the idea that this particular boot would become the Official Footwear of local curlers, which lead me to the creation of MIFCA (Minnesota Ice Fishing and Curling Association), and their endorsement required another scroll. I had earlier decided that the hanging tag on the zipper should look like a commemorative plaque for the Duluth Boot Co. This reminded me of those old ads where companies display the medals they'd won at various events. So I added two medals between the two scrolls. Now it was looking really old-fashioned! All that remained was to add the words "Free Curling Stone with Every Purchase" (can you imagine buying shoes and finding a curling stone in the box?), and the Ad was complete.

New Digger work boots!

2010-10-11T00:53:00.000-07:00

I sell my shoes in a couple of period sims set in the 1920's and 1930's, and for a long time I didn't have any plain boots, the kind of footwear the average man in the street would wear to work, whether the factory or the farm, and after a quick brush up, could wear to church on Sunday.

Jeepers is proud to present Digger work boots. The most versatile footwear you can own. Five eyelets, a robust toecap, lugged sole and matching laces. Made from authentic period leather, cracked from long exposure to weather, in four subtle colors: Carbon (black), Sanguine (a sort of dried blood red), Umber (umber) and Swamp (straight out of the Okefenokee Swamp, the deepest darkest green you've ever seen).

Choosing the name of a new shoe is always fun. Since these boots will replace my Rigger line of work boots, the name Digger came quickly to mind. I knew that in Australia, "digger" is a friendly form of address for a man, but the word has a much older meaning. In England in 1649, the Diggers were an independent group with an agrarian lifestyle based on their ideas for the creation of small egalitarian rural communities. The Diggers' beliefs encompassed a worldview that envisioned an ecological interrelationship between humans and nature, acknowledging the inherent connections between people and their surroundings. But like all groups with radical ideas, their movement was crushed by those it threatened: the State. I think the world today would benefit greatly if there were a few more Diggers around.

These shoes are Unisex and fitted with a built-in ReSizer from XS to XXL. Copy OK, Transfer OK, DEMOs and a fatpack are all available at Jeepers Main Store.

New Desert Boots by DB

2010-09-10T11:48:00.000-07:00

As you might expect, my personal taste in RL shoes is reflected in the shoes I make in Second Life. I bought a pair of desert boots recently and I've been very pleased with them. I love suede - it doesn't need polishing for one thing. I like the way the nap alters the way the light reflects off the suede creating unique patterns. Desert boots are comfortable too. The ones I bought had a rubber sole but I like the porous look of crepe, so I made both. Desert boots tend to be austere - no decorative stitching, brogueing or gimping. However I couldn't resist adding a leather-trimmed edge around the top of the heel, extending down the facing. Eight colors: black, burgundy, denim, gray, russet, sand, sage and tan.

Simple yet stylish and comfortable; what more do you need in a pair of shoes?

These shoes are Unisex and fitted with a built-in ReSizer from XS to XXL. Copy OK, Transfer OK, DEMOs and a fatpack are all available at Jeepers Main Store.

Warm Weather Footwear!

2010-04-28T09:23:00.000-07:00

In anticipation of summer, I created a special area to showcase all of Jeepers warm weather footwear. It's easy to find, because the portal to this area is flanked with a couple of palm trees. The walls inside have a sunny disposition, and the carpet has been replaced with beach sand! Featured inside are the Krox beach shoes, Vaders basketball sneakers, Havana sandals and Miami loafers. (Krox and Vaders are both UniSex!) If you need shoes to match that summer outfit, come to Jeepers!

What's in a name?

2010-04-27T00:23:00.000-07:00

I arrived in SL in November '05 and started building. Three months later, I released my first shoes with thick crepe soles called Jeepers Creepers, and this became the name of my shoe store. In late '07, the name of the store was abbreviated to JCS. Another year later, with the addition of an apostrophe, it became JC's.
Here we are in April '10 and the name has changed yet again. The new name is simply Jeepers. Get used to it. I don't anticipate any further changes.

Make Him Over Hunt

2010-04-26T23:52:00.000-07:00

April is the month for the Make Him Over Hunt. This is a grid-wide treasure hunt for guys. JCS was delighted to take part in this great event, and to make things more interesting for the treasure hunters, a maze-like Stock Room was added to the store. The prize, hidden deep inside the stockroom, was a pair of Krox beach shoes in an Ice Rasta color scheme. There is a list of hints at http://makehimover.blogspot.com/2010/03/mhoh3-hint.html. If you haven't visited yet, do so while you have the chance...

New Retro Two-Tone Suede Shoes!

2010-03-28T11:47:00.000-07:00

Introducing Kool Kats - the latest two-tone Retro suede shoes from JC's. In eight exciting color combinations, and decorated with a metal buckle featuring the Kool Kats Logo, these shoes are sure to be a hit! These new shoes are totally UniSex via the built-in ReSizer that goes from XS to XXL. They are available in Copy OK and Transfer OK versions, and Demos and Fatpacks are on display at JC's main store.

New UniSex Beach Shoes with ReColor!

2010-03-15T15:32:00.000-07:00

Krox beach shoes. Part sneaker, part 'croc', all color.

The basic shoe is UniSex and fitted with a built-in ReSizer, and is available in four different textures: Ice, Kevlon, Splash and Swirl. More importantly, Krox have a ReColor HUD (head-up display that appears on screen), that let's you change the color of different parts of the shoe. Using the Tabs on the left-hand side of the HUD screen, you can select Heel, Logo, Sole, Straps, Toe and Upper. As you can see, this gives you an unlimited palette of colors to play with. The colors can be subtle, or the colors can shout! (The script in the shoe is low lag, and only works when the HUD is worn.)

Pink Vaders!

2010-02-19T17:04:00.000-08:00

Holy pink pagoda, Batman! Pink Vaders!
Yes Robin, Vaders are now available in pink; pure, pulsating, un-pusillanimous pink! And like all Vaders they are UniSex, available in Copy OK and Transfer versions, and they have a built-in ReSizer for easy fitting.

New Dress Shoes for men (contd).

2010-01-19T21:48:00.000-08:00

Stewart is the latest design from Green & Sons. While constructed on the same last as the Sebastian and Colbert styles, Stewart is sans laces. It is, in fact, a very stylish dress loafer, part high gloss black leather, part black suede, and sadly, it won't get seen very often. But for that very, very, special dress-up occasion, would you really wear anything else with your tux?

New Dress Shoes for men (contd).

2010-01-19T01:35:00.000-08:00

The Colbert dress shoes in polished black leather have been joined by three other colors: cordovan (a rich shade of burgundy blended with a dull rose), copper (a delightfully sunny golden brown), and brown like cinnamon and chocolate. All three pairs feature the same high gloss shine, and stacked heel. All shoes feature a built-in ReSizer for accurate fitting. Copy OK and Transfer OK versions, plus Demos and a Fatpack are all available at JC's main store.

Shoes and Accessories Hunt!

2010-01-14T11:18:00.000-08:00

The first annual Shoes & Accessories Hunt runs from January 15th to February 15th and JC's is proud to be taking part in this International event. The starting location will be at Hoorenbeek's store. Hunters will be searching for a shoe (actually a Doc Martens boot) hidden somewhere in the store, that will contain a free gift from that store, and a LM to the next store on the circular hunt. Because the hunt is circular, once you find the free gift in my store, you can continue the hunt from there, eventually ending up at the starting location. Stores have been chosen to present a wide selection of shoes and accessories such as belts, bags, hats, etc. Visit the official blog at http://fashionartsl.blogspot.com/ for more details.

New Dress Shoes for men.

2010-01-13T12:55:00.000-08:00

Green & Son has been making bespoke shoes for many years. They were responsible for Toltec and Sebastian, two designs featuring a stacked heel and sculpty ankle to create a more realistic ffitting shoe. They have just released two new designs. Colbert is a classic full-brogue wingtip Derby in glossy black leather with a high polish. Franken is a similar shape but in black suede with a unique sinuous seam bisecting the upper.
Both shoes feature a built-in ReSizer for accurate fitting. Copy OK and Transfer OK versions and Demos are available at JC's main store.

Quixote goes UniSex!

2009-11-07T12:16:00.001-08:00

Following the successful reintroduction of the UniSex Trashville Boots, JC's is proud to re-release the ever-popular Quixote boots in UniSex sizes, via the built-in ReSizer. These boots (like the Trashville boots) can be worn either under a pair of jeans, or over tight pants. They are available in four colors: black, brown, clay and maroon. They are available in Copy OK and Transfer OK versions, and Demos and Fatpacks are all at JC's main store.

Trashville Boots Re-released!

2009-11-06T13:08:00.000-08:00

Way back in August '06, JCS released Trashville boots. These boots, being somewhat outdated in style, were withdrawn a year ago. Recently I came across a pre-made sculpty boot shape that is perfect for the re-release of the Trashville brand. While the boot shape is not mine, the textures are completely new and all my own work. The new boots come in two classic styles "Engineer" and "Harness" and in two colors, black and brown. These new boots are totally UniSex via the built-in ReSizer that goes from XS to XXL. They are available in Copy OK and Transfer OK versions, and Demos and Fatpacks are all at JC's main store.

New Unisex Basketball Shoes

2009-10-23T10:44:00.000-07:00

In a move that has stunned shoe industry insiders, Cobbler-in-Chief Eponymous Trenchmouth, has released 8 (eight) old-school basketball-style sculpty sneakers.

"Vader's" are totally UniSex via the built-in ReSizer that goes from XS to XXL. They are available in Copy OK and Transfer OK versions, and Demos and Fatpacks are all at JC's main store. Vader's (named after "Daft" Vader, footwear designer for Universe One Star shoes) come in Black canvas, All-Black GoreTex (R), Cocoa (with leather detailing), Cream canvas, Gray canvas, Khaki canvas, Red canvas and Russet (with leather detailing).

In the interests of full disclosure, I must declare that the sculpty shape used in these shoes is not mine, unlike the hand-drawn textures, which are all my own work. I am in the process of learning to create sculpties, because ultimately it will give me the ability to create shoes that aren't possible with prims alone. Unfortunately there is a steep learning curve to negotiate before I can create my own sculpties, so in the meantime I used an excellent pre-made shape. Please stop by the store and check them out.

Copy OK

2009-09-28T11:40:00.000-07:00

JCS has just completed the mammoth task of switching all Main Store vendors from Transfer OK to Copy OK.

When I first began selling shoes in Second Life, I made them Transfer OK, since that reflected the way that we use objects in RL. But over the years, many people asked me to make Copy OK versions, because if you keep outfits in Folders (which makes it much easier to switch from one look to another), then you need to be able to make multiple copies of the shoes.

For those people who want to buy shoes as gifts, fear not! In the entrance to the store is a Transfer OK vendor. If you want to send Copy OK shoes as a gift, please contact Cobbler-in-Chief, Eponymous Trenchmouth

New Release!!!

2009-09-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

JCS announces "Miami".

Following hard on the heels of KiX comes Miami, a summer shoe. Ideal for the beach and the boulevard. Pastel canvas in cream, sage, pale blue and peach, with leather detailing. Wear with shorts or slacks; socks optional.

New Release!!!

2009-09-19T11:10:00.001-07:00

JCS announces "KiX".

In a move that has stunned shoe industry insiders, ashen-faced Eponymous Trenchmouth announced today his first new men's shoe in almost nine months.

KiX might be called a "crossover" - part sneaker and part loafer. Available in black, blue, green and red, the shoes have a flexible non-slip sole tinted to match the leather/GoreTex (R) two-tone uppers.

JCS New Store!

2009-02-22T11:57:00.000-08:00

JCS has a new store! Over the past week, the JCS Building Dept has been busy creating a brand new flagship store for the JCS empire. The term "flagship" is particularly apt, because the new design bears a striking resemblance to a side-wheel paddle steamer! Taking inspiration from the ocean-side location, the new building offers shoppers a much easier way to view all of our footwear. The building has a living roof with grasses and wild flowers that insulate the interior, while encouraging wildlife. Already butterflies and hummingbirds have taken up residence. Along two sides of the roof are solar panels that provide electricity. The building's interior is cooled naturally, using nautical-style ventilators and funnels. High "porthole" windows provide natural light and enhance the nautical theme. An observation deck with a telescope at the bow, faces the eternal ocean; a place to pause and watch the dolphins at play. Please stop by and explore our new home.

Red Shoe 50% Sale !!!

2009-02-08T21:13:00.000-08:00

In horror of Valentines Day, every red shoe in the store is 50% off! We're talking Betty, Carl Perkins, Dublin, Janine, Jeepers Creepers, Kippers, Luciano de Vincenzi, Oslo, Quixote, RadioActive, Rigger, Sebastian, Shanghai, Strike or Wellies, if it's a red shoe, it's 50% off!!!

Luciano de Vincenzi releases Ambasciatore

2009-01-26T17:40:00.000-08:00

LdeV releases yet another stylish dress loafer - Ambasciatore. This one is in black leather, decorated with narrow bands of gold piping, adding a subtle yet forceful message.

50% off Luciano de Vincenzi!

2009-01-08T00:45:00.000-08:00

Yes it's true! Every day for the next week, a different LdeV shoe will be on sale for 50% off! And even I don't know which shoe will be on sale when! Remember, for maximum satisfaction, shop early and shop often.

LdeV presents Firenze, Sienna & Swingtime

2009-01-07T23:02:00.000-08:00

Luciano has delivered three more loafers from the LdeV workshops.

First is Firenze. A traditional men's loafer with a woven leather panel inset on the instep. Finished with a simple monk strap. Elegant, understated, indispensable.

Next is Sienna. Similar to Firenze but in antique brown leather and minus the woven leather panel.

Lastly there's Swingtime. A black leather dance loafer with three inset turquoise diamonds.

JCS Group goes Subscribe-O-Matic

2009-01-07T09:51:00.000-08:00

JCS has decided to move its group communications over to Subscribe-O-Matic. The main benefit for members is that by joining the JCS Subscribe-O-Matic Group, you don't have to take up a slot in your official groups. Anyone can easily subscribe to the group by touching the Subscribe-O-Matic kiosk in the central area of the JCS main store. Once you are subscribed, you'll be able to read past notices, simply by touching the kiosk.

Luciano de Vincenzi Room opens

2009-01-07T08:58:00.000-08:00

It is with no small measure of pride that we announce the opening of the Luciano de Vincenzi room at the JCS Main Store. Unfortunately the great man LdeV himself was unable to attend the opening ceremony, being far too busy designing new footwear exclusively for JCS.

Henry Morgan redux

2009-01-06T11:47:00.000-08:00

Another older shoe to be updated is the ever-popular Henry Morgan, the shoe with the large silver buckle on the tongue. This new version is by Luciano de Vincenzi and comes with the scripted ReSizer.

JCS introduces Luciano de Vincenzi

2009-01-03T14:45:00.000-08:00

JCS is extremely proud to introduce the famous Italian bespoke shoemaker, Luciano de Vincenzi. LdeV (as he is known to his friends) has a well earned and long established reputation as a foremost designer of quality men's footwear, and we at JCS, are delighted to bring his creations to Second Life.
The first shoe from LdeV to appear in our store, is "Red Diamonds", a formal dress loafer . This stylish dance shoe, decorated with a black silk bow-tie on the tongue, has long been the sine qua non of any gentleman's wardrobe.

Surprise Visit!

2008-12-20T23:24:00.000-08:00

The JCS Main Store on La Fortuna 1, was paid a surprise visit yesterday afternoon by Eponymous Trenchmouth himself. The self-styled "Cobbler-in-Chief" arrived in his new swanky speedboat at the rear door, in order to avoid security at the main door. Unfortunately there was a couple shopping in the store at the time, and the wandering (or is it "wondering") wild-eyed Trenchmouth begin explaining in mind-numbing detail, the steps involved in making boots, from cow to calf, as it were. Forty-five minutes later, one of the two shoppers was able to slip away and she promptly alerted the guards. The still-talking Trenchmouth was bundled into his boat and told to bugger off.

Carl Perkins - Revised and Resized

2008-12-19T11:34:00.001-08:00

Carl Perkins joins the list of earlier shoes to be updated with the ReSizer. I took the opportunity to do a complete remodel of this popular suede shoe and the result is even more life-like. Now available in 8 colors: Black, Blue, Brown, Chamois, Gray, Putty, White and Wine.

Jeepers Creepers Redux!

2008-12-17T10:42:00.000-08:00

Jeepers Creepers, Second Life's first crepe-soled creepers have been re-released in a UniSex version: with the scripted ReSizer, they will fit men and women's feet. They are available in the following versions: All Black, All Black Buckles, All White Buckles, BioHazard, Checker Buckles, Cheetah Buckles, Leopard, Pink Heart Buckles, Red & Black, Silver Star, Skull Buckles and White Top.

Ho!

2008-12-02T18:51:00.000-08:00

The Dept. of Shameless Commerce has once again released the "festive" Ho! boots, just in time for the Ho! Ho! Holidays! Not content with the Santa Red pair, they've gone and added an Elf Green! (Groan). Both colors are UniSex and come with the ReSizer, AND an optional jolly sleigh bells sound effect.

Strike! Redux

2008-12-02T17:51:00.000-08:00

The ever-popular retro-styled Strike! bowling shoes have been re-released in a UniSex version with the ReSizer. In addition to the previous Red & Blue and Black & White shoes, have been added a black & white Checker and a simple Black version. Let's go bowling!

ReSizer added to Scratch, Clog and SOMA!

2008-11-30T12:05:00.000-08:00

The ubiquitous Resizer has now been added to Scratch canvas shoes, Clog clogs, and the two-tone SOMA ankle boots. As always, the shoes are preset at Medium, and with the pop-up menu can be resized from XS to XXL.

RadioActive Redux

2008-11-30T08:21:00.001-08:00

The latest footwear to be re-released with a brand-new shape and new textures, is the RadioActive boot. Originally this was available only in women's sizes, but with the aid of the remarkable ReSizer, this original design has gone UniSex - available to all! That is why, in addition to two different styles of leg, there are 3 right boots in the shoebox. One standard, one with a Power Walk and one with a Sexy Walk, depending on your mood. These boots feature a semi-transparent jelly-like sole with carbon graphite wearing pads, long-grain asbestos uppers, festooned with Hazard Warning symbols, and wrapped with a sturdy ankle buckle. Red, black, yellow and silver, all showing signs of wear. Best of all, these boots come with an optional flaming radioactive footprint that has to be seen to be believed!

Unisex Ughs get ReSizer!!!

2008-11-23T11:38:00.000-08:00

In a move that has stunned industry insiders, ashen-faced Cobbler-in-Chief Eponymous Trenchmouth has added the ReSizer to the entire line of Ugh boots. These popular sheepskin boots come with three different leg lengths, and because the boots are Copy OK, it's like getting three boots for the price of one! Then there are the Fat Packs: the Guy Pack contains Autumn Brown, Charcoal, Chocolate, Navy Blue, Silver and Stone. The Gal Pack contains Baby Blue, Buttermilk, Lilac, Marigold, Baby Pink, Dusky Rose, Tan, Teal and Wasabi. To top it off is the Mega Pack that contains all 15 colors!!! Holy sheepskin!

Rigger Redux

2008-11-23T11:23:00.000-08:00

I've finally made a start on updating my older shoes. The Rigger boots were still popular but the shape needed a major facelift. I based the new shape on the aXion boot, but with the leg rolled down to form a cuff around the ankle. The new Rigger is available as a traditional work boot, also a desert camo and a field camo pattern. Then there are three "dress" work boots: black leather with black velour cuff, dark cherry leather with black velour cuff, and brown leather with tabby velour cuff.

New Release - aXion men's boots

2008-11-06T22:04:00.001-08:00

(ok, ok, I'm a little late posting this stuff...)

10/18/08 ~ Autumn is here, the air is crisp, and my thoughts turn to winter boots with the rugged aXion line of men's hiking boots. Whether you're exploring the urban or rural environment, these fully detailed walking/running/jumping/climbing/hiking boots, made from rough suede and Gore-Tex (R) on a rugged and resilient non-slip sole, with fur cuff and sheepskin lining, will get you there. Available in muted black, blue, brown, gray, olive and sand.
These shoes come with the new Shoe Resizer, and are available Transfer OK or Copy OK. Demos and a Fat-Pack (all 6 pairs) are available at the Main Store.

Shoe ReSizer added to Oslo and Quixote

2008-11-05T20:32:00.000-08:00

The Shoe ReSizer made its first appearance in the Havana sandals, and subsequently in both aXion and Rigger boots. This easy to use device enables the wearer to adjust the size of their shoes from the pre-set Medium, down to XS and up to XXL.

JCS has now embarked on a long-term program to retro-fit all our boots and shoes with the ReSizer.

The first shoes to be retro-fitted with the ReSizer are:
Oslo - Elastic-sided men's ankle boots. To the original Black, Brown, Gray and Khaki, we have added Black Cherry and a warm Mid-Brown.
Quixote - Men's boots with large side buckle in the ever-popular Black, Brown, Clay and Black Cherry.

Beach shoes on SALE !!!

2008-08-29T19:40:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I released my men's beach shoes: Finz, Reef Rider and Mavericks. I took my usual care with the shape and the textures, but priced them well below my leather shoes. They didn't sell very well, and I think I know why. In RL, shoes like these, a sort of cross between crocs, jellies and flip-flops, would be dirt cheap, since they'd be mass-produced in China. Rather than think the design is at fault, I prefer to believe that there is an expectation carried over from RL, that this kind of footwear should also be dirt cheap, regardless of the time spent making them. It is with great excitement therefore, that I proudly announce that from this time forth, Finz, Reef Rider and Mavericks, will be on SALE for L50.

Resizer

2008-08-29T19:20:00.000-07:00

After much prodding from Ben Vanguard of SL Men, I have finally gone over to using a Resizer. No more preset Small, Medium or Large sizes. Now the end user can decide what is the best size for their shoes: anything from XS to XXL, with fine tuning available. I tried the scripts out on my new men's sandals, Havana, and was very pleased with the results. It's simple to install, with thorough clean up and an easy-to-use Menu, and I shall be using this tool from now on. As time allows, I will retro-fit this into my earlier shoes, beginning with the ones that only offer 2 sizes.

Copy OK, No Transfer shoe vendor

2008-08-29T10:55:00.000-07:00

This is something I should have done a long time ago! I finally got around to placing a Copy OK No Transfer shoe vendor in my Main Store. If you are one of those people who keeps outfits in folders, and don't mind forgoing the option to transfer inventory to others, this is the way to go. Now you can create multiple copies of your favorite shoes. So far the vendor contains Carl Perkins, Dublin, Havana, Kippers, Oslo, Quixote, Scratch, Sebastian, Shanghai and SOMA. Other shoes will be added as I get around to it.

JCS has a new home !!!

2008-08-01T17:22:00.000-07:00

La Fortuna 1, 51/48/22

JCS has a new home in the beautiful Costa Rica Estates. I'd like to thank my good friend Giancarlo Takacs for giving me exactly what I needed, and his builder Rawly Rousselot for his excellent eye for detail, in helping me get my store set up in record time. While there is still some work to be done, JCS is open for business and we hope you will come and visit us in our idyllic ocean-side location.

La Fortuna 1, 51/48/22

JCS is moving !!!

2008-07-17T16:15:00.000-07:00

I have just been notified that the sim where I have my main store is being sold. This news came as quite a shock. Fortunately, one of my good friends has created a tropical paradise, and plans are now in the works for a move to a new region of unsurpassed natural beauty. I just hope that my new store is complete before I am evicted. Stay tuned for more news...
I was just notified that at 5pm on Friday July 25th 2008, my Main Store will be razed to the ground. Hopefully, hopefully, my new location will be ready on Saturday...

News Flash

2008-06-22T23:34:00.000-07:00

Tight-lipped Eponymous Trenchmouth confirmed today that the next release from JCS will be men's beach shoes! Three styles in six colors each will make for an amazing launch. Watch out for a July 26 release at a swimwear fashion show! More details to follow...

Press Release

2008-06-22T23:19:00.002-07:00

For IMMEDIATE use. Dateline 06-08-08

In a surprise move that has shaken industry insiders, ashen-faced Eponymous Trenchmouth, taciturn head of JCS - Jeepers Creepers Shoes, announced that over the weekend, prices on all JCS men's and women's shoes have been slashed by $L50, $L100 and even $L150 per pair.

The gray-haired Trenchmouth said, "in these hard economic times, when consumers are faced with rising fuel and food prices, I'm going make darn sure no-one goes barefoot".

JCS also announced that the price of Demos, previously $L1, are now completely free. The tight-lipped Trenchmouth commented "if the citizens of this great land don't mind wearing shoes with DEMO written all over them, they can wear those for free".

The new prices go into effect immediately at the JCS main store and at select outlets.

The steely-eyed Trenchmouth denied rumors that government subsidised prims had any connection with the price cuts. The lantern-jawed CEO said "our prims are the same high quality. You won't find any genetically-modified rubbish in our shoes."

If have any questions, please IM knock-kneed Eponymous Trenchmouth.

How I texture. Part 2

2007-12-08T16:56:00.000-08:00

This article explains how to create a seamless texture on a complex object.

Suppose for argument's sake you had created a beautiful vase. It is made up of just 4 prims. From the bottom up they are a ring, a sphere, and two tori.

You have chosen the tiled zebra texture from your library inventory to cover the entire object. But after linking the four prims and applying the zebra texture, it appears far from the seamless whole you sought. The base and the uppermost ring are scrunched up, while the neck is long and skinny.

The reason that the texture does not flow continuously at the same scale over the entire vase is obvious when the Alignment Grid texture is applied. It can be seen that the squares are all different shapes and sizes and some are rotated and even reversed

In order to create a seamless texture over the whole object, you must first manipulate the grid texture on the individual prim surfaces.

On the bottom prim, rotate the texture grid 90 degrees and then adjust the repeat and vertical offset until the grid numbers flow seamlessly into the sphere.

Turning to the torus above the sphere, adjust the repeats and vertical offsets until the grid numbers flow seamlessly out of the sphere.

The upper torus that forms the neck of the vase, has been hollowed out and cut to produce the desired shape, but this has resulted in the alignment grid being reversed. Flip the texture, then adjust the repeats and vertical offsets until the grid numbers flow seamlessly out of the lower torus

Adjust the alignment texture around the ring at the top of the vase.

The alignment grid can even be made to flow into the interior of the vase.

The alignment grid on each face of the vase has now been adjusted.

When the zebra skin is applied to the entire object, it will be seen that the texture now flows seamlessly and at roughly the same scale over the entire object. Compare this view with the earlier version.

8 Things

2007-12-03T20:34:00.000-08:00

I've been tagged by Ben Vanguard. Thanks a lot Ben!

Here are the rules:

1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules.
3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

8 things about Eponymous Trenchmouth.

1. I have a 21 year-old daughter named Alice.
2. I was born in London, but now live in San Francisco.
3. I was ship's carpenter of La Contessa at Burning Man 2002 http://www.core77.com/reactor/burning_man.html.
4. Every time I take a nice hot shower I thank God I'm not living on the streets. How do those poor people manage, not having access to a hot shower on demand? IMHO, a hot shower is one of the most important indicators of a civilized society. The ability to supply and remove hot water demonstrates a high level of technology and knowledge. Mankind survived for centuries very nicely indeed, without electricity or petroleum and oil products. A hot shower is the commodity I'd keep until last, as we slide, ever deeper, into the whirlpool of global warming. Pray the tipping point is still ahead of us.
5. I believe that the "official" version of 9/11 is full of holes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Ray_Griffin.
6. I have a nasty feeling that most shoppers (as opposed to store owners), have a low opinion of merchants in Second Life. It never fails to amaze me how mean some merchants can be. They act as though they have a limited and finite number of products to sell, and replacing some noob's missing purchases, is somehow reducing their inventory! Give the shopper a break, it's not like it's actually gonna "cost" you anything. I only hear from customers maybe four or five times a week, so it hasn't become a chore. If they're in the Transaction History, I replace the missing items, no questions asked. It makes sense for three reasons: (A) You feel better about yourself for being a nice guy not an asshole. (B) Like I said, if they've paid, they get a replacement, and it doesn't cost me a penny. And I should mention that my shoes are Transfer OK. So theoretically, the customer could have given the shoes to his or her friend. But I choose to believe in the virtue of my fellow man, despite much evidence to the contrary. (C) If your merchandise is worthy, the satisfied customer will return to you, and will recommend you to their friends, thereby generating even more sales. Is this difficult to understand?
7. My favorite author is Patrick O'Brian, from whose series of historical novels about the British navy in the early 1800s, the movie "Master and Commander" was adapted.
8. I hate chain letters. And this is kinda like a chain letter. I hate receiving them, and I sure as shit ain't about to pass one along.

And while I'm at it, at this special time of year, I'd like to wish you all a very warm "Bah Humbug".

Giving and receiving

2007-11-23T01:53:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I did something I've been meaning to do for a long time. I have a stall at Luna Oaks that I won in a Linden lottery. I never sell much there, because the only people who visit the sim are noobs, who generally don't have much money and no experience of what the world has to offer. I mean, imagine yourself getting off a ship in a strange port in a foreign country: you're not gonna make any purchases at the tourist shop inside the gate, you're gonna want to explore the world, check out what the world has to offer. So anyways, this store had a very boring display of my shoes. I'd packed in 9 different styles in 4 colors each - I hate stores like that - wall to ceiling vendors. Buy, buy, buy. So the other week I changed it. I decided to make this a 50% off store for the noobs. I put 8 men's shoes and 8 women's shoes on display and today I made my first sale and, I hope, made someone happy.

Yesterday I get this nice IM: [1:18] Cord Heckroth: I just wanted to drop you a note. I bought a pair your Oslo shoes. I am *SO* not an clothes guy but I flippin' LOVE these shoes! Thank you!

Today he writes me again: [0:28] Cord Heckroth: ..street map of Oslo in the lining... such.. detail

And this one: [3:20] Heaven Lacey: Hi. Can i just say its my first time in your store, my hubby raves about this place, and to stop him yapping i thought I come and check it out, anyway thankyou so much for doing the Ughs, I cant afford uggs in RL but at least I can here. Thanks so much lol Heaven :)

This is why I love Second Life.

A Chronology of Shoes & Notable Moments

2007-11-04T16:55:00.001-08:00

11/29/05 ~ I arrive in Second Life.

02/19/06 ~ Jeepers Creepers (men's) ~ My first shoe was the Jeepers Creepers All-Black Buckle, and its still one of the most popular. I was inspired by Feri Beckenbauer's Doc Martins, the first shoes I bought. I examined them closely, trying to figure out how he made them.

03/17/06 ~ Jeepers Creepers (women's) ~ in response to many requests, I released a women's version. Because I couldn't shrink the original men's shoe, I had to scale down each individual prim by the same percentage, and then re-position them in the same relationship.

04/02/06 ~ OttO ~ Inspired by Joe Stravinsky's stunning shoes. The high-heeled version was later joined by a medium- and low-heeled versions. My inability to create my own textures held this exciting design back. I always intended to re-texture and resize these shoes, but it hasn't happened yet.

07/04/06 ~ Wellies ~ a simple two-part shape. Later reissued with patterns, prim eyes and other bits and pieces, but in my opinion, the unadorned welly boot is the best.

08/12/06 ~ Sold my 1000th shoe!

08/13/06 ~ Trashville (men's and women's boots) ~ This time I built the women's boots first and simply stretched them to create the men's.

09/16/06 ~ Clogs (women's) ~ These were essentially the same as the men's Clogs but were withdrawn prior to a re-introduction that never happened.

10/01/06 ~ Betty ~ an inspired shape that proved very popular.

10/18/06 ~ Second Life hits 1,000,000 registered users.

11/29/06 ~ On vacation in Thailand for the month of December. Ah bliss! Complete absence of Christmas schmaltz. Though getting online is no problem and I can check my e-mail and IMs, this is not the place for concentrated creativity.

12/27/06 ~ Clogs (men's) ~ I tried to simply scale-up the men's shoe from the women's but there was something not quite right about the shape, and I had to redo a lot of it. Later on, I revised and re-textured these and got to put the price up as a consequence.

12/29/06 ~ Hawkes & Healey ~ this traditional Oxford style shoe was ages in the making. The shape is straightforward enough, but I had the hardest time with the textures. A black shoe with a shine is a very hard thing to get right.

01/01/07 ~ Ugh/Sherpa ~ pure plagiarism. So blatant that I changed the name to Sherpa. After I decided I could live with the shame of plagiarism, I changed the name back to Ugh. (The name reflects my feelings about this style of footwear). For more on the subject of ugly shoes, read "Gallery of Horrors" by Manolo the Shoe Blogger. http://shoeblogs.com/horrors.html

01/011/07 ~ Janine ~ I've always liked ankle boots.

01/21/07 ~ Groks ~ a total knock-off. Disgraceful behavior. Ashamed again! But there's knock-offs in every High Street. Still waiting for "cease and desist" letter.

01/28/07 ~ Lisa Llanfair buys 9 pairs of Clogs, 1 pair of Groks, 2 pairs of Jeepers Creepers, 3 pairs of Ughs and 22 pairs of Wellies.

02/04/07 ~ Coco Nico buys 4 pairs of H&H Oxfords, 12 pairs of Clogs, 6 pairs of Groks, 6 pairs of OttO and 4 pairs of UGHs.

02/05/07 ~ Lunar/Luna/Zero-G ~ a futuristic metallic women's boot. Never really took off.

02/25/07 - 10/26/08 ~ Rigger (men's work boots) ~ two styles of boot in the shoebox: One, a normal boot version with a separate leg, and the other as though the leg was rolled down to form a cuff or collar around the ankle.

03/04/07 ~ Twill ~ Initially released as women's Rigger, but since this boot was not a female version of the men's, the name was quickly changed. The name was inspired by a lovely canvas twill texture I found.

03/18/07 - 12-01-08~ RadioActive ~ Lots of lovely hazard warning labels. I wanted these boots to leave glowing "radioactive" footprints, but I wasn't impressed with the results. The slowly pulsating glow was left in, but only really shows up at night.

03/21/07 ~ Hi-Rigger/ Uptown/Hi-Top/Combat/ Sci-Fi (formerly Zero-G). A collection of designs that I'd never released.

04/29/07 ~ Strike! (men's and women's) ~ This bowling shoe was a real breakthrough. For the first time I abandoned the 3-prim sole and replicated a RL sole, both in plan view (which resulted in dramatically different left and right builds) but also in the curvature when viewed from the side. This resulted in a realistic 15-prim sole.

05/13/07 ~ Veronika ~ designed to complement Betty, it never really caught on, mainly because the sole was much too clunky. It was about this time that I realized that I didn't really understand women's shoes.

05/27/07 ~ Giddyap (women's) ~ a Riding Boot spin-off from the Zero-G build, in response to having a stable across the hill from my main store. For fun, I added a riding crop which, when worn and clicked upon, would result in a smacking animation and a whimpered "oooohhh". Available in both men's and women's voices, depending on the object of your attention. This is the last women's shoe I made.

06/10/07 ~ Giddyap (men's) ~ sure enough, guys wanted a Riding Boot too. They also got the whips.

07/12/07 - 01/06/09 ~ Rebel ~ this men's shoe was another breakthrough. In addition to the multi-prim sole, I developed the sliced-bread style of shoe building. Unlike previous releases, all four of the original designs were slightly different.

09/09/07 ~ Scratch ~ based on the Strike! chassis, this shoe was inspired with a texture I found and modified to create a scratched/canvas appearance.

09/23/07 ~ Quixote ~ a much more realistic looking boot with a slightly "worn" appearance. This is the first (but so far the only version) of a series of men's boots. I intend to use the same shape but with different textures and add-ons to create a variety of styles: buckles, laces, zippers, straps, emblems, etc. Many people tell me they never use the leg, preferring to wear just the boot portion, under jeans.

10/14/07 ~ Carl Perkins ~ this design first appeared as one of the Rebel series but I felt it was a strong enough design to be released in 6 different color suedes.

11/02/07 ~ Oslo ~ an ankle boot version of Henry Morgan - one of the Rebel series. I've always wanted to do an elastic-sided boot. A shoe this height does not require a separate "leg" portion, and when worn with jeans, does not show any socks (or lack thereof).

11/23/07 ~ Ho! ~ Talk about crass commercialism! I made these boots on Buy Nothing Day - the day after Thanksgiving, which signals the beginning of the month of Christmas. Last year, I went to Thailand for the entire month of December, and it was the best Christmas I've ever had. To make these bi-sexual boots really annoying, I added an optional sleigh bells sound effect.

11/25/07 ~ Ugh ~ The men's Ho! boots came out so quickly, I thought I ought to do some men's Ughs for winter. Six masculine colors.

12/16/07 ~ SOMA ~ I wanted to do a slighter taller boot than the Oslo, without getting into the separate "leg" portion. These work pretty well except in a few "broken ankle" poses, where the top of the shoe pokes through the pants. I spent about 3 weeks working on this design. The shape came fairly quickly, but I worked on the textures right up until the photo shoot, before I was satisfied. FYI, I created and uploaded around 150 tga textures while working on these shoes. Sometimes the change is just to get a stitch in the right place, or a shadow line aligned. I also took loads of snapshots of the shoes, overlaid with the alignment grid, and more during the photoshoot.

12/29/07 ~ Shanghai ~ I wanted to try something different with this shoe. I knew I wanted to make a two-tone dress shoe, but instead of using two different leathers, I chose a dimpled leather and a heavy silk brocade. This shoe has an upturned "snout" at the front, and is fastened with a wooden peg through three iron loops. To top it off, each shoe is decorated with a Chinese coin (held in place with a Chinese button knot), and the sole is incised with a Chinese dragon.

01/29/08 ~ Kippers ~ Maybe it was the wet January, but I often found myself wearing an old comfortable cozy pair of slippers in the evenings, so I decided to make some in SL. Even though the shape was based on another shoe, I ended up re-designing the whole thing. When it came to the textures, I had so much fun! Finally I whittled the choice down to 6 variations and since Valentine's Day was around the corner, did 50% off the red quilted ones.

03/01/08 ~ Dublin ~ Well what started out as a quick repeat of an earlier shape turned into a start from scratch exercise. And I'm glad I did: this shoe has (IMHO) the most realistic shape so far. I began with the brown version then added other textures, including the patterned "black cherry" that Ben Vanguard has been begging me for, ever since I used a similar texture as the lining of my Shanghai shoes.

04/19/08 ~ Toltec ~ The other weekend I went camping. A friend was telling me about the history of the conquest of Mexico, and that night I had a dream about shoes. Toltec is the result. I showed them to my good friend Raven Pennyfeather and she was inspired to create an amazing outfit "Castenada".

05/25/08 ~ Sebastian ~ The medieval retro look of Toltec warranted a second, modern look. Now who would wear high-heeled bright yellow shoes I wondered? Why, a rock star! More conservative colors followed... Like the Toltec, these shoes have a built-in sculpty "ankle" that models the upper part of the foot. The ankle has the same texture as the included socks, so that the foot appears to enter the shoe naturally.

06/25/08 ~ Finz, Mavericks & Reef Riders ~ I've had a few guys ask me to make my Grocs in men's sizes. I've found that scaling up women's shoes to men's sizes doesn't work, the proportions are all wrong, so I had no choice but to start from scratch. I worked first on the Mavericks, named for a really big wave in Northern California. Beginning with the sole and heel shape, I added a full upper and since these were intended to be beach shoes, I included perforations for drainage on top and around the edge. I copied the simple buckle from some diving goggles. I found some textures that give a nice translucent effect, and added some ripples and waves. For the Reef Riders, I removed the heel and replaced it with the same buckle strap. The Finz got stripped down even more. All three shoes are offered in half a dozen translucent colors.

08/25/08 ~ Havana ~ While on a three week visit to Thailand, I was inspired to produce some men's leather sandals. Simple leather straps wrap around the foot and ankle to create an airy shoe. I used a Resizer on this shoe, which gives the user maximum ability to size the shoe according to the proportions of their avatar. Because these shoes allow the foot to be seen inside, it is important to size the foot to match the shoe, rather than setting the foot size to 0.

10/18/08 ~ aXion ~ Autumn is here and my thoughts turn to winter boots with the rugged aXion line of hiking boots. Whether you're exploring the urban or rural environment, these sheepskin-lined, fur-cuffed sturdy boots will get you where you need to go. Available in muted black, blue, brown, gray, olive and sand.

10/25/08 ~ Rigger Redux ~ I've finally made a start on updating my older shoes. The Rigger work boots are still popular but the shape needed a major facelift. I based the shape on the aXion boot, but with a rolled-down cuff. Available in a traditional work boot, two camo versions and three leather colors: black, brown and black cherry (shown).

12/01/08 ~ RadioActive Redux ~ The first version of the RadioActive boot had about 4 prims; this one is based on the Quixote shape. Instead of a solid black sole, I used a translucent jelly (the same color as the shoes - red, black, yellow and silver), and embedded black graphite lugs into it, to create a 3d version. The boots are decorated with Hazard Warning symbols on a long-grain asbestos impregnated twill fabric. I also included a choice of 2 legs, an old school one and a sculptie version. But the best thing about this boot has to be the optional flaming radioactive footprint animation. Many thanks to Darek Deluca for his scripting that transformed a cartoony boot into something sublime.

12/01/08 ~ Ho! ~ Just in time for Christmas, the Dept. of Shameless Commerce has released an Elven Green version of the Santa Red Ho! boots.

01/03/09 ~ Red Diamonds by Luciano de Vincenzi ~ The first shoe of the New Year! I was all set to release this shoe a week ago, then I scrapped the original shape and started over. This loafer is the result. For the first style I chose a formal dress shoe, with three crimson diamonds on the instep and a black silk bow on the tongue.

01/06/09 ~ Henry Morgan by Luciano de Vincenzi ~ This is an updated version of the eponymous Rebel shoe, introduced in July '07. Very popular with the period costume set and now with a ReSizer.

09/19/09 ~ KiX ~ My original idea for this particular shoe had a pastel-colored canvas upper, with contrasting leather trim. This became Miami (see below). However, the first texture I tried was the black/gray version shown here. That's when I realized that the design had more than one style going for it. Kix became a sort of "crossover" shoe, part sneaker, part loafer. Available in black, blue, green and red, these shoes have a flexible non-slip sole tinted to match the leather/GoreTex (R) two-tone uppers.

09/19/09 ~ Miami ~ A summer shoe. Ideal for the beach and the boulevard. Pastel canvas in cream, sage, pale blue and peach, with leather detailing. Wear with shorts or slacks; socks optional.

10/21/09 ~ Vader's (I) ~ My first sculpty shoe. In the interests of full disclosure, I must declare that the sculpty shape used in these shoes is not mine, unlike the hand-drawn textures, which are all my own work. I'm in the process of learning to create sculpties, because ultimately it will give me the ability to create shoes that aren't possible with prims alone. Unfortunately there is a steep learning curve to negotiate before I can create my own sculpties, so in the meantime I used an excellent pre-made shape.

10/23/09 ~ Vader's (II) ~ After the first four Vader's (in black, khaki, gray and red canvas), I got busy with some more detailed ones. The second batch (all-black, cream, cocoa and russet) have individual soles and leather detailing.

11/6/09 ~ Trashville ~ Old time residents may remember the first Trashville boots released back in August '06. I withdrew them a year ago because they looked clunky and out-of-date. Today, the Trashville brand reappears. I bought a pre-made sculpty shape boot, added a sculpty leg and some prim straps and buckles, and created new textures. There are two classic styles "Engineer" and "Harness", and two colors, black and brown. Simple.

1/13/10 ~ Colbert ~ is constructed on the same last as the earlier Sebastian and Toltec stacked-heel shoes. But there the resemblance ends. Colbert is suave, sophisticated and has a high gloss shine. Available in black, chocolate brown, copper (a delightfully sunny golden brown), and cordovan (a rich shade of burgundy blended with a dull rose).

1/13/10 ~ Franken ~ Another dress shoe from the ostensible English shoemaker Green & Son, the putative creators of Sebastian, Toltec and Colbert. Franken doesn't disappoint. This shoe is constructed entirely from virgin black suede, and has a very distinctive 3 row lacing with cutaway facing. Running down the length of the shoe is a sinuous center seam. Clearly a shoe to be reckoned with.

1/13/10 ~ Stewart ~ Yet another dress shoe from Green & Son, this one is a simple though stylish loafer, in an alluring combination of high polish black leather and jet black suede, that conjures up images of galoshes, sloshing through puddles. This is unlikely to happen to this shoe. This shoe will only come out for the most special occasions, expecting to dance the night away. Don't disappoint it!

3/15/10 ~ Krox ~ UniSex beach shoes with ReColor! Part sneaker, part 'Croc", all color. These were intended as the replacement for my Groks, Finz, Mavericks and Reef Riders. Available in four "blank" textures that are transformed by the ability to ReColor individual parts of the shoe: the sole, toe, upper, heel, straps and logo.

3/28/10 ~ Kool Kats ~ two-tone Retro suede shoes. I own an old pair of Hush Puppies similar to these. I replaced the HP logo on the buckle with the Kool Kats logo with its inspiring motto "Kool Kats Abide". So sayeth the Dude.

9/10/10 ~ DB Desert Boots ~ It's been six months since I released my last shoe. I took an extended break from SL, in large part because my landlord added a new sim next to mine, with a very ugly development that totally spoiled the tranquility of my oceanside store. I found this strangely upsetting, and since my concerns were ignored, I withdrew from SL. Recently I was invited to take part in the 4th Make Him Over Hunt for men, so I decided the time had come for me to get back in the game. I did so with these desert boots, inspired by an RL purchase. I found a great rough suede texture for these rather plain shoes, that compensated for the lack of decorative stitching, brogueing and gimping. I couldn't resist adding a leather-trimmed edge around the top of the heel, extending down the facing.

How I texture. Part 1

2007-11-04T11:40:00.000-08:00

I have been complemented on the appearance of my shoes. While I make no pretense to call myself an artist, I have found ways to be creative within my limitations. First and foremost, I am a builder, a manipulator of prims. But without the ability to add a realistic texture to an object, it will appear flat and false, rather than alive and authentic. While I strive for realism in the things I make, my comments also apply to builders of cartoonish or fantastical objects.

One of the simplest yet most important things you can do when texturing a complex object, is to make sure that all similar textures are to the same scale. The repeat of a texture varies from cube to sphere to torus, particularly when they are cut or hollowed. With regular patterns e.g. a brick wall, its quite easy to see which faces need to have their textures corrected, re-oriented, stretched or shrunk. but with abstract patterns, sometimes its hard to see if the pattern is even going in the right direction. Rest assured, it will show up down the road, when you wonder why one face looks a little different from all the others.

What I do before I begin texturing an object,is to cover all faces of the object with a simple 10 x 10 grid. The one I use is divided into 100 numbered squares. The numbers enable me to wrap a texture continuously across a series of faces. Confession: I copied this grid from somewhere in Second Life without asking for the owners permission. Bad!

To demonstrate my technique, I'm going to use an example that occurred recently, when I decided that the stairs in my store needed a runner; a carpet that would lead the shopper up the stairs to the next level. I wanted to use an existing oriental carpet texture as the runner, and have it flow seamlessly up the treads and risers, without a break in the pattern.

Step 1. (Pun intended) Since the stairs in question were existing, I had to make the carpet prims fit the size of the tread and rise (the horizontal and vertical parts) of the stair. I began with the middle step and once I had it sized correctly, I duplicated it to create the top and bottom parts.

Step 2. After making all 3 prims transparent, I used the grid texture on the faces of the three prims that would become the carpet: in this case, 3 treads and 2 risers. You will notice that each face displays the full 10 x 10 grid, but depending which way the prim cubes are oriented, the grid may not be oriented in the same direction on each face.

Step 3. Change the Rotation of the appropriate faces so that the grid texture is oriented in the same direction on each face. So far so good. But we don't want to display the full 10 x 10 grid on each face. We want to stretch the grid texture out across the full length of the carpet, so that the proportions of the grid are identical on both the treads and the risers. NB. In this instance, I am not concerned about the width of the carpet. The carpet could be 1m wide or 10m wide.

Step 4. Department of Mathematics. My treads are 1.0m deep (from front to back) and the risers are 0.45m high. The total length of the carpet is 3 treads plus 2 risers or (3 x 1.0) + (2 x 0.45) = 3.9m. If I divide 1 by 3.9, I get 0.256m. Or to put it another way, each tread will be 1.0 x 0.256 of the grid texture and each riser will be 0.45 x 0.256 (0.115) of the grid texture. To check this, 3 treads @ 0.256 (0.77) plus 2 risers @ 0.115 (0.23) equals 1. (Numbers are rounded up for convenience)

Step 5. Click on all 3 tread faces and change the Horizontal Repeats Per Face from 1.000 to 0.256. Next click on the 2 risers and change the Horizontal Repeats Per Face from 1.000 to 0.115. Now all the grid squares are of the same proportions, but the numbering does not flow continuously from end to end.

Step 6. Beginning with the top tread, we want the #1 square of our grid to be at the far end of the prim. By trial and error (there must be a cleverer way to do this, but it works for me) set the Horizontal Offset to 0.630. Leave the middle tread the way it is, and set the bottom tread to 0.370. Change the top riser Horizontal Offset to 0.817 and the bottom riser to 0.187. Hopefully, you will see that the grid numbers now run continuously in the same proportions from top to bottom.

Step 7. Click on all five faces of the stair runner and select the carpet texture. Bingo! A seamless carpet pattern. (Your results may vary).

Coming out of the closet...

2007-11-03T17:46:00.000-07:00

Confession is good for the soul, they say. So here goes. I'm not a woman, I just play one in Second Life. Until now. Say goodbye to gorgeous, 30-something, white-haired Epy, and hello to handsome, aging, gray-haired Epo.

Questions arise: why did I use a female AV for so long, and why have I decided to reveal my RL gender. Every day, every minute, everything we do (or don't do) effects our future. Every now and then Fate intervenes and offers us a wild card to play (or not). When I joined SL, I had no idea I would still be here almost two years later. Not because I thought my interest would wane, but because I doubted that Linden Lab would hold up under the pressure of explosive growth. For this reason I never went Premium, preferring to rent rather than purchase land.

But back to the questions. Why did I chose a female AV? Blame it on Lara Croft, heroine of Tomb Raider. This third-person action game was (I believe) the first computer game to have a woman as the principal character. I quickly grew accustomed to watching a female character perform the actions that I controlled. So when I joined SL, and was given the opportunity to select the gender of my AV, I had no hesitation in choosing female. So did a lot of other guys.

And I gotta say, it's been fun. For starters, speaking as a straight guy, I'd rather watch a woman walk ahead of me, than a man. Thank goodness for the sexy walk animation! Suddenly I had a whole new wardrobe to experiment with, and I discovered that I had no difficulty in selecting which lingerie to wear, which shoes went with which outfit, and how I wanted my hair and make-up to look.

But the minute Epy stepped out to explore the world, I experienced male-female relationships from a whole different perspective. Guys would hit on me! "Hey Babe", "Hi Doll". I had become a sex object! So for those early months when she explored SL's most popular activity, she became a lesbian. But all that was before I became consumed with building shoes. But being a woman stuck. Epy made friends as a woman, but when she started exchanging RL information with others, I always felt deceitful. I've confessed my RL identity to a few close friends, but I'm tired of the deception, and that's why I've come out of closet. From now on, Epo will appear as a guy. Get used to it. And all those gorgeous outfits? I've transferred all I could to one of my alts - a gorgeous, white-haired, 30-something woman.

One last thing: I don't want to hear from anyone complaining that I tricked them by appearing as a woman. Get over it. Ain't nobody here looks like their AV; that's the advantage of this place: we can and should be anyone we want.

What's in a name?

2007-11-03T17:08:00.000-07:00

In the beginning was the word; and the word was Jeepers Creepers.

When I arrived in Second Life in November '05, I spent most of my time in the sandboxes, learning how to build. I've always considered myself an artisan rather than an artist, and SL provided a place where I could build anything I could imagine. Every now and then I would venture out into the world and find a camping chair to earn some money for clothes and especially shoes. Although my first AV was female, I quickly realized that it was the shortage of good men's shoes that would provide the inspiration for my first commercial venture.

The first shoe I built to sell, was a black crepe-soled creeper. It has a simple design that offered plenty of opportunity for variations: different colors, buckles, laces, faux-fur tops, emblems on the toe and heel, etc. The obvious name for the shoe appeared out of nowhere: Jeepers Creepers. That name appeared first as a logo on the label inside the shoe (which is why there is a row of stitches around the perimeter), and also on the lid of the shoebox. That selfsame Jeepers Creepers logo also appeared above my first and all my subsequent stores, up until today, when my store logo became the far more prosaic JCS, Jeepers Creepers Shoes, with the separate Men's Store version shown below.

I'm glad that I've finally made the change. There was some confusion, at least in my mind, that Jeepers Creepers was both the name of my store and the name of one of the many brands of shoes that I sell. Also, I always felt that the original logo was somewhat cartoonish, and while that was not inappropriate for the shoes it adorned, when it appeared above my store, as the name of my store, it did not reflect the quality and variety of the shoes I make.

For anyone who's interested, I chose Bookman Old Style as the font for the JCS, because it has a shapely clean look and a very strong J. In homage to my original Jeepers Creepers logo, I chose yellow as the font color (although in a richer and less garish shade), and a modest bevel and emboss to lift the letters off the black background. Initially there was slightly too much space between the J and the C, so I switched the letter spacing from the default Metric to Optical. The other font is the honest Arial. I kept the same enhancements for the MEN's, but for the Jeepers Creepers Shoes, I chose instead an Inner Shadow which has the effect of making the letters appear to be incised from the background, reflecting their diminished importance.