LustLoveLatex

It hardly seems possible that it’s been a full 10 days since my return from the Rubber Ball in London, but time flies!

This year 3XL and LatexKitty decided to sit out both of London’s mega rubber weekends, leaving me to try and fill his rather large shoes, and bring you the LustLoveLatex.com impressions of the events.

My husband and I played hosts this year to a Rubber Ball virgin and his lovely girlfriend Fetish Mistress Kes, who had made her virgin Rubber Ball appearance the year before. We decided to arrive nice and early so we’d be fresh for the weekend, and have time to spend in my favorite city.

Night One
Friday we made it to the first event, Torture Garden at Mass, around midnight. Luckily we weren’t too late for Renee Masoomian’s fashion debut in London! Readers of this blog may recognize the name, as Ms Masoomian is making quite a name for herself with her elegant latex fashions. The show did not disappoint–it was well staged and featured 5-6 beautifully tailored transparent latex ruffled concoctions worn over sexy black and white dresses and lingerie, which were revealed throughout the presentation. Renee made the trip to London from Philadelphia to present her range, and brought along her lovely friends Johanna Constantine and Jade Vixen, who both walked for her, as well as locals Viktoria, Samantha Stone, and Morgana, all with miniature versions of themselves.

We also managed to catch parts of a burlesque performance in the main room, as well as Suka Off, who never fail to come up with a new slant on sex, power and obsessive relationships.

We enjoyed the night, but It definitely felt less well-attended than last year’s Skin Two TG night. Several veterans of the event complained about a lack of effort in the dress code this year, but overall I thought people made a good effort. My favorite outlandish outfit was a latex 80s jogger, complete with a headband and latex retro catsuit!

LAM Skin Two Expo

I’m afraid I’m unable to compete with 3XL’s excellent Expo coverage, as our little group arrived far too late in the day to the LAM Skin Two Expo to be able to see much of anything! Luckily Mark Bennet was on hand earlier to catch some of the fashion show, which looked pretty fun, judging from his photos.

I’d liked the idea of having seminars and I liked the chill out area, which looked quite cozy and far more inviting than the sterile cafeteria of the Barbican venue of earlier years. What I found less successful was the general layout, which occupied rooms on two floors. I left the fair fearing I must have missed something, even though the staff was very helpful in helping visitors find their way around. I wish there had been more latex shopping options at the expo as well!

As it was, I managed to chat with Simon and Nigel of Radical Rubber about their polka dot printed latex, and saw John, Lars and Swiss Tony from Latexa, who had a nice booth across from Radical’s. John showed me Latexa’s gorgeous new latex boots, which will soon be available for sale, and which will be available in all their colors! In the next room, I also had a chance to meet the men from Latex 101, and checked out their well-made menswear in person. I thought there was a Skin Two Clothing booth somewhere on the premises, but I may have walked right past it!

Sadly, hungry tummies soon demanded a trip to Chinatown, and that was the end of my Expo visit, as we didn’t make it back the next day.

The Main Event!
It was a nice walk to SeOne for us from our Tower Hill flat, and we arrived a little after midnight. There were no queues, and the coat check was very quick. I felt a little foolish that I’d warned our Rubber Ball virgin of surly bartenders and long waits for cocktails at SeOne, because the smaller crowd this year made getting a drink a non-issue! It was actually nice to be able to find a seat and simply chat with friends we’ve met over the years at the event, but I could definitely see a decline in numbers over last year’s event. What was also in short supply were the fetish “names”–the models and internationally traveling scenesters who seemed so ubiquitous the past 5 years. I’m getting the sense that people have less money to spend on travel now, and are feeling conflicted over which of the myriad international fetish weekends to choose.

Overall, it was a good evening, and despite complaints I’ve read elsewhere, it seemed to me that people made the usual effort with their Ball outfits. The old timer in me wishes that the Ball was what it once was–a once a year spectacle on center stage, but venues get torn down, other promoters enter the fray, and our fetish marches on in new directions, which in the end probably keeps it all going.

See you at next year’s Ball!

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