Ah, yes: PRIVACY. That's one commodity that is difficult to come by in SL, and it's ironic that once we THINK we have it, we soon come to the harsh realization that there is virtually no such thing as privacy in-world. How many times have YOU gone someplace remote to change clothes, checked the mini-map to be sure there are NO avatars within range, and just as soon as you are naked, some weird guy will somehow sense this and materialize and fly directly over to you? It happens all the time!
True, we can resign ourselves to finally submitting payment information, even though we SWORE we would never spend any real dollars in here, and that we just wanted to see what Second Life was like, but that we would NEVER take it seriously. Uh huh... Well, now we have decided that if we spend just a little money, and get an apartment, or a skybox, even, that NOW we will have all the privacy we need, right? Sure, until we find some creep hovering outside, that is, "camming" in (using camera controls to scan into the room) and watching our every move.
While having our own apartment is nice, and owning a full sim is even nicer, what can we REALLY do about basic privacy, aside from taking drastic security measures to protect what are, after all, PIXELS? It's really quite simple. No need to panic, just remember and understand one thing: LAYERS.
"Layers?" you ask... Yes, layers. Take a good look at your inventory items. I'll admit that at first I had no clue as to why some outfits had duplicate pieces, with symbols next to them seemingly indicating underwear, shirts, jackets, etc. Especially odd when we aren't even looking at a jacket or a coat. Why does it indicate that it's a jacket? Well, it's the jacket LAYER. The implication of this should be obvious: it goes on top! (top or outer layer)
Once this "layers" thing dawns on you, you'll no longer feel like such a n00b, and one advantage to it is that you'll be able to change clothes right in front of everyone, and you'll never have to worry about finding yourself suddenly naked (unless SL is being laggy... ). The other advantage is that you are now beginning to get a sense of style in SL, and that's a GOOD thing! Admit it though; you still do want that skybox, don't you?
Pay attention to what layer your worn items are. Open the folder of the item in question, and if you don't know where to find it (shame on you for not being ORGANIZED... more on this in a second), just type in the word "worn" in the space at the top of your inventory list, and everything you are wearing will be listed right there. Take a look at mine (yes, I learned to organize my inventory a LONG time ago):
Ok, in the above pic of a part of my inventory, notice that my top is worn as a "jacket" layer. This means it will overlap the outside of my jeans. It's the TOP layer. Now, notice that there are other layers of the same red t-shirt in that folder. If I were to wear a different layer, one that would go beneath the jacket layer, I could then safely remove my jacket layer and there would already be a "shirt" layer right there, or even an "undershirt" layer, depending on the need.
Also, notice the supplementary "pants" and "underpants" layers. These can be used to create a tucked-in look, assuming of course that the pants (or skirt) worn is in a layer that is above that. It's all about layers and their priorities, and the upper layers will obviously show above the sub layers.
In the next picture, I am wearing the same outfit as above, but I wanted to show that the jeans I am wearing are actually the "underpants" layer. It really has nothing to do with underwear or anything like that. Notice how the t-shirt is layered over the jeans. I could just as easily have had the t-shirt tucked in by changing the used layers to suit. Capiche?
Notice the other (unused) pants layer... the one used is the absolute lowest, and the blue "pants" icon represents the next upward layer. At any rate, if you pay attention to these layers, you should be able to dress confidently in public.
I mentioned ORGANIZING. Do it now, before it gets out of hand. I'll be happy to organize yours for a modest fee... but seriously, why not get all your ducks in a row now? If you wait it will just get worse.
It's really not as hard as it looks, and you don't need to create a ton of categories. Have a look at how I set mine up:
I made a few basic categories for tops, pants, dresses, and of course SHOES! and hair. Everything else can easily be categorized as needed. I numbered these folders to keep them in place, and I then dragged everything in my inventory to its allocated spot. This makes it a LOT easier to find something to wear and to put together outfits (and that in itself is yet another topic!).
Do yourself a favor and ORGANIZE!
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