Dysfunctional Latex! (Patreon)

Or, "THINGS I LEARNED ABOUT LATEX THIS CREATION INTENSIVE"

Alright, I promised you all that you would be getting information about the latex garments involved in this creation, and I'm delivering! But I'm going to be just a bit mean and start off with a horror story from last week. That way, you can experience the joys of the highs of THIS week, and the solutions Marika and I found together as I keep working towards being camera-ready for shooting a demo of the new act on Saturday. Muahaha!

I learned TWO very hard lessons last week that caused me to have a bit of a meltdown in rehearsals (Roberto wasn't there that day, thankfully). I may or may not have cried on the floor for a bit before picking myself up and getting on with my day. But first, let's establish our starting position in this world of latex costuming I've (literally, har har) wrapped myself up in.

TO REVIEW – The initial idea for the latex costume elements (in no particular order) were as follows:

•  harem pants
• cone bra with memory foam inserts and matching high-waisted thong
•  sleeves with straps that cross my chest,  anchor under the opposing armpit, and cover the palm and back of my hand while leaving my fingers free
• an underbust-style bodysuit with the 'drive-through zipper' (aka, goes all the way from the front of the body, under and through the legs, and up the back of the body, so the garment splits into 2 pieces after it's unzipped) and underwire to echo the shape of the bra

TIMELINE OF CREATION – 

• Marika ended up being horrifically stressed by the harem pants and their drafting and construction (NB: in my defense, they were HER idea – and a fantastic one! whoops! ;) ). She spent a hefty amount of time figuring out how to make them out of rubber, as they are NOT an item of clothing one generally finds in the world of latex. Latex garments are designed to be skin tight – a second skin! Harem pants are billowy and loose-fitting. Very unusual. Despite the challenges and doubts, Marika turned out an absolutely stunning garment. What's more, it functions beautifully in the piece: it's easy to separate the magnets, undo the zippers, and gracefully strip off the garment to reveal the costume pieces below.  Here's a few snaps from one of last week's rehearsals of the practice latex pants that Marika gave me. Please keep in mind THESE ARE NOT THE COLOURS OF THE FINISHED COSTUME! These harem pants are just made from the scraps of latex that Marika had around the shop and didn't mind using as an experiment. They're also completely unshined, so that's another major visual caveat to keep in mind, please.

• The cone bra and thong have been the last items to be crafted by Marika this week (Lord have mercy, so very, very down to the wire), so I didn't have those in hand last week during my rehearsals. I literally got to try and see how contortion worked with fake memory-foam cone-bra-boobs TODAY.

• Sleeves & bodysuit were drafted and crafted by the start of last week – I had the opportunity to practice in them in last week's rehearsals. Only one of these items has made it to the current form of the latex costuming, and the remaining item now exists in a different form.

Allllllllrightie then — that should have us all on the same page, regarding latex progress! Time to hear about . . . 

DIFFICULT LESSONS LEARNED THIS WEEK:

Latex is not a breathable material. If you remember my creation process with the VACUUM act, you might recall some vivid descriptions of how quickly and entirely ones body becomes absolutely dripping in sweat when trapped inside a latex box. If you're wearing a garment like leggings or a catsuit, that sweat has to go somewhere. If you're wearing it long enough, and moving around enough to break the seal that the cuffs or waistband or neck hole forms -- SPLOOSH.

Yes. Gross. But, an un-sexy reality of wearing latex.

I knew this in the back of my mind as I went into rehearsal, but I wasn't consciously thinking about it as I pulled on the practice gloves Marika had sent me off with earlier in the week to rehearse in. My mind was elsewhere.

Do you see where this is going . . . .?

* * * * * * [ to be continued ]