WOW - was i disappointed. i mean not slightly disappointed but gutted and "they're going onto ebay pretty soon" - disappointed.
now i do have the metallic silver leggings from AA and for what they are they're pretty good - given that they start to fall appart after almost double digit washings... if they were called just leggings then fine - but to call them latex or rubber is to attempt to cash in on a sex or fetishitic appeal these do not even come close to having it if..
and the 'if' is really necesary here as its the 'if.. you've ever worn real latex'. even cheap molded latex is superior in some ways to the counterfeit latex - and that stuffs night and day compared to a fine pair of hand made tights or leggings from a competent latex designer.
so the point i'm trying to make is that all these women getting these leggings at a price sometimes higher than the real mccoy still have no clue what good latex is. and i feel sorry for them by being led so astray and being overcharged too boot. does WendyB know the feeling of real latex? or just this pleather version?
in fact its so distant to what real latex is i bet you could do all these brands under the trades description act. 'this product isn't latex or rubber and counting the elastic at the waist doesn't count.
if i was a latex designer reading this blog, and i know there's a few, i would advise them that this is the time to break into the larger fashion audience with latex leggings. maybe black to start off with but several other colors and different sizes. start small with prestigious boutiques of course and to make a great impact send free samples to all the good high fashion bloggers as they need to know what they're missing.
xx
5 comments:
Aww. ((hugs)) I am sorry you were so let down Asudem.
I did rather expect this though. I've been saying all along that I've seen this sort of look done before, and done better, in ordinary shiny *spandex*--which likely has more latex content than those leggings, just by being a hybrid material of latex and nylon.
Hell, I've seen better shine and wearability from those metallic-finish *stretch jeans* from a few years back (the ones that were a denim/spandex material with the metallics embedded in the denim dyes).
It rather appalls me really. Real latex is about the same price, more eco-friendly, wears better, and is the REAL THING. And yet...it becomes a political issue to wear Real Latex versus the Fake stuff.
Which is a shame as the Faux-Latex thing is just hitting the mainstream at my end, at least in advertisements.
I don't know if the images are on YouTube or elsewhere as yet, but there's a Dr. Scholl's ad out there, for gel inserts for high heels, featuring dancing women. One is wearing a simple red dress, the other, some *tight* and glossed-up black leggings.
And just yesterday, I spotted a picture ad at the mall for Sketchers shoes (a sneaker brand popular with teens), featuring some teen starlet, wearing capri-length leggings, lace trim at the bottom, in a *Purple* Faux-Latex look. Yes! Finally some colors!
So it's a crying shame that people are willing to waste their money so, when the real thing is better and costs about the same...and when even spandex has better shine, wearability, is tighter, and comes in *colors* with metallic finishes *Dirt cheap* (at least if the zentai makers in China are any indication).
I'm sorry these people let you down. But is it good to know that the posers out there are NOT in any way, shape, form, or fashion, any competition for the real deal.
And...in other news, I did spot your earlier entry on the 1970s catalog. ^_^ Nice, really nice. We in the States were ahead of the game in *so many ways* back in the late 1970s, early 1980s. It's a pity we have to waste so much time just *relearning stuff*, you know?
I do hope you're feeling a bit better, and that your *real latex* comforts you soon,
--Bradley Poe
I'm afraid to say that I have not experienced real latex in many years! Only the shiny look of the fakes.
That's a bummer. I had my eye on those thinking "finally! affordable latex leggings." I guess it was too good to be true. Sorry for your disappointment. I've had luck with a several latex lines that I thought I'd share.
First is SkinTwo which you're probably familiar with. I bought the Shanghai mini dress at last year's Floating World event. It's a very nice piece, holding up well over the last year. I think they have a few leggings in their catalog, as well as a doll mask or two.
A couple of years ago I was in NYC on vacation and visited Purple Passion. I purchased a black latex vest and hobble skirt, both Polymorphe brands. Again, these pieces have held up very well. The zippers work very well and are sturdy, without detracting from either piece. As PP is in your backyard, I'd be curious to hear if you've had much luck with any pieces you've bought there.
For customer service, I'd have to rate House of Harlot number 1. I was given a latex catsuit as a gift, but alas, it was too small in all the wrong places ;) We contacted Robin at HoH and she told us just to mail the catsuit back and they'd custom make one for me at no additional charge. The measurements they had me take were extensive. When they say "custom" made, I think they really mean it. So now I'm just days away from having my Tanya catsuit again :D I don't really see much there in the way of leggings, but the stockings are nice. I know HoH is expensive, but if it's a high quality custom piece you're looking fore, I highly recommend them.
Oh, I really liked Passional in Philly. Some latex pieces but also a lot of other interesting clothing and toys. The business is run by a mother/son team which really took me by surprise at first, then I thought it was so cool that they could be that open about "that" side of themselves. They also sell those cool S&M (M&M) parody shirts that you see once in a blue moon.
Anyway, those are my best retail experiences. Good luck finding those perfect pieces. Think of expense as an investment :)
Hi Asudem
I can't say that I'm surprised in the slightest at your discovery when the leggings arrived. The coated lycra varies considerably and its not even a matter of picking a good and expensive brand either.
I had a pair of neoprene trousers made up by a local leather craftsman (E-Garbs) and I spent a fair while looking in fabric shops for the material and then the right quality of material.
What really annoyed me was I would see some garment made from a really good version of the style of material I wanted but there was no way to get it.
There was so much variation and there was no ryhme or reason for the cost/quality variations.
From a latex POV there's two main manufactures now - 4D and Radical Rubber. So if the designers use those then your covered.
And then there's the before and after photoshop'd image - maybe they were never that glossy to begin with or they were so pumped up with light that anything would reflect.
M
PS: sorry still no local model for the leggings shot for none for you yet. Maybe you can model them at the Sk2 Ball then you'd get two pairs. :-)
I still like them!
I'm still about honey but little computer access, not at home...will explain soon XXX
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