Taking proper care of your latex garments is one of those things many rubber enthusiasts talk about but, I suspect, very few actually practice in real life. I always come across the excuse that it takes too much time, and yada yada [insert your own B.S. excuse here]. So, you're basically telling me you spent $200+ on one garment alone, and after spending five hours at a party working up a sweat on the dance floor, you're gonna go home, peel it off, then crumple it up in a ball and toss it in your closet? Go right ahead. Waste your money. Don't come crying to me because all your latex smells like ass and looks like a truck ran over it.
I prepared a little photo demo showing you an easy, painless way to dry and talc your latex that takes only about five to ten minutes per garment
including washing once you get the hang of it. Keep in mind that if you have to wash something with a lot of surface area, like a gown, it's going to take longer. It's a good, fast system that you can tailor to your own specific needs. [The only reason I didn't include a washing demo with photos is because I didn't have anyone to hold the camera while I was rinsing the garment, and I really didn't want to risk dropping the camera in the sink.
Go here instead.]
Here's the star of our drying and talcing demo. She's an olive green halter top with hot pink trim by
Betty LaBamba (of course!).
In the next photo, we see an wet garment turned inside out. [I'll do a washing demo sometime in the future if requested.] Basically, I just rinsed it in warm water without soap and used a soft sponge on the outside to remove the excess silicon polish. I'll break down this ridiculously easy process into steps for you.
Step #1: Turn the garment inside out, and place it on a clean, soft, dry towel. I usually start with the front of the garment. This will help save drying time since it will soak up much of the moisture on the back while you're drying the front. Have a few extra towels handy if you have a big job to do. Ever try to dry yourself off with a wet towel? [Look at the craftsmanship on the halter. Don't I do good work?]
Step #2: Get another soft, clean, dry towel, and start drying the garment. Concentrate on drying the seams first. However, if your garment has any grommet closures (aka lace-up or corset style) or zips, dry that area first, then go onto the seams. You don't have to scrub or press hard. Straight, gentle motions are fine. Don't worry too much about getting it exactly bone dry on the first go.
Step #3: Turn the inside out garment right side out. If it has been repeatedly shined, you will notice that the shiny outside of the garment dries faster than the rougher inside. Once again, concentrate on the seams then dry the rest. This time, be a little gentler with the towel so you don't accidentally scratch the surface.
Step #4: Next, make sure you got the garment as dry as possible (both inside and out) with the towel. You will know it's dry because it will feel dry to the touch and the latex material will have turned a lighter color. See this post again.
Step #5: Now it's time to talc it up like no tomorrow. Maybe I shouldn't have phrased it that way. You don't have to use a massive amount of talc--just enough to get the job done. I use a make-up brush to apply the talc. Note: don't use your wife's make-up brush. Use a new one without any make-up particles on it. You can buy one for cheap in any drug store.
With the make-up brush, you can get an even application. Once again, I like to start inside out, then turn it right side out. You don't have to talc the outside of the garment if you believe it's unnecessary, but I usually put on a light coating.
Here you can see the final results of our drying and talcing demo. It's all nice, clean, and ready for storage or another night out on the town.
Legal Disclaimer: Neither I nor Betty LaBamba are responsible if you somehow fuck up your garment in any way. It's all you. Don't blame me for shit. I spent hours putting this entry together for your benefit.
In his Fall '07 r-t-w fashion show, Hussein Chalayan used latex rubber stockings in silver, pewter, and black to compliment his collection. Compliment is the key word here. It's a perfect and natural balance between the two; the latex doesn't stick out like a sore thumb at all, nor does it seem like it was an after thought. The fashion/fetish idiom has been reinvented successfully.
