What a Difference a Con Makes

I have almost been in SL for four years. Four! I have painstakingly organized most of my inventory into a tiered folder system, because secret agents have to be able to switch looks completely in a matter of seconds. But I hadn't really bothered to do that with my lingerie folder, which more accurately contains leggings, tights, stockings, socks, pajamas, swimsuits, and bathrobes! I mean, nobody sees these things, but I collect them - freebies, hunts, store gifts, and so on.

After going on the 3rd Annual Panty Raid Hunt on the Starlust sims, I knew I needed to sort the folder, including deleting what I'd never use. At the same time, I think I'll be more likely to use some of it since lately I've discovered some of the newer dresses I'm buying don't have the bicycle shorts underneath, and require a lady to wear something underneath unless I'm trying to reveal all my secrets!

The secret I am willing to share is how to get started on sorting your inventory. If you have amassed several thousand items, you won't want to do it all at once. You can follow these steps!

From Second Life Year 4.2

1. Select a category to focus on.

Luckily I already had my clothing sorted into general folders, but that is a good place to start if you haven't done it yet. Pick what makes sense for you. For me, general clothing categories - rather than outfits, colors, or store names - made the most sense.

From Second Life Year 4.2

2. In your selected category, designate subcategories.

Let's zoom into my folder structure. You can see I have also created sub-folders. Lingerie is too big of a category at the end of the day, but it is a nice group of items to have to start with. I broke it down into pajamas, socks, leggings, bra and panties sets, lingerie sets, and underwear alone. Socks will be divided into tights and socks, because that is a further distinction. It isn't perfect, but what makes it work is that it makes sense to ME. And unless someone uses my account to go undercover, I am the only person I'm worried about.

You might notice that each folder is preceded by an !*. That is to keep them at the top of the folder, just an anchor trick. I'll probably delete the symbols after I am done sorting.

From Second Life Year 4.2

3. Do not be afraid to eliminate items!

While I am a fan of keeping some random items on hand (you never know when you might need a harlequin costume, or a zombie skin), feel free to generously delete the crap. You know it when you see it. Hand drawn, textures that pull at your skin or warp your appearance, bad colors, poorly made textures, or just items that aren't your style.

This is also the time to delete items that are not part of your lifestyle in SL, that you may have picked up as freebies along the way. As someone who is not and has never been involved in the Gorean lifestyle, I was surprised to discover that I had five silks!

From Second Life Year 4.2

4. Try on EVERYTHING.

You might think you remember liking something. But the more you are in SL, and the more your taste develops, an item you used to wear might suddenly seem mediocre.

Or you might get a few giggles. I didn't exactly expect a holiday undergarment set to have this kind of look and feel!

This is going to take some time. You don't have to do it all at once. However, the next time you are being chased down a dark alley and need to transform from a librarian into a superhero, you'll be glad you took the time!

From Second Life Year 4.2

Agent Kazakov, over and out.