What is Fetish Fashion?

 
Fetish fashion is a type of clothing usually created to be extreme or provocative. These styles are not usually worn by the majority of people on any regular basis. They are usually made of materials such as leather, latex, nylon, PVC, spandex and fishnet. Some fetish fashion items include: stiletto heel shoes and boots (most notably the ballet boot), hobble skirts, corsets, collars, full-body latex catsuits, stockings, miniskirt, crotchless panties, garters and stylized costumes based on more traditional outfits, such as wedding dresses that are almost completely see-through lace.

Fetish fashions are sometimes confused with costuming, because both are usually understood to be clothing that is not worn as the usual wardrobe of people, and is instead worn to create a particular reaction.

Fetish fashions are usually considered to be separate from those clothing items used in cosplay, whereby these exotic fashions are specifically used as costuming to effect a certain situation rather than to be merely worn; such as the creation of a character for picture play. However, sometimes the two areas do overlap. For example, in Japan, many themed restaurants have waitresses who wear costumes such as a suit made of latex or a stylized French maid outfit.

Some type of garments that women wear to routinely improve their appearance are thought of as erotic and qualify as fetish wear include corsets and high heels. Most fetish wear is not practical enough for routine daily wear. A very common fetish costume for women is the dominatrix costume. Usually it consists of mostly dark clothing. The woman usually wears a corset or bustier and stockings with high heeled footwear. High boots are quite common as they enhance the woman's domination. Most women in dominatrix costumes carry an accessory such as a whip or a riding crop.
 

Latex Clothing Fetish

Latex fetish is the fetishistic attraction to latex clothing or garments and is sometimes called rubber fetishism. Latex or rubber fetishists may refer to themselves as "Rubberists". One variety of latex fetish involves the attraction to transparent rubber.

Latex fetish involves wearing clothing made from latex, observing it worn by others, and having sexual fantasies about wearing latex garments, catsuits, hoods, divers or industrial protective clothing. A common latex fetish icon is the dominatrix wearing a skin-tight glossy black latex or PVC catsuit.

Latex rubber as a clothing material is common in fetish fashion and among BDSM practitioners, and is often seen worn at fetish clubs. Latex is sometimes also used by couturiers for its dramatic appearance. Worn on the body it tends to be skin-tight, producing a "second skin" effect. There are several magazines dedicated to the use and wearing of it.

Latex clothing is generally made from large sheets of latex which are delivered in rolls. The "classic" colour for fetishistic latex clothing is black, but latex is naturally translucent, and may be dyed any colour, including metallic shades or white. It can come in many different thicknesses ranging from about 0.18 mm thick up to whatever the manufacturer of the sheeting chooses, commonly this is about 0.5 mm though. Instead of being sewn, latex clothing is generally glued along its seams.

Because latex sheet is relatively weak, latex clothing needs special care to avoid tearing. Whilst latex can be repaired using materials similar to those provided in a bicycle repair kit, the result is rarely as attractive as the original appearance of the garment.

Latex clothing is often polished to preserve and improve its shiny appearance.

Putting on latex clothing can be difficult, because latex has high friction against dry skin. To make it easier to put on, wearers often use talc to reduce friction against the skin when putting the clothes on; then, because stray talc is very visible against the rubber, wearers generally polish off any visible talc. Another method of dressing is using lubricant (or 'lube') which provides a slippy surface for the latex to glide over. A third method of reducing or eliminating the high friction of latex when dressing is to chlorinate the rubber. Chlorine in gaseous form is generated by the reaction of hydrochloric acid and sodium hypochlorite. This chlorine bonds to the first few molecules on the surface of the isoprene (latex) and transforms them into neoprene. This process does not affect non-metallic colours or strength.
 

PVC & Vinyl Clothing Fetish

PVC and Vinyl are two other shiny materials used for clothing from regular street wear (raincoats) to PVC Hazmat suits and other forms of industrial protective clothing. And just like latex these materials became more noted as fetish material in the 1960s and early 1970s. During that era boots and garments made of pvc and vinyl were made and worn in public areas to some degrees. And in the media the most obvious was the British TV programm The Avengers. Also, a lot more underground fetish production houses were started, which published magazines such as "Shiny", "Shiny's International", "Rubberist" and "Dressing for Pleasure".

The terms "PVC", "vinyl" and "PU" tend to be used interchangeably by retailers for clothing made from shiny plastic-coated fabrics. These fabrics usually consist of a backing woven from polyester fibers with a surface coating of shiny plastic. The plastic layer itself is typically a blend of PVC and polyurethane (PU), with 100% PVC producing a stiff fabric with a glossy shine and 100% PU producing a stretchy fabric with a silky shine. A manufacturer's label may say, for example, 67% polyester, 33% polyurethane for a fabric that contains no PVC; or 80% polyvinyl chloride, 20% polyurethane with mention of the polyester backing omitted. To add to the confusion, the plastic layer is often textured to look like leather ("leatherlook", "pleather"), as opposed to smooth ("wetlook", "patent").
 

Leather Clothing Fetish

Today, the leather subculture is one of many facets to semi-organized alternative sexuality. Many individuals describe long periods of introspection leading to their choice to identify as "leather". Others do not necessarily associate their leather lifestyle with BDSM, and simply enjoy the sensory experience of leather.

Leather subcultural practices have also become a common, though perhaps not widespread, element of the goth subculture.

The leather subculture denotes practices and styles of dress organized around sexual activities. Wearing leather garments is one way that participants in this culture self-consciously distinguish themselves from mainstream sexual cultures. Leather culture is reflected in various ways in the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and straight worlds. Many people associate leather culture with BDSM (Bondage/Discipline, Dominance/Submission, Sado/Masochism, also called "SM" or "S&M") practices and its many subcultures. But for others, wearing black leather clothing is an erotic fashion that expresses heightened masculinity or the appropriation of sexual power; love of motorcycles and independence; and/or engagement in sexual kink or leather fetishism.

Styles of dress associated with leather culture had an influence on mainstream pop culture. It may be seen in the chains and leather or denim and leather look espoused by rock and heavy metal bands. There are numerous popular images of Elvis from the 1960s fully clothed in black leather. 1970s rock acts such as Kiss, Black Sabbath etc. also wore an abundance of black leather garments. An early popular practitioner of this look in a heavy metal context was Rob Halford, the lead singer of the influential British heavy metal band Judas Priest. Halford (who is himself openly gay) wore a leather costume on stage as early as 1978, a look he described as originating in the gay leather subculture.