Bondage-inspired fashion: Harnessing power in kink, corsetry, and a whole lot of leather

Straps, wraps, buckles, chains. The sensuality of skin under a fishnet stocking, voluptuous flesh spilling out of a bustier and taut, shiny leather following every curve and crevice all show exactly how sensuous fashion can be.

But beyond the provocative exterior of bondage-inspired fashion is a world of very particular aesthetic decisions made by some of the most powerful women and men you will ever meet.

Day or night

“It's fun to dress slutty... it's so nice. It makes you feel so powerful to be able to dress so sexy and look good,” said rope bondage dominatrix Joyen Santos in an interview with GMA News Online.

Her open practice comes hand in hand with a style of dressing that knows no shame. Santos, with her bright red hair and dark-lined eyes, has been wearing her own knotted creations over (and under) her regular clothes, whether at work during the day or singing with her band late into the night.

When tying together a rope corset for single use proves to be too cumbersome, her second option is a body harness, a dog collar, or even the less risqué pencil skirt.  

On the last item she said “I love how they just”—and here she motions towards her rump and makes a pinching gesture with gusto—“your ass.”   

Not an invitation    

“I have complete control over my wardrobe…and the misconception about that is I'm trying to attract people,” said Santos, citing her “weirdly colored” hair.

"'Ah, she wants to attract all the guys'," she continued, impersonating her critics. “Can't I just dress like this because I wanna do this? It's not because I'm sex-starved.”

“It does not want you/ to rip it off me/ or pull it down,” goes Eve Ensler’s empowering piece from "The Vagina Monologues" about a certain short skirt that “believe it or not/ has nothing to do with you.”

Fashion inspired by BDSM, although incredibly provocative and often forthright in its sexuality, is hardly ever worn with other people's viewing pleasure in mind.

A make-up artist, fashion major, and co-branch director of burlesque and alt-life drawing group Dr. Sketchy’s, Victor Loong is similarly passionate about this particular fashion.

“We could go into a whole discussion about sexual politics. What I don't like is when these things become viewed… as items of [patriarchal] oppression instead of liberation," he said on risqué bondage-inspired fashion.

That oomph, that ooh la la

There is an undeniable pleasure that comes with wearing a garment that rubs tight against your skin and hugs your body—and it has little or nothing to do with anyone else other than the wearer.

Ironically, “no restriction, no judgement,” is what online shop owner Jiandra Alda finds appealing about bondage fashion.

Her go-to fashion piece is the very edgy, very straightforward choker, which you can find in her shop, Dark Sweet Soul.

“A simple lengthy strip already adds oomph,” she said, adding that “the appeal of DSS (Dark Sweet Soul) and bondage-inspired fashion is its uniqueness in aesthetic.”

This alternative way of dressing has always been more accessible than many would think, even before waist-training or Steampunk became a fad.    

"One should note that it isn't new. Rock stars in the Sixties and so on wore latex and thigh-high boots. There were leather-wearing London underground subcultures. Vivienne Westwood and the 70's punk movement with ripped clothes, fishnets, and BDSM/fetish gear…Versace, who sent models in bondage straps, gold buckles, and harness dresses down the runway. There was Madonna," said Loong.
    
"I love how people have become a bit more adventurous with the things they wear," he added. "Not necessarily advertising their proclivities; it's not like people are donning actual full-on fetish wear outside."

Indeed, fetish fashion can be very subtle and very wearable.

Your neighborhood corsetiere

Harnesses, fishnet stockings, leather chokers and corsets aren’t quite as abundant in our boutiques here in Manila as they are in places like Japan. But that doesn't mean you can't get your fetish fashion fix here.

Alda’s Dark Sweet Soul specializes in gothic and punk leather accessories including handmade leather harnesses, spiked heart ring chokers, and even a wing-shaped lip cuff made exclusively for one of her clients.

Her best-selling body harnesses can go for P900 to P1,000, with the ones made of white leather pegged at a higher price. Alda shared that she is especially fond of the white ones.

“I’m happy to be creative with harnesses, especially experimenting with new combinations, materials and textures,” said Alda of her craft and her shop which has been around since 2008.  

Another favorite of Manila’s adventurous dressers is corsetiere Lacey Leatherie.  

"Not a lot of our shops here cater to what we have in kink," said owner Kitten who, upon discovering that she was not the only one in this city looking for a good quality corset, promptly decided to set up shop online.

The pride of her brand is the quality and customer service she offers with expert knowledge in corsetry, waist training, and tight lacing, which come more highly recommended than the latex cincher used by Kim Kardashian and more recently Christine Reyes.  

“I don't really recommend it compared to actual waist trainer corsets,” read a post on Kitten’s Facebook page.

“These latex cinchers are stretchable, with barely 4-5 bones and hook eye closure.  So how can this really train your body for the cinched figure…I run this shop to help friends and ladies who really want to make a difference by training and to share the love of corsetry. I'm not like those shops who are after your money because I want to sell, I'd rather give the right customer service,” she continued.

"I don't have a model-like body, I have scars and some hidden fats here and there, but now...heads turn to look my way," said Kitten of her experience when she first started down a more adventurous path fashion-wise.

Like many who dabble in the dark art of dressing sexy, she has discovered a newfound confidence and power in her wardrobe. — BM, GMA News