An Interview with Amerie Aristocrat of Aristocrat Avatars®

July 19, 2010

 

 Amerie Aristocrat, owner of Aristocrat Avatars

As Second Life® often mirrors real life, busy residents searching for the right look for themselves and their homes will often turn to a personal stylist who can guide them through the plethora of products available in the virtual world. In addition, having the advice of someone who is familiar with fashion and design will be invaluable for those without that particular sense. Amerie Aristocrat has provided these and similar services for residents of Second Life since 2008.


Amerie Aristocrat is the owner of Aristocrat Avatars®, a unique, high quality styling agency for avatars. With two galleries and an office with prominent displays of recent, custom avatar stylings, a potential client will definitely see the range of looks that she has to offer. She also owns Aristocrat Interiors & Exteriors, a business that serves those residents seeking help with decorating their virtual homes and gardens.

Exterior of Aristocrat Avatar Office

Looking at the pictures of her recent avatar creations, I wondered what inspired the looks that she creates in Second Life. Amerie explained her process and inspirations:


“My rl inspires the looks I create. I value diversity and tradition and all types of beauty. I've been blessed where I can travel rl frequently. I take notice of the people I encounter and their respective cultures, dress, rituals, styles. And as for interior design, I am inspired by what I see day to day. Lately I have been living in, and exploring, Asia. It's quite exciting being on this side of the planet when cultures are constantly in flux, transforming, modern mixing with the ancient. Design in the East is a hodgepodge of Eastern traditional, colonial influence, and the new international look. I love it, the good, the bad and the ugly.”

Some of Aristocrat Avatar's Clients

With Second Life's worldwide residency, Amerie's real life experiences are important in being able to find looks that would appeal to a wide range of backgrounds and cultures. Blending the styles of various cultures and artistic differences produces unique designs that would not otherwise be possible without the variety and diversity that she values.


When working with a client, Amerie spends time with each person, asking questions so that she can determine what sort of look they would prefer for their avatar. She describes her work in this way:


“I ask many questions about the client's sl lifestyle, desires, expectations, favorite actor or actress, if they want a rl fascimile or a new unique design, and create accordingly. Meeting new people and finding out what makes them tick is the best part of the job. The second best part is their reaction to the finished product.”

Photos of Aristocrat Avatar clients adorn the company's office walls.

Her interest in people's natures and how it relates to their sense of style and fashion certainly contributes to her ability to produce avatars that will fit a person's personality both in real life and their desired look in Second Life.


In her work on avatars and style in general, Amerie Aristocrat attempts to seek out quality products in the metaverse. With her artistic sense, she continually views the changing needs of avatars and fashion in Second Life. When asked how she determines appropriate, quality products for her creations, she responded,


“I have an eye for detail and colour. Price is generally not always a factor. There are a lot of talented designers out there that aren't on every single blog or are off the beaten path. I tend to go to them along with the more established designers when creating a unique look. I like to be ahead of a trend.”


Amerie's experience with fashion and style allows her to look ahead of the current fashions in order to provide her clients with the most current styles.


Her service does not stop at the initial look, however. After finding the right accessories for the client, she then gives them an updated list of her favorite creators so that her clients can find additional looks. She did give me a couple of her favorite designers for skins and accessories:


“For exceptional ethnic and caucasian skins for men I recommend Tellaq. He's a brilliant designer and an expat like myself with exceptional realistic design skills. I'd also recommend GOS watches, shades and shoes.”


Although avatar styling is currently the majority of her work, she did start as a landscaping artist and interior designer. She has worked on many builds and will occasionally take on projects, depending on her interest and the time involved. When Amerie works with an interior design client, she looks at the general environment and allows that to direct the appearance of the design. When asked what eras of interior design she finds most inspirational, she responded:


“Eras, I like it all. But I tend to utilize an eclectic mix from French country, Chinese antiquity, Japanese, Tahitian, Balinese, modern euro , post modern American, anything done well in Sl I can and do incorporate. Give me a Barcelona chair, antique Chinese emperor bed from Qing dynasty with a mink throw, zebra skin rug, and I'm in design heaven. And yes SL has it.”

The interior of Aristocrat Avatar

As a part of her work in interior design, Amerie Aristocrat has also done landscaping. While many gardens in Second Life are fantastic, she tends toward the realistic, focusing on the creation of beauty in the virtual garden. Her work in landscaping is inspired totally by her real life grandmother, who would “put Martha Stewart to shame.”


For a final question, I asked Amerie about her greatest accomplishment, to which she responded,


“My reputation. Being known for making people love their avis and creating beautiful scenes in which people take pleasure. That's why I'm here. That's what I love to do.”


It is this love of her craft that comes through in all of her creations. Whether avatar styling, interior design, or landscaping, Amerie Aristocrat provides Second Life residents with a valuable resource in their search for a fashionable and beautiful virtual life.

Please send Amerie an IM or notecard if you're interested in a consultation for her services because she works by appointment only. 


Thank you for reading and I hope you'll contact Aristocrat Avatars for a chance to see Amerie's talent for yourself.


Satori Marat
Press Pass Blogger