Delving into the Darkside

I have always taken a ‘never say never’ approach towards fashion only because it is such a fickle world and trends will come around and go around in peaks and troughs.  Therefore, when in the 90’s, PVC trousers was the height of cool in warehouse raves and I swore they were the ugliest, most disgusting things I had ever seen, I suppose that had to come around and bite me in the ass.  When I saw these pictures of fashion sprog, Julia Restoin Roitfeld (daughter of Vogue Paris editor-in-chief, Carine) wearing latex/PVC leggings, I thought to myself ‘Well…maybe just maybe….’

Then they started appearing all over the place in editorials.  These are a prime example from a supplement that came with the August issue of Vogue UK.  They feature very haute, very expensive, high quality rubber leggings and stockings from posh fetish wear labels, Murray & Vern and Atsukokudo.  The shinyness of the leggings somehow works really well with the sombre grey and matt fabrics like wool, jersey and instead of looking trashy, it miraculously ends up looking sort of subtly sexy especially when paired with chunky platforms.  It appealed to me in a strange way and I was feeling very adventurous indeed….

Of course, I had reservations about shelling out 100 or so pounds on something that could go disastrously wrong and get relegated to the pile of fashion mistakes.  So as with most of my fashion curiousity experiments, I thought it better to go on the cheap.  I’m not even going to say here where I  got them but let’s just say someone under the age of 18 should really not go there at all (email me if you’re dying to know…).  It was a little more complicated then I thought.  You need a good dousing of talcum powder both on your legs and the inside of the latex leggings and then you had to bunch them up like you would with stockings to pull them up quite carefully up your legs.  The latex leggings came with a spray that’s supposed to make them all shiny so then you had to spray that all over it and wipe it down with a cloth.  Quite a procedure for a pair of leggings but I went along with it.  Providing you don’t have any trapped air bubbles, they are actually surprisingly comfortable when on and you can beg to differ but I really loved them! 


(Background pics from Elle UK October 2006 editorial ‘Urban Assassin’ photographed by Ross Kirton)

I tried to pair them with quite casual things to get the right contrast but I found they added interest to rather formal dresses too – an unexpected touch.  It’s not everyday attire but I think once you get the outfit spot on, they do look pretty cool.  Now, I had questions about whether there would be any squelching
noises but they were pretty subdued in sound.  I think you have the
noise problem when you get PVC leggings.

Then when it came to taking them off, that’s when it all got a bit sweaty and strange.  I rolled them down to slip them off to find my legs very sweaty which then instantly cooled to find them as dry as before.  A very strange sensation.  For me, that was the only flipside to this piece of "fetish" wear. 

Now for sizing.  Some people will argue these are skinny person’s attire.  I disagree as Miss Roitfeld is not skinny skinny and neither am I.  If you want them less skin tight (mine bunched a bit around the knees), you could go a size up and get PVC trousers which are more like normal fabric in it’s physical properties and could go for a looser-fit. 

There was my delving into the world of fetishwear and I’m pretty much satisfied with the results and now have a piece of winterwear that’s a little on the darksite.  Perhaps I’m a fashion adreneline seeker but sometimes (not all the time!) it pays to step ouside the box. 

66 comments

  2. Wow, Those are cool. I would never wear them, I’m not much of a leggings person, but I have to admit they look cool.

  3. Those are so beautiful, I love them! I usually have an extremely strict adversity to leggings, but like you said, never say never! These are so fantastic I may have to get me a pair. They won’t look half as good on me, I’m sure of it.

  5. The PVC leggings work very well with your outfits! My prior experiences with tight PVC pants (for a Halloween costume…I was Sydney Bristow) was not a positive one, as the pants were not breatheable and taking them off was quite painful, even though they were lined. It’s fascinating that there’s an actual procedure with how to put on the leggings, etc. Thanks for sharing your experience!

  7. that is hot!! i am going to go into one of those stores!! thanks for sharing. m

  8. I think you are such a breath of fresh air and I admire that you’re always ready to step out of the box and venture into new ideas!
    Thanks sharing for the V-Back sweater idea and these PVC leggings! Both are not for me but I really enjoyed seeing them on others and on you!
    I think that’s what Style should be about…about being whimsical, about being yourself, enjoying yourself and looking great!
    Thumbs up to a great Style Blog Babe! 😉

  9. incredible! the last two outfits are my favorites.
    I never thought I would say it either but I want some!

  10. why don’t you use a tripod? That way you won’t have to hunch so much in all your self-portraits and be able to show your outfits better.

  13. I love the second outfit! Sweet but edgy with the shiny leggings. These are all great looks– I would be so impressed by any of them on the street.

  14. you look so good in those outfits!!
    i just can’t wear pants like that…i create too much body heat. and fashion is not worth HEAT discomfort for me……but you do look really good in them. thats really rare.
    i’m jealous 😉

  15. The boyfriend cardigan/leggings combo is my favorite: The innocent, cozy, collegiate sweater and the moddish, sailory scarf downplay the dangerousness of the pants. So casual, but so strikingly modern–which is so hard to pull off with layers from entirely different eras.

  16. I love it, it looks great on you. I’ve been thinking about getting a pair of skinny leatherpants but I’m not sure if the effect would be the same..

  17. Wow. . . I never would have thought that you could make those look as wearable as you do. I’m almost always ready for a fashion dare, but I don’t think I’d be brave enough to try something like that on my own. Are you sure you don’t want to post where you got them? I’m in London for the semester, and now you’re making me think that I might want to go take a look. . .

  18. It’s really no big secret or anything… I just don’t particularly want to link to what are basically sex shops!
    If you go to any places like Ann Summers, or any of those fetish stores in Camden Town, London or Soho, you’ll find them. They’re about £25 and you want the latex footless tights. Alternatively, just search for “latex leggings” in Google and you’re sure to find a plethora of sites!

  19. Ah well, just like everybody else : I never would have tried that trend or even thought there was a chance they could ever look good.
    But hell, do they look fabulous on you ! I really think they work well with you style and figure (lovely legs by the way).
    So thank you for showing us it’s sometimes really worth trying new things we’d never considered before !

  20. Hey, love your blog and those leggings do look great but I can’t help but think they could act as a shortcut to a fungal infection if you’re not careful!

  21. Susie, you look good in these! Would it be easier perhaps to wear them with sheer tights underneath?

  23. I’m not a huge fan on this look but have to commend you for taking a chance and trying it. I really like how you’ve taken something that is usually equated with fetish wear and worked it into an “normal” look. I love the outfit on the top right!! 🙂 Kudos for trying out a daring trend!!

  24. Love this….fetish stores ARE awesome. You can even find some wicked black, patent leather shoes there. You have to be careful (you don’t want to look like a stripper), but you may find some cool stuff!

  25. Strangely, it actually works, although personally, I wouldn’t wear it.
    I particually like the second outfit and the last one- I liked the legwarmers.

  26. You HAVE to share what people’s comments/reactions to theese are when you wear them out. 😉

  27. hey susie, could you possibly shorten the # of posts that show up on the home page? My computer takes a while to load them all, and it would be a lot easier if they were in an archive. thanks! (love the idea of PVC leggings)

  28. A* for your styling! I’ve been really wanting to try this look but just don’t have the legs – you say you’re not ‘skinny skinny’ but you’re still slim. But maybe if I wore longer things over the top? Your amazing proof that it works outside photoshoots is very tempting!
    Random care instructions, if you didn’t get any at the shop (cheaper places probably don’t): handwashing in water is ok, then sponge water off, drip-dry and talc ’em to store. Keep in an opaque plastic bag out of the light (they sometimes fade) and keep away from oily things (which’ll degrade the latex) and coathangers (they’ll mark it).

  29. I’d just like to say (and I know there are already 28 posts) but I’ve checked your blog for what seems like at least three times today and am now hyperventilating. This should illustrate to you how much I love and am inspired by your blog.

  33. that´s so punk rock from you! it reminds me of sid vicious and the rest of the clan getting their clothes in sex shops! who would have thought they were major trend setters?

  34. I seriously never thought they could look good on non-models but they look brilliant on you! Seriously, you rock those things.

  37. I’ve worn latex leggings for years to fetish events! How delightful! Be sure to get the footless ones, since the ones with feet tend to accumulate your sweat!!! Also, be sure to wash them after wear so that they’ll last longer. With care I’ve kept some for over 10 years….and don’t cheap out. The cheap ones are made of thinner latex and can tear more easily. Fit to be Tied and Fetish Factory are some excellent purveyors in Seal Beach, CA and Ft. Lauderdale, FL, respectively.

  39. Hi there im kasper from denmark and im 22.
    i LOVE u in those leggings – u have the coolest style its So amazing.
    I would love to get to know u more.
    Im also on msn – my adress is hunsta@hotmail.com
    sincerely
    kasper

  40. Hi,
    Good to hear your positive relation of wearing this nice outfit.
    A short tip – you can also use a silicon oil (usually same as this used to make the latex shiny) to wear the latex.
    Some of silicon oils (so called shiners) do not block skin pores. Therefore you can use some on skin, but not just to much.
    This will allow to much easier slip into the latex clothes and also to fell, to sense them in a bit more joyable way 🙂
    Also – when you pull off the clothes, skin remain nice in touch, elastic 🙂
    Have a nice experiments! 🙂
    Greetings,
    Max

  42. hi thank you for your article, it encourages me to wear latex leggings, too. I wear nothing else, but shiny leggings, since over one year, but i didn’t dare to wear the pvc one’s, cause i thougt, they’re only for crazy fetishists. now i will order a pair myself^^

  43. If you chlorinate the latex then there is no need use talc to help getting them on. Great article.

  48. Pvc or Vinyl and even Latex pants are extremely **HOT** That is the new “old” fashion. Supermodels and fashion designers are making them a huge comeback. Look for them everywhere. They go with everything and everywhere. When you wear it you take on a whole new attitude. a badass… Go out get yourself a pair even two and wear them you will see.

  49. Hi Susie,
    could you please tell me where you got those hot leggings, they really look fantastic and I am keen on wearing them myself.

  50. Hi Susie,
    could you please tell me where you got those hot leggings, they really look fantastic and I am keen on wearing them myself.

  51. I really love that you wrote this. I was a lil undecided on whether or not to buy these because i was worried about getting them on and off and if they would make any noise. So thanks. I loved them when i first saw them and now i’m going o buy me a pair

  52. you can get them at american apparell they’re lame and come in all colours including black in a snake skin texture!
    only £28, so not too much if all goes from but utterly fabulous if you can get the look right!

  54. Lol, your photoshopping is terrible.
    And learn to use the fucking self-timer.

  59. Hi, Susie
    i want those leggings in the first set of pics, which ones are those

  60. Hi, susie
    where I can find (on internet) bottoms(stockings) in latex which there is in the 3, 4, 5th photo?

  61. Thats good comment.I’d like to hear more about the differences in your audience pre-girl vs. post-girl I’d love to see a traffic chart, if you’ve got the data.

  65. haha. Can’t believe that PVC is so stylish to look at. The only problem for me is, it may not look great on plus size people, and I am nearly to plus size. I guess I can’t try this leggings on me, eh.

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