So the other night in our group chat, we were discussing some free places for new residents to go to pick up some starter items. The Gnubie Store was really top of our list, and most of us head out there once a month or so to see if anything new has been added. Gnubie's has nice free/$1L items from great designers like Four Yip, Truth Hawks, Emma Gilmour, and many others. And most of the items are decently current, or at least pretty good quality. Naturally there is some junk, but not much. And the store itself is fairly easy to navigate, which is a huge plus.
But we started talking about The Free Dove, which should be considered an SL Historical Site at this point. The main thing we said, however, was that most of the freebies at The Free Dove are...well...OLD.
I got up and headed out there, looked around and inspected some boxes, and came home with this outfit.

Isn't it awesome? Doesn't it make you want to learn more about SL fashion? Those seams! Those hems!
The truth? It's from 2005. At least, that's what the box that it was in said. 2005!!!!
Surprisingly, the store that this came from is still open in SL. I went out there and although I wouldn't say the clothes are great quality, it's obvious the designer has improved since 2005. And as I looked around Free Dove, it was the same. Some respected names, but the gifts they have out are their very first works. And honestly, if I were new and The Free Dove was the first place I went, I don't know that I'd ever seek out the designers' stores later to shop because I would assume that the items were the same.
So the question is... Do designers just "set it and forget it?" Did they forget that they had a gift out there? I know they have to pay to have a gift there, which makes me think that they'd want to put something that is more representative of their work out on display. If they go to switch out the gift, do they have to pay again or something?
I am happy that there are places like The Free Dove and The Gnubie Store, I really am. They are much better places than some freebie island with all the stolen and Business In A Box mess items. But c'mon...if you have a gift out at The Free Dove, make sure it's something that represents you well. Don't leave some 2005 mess out there. That doesn't do you, or the residents who use freebies to learn about fashion in SL, any good at all.






































