The Journey by Monica Menez

Came across a short film by fashion photographer Monica Menez that prominently features the female lead wearing those (oh-so-lovely) tall Gucci python boots from the current fall season. I just had to share this for all my fellow boot-lovers out there... 

A still from the movie. Yes, every boot fetishist hopes to see this whenever a car door opens...

The Journey from MONICA MENEZ on Vimeo.

The actress does a pretty amazing job of making the skyscraper heels seem almost manageable. Bravo to her! 

Straight off the runway...

Thanks to my friends over at Trendland, for the link to this visual treat.

2014 Boot Roundup

It's a great time to be a boot fetishist (if you are one, you probably already know this) as designers are putting sexy designs into the marketplace with great regularity nowadays. Every season a fresh crop of new ideas and innovative styles pop up that push the boundaries of materials and technique even further than before. And they don't shy away from blatant, sexy S&M styling. 

All strapped up YSLs.

I'm interested not only for the fetish angle, but the design details as well. I always get inspiration for features that could be integrated into leather craft designs or bondage gear. To me shoes are the ultimate design challenge: make something beautiful but functional, completely impractical but totally sellable. Especially for the high-end brands, shoes are one place where selling the fantasy can over ride the rational part of your brain. Nobody needs a pair of 5-inch stiletto boots, but just look at them! Do we want them? Yes, we do! 

 The concept of what a designer would call negative space is a hot trend. Openings that allow the skin of the leg or foot to show through create an interplay of enclosure/exposure. Lots of designs seem to take advantage of laser-cutting techniques - a relatively recent innovation in shoe design. I'm also seeing some interesting things with woven leather (as in the Bailmans below), and almost architectural design elements (Daniele Michetti). Hand work has always been a part of shoe making, and the high end is bringing an almost craft aesthetic to some of their designs. 

Straps are happening everywhere, ranging from subtle contrasting-finish (patent on chrome-tanned leather in that subtle strap on the top of the Ballins), to the add-on almost harness look that is popping up (see the Emilio Puccis). The combination of lacing with additional straps just screams bondage to me, but hey I do see things a bit differently I suppose. 

Brian Atwood's designs are covering a lot of creative angles in use of different textures and materials to create contrast, all the while maintaing that sexy silhouette, and in a range of heights.

And finally Gucci this year had an incredible pair of boots on the runway: these skin-tight super tall beauties in black patent. 

I love the little detail of the horsebit hardware and loafer-style false front on the upper. The fit on the leg is incredible! 

 Unfortunately, by the time these hit the stores the design had been toned down a bit and they didn't fit nearly as close as the runway version. But at least they left us with these beautiful and inspiring photos. 

Armbinder Dress from PJW

I love the idea of restraint built into ordinary (or not-so-ordinary looking) clothing. These images are from my friend PJW (AKA Hazy Cosmic Joe), who is always coming up with great bondage ideas... You can see more of his work here on Deviantart. 

Be careful on those stairs my dear...

Alice Auaa Fall 2014 Closeups

I found a series of closeup images from the Alice Auaa Fall 2014 show, which continues to haunt my imagination... just beautiful, stunning work. 

Alice Auaa Video

Thanks to Hitchhiker.nl for sending the link to a video of the Alice Auaa show. It is a whole different thing to see the designs in motion, and the rear view on many of the outfits is quite surprising as well! Awesome show... I love how the girls just materialize out of the fog.

Don't miss the designer taking a bow at the 17-minute mark - I won't spoil it, but you could definitely say he has a sense of humor. 

Fashion meets Fetish - Alice Auaa Fall 2014 Collection

Thanks to amazing artist Kate O'Brien for sending me the link to the Alice Auaa Fall 2014 fashion show on Women's Wear Daily.com. She thought I might be interested in seeing it for some reason... Well, I guess you could say that. 

Fashion designers are doing some amazing things with leather lately, and with the widespread popularity of Fifty Shades of Grey (and appropriation of kinky imagery in general) it does my heart glad to see such straight-forward fetish clothing on the runway. This isn't perv-inspired: it is perv. 100%, straight-up, dungeon-ready. This would make John Willie so happy. 

I particularly like the braided pony-tail coming out of the top of the hoods. Like a leather whip handle. And the girls all have their own whips as well - of course!

 This look: the hood under the fur-lined parka hood. That's got to be a first. Some kind of fetish triple-trifecta. Boots, leather, fur, gloves... so many layers of fetish, I'm losing track. 

And those boots... *sigh*

Check out the whole collection here.

Anime shoes in real life by Mikio Sakabe

If you have an appreciation (as I certainly do) for cute Japanese Anime-girls tottering around in ridiculously high (or just extremely unusual, dare I say fetishy?) footwear, you just have to see the images from designer Mikio Sakabe's Autumn/Winter 2011/12 collection. A full gallery is here, and there is even video of the little cuties walking in them here. (Some brave girls even walk without help!) Originally spotted on NY Mag's list of the 50 Wildest, Most Torturous Shoes Of All Time, which can be found here. Definitely worth a look as well...

Gucci Fall Winter 2013 Runway Show

Images and video from the Gucci fall 2013 runway show. More photos on Style.com. 

There's just so much to love...

The boots are just spectacular. They are super tall, but not quite OTK's. The short glove with the long boots looks so tough. Why don't more girls wear those? Are they too "dominatrix-y" for everyday wear?

 Love the custom hardware clasp on the cuff over the extra-long gloves. 

 The fitted high leather collar...

I love how in this shot it looks like the respectable, more conventional outer layer is falling away, revealing the sexy leather beast within...

This jacket is really amazing... The fit, the cut, the shape. Does anyone remember "Lair of the White Worm?" Looks like something she might wear...

The gloves disappearing into the sleeve, the boots sliding under the skirt. I have a recurring vision where everyone is wearing Gucci for just one day... Wouldn't that be something? 

Buzz Bissinger’s Gucci Addiction...

I don’t know if you happened to catch the article on GQ.com on Buzz Bissinger’s high-end leather habit. He’s the author of “Friday Night Lights” and a self-described Gucci shopping addict. He wrote a stunningly honest and revealing story a few weeks ago about his out-of-control spending on sensual leather clothing shoes, boots and gloves - mostly from Gucci, but he namedrops Mr. S leather, Ines gloves, and a few other favorites that most internet-roaming pervy shoppers would recognize. 

If you’ve ever given thought to the kind of hedonistic lifestyle you might be able to live with nearly unlimited funds and an ego untethered to conventional reality or social mores, his story serves as a kind of fantasy (or is it a nightmare?) come-true. I think it's meant mostly as a cautionary tale, although some of it seems kind of liberating. It may be a case of “Be careful what you wish for!” Unlimited funds to pursue your perversion? Seemed like a good idea at the time!

I’ve long felt that high-fashion has traded in clothing that could only be rivaled by dedicated fetish manufacturers. Fetish is the life blood of high fashion, and they borrow (or maybe steal?) from the world of fetish on a regular basis. If you want to find the highest possible heels, the slickest leathers, and the tightest body-conscious fits, high-fashion is the way to go. For years Prada, Gucci and Versace have turned out boots and shoes straight from a dominatrix’s (or cross-dresser’s) fantasy closet. Gucci's designer Frida Giannini even called out fetish pop artist Allen Jones as an influence on her Fall 2013 collection. You just won’t see these (often impractical, sometimes almost unwearable) styles at mainstream retailers. 

These are the ethereal products of unlimited budgets, finest materials and craftsmanship, and sexual imagination. They are taking inspiration from a common source, something deeply attractive and seductive to the human animal. It's just most of us don't have the half-million dollars to spend to pursue our own predilections. 

Check out the full article here...

Fall 2012 - High Fashion Fetishism

The fall 2012 fashion shows took place a couple of weeks ago, and I'm glad to announce it looks like another great year for sexy tall boots and leather jackets and gloves. (woo-hoo!) Many designers showed looks that keep pushing fetish dressing further into the mainstream.

Designers continue to play with new leathers, with deep, glossy patents from Viktor & Rolf, and snake or croc-skin exotic textures from Brian Atwood and Altuzarra. Ralph Laruren surprised me last year with a nice "over-the-knee" style, but this year's is even sexier, with a super shiny black leather and contrasting color strap and rear heel. I love the play with contrasting textures on display, such as smooth leather vs. suede, or in the case of the Donna Karan boot, a fur texture playing off of the smooth calf. Laces, straps and buckles abound.
Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen showed one of the most "far-out" shoes of the season, with these "heel-less" booties, with ankle strap. I know some pony-girls who will have these on their Christmas wish lists. Start saving now...



Some were predicting the end of the OTK or thigh-high boot look this season, but I'm glad to see it is still alive and kicking. Altuzarra showed some strap- and leather flourish-embellished styles with their world-culture/gypsy-vibe ensembles.
The tassles had a great sense of movement, and definitely draw the eye (although in these boots, you don't have to worry - you will turn heads no matter what wearing these). Get your attitude ready, you'll need it!
Alexander Wang showed some of the toughest, and most fetishy looks I have ever seen from him. The boots were fierce and raw, a real mix of masculine and feminine, almost armored-looking. (Side note: Did you know boots were orginally men's wear, to protect the legs for hunting and battle? Only later to be adopted by women...) The curve at the instep is so sharp, and the arch so high on these, they look more like a drawing of a fetish boot than something you'd see in real life.
Alexander Wang also had leather puffer-jackets - something I have wanted to play with for a while now. I know there is a whole branch of fetishism for the puffy look, and of course there are the leather fans, so it's a great thing to bring the two together! Note how the cross-body strap adds to the bondage feel. I want to do a puffy, 2-layer sleepsack. Wouldn't that be great?
He also had these quilted jackets, which I think look fantastic. He had his models with the lower half of their faces covered, but I couldn't tell if he was going for a gagged look, or more like a SARs mask? Overall it had a feeling of protection. This jacket also continues a trend I have seen over the last couple years of a very heavy, stiff construction - this jacket is going to wear you instead of you wearing it!
Alexander Wang also featured these unusual materials, like the rubber-covered knit fabric shown below. I just love the way the sleeve integrates into the glove.

Givenchy also showed many styles featuring super-long (all-the-way-up-the-arm) skintight gloves, and tall shiny boots. But my favorite drool-worthy dress was this number in black leather. There is nothing like a great form-fitting leather dress with a high-collar.

Speaking of a sleek, fitted leather look, Bally presented this piece, which I kind of liked for it's impeccable fit. Although I am not crazy about the "not-sure-how-to-finish-the-hem" assymetrical skirt solution. But would I complain if my wife came home in this? Not a chance!

Gianfranco Ferre had this straight-from-the-asylum look, complete with locking-hasp buckles... Sometimes these designers aren't just aping a fetish look - that's the real harware (locks not included).
And Missoni had these high-collared under shirts in what looked like metallic latex, with beautiful, thin elbow-length gloves - another great mix of colors and textures with a fetish vibe.
Skin-tight long gloves are something I think every woman should have... It is just such a hot look! Why can't these come back, everywhere?
So why do fashion designers seem to go towards the same plastic pleasures as we perverts and fetishists? Could it be because there is some universal appeal in things that are soft, shiny and skin tight? Fashion can protect you from the world, and keep you warm, but it is also a kind of packaging - affecting how the world sees us, and how we see ourselves. We apparently like to see ourselves skintight, shiny, and a bit tied up.

One can only hope it continues, especially for someone like myself who never thought I would see these types of incredible, sexy shoes, gloves and pervy clothes outside the pages of a fetish magazine. It makes me very happy.

Interested in seeing more? Check out the "Fashion Shows - Fall 2012" link at style.com.