The image shown is by a Danish painter, Thomas Andersen, whose work is bold, elegant and witty. I like his restrained palette and the use of strong graphics present in all his paintings. I really like his fetish series, Golden Black, because it’s stylish and iconic without looking like a female fetish borg, which seems so common in fetish artwork. The series is on display at Latexa Fashion in Copenhagen until after the New Year, but better hurry, as two in the series have already been sold!

Visit the rest of his work at Made by Thomas, and check out more artists here next week!

She’s keen on clearing out the rest of her stock, so check out her official announcement if you’d like to own some of her excellent pieces before they’re no more.

http://bettylabamba.blogspot.com/2008/10/on-hiatus.html Visitors to her Blog can get half off any piece in her eBay store by simply requesting it in advance. (Note: you must visit her Blog for the details!)

We’re relieved to read that Betty is still planning on blogging about latex, fetish and film, and we wish her the best of luck in her studies.

Seems she’s been very busy this year, what with a new look for her website coming up, and a brand new calendar for 2009, which you can purchase here.

The interview follows:

When did you first discover latex?
My husband invited me to discover his “shine” fetishism. He like women in shiny clothes, former not only latex, also PVC and leather. This was in 2001, more than 7 years ago. First we started with some shiny PVC and Leather trousers. The step from PVC or leather to latex is not so far and within the time a have a huge collection a various latex and rubber items, my first one in december 2001.

What was it like, your first time wearing it?
Difficult to say: My first latex item was a cheap blue latex dress made by sharon slone, as a beginner we want to start small and wouldn’t spend much money in the clothes… but this has changed. To wear latex is an amazing feeling, you feel simply sexy, your body shines and all around you see you with glossy eyes, especially my husband… I still love it.

Would you describe yourself as a fetishist?
If it’s a shiny latex fetish: Yes. My or better our fetish is the erotic side of latex! Not to condemn the dark side of it, of course! I‘m inspired by magnetic colors, fascinating outfits, different impression to other people.

What is your favorite latex to wear?
I love all sorts if latex, but black latex is still the best one. It’s simply amazing to wear a brilliant black dress, which covers your body like a second skin.

What are your plans for the new year and for your site?
This year we finished my new website, which replaced my old one. I’m very happy about this new, lightning and modern website. Next year, we want spend all our ideas in new images. Improve the quality, find new interesting locations and meet my friends for amazing photo sessions.

….

Thanks, Miss Latex!

http://www.thefetishistas.com/index.php?menu=1_60&sub=21&display=254&show=newspage

Nothing yet on the site itself, however, but we’ll follow this one closely.

(A tip of the hat to Garlor at |R|ubberist.net for alerting many of us to this item)

Update: There’s some clarification on the Skin Two forums from Ms May the webmaster:

A couple of people on various websites have announced that Skin Two is ceasing publication.

Just to make it very clear: The sort of bi-yearly magazine is now to be a yearly hardcover book, a collectible item. LateXtra will continue and Skin Two’s web presence will become stronger. There are a number of projects in progress which will be announced over the next few months.

Tim is away at the moment, when he is back he will make the official announcement.

So I’m relieved that the publication isn’t going away forever, but being the kind of nostalgic woman that I am, I will miss the excitement I used to get anticipating what the latest issue might contain. Our fetish is changing, and here’s one more tangible sign of the changes.

Liberator has a full blown factory which produces latex finery in large runs, which means that their prices are generally lower than what other smaller firms can charge. The patterns are cut by machine and then produced by a team of craftsmen and women, which you can see in this rather nice video, From Pattern to Package.

What I like about the Liberator line is the sheer amount of detail which seems to be present in every piece. The Pirate’s Booty costume is not something you’re likely to see mass produced by other firms, simply because of all the work that’s obviously gone into it, and the price, $370 for the whole set, is not something you’re going to see very often at other houses, either. All in all, it’s very impressive!

I’m also enjoying the work I’ve seen coming out of Black Likorish Latex, a newish range out of California, produced by a young fashion design graduate. Right now it seems their main web presence is on MySpace and in some of the Live Journal forums, and through word of mouth from some of the most recognizable fetish model names like Darenzia, Ulorin Vex, Angela Ryan and Masumi Max. It’s easy to see what attracts these women to Black Likorish–there are cowl neck gowns, ruched halter cocktail dresses, neck corsets and more!

Here’s an image I snagged from their MySpace profile of Masumi Max (welcome back, Masumi!) in a sheer cowl neck creation. I am really looking forward to seeing more from this range!

And finally, you may remember 3XL’s much earlier post about Darkside Creations, a Canadian latex designer’s range of custom pieces and quirky accessories. We recently revisited the site and decided that their new latex driving gloves and catwoman gloves with attached fingernails are well worth checking out. There also seems to be a lot of inflatables added since our post of a couple years back, so drop in to the shop while in Canada, or take a look online!

Hope we’ve inspired you to browse a little, or maybe even revamp your latex wardrobe. Until next time!

I’ve always thought that in order for latex to make it to the couture crowd that it would need to be lined with a luxury fabric, which is what Nicolas Ghesquiere has done to make his high-end separates more coveted by his deep-pocketed fans.

Visit Vogue.co.uk for the whole story, including photos from the latest collection.

Update! RubberRon is a very nice guy from The Netherlands, and posts almost daily at |R|ubberist.net with more latex in the mainstream finds. Here’s something he just found on Nicolas Ghesquiere and his new collection. Read it here!

Of course, I’ll have to agree to disagree with the Independent writer’s edict that no one over 25 should wear latex, but it’s interesting to see how much coverage his latex creations are receiving!

“We’ll be holding a contest beginning November 15th to look for the newest face to show off our goods. The contest is open to all and everyone. You needn’t be a Fetishista to enter - just a Fashionista! MODELS, PERFORMERS, MUSICIANS, BLOGGERS, STYLISTS, ETC. - All are welcome to sign up.

Just leave a comment on our Myspace page to enter with the line ‘I’M BIASED!’ and a link to your site/myspace/etc and we’ll send you a message with the details to confirm your entry. The spokesmodel would receive $2K in House Of Bias goods per season for a year as well as an exclusive shoot with our photographer Jeffrey David Cohn. This means the winner would receive $4-$6K in our rubber couture during their time as a spokesperson for HOB.

Just remember you must sign up by November 15th! November 15th the polls will be open until
December 1st, 2008. The top three contestants in poll turnout will then go to jury vote and portfolio evaluation with each section being worth three possible points. Results will be announced December 5th!”

For those of you who haven’t yet visited House of Bias, sign up now for their newsletter so you’ll be among the first to see their upcoming new collections, including menswear.

Let’s start with some very welcome news for rubberists of larger dimensions. We received a press release for Honour Latex introducing their new range called Real Women, Real Sexy, which features some of their most popular pvc, leather and latex creations in plus sizes (up to UK size 26/Euro 50 for some styles!).

I checked out the catalog photos and I really enjoyed the photos of pretty plus sized women who seemed confident of their beauty and sexiness. Let’s hope that Honour gains lots of good customers, and in time influences other latex manufacturers to invest in giving a little thought and effort to making well fitting and flattering off the rack styles for larger women.

Have I posted about Very Latex, an Australian latex clothing company yet? I’d read nice things about them from an IAR regular, who spoke highly of their fine communication, quality work and fair prices, and after checking out their site, I came away quite impressed.

The site is very easy to navigate, and it provides very precise information about shipping costs, as well as lead times on each item, which is custom made to measure for every customer. There are lots of photos and angles of each style in their shop, which really helps when trying to decide if a particular outfit is right. I’d classify their styles as Heavy Rubber meets Rave, which means there are lots of very colorful hooded creations, like this Love Doll here.

Marquis has added some breathtaking new designs to their site, featuring a new printed lace pattern, which I thought was gorgeous. They’ve also done a smashingly feminine new dress in Radical Rubber’s Electric Lilac, Rachel, which I wish I’d dreamed up before they did!

And finally, South Florida seems to have another higher end latex option now, with Latex Storm, whose designs are made to their customers’ specifications and measurements.

The site is in its infancy, but there are some sample photos of the kind of work they do, which I’m going to say will appeal to fit, sexy fetishists, judging by what I’ve seen so far. The craftsmanship looks solid, and the patterns look expertly drafted and fitted. Take a look–with the US economy in such tatters, it might be nice to support new talent in these rough times!

I’d decided that I needed to return to London even though I’d already spent a tidy little sum only a month earlier at the competition’s big event, if only to appear fair to both sides of this ongoing rivalry. I really like all the players in this nasty drama, so it’s tough on my patience that things have come to what they now are!

So, first off, I have to confess that as an event reporter, I’m wretched, having missed all three parties! I can, however, give you my impressions of what I observed, and direct you to a HMS Latex’s journal of the weekend, which provides a very fresh account from a newcomer’s perspective. Part One is here, and Part Two is here, complete with lovely photos of pretty young things in pretty latex.

The Xpo

I ended up working at ProLatex/Latexa’s Xpo booth all Saturday, so I was really able to get a good overall view of the fair. As is normal for the weekend, the nearest station to the venue, Barbican, was closed. I do believe out of the five years that I’ve been attending, that the station has been open only once. It’s definitely annoying, especially for people who are brand new to the city, and brand new to the event, but by now I practically consider it part of the flavor of a fetish weekend.

Overall, the Xpo was packed, and very well organized, with workshops, exhibits and fashion shows held both days of the fair. It ran and appeared almost identical to the Expo of the past, although a couple of the bigger labels didn’t participate, and mostly English exhibitors were represented. I particularly enjoyed Rubber Parlour’s offerings, as well as d.vote’s range of sexy men’s latex (and even sexier models!), Montcler’s adorable pvc and plastic clothes. As always, I found the Xpo a wonderful place to catch up with old friends. While I’ve never liked the Barbican much as a venue, the Xpo seems to be the better fetish shopping experience by far–it’s an almost inescapable fact.

The parties, all three of them, appeared to be very successful, with lots of praise going to Friday’s Subversion event. Thursday’s Fetishistas party was reported to be laid-back and ideal for catching up with old connections, and I’m sorry I had to miss it! The main headliner, Torture Garden is always a winner with fetish fiends, in spite of reports of hour-long coat check lines snaking up the church’s tower, and no changing facilities. (To be fair, neither condition is TG’s fault, but appears to be one of the limitations posed by the church itself. Regardless of the cause, however, it’s never much fun to waste time standing on stairs when more exciting things are going on underneath! Is there no viable solution?)

Fashionable Germans share a laugh at Torture Garden, photo graciously provided by TheFetishSaloon.com

I’m still not at all happy about the fact that party-goers and exhibitors on limited budgets feel forced to decide which weekend they’ll attend. It may make for a more exciting calendar for locals, but for the rest of us living outside London, it’s a tough call! I wonder how big of a draw either weekend will be in 2009, with the global economy showing no signs of improvement. It has been suggested by one exhibitor that perhaps it’s time for them to assert themselves and wait before booking a stall for either weekend, in the hopes that the competitors sit down and work out their enormous differences, and come to some sort of truce, which would benefit both vendors and attendees. Given the divided present scene, maybe it’s not such a bad idea!

On November 7th - 9th, EXOTICA 4 in Detroit is hosted by Tim Woodward of Skin Two. Emily Marilyn hosts the VIP room, together with Ruby Luster. Featured guests include a Who’s Who of the fetish world - personalities such as Steve Diet Goedde, Perry Gallagher, Angela Ryan, Mistress Persephone, Aradia Ardor, Nori Haolo, Larry Bradbury, Vivian Irene Pierce, Nicotine, London Shadows, Evelyn Rose, We Are Latex - and more confirming each day. Exotica is about excess - the previous weekend featured over 75 performers in 48 stage shows!

Fetish Market and Exhibition

Exotica Expo
The 3 day Expo features dozens of vendor booths, displaying the best in fetish clothing, adult toys, erotica, art and jewellery. Half a dozen afternoon workshops are presented each day by experts such as Steve Diet Goedde, Nawa G and Lil J, Charlie B, Don Sir, Aradia Ardor and many more. A one thousand square foot dungeon play area is available all day long. Exotica 4 also marks the debut of latex couture designer Frenchy LaRue and fetishwear designer Hilary’s Vanity. Joining them in the fashion shows will be designers Ego Assassin, Ceres Moon, House of Bias, Leather Realm, Noo Moon, Grey Gargolye and Exquisite Restraint Corsets. On Friday November 7th, the SLICK! party and fashion shows are located in Clutch Cargos, a former church turned into a concert hall.

Saturday night’s EXOTICA SKIN TWO BALL features the best of the stage shows, with top national acts such as Chaos Productions, Paint Tribe, Vena’s Evil Dolls and Miss Pussy Kat - star of America’s Got Talent!

To take advantage of the new half million dollar sound system at the Crofoot Ballroom, Exotica’s enormous lineup of dance DJs is joined by guest DJs including Stitch (Mushroomhea), Curse Mackey (My Life with the Thrill Cult and Pigface) and New York’s Xris (SMack!) If you prefer a more intimate setting, enjoy the VIP Lounge upstairs, where there’s a separate roster of national acts as well as a play area.

Detroit’s top rock radio station has committed to extensive coverage of Exotica 4, as have many other stations throughout Michigan and Ohio. The event hotel is the luxurious Auburn Hills Marriott, which offers a huge discount to our guests - only $99 per night - as well as a complimentary shuttle bus between all event venues, through the day and night. Be sure to ask for the special Exotica 4 rate - ask for Sylvia. Hotel details are here - http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/dtwpo-detroit-marriott-pontiac-at-centerpoint

For further information go here - www.exoticadetroit.com