Sunday, March 21, 2010

Early Influence - Tanta Flash






Growing up in New Orleans as a young pervert, I remember seeking out information wherever I could about bondage and fetishism. I remember looking up terms in the dictionary or encyclopedia related to bondage in hopes of finding something, anything to help explain my predilictions. I didn't find much, until I got a little older.

Side note: This is before the age of the internet, for all you young people out there who have no experience of Life Before Google. There was actually a time when information about pervy subjects was hidden away and hard to find. Amazing, no?

I remember going to a leather shop in the French Quarter. It was called Second Skin leather and it was on Philip Street. Mostly it was a seedy XXX sex shop that sold the usual assortment of lube, dildos, and porn on tape. But in the back was a room with reading materials from all over the world. This is where I found a magazine that would change my life.

It was a British-based magazine called "DP Dressing for Pleasure". On the front cover was an incredible image of a woman in a head-to-toe leather suit. Completely covered. It's skin-tight fit was incredibly tailored, the lines of stitching were artistically placed, and there was lacing at the arms, legs shoulders and crotch. The model had an open faced hood with a pony tail at the top, and the boots and gloves seemed to be integrated into the suit. It was the most incredible thing I had ever seen!

Inside was an article about the suit, and the young couple who had started the company: Tony and Paula Kendrew. It was called the Tanta Warrior suit, and they offered it with a mask that could be placed over the open-faced hood. I was just blown away by the artistry, the tailoring and craftsmanship that their work displayed. It was the first time I had seen fetish wear that wasn't all black with straps and studs - not that there's anything wrong with that, of course! But this was unique, custom-fit, beautiful, artistic and sexy as hell!

It made an impression on me that has never left...

-Christopher

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