These Shoes Were Made For Walking... Inworld: Freebie Footwear In Second Life

No outfit's complete without shoes. Unfortunately quality freebie footwear in Second Life is one of the rarer types of clothing items to be found, and for a long time, most were little more than textured socks.

Since prim shoes became the standard, however, freebie shoes have come a long way: from these Barbie-esque sandals still given away in freebie warehouses, to these pretty little boutique sculpties.

Blingers For Barbie	Margeurite Pumps by Pochette

Demostration models on this page were all obtained as store freebies or group gifts, taken from freebie clothing sets, or came from a Camping Chair. Only the Zebra Pumps were bought - for 1L$.

Zebra Pumps by Wilted Rose	Victorian Boots by Black Opal

Unfortunately, there's not much you can do about your avatar's ankles, except hide them in boots, or long socks.

Ribbon Boots by PixelDolls	Knit Socks by Pochette

Spattered footwear might seem like a dud find, but they're fun way to finish off a casual look, and best of all, they're unisex. However, the hunt for quality men's dress shoes continues, but meantime, my male avie is quite happy in these stompin' Prozak boots.

Painter's Shoes by Shiny Things	Kick Boots by Prozak

Freebie footwear. They exist, they're well-crafted, and they're definitely worth hunting for. Don't walk out the door without them.

Looking Good On 1L$ and Less

Just as in your first life, you want to look good without breaking the bank. In Second Life, however, you can look fastastic without spending a virtual dollar. Here's how:

1. Look Around. Stores usually place giveaways near the main entrance, but sometimes they hide them. Think of it as an Easter egg hunt.
2. Check Every Outlet. Some designers make freebies available only in their main store or in a specialty outlet. Be sure to visit all of them.
3. Group Gifts. Many shops and designers will bribe you into joining their store group with an immediate freebie. But only some stores will continue to reward your loyalty with subsequent group gifts, which could be anything from bundled up old stock to limited editions exclusive only to group members.
4. Cosplay Kits. Themed sims and speciality shops often provide a free costume set for both male and female visitors to help them fit in with the location and encourage role-play.
5. Newbie Packs. If your avatar is new enough (30 days or younger, for example), you will be eligible for some great starter kits. Some packages come complete with clothes, hairs, shapes, and even skins. For girls and guys!
6. Camping Chairs & Lucky Letters. These are used primarily to increase visitor stats to a location, so look out for them in places which aren't freebie warehouses.
7. Get Off The Strip. Boutique shopping sims feature many up-and-coming new designers eager to promote their wares. Their giveaways are often well-made and eclectic, and will help your avie stand out from the rest of the crowd.

With luck, these tips mean you will never need to visit another freebie warehouse. Consider that store and group freebies tend to be more recently made, and may even be items considered hot must-haves only last season. Newbie Packs, too, are often being revised all the time to keep up with the recent trends in design.

Just as in the real world, fashion options are biased in favour of females - more shops, more items, more freebies. Besides Newbie Packs and Cosplay Kits, boutique sims tend to be good places to pick up gender-neutral gear or guy-specific accessories like beards.

The thing about freebie shopping is that you never quite know what you'll find, but once you find it, you won't know how you ever dressed without it.

Happy hunting, shoppers!