The Rubber Betty Blog

um, Happy New Year?

2009-03-10T13:13:00.004-04:00

Yeah, I'm still alive. Still operational. Somewhat.

I brought a few gifts for my binary entourage. As I was going through the random piles of six years of magazine clippings, I found quite a bit of decent imagery to scan and share. Not only that, I have a proverbial crapload of clippings and whatnots my international rubber friends were so kind to send me. I also bought a new and better scanner that is much faster than my old one!

Please click on the images to view the full-sized version. You will be re-directed to my flickr holding tank where you can also browse my photostream. Click on the button above the picture called "all sizes" then choose the size you want to view.

First up is an advert for Nars make up photographed by Guy Bourdin which features a touch of rubber mac and red lips drenched in rain. If you enjoy Helmut Newton, you will definately appreciate M. Bourdin.

Next is a random tearsheet from Zink magazine. By random I mean random: I have no idea what year or month it's from. By the way, what happend to Zink? I can't find a newsstand in the NYC area that carries it. Maybe I should "fuckingoogleit."

Last for today's episode, we have a dom flyer sent to me by a friend. Thanks, Gary!

These Boots Are Made For Sploshing

2008-12-29T18:04:00.004-05:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful and stress-free holiday season!

Found! in the latest issue of New York magazine (January 5-12, 2009): a dynamic-liquid photo of the undersides of rubber wellies. Seems to me like editorial commercial vanilla photography is kicking editorial commercial fetish photography's ass.

Photo by Levi Brown. Wellies by Marc by Marc Jacobs. And before you shoot your rubbery mouths off on how expensive designer goods are, these foot condoms are only $28. Three cheers for Marc J.!

Click right heeeere to view a large size of the scan.

Shout out and thanks to Yellowbird for the book, which it probably durable enough for me to read in a rain storm.

Add to your favs...

2008-12-22T14:52:00.001-05:00

Extra special holiday thanks to Stu for posting the following link in my last post. Click here to view picture excerpts from Atomage No. 1 and 2.

Once I'm done editing-for-web the scans I made from the aforementioned Atomage mags, I will post them.

Ciao for now, rubberinos and rubberettes.

Smells Like Betty*

2008-12-18T19:18:00.002-05:00

I'm flattered. Too bad I'm/Betty LaBamba is defunct.

Check out Betty LaBamba's signature dress.

Now look at Marquis' homage.

P.S. Merry Go-Broke-Mas

P.P.S. Coming soon are scans from Atomage No.1 and Betty Blog obit for Bettie Page.

P.P.P.S. Kisses and love.

*and her corpse smells like roses and rubber.

Skin Two No More

2008-11-10T19:03:00.004-05:00

Skin Two, that venerable fetish periodical, will cease publication some time in the vague future. Read about all that crap in The Fetishistas blog. [Thanks to Garlor for posting that link at the IAR. Otherwise I would not have known for at least another month. I am sooo out of the loop.]

Skin Two's death is not so surprising. Why spend $20 on a magazine when you can get the same content for free on the web? We all know that argument and we all can repeat different permutations of it ad nausium, ad infinium. Besides, Skin Two got really boring about three years ago. After issue 43 or so, the reek of korporate kulture in a shiny catsuit with product placement whip became too apparent--except for no. 50 but that was mostly because of the awesome cover. I already did my mourning long ago, relatively speaking. No ass-kissing obit here, but I'll still keep re-reading my favorite issues. Time to move on.

Grim Reaper photo ganked from mikesjournal.com.

SMack! Zombie Fetish Ball - Friday, October 31- NYC

2008-10-30T09:53:00.003-04:00

Don't have any plans for Halloween yet? Get yourself all zombied up and go to SMack!'s annual Halloween party. This year's theme is, of course, zombie. Now you can eat peoples' brains while dressed in latex. I doubt I'll be attending this year because I have to wake up at 5.30am the next day to get to work.

P.S. Thank you mucho to the annoymous person who sent me a book from my wishlist. The first latex tutorial--a reference list of print and online material pertaining to making latex clothes--will be up soon.

PERFORMANCES: Joanna & Her Burning Angels - RE-PENETRATOR- LIVE! [ Re-Penetrator.com ] [ BurningAngels.com ]Mistress EVILyn & her Undead Schoolgirls

AUDIO:LIVE SETS from: - ZOMBIE GIRL - Blood Brains & Rock 'n Roll (Alfa-Matrix Records/Metropolis)- ANDRACULOID - Harsh Electronic Terror (Optikon Records)check out Andraculoid's video for "Grave Danger"DJ's:DJ's Darryl HELL + HELLRAVER (Terrorfakt): "When HELLs Collide"Johanna Constantine (SMack!, Le Carnival Fetish)Xris SMack! (SMack!, BYTE, STIMULATE), Stalag"Mike Meyers" (Asylum Guild, NYC)Punketta (Shelter, Boston)

VISUAL STIMULATION: * VIDEO: Zombie Fetish Video from the SMack! Video Lab & VJ Curse*

ART: Fred Harper & Other Artists also showing @ The Last Rites Gallery "13TH HOUR" 10/18-11/23Lighting & Effects by AUDIOLUST

ZOMBIE-A-GO-GO: Keyska, Jeszika, AnNaDROID, Sarula, Spoiled, Kerri Taylor, Danielle Millenium, Ana X & KeySMack!

DUNGEON PLAY SPACE: Ms Alexa LaKross, Katheryne Von Marks, Kitty LeRouxx, Domina M,Mistresses Lexia & Jin, Mistress Jade Tiger, Emily Tyrant & Mistress Vivian, Contessa Alura, Deitrich Dane, Mistress Berlin, Mistress Dakota & Mistress UniqueSpecial Birthday to Mistresses Alana, Selene & The BaronessDungeon Play Equipment from Cassanova + Shabari Warrior

Living Dead Latex Lounge Hosted by Jade Vixen

Costume Contest with $1000 in prizes fromDemask, The Baroness, Purple Passion, Passional, Baby Loves Latex, STIMULATE & More!

DRESS CODE: Zombie Dominatrix, Undead Stripper, Borg, Night of the Living Dead,Voodoo Priest, Demonic Nun, Frankenhooker, Cenobite, White Flesh/Exposed Bone/Brain, Blood, Blood BLOOD !Fetish: Leather, Latex, PVC/Vinyl/Plastik, Corsetry, Metal, Warped & Kinky- make an effort, it's HALLOWEEN!!

LOCATION: Santos Party House100 Lafayette St. (one block below canal street)(J, M, Z, N & R trains to canal)New York City, NY 10013$20 in Advance, $30 Day of Event--------> CLICK HERE FOR ADVANCE TICKETS <---------- more info available at @ www.SMack-Fetish.com

SPONSORS: Skin Two Magazine, The Last Rites Gallery, the NY Zombie Crawl, Vampire Freaks, WFKU, Deathrock MagazineRottingFleshRadio.com. GIVEAWAYS:from Alfa Matrix/Metropolis Records (Zombie Girl's Label), Re-Penetrator/Burning Angel Video, VampireFreaks.com/new Retail Store (189 Ave A) + more!Also check out these other Zombie Events: the Zombie Prom (9/28) - Trocadero, Philadelphia, PAWorld Zombie Day (10/26) - Knitting Factory, NYCthe NYC Zombie Crawl (10/31)- www.myspace.com/nyczombiecrawlPhillyZombieCrawl.com

Some Stuff

2008-10-18T13:56:00.004-04:00

My birthday's coming up! On November 11th I will be twenty-five years old. I'm an old, old woman. If my dear readers feel so inclined, feel free to send me a book from my amazon.com wish list. Used books are fine--I'm not too picky about getting new books.

Also, I've been getting requests about sharing my knowledge of making latex clothing. Yes, I do intend to share, but as the saying goes "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours." What I'm saying is that I need something in return, not cash or shoes or clothing but something, that something being books. As a student and artist my funds are stretched rather thin. Receiving books I need--and want--would take some pressure off.

This is how it will go: I will write a tutorial blog post. If I receive a book or two, then I will write another one. If I receive nothing, then I will remove the post. The tutorials will alternate between basic crafting levels, intermediate and pro, and will include all aspects of the craft. My first tutorial will be a compendium of reference books and websites.

By the way, I do have latex sheeting available. Contact bettylabamba[at]hotmail for more info. Please note that if your email is just about general correspondence, it may take awhile for me to send a decent response. I failed basic correspondence in high school. Alas, I'm one of those people.

Harajuku Lovers Perfume Ad

2008-10-09T20:49:00.004-04:00

Gwen Stefani's ersatz-Japanese fashion label Harajuku Lovers came out with this ad for her new perfume whatever. Besides the sugary cuteness factor, I like it because it features latex accessories. For those of you lacking rubber-dar (or latex-dar, not to be confused with gay-dar), the flowers and mittens are made out of latex rubber.

The full-sized ad is in this months Paper magazine. I had to scrounge around the internet to find this image--didn't much feel like buying an ad.

On hiatus...

2008-10-06T14:47:00.002-04:00

Hello Everyone!

Regular readers of this blog are aware that I've single-handedly run a latex clothing label called Betty LaBamba since 2005. After much consideration, I've decided to take a sabbatical, as they say, from manufacturing latex clothing to pursue serious education plans for a future career in the photographic and/or cinematic arts. Right now my goal is to become a cinematographer. To accomplish that, I need to learn a lot of crap fast and eat a lot of metaphorical crap. Hence, I won't have the time to sniff glue eight hours a day, alone, in a basement studio somewhere in fabulous NJ.

As a result of my latex clothing hiatus, I have a special offer to those who ASK beforehand: half off everything in my eBay store. You must ask and you must have PayPal. All items are AS IS. Also, I am offering half off any item of latex clothing in my Etsy.com store. Findings and sheeting are excluded from this half-off deal. (However, I do have an excess of 4D and Radical Rubber latex sheeting that I can't reasonably use up for my personal use.) All inquiries should be directed to bettylabamba [at] hotmail [dot] com.

Cheers & Love,

Geena Maree

Poll Results: Mainstreamification of Latex Rubber

2008-09-09T14:55:00.003-04:00

Here are the results to the most recent poll about the seemingly growing popularity of latex rubber fashion. Thanks to all who voted and to the five of you who still read my oft-neglected blog. Rubber kisses and hugs and all that junk.

If you want to stratch the surface just a bit deeper on this topic, read and respond to this thread here at my my mothership site, IAR/rubberist.net.

The mainstreamification of latex rubber:

Out of a whopping 39 votes,

51% voted I'm all for it! More dumb bitches in latex!
12% voted It's a bunch of hype. Trends come and go.
20% voted Hope it continues because it will make me feel less guilty about my fetish.
5% voted Will take away the specialness of my fetish.
10% voted I don't give a flying fuck.

Dead Photog - 1, Spin Kloo - 0

2008-09-06T21:26:00.003-04:00

Joe

1978

by Robert Mapplethorpe

While browsing the photos at http://www.masters-of-photography.com/, I came across this image by Robert Mapplethorpe. Before, I mainly knew about him because of his connection with Patti Smith. That just shows how unbelievably unhip I am to the art world, past and present.

Mapplethorpe did other portraits of s&m folk. View another example here, and a quick google image search brings up more. This sure beats the dead gloss known as fetish photography nowadaze.

Shiny Does A Body Good: Drink Rubber

2008-07-25T14:18:00.007-04:00

FOUND! in the August 2008 issue of W magazine: a powerful b+w photospread featuring Christy Turlington (fashion goddess 4-eva!) in latex, leather, pvc and the usual high fashion shtick. This is an excellent editorial--one of the best I've seen in a long time--and definately worth the cover price alone, regardless of the fetish-related content. Cheers to photographer Micheal Thompson and everyone involved. A word of warning though: since my scanner can handle only letter sized and smaller pages, the photos are unintentionally cropped. Also, I only scanned the photos having something of immediate interest to my readers, about half of the spread.

Atomage-y boots by Etro.

Black PVC bandeau top by OMO Norma Kamali.

Yawn. Black latex stockings. The good 'ole "edgy" fashion editorial standby is officially boring.

PVC shorts from Purple Passion.

Custom headbands throughout spread by Eugene Souleiman. Cuffs by YSL.

What's New In Betty LaBamba Latex

2008-07-22T13:41:00.006-04:00

Introducing a new style of boy short panties to the Betty LaBamba catalog: the Latex Basics Deco Edge Boy Shorts. It's the perfect "entry level" garment for introducing someone new to the wide world of latex clothing. The panties feature a decorative cut edging along the waist and leg openings. There are four deco edge design choices: "pinked," "scallop," "wave" and "crinkle." All seams on this garment are double reinforced.

Price: $35.00 for standard, vibrant/neon or semi-trans color choice. $38.00 for metallic color choice. Click here to see what latex colors are in stock.

Available to order in sizes (Betty LaBamba sizing system only!) 2--14. Click here to see the size chart. M2M service not available.

Email me directly to order (bettylabamba at hotmail).

Deco edge choices:

View the rest of the Betty LaBamba latex catalog.

Betty LaBamba's New Etsy.com Store

2008-07-15T12:57:00.002-04:00

What do you get when you cross eBay with LiveJournal? Etsy! At least that's my impression. I started a storefront there last month for Betty LaBamba and added a couple of OOAK items the beginning of July. Click here to view my Etsy store. And keep your eyes peeled for more soon.

What is Etsy? Etsy is an ersatz auction-type venue for hand-crafted goods, including clothing and accessories. The site is very user friendly, easy to navigate and has a good "look" to it. Not only that, the smaller latex labels are getting in on the action. Read this blog entry at 3xL to see what I mean.

I hope more mom and pop latex labels such as mine join the etsy.com family. ("Start-up" is not such a good word to describe us; most of us have been cutting our teeth on rotary blades and shitting out glue for several years now.) The fees are minimal and only hand-crafted items are allowed. That means no molded corporate bullshit with which eBay is innundated.

Happy Birthday Radical Rubber

2008-07-15T12:40:00.003-04:00

This week marks the one year anniversary of upstart latex sheeting manufacturer Radical Rubber. Happy Birthday!

I can't believe it's been a year. I ordered from them quite early on--my order number was fourty-something. Time flies when you got your head up your ass. (Me, not them).

As with most business bee-day celebrations, there's always a big sale with a bunch of special offers. Oh, and are they tempting. For a split-second, I thought about slagging off school and buying a crapload of latex sheeting instead. Subscribe to R.R.'s newsletter to keep yourself current. Here's not the place for me to promote another company without any sort of remuneration.

Atomage Bondage Supplement No.5

2008-07-01T13:27:00.002-04:00

More vintage rubber magazines! Today brings Atomage Bondage Supplement No.5.

Page 29:

Standard blah blah 18 and over warning.

Front Cover (page 01) // page 02 // page 03 // page 04 // page 05 // page 06 // page 07 // page 08 // page 09 // page 10 // page 11 // page 12 // page 13 // page 14 // page 15 // page 16 + 17 // page 18 // page 19 // page 20 // page 21 // page 22 // page 23 // page 24 // page 25 // page 26 // page 27 // page 28 // page 30 // page 31

Back cover:

RIP YSL

2008-06-05T11:55:00.007-04:00

Yves Saint Laurent, one of the world's greatest treasures and the only truly unique being in fashion, died June 1st at the age of 71. I thought he would have lived forever. We can go onward without him, but we will always still imitate him.

In his own word's:

Recent political events, the reaction of young people to fashion and the way of life today make the haute couture a relic of the past. I do not want to find myself in the past--or in a stronghold cut off from everything. --YSL in 1968

I did not think that in a profession as free as fashion that one could meet so many people so narrow-minded and reactionary, petty people paralyzed by taboos. But I am also very stimulated by this scandal because I know that which shocks is news. --1971 (In reaction to universally scathing reviews of his spring couture collection.)

I have said before that the most beautiful makeup of a women is passion. But cosmetics are easier to buy. --1978

I'm bored--and angry--with people who just design clothes for the runway. It's a massive deception, and one a lot of people have fallen for. --1979

Classics continue all the time because they have style not "fashion." --1981

People think decadence is debauched. Decadence is simply something very beautiful that is dying. It's a beautiful flower that is dying, and sometimes you have to wait a very long time for another flower to come along. --1986

In many ways, I feel that I have created the wardrobe of the contemporary woman and that I have participated in the transformation of my era. I have done so through clothes, which are certainly less important than music, architecture, painting or many other art forms, but it is nonetheless what I have done. --2002

The above quotes were taken from the Tuesday, June 3rd edition of WWD.

Rubber History Interlude: Show & Tell

2008-05-21T15:52:00.006-04:00

It's rubber show and tell day! (Don't worry. I have plenty more vintage rubber mags to scan and upload. Keep your eyes peeled. It just takes a long time to scan and to edit all those images.)

I present you, my dear rubberinos & rubberettes, what I call the Blasphemy Knickers. These panties were a custom order for one of my most loyal clients. He liked the Ruffled Knickers I did for another client awhile back and requested a pair with ruffled all around the legs, a religious-esque nun cross appliqué on the front and a split crotch.

As always, I do phenomenal, meticulous work. Betty LaBamba is the NYC area's best kept latex rubber secret! Let me brag once in a blue moon, mmkay?

It's too hard to see the detail of the split crotch on the pic above. (Nothing "exciting is behind it, unless you're into mannequin plastic crotch bumbs.) You can get a better look in this photo directly below:

Side views. Lotsa ruffles mean lotsa labor:

Look at this sexy ruffled bum! Don't be jealous:

Click here to see more pictures of the Blasphemy Knickers. If you're interested in purchasing a pair like this, contact me [bettylabamba at hotmail]. Pricing starts at $200.00.

To view the Betty LaBamba latex catalog with price listings, go here. Click here to be taken to my eBay store, here for the latex color chart, and here for the size chart.

The Rubbery Vol. 1, No. 1, May 1974

2008-05-02T13:06:00.003-04:00

Rubber History Month continues into May. Today's post brings you a little latex gem called The Rubbery published in May 1974 by "RUBBERWEAR" PUBLICATIONS from Australia. Thanks to my pal Mike in Australia for sending me this mag--and many more.

Two pages are included on one image. Each image averages 1200 pixels wide. Pictures of rubber-ed up females throughout, duh. I didn't read the short story--I'm allergic to erotica or whatever you want to call that crap--but the articles are great and well worth the three minutes it will take to peruse them.

18+ Adult Warning: the following links contain nipples [not Janet Jackson's, oops] and mildly naughty rubber stuff. No coitus. No hardcore action. But as the cover clearly says, FOR ADULT READING ONLY.

Front cover // Intro & Contents // Pages 02-03: "The Kinky Scene" // Pages 04-05: "The Rubber Quirk" // Pages 06-07: continued // Pages 08-09: "Leather-Fetish" // Pages 10-11: continued // Pages 12-13: "Mistress and Maid" // Pages 14-15: continued // Pages 16-17: "The Perfect Maid" // Page 18: "The Nurse Compulsion" - Page 19: "The Second Skin" // Pages 20-21: continued // Pages 22-23: "New Materials Vinyl & Plastic" // Pages 24-25: "Restrictive Wears" // Pages 26-27: continued // Pages 28-29: "Rubber Love" [short story] // Pages 30-31: continued // Pages 32-33: continued // Page 34: continued - Page 35: Personals // Pages 36-37: Personals continued // Pages 38-39: "'Rubbery' Post Bag" // Page 40: "RUBBERWEAR" Catalog Page // Back Cover

Atomage Bondage Supplement No.4

2008-04-29T14:00:00.004-04:00

Atomage Bondage Supplement No. 4 is reproduced here in its entirety. Must see images--besides the cover--on page 2 and page 18.

Adult warning: fuck-off if you're under 18 or whatever. (Can you tell I'm getting tired of the obligatory "OMG icky pr0n!" warning already?)

Front cover (page 01) // Page 02 // Page 03 // Page 04 // Page 05 // Page 06 // Page 07 // Page 08 // Page 09 // Page 10 // Page 11 // Page 12 // Page 13 // Page 14 & 15 // Page 16 // Page 17 // Page 18 // Page 19 // Page 20 // Page 21 // Page 22 // Page 23 // Page 24 // Page 25 // Page 26 // Page 27 // Back Cover

Please let me know if I made any mistakes with the links.

Atomage Bondage Supplement No.3

2008-04-25T13:50:00.007-04:00

The rubber history qwest continues with Atomage Bondage Supplement No. 3. Welcome again to the wonderful world that is human sexuality. This is our history. Let's preseve it, analyze it, enjoy it.

Obligatory adult/18+ warning: do not click on the following links if you are under 18 or whatever age your country says you are not allowed to look at teh seks. Although there's no coitus pictured, I can see how this stuff can be offensive to most people.

Front Cover (page 01)

Page 02
Page 03
Page 04

Page 11
Page 12 & 13
Page 14
Page 15
Page 16
Page 17
Page 18
Page 19
Page 20
Page 21
Page 22
Page 23
Back Cover

Atomage Bondage Supplement No. 2

2008-04-17T20:02:00.003-04:00

Rubber History Month continues. Today, I bring you Atomage Bondage Supplement No. 2.

Click on the text links to view the scans. As always, do not click on the following links if you are under 18 or are sensitive to erotic pictoral representations.

Front Cover (page 01)

Rubber History Month: Atomage Bondage Supplement No.1

2008-04-15T14:40:00.003-04:00

April is Rubber History Month--OK, mid-April. So I've decided. I've also decided that Rubber History Month will go on for as long as I want.

To kick off this indefinite Rubber History Month, I have posted scans of the entire issue of the super-rare Atomage Bondage Supplement No. 1. Click on the links to view each page. (My pagination does not correspond to the actual magazine's pagination, but I hope you can deal with that.)

ADULT WARNING: Do not click on these links if you are under 18 or if you are a lumpen moralist (liberal lumpen moralist or conservative lumpen moralist, doesn't matter, just fuck off OK). Now let's get this road on the show!

Rubber in Literature: Jean Genet

2008-04-14T14:37:00.004-04:00

Look what I found! A very tiny reference to rubber rainwear in Jean Genet's autobiographical novel The Thief's Journal:

When I was being followed on the Rues des Couronnes, the terror that the plainclothesmen caused me was communicated by the ghastly swish of their rubberized raincoats. Every time I hear that sound again, my heart contracts.

[Page 102 of the 1964 Grove Press edition. Same pagination as this newer/shinier paperback edition.]

Jean Genet (1910-1986) was a French writer mainly known for his highly erotic novels and plays on homosexuality, crime, and really cool stuff. If you enjoy reading Sade and Bataille (for the philosophical content, ahem) you will probably love Genet too. Genet was a fantastic prose artist--just get a load of this fabulous disembodied quote, also from The Thief's Journal: "To achieve harmony in bad taste is the height of elegance." Nice, huh? I should get that tattooed on my forehead.

The short paragraph quoted above makes me think about the sound of latex rubber and the memories and feelings that resurface. What are your aural rubber memories? The creaking of a heavy corset sliding over a catsuit or the rustling of a long gown, for example, brings up different associations. Rubber is an acoustic fabric, but that trait is often overshadowed by the primary tactile-visual qualities.

S&M Muzak: Spanking to the Oldies

2008-03-31T15:49:00.003-04:00

S&M themed music about getting off by getting a beating is not just the domain of goth and punk bands. For example, listen to He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss) by The Crystals--famous for Da Doo Run Run!

A bit of history behind the story from Wiki:

"He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss)" is a pop song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King and recorded by The Crystals under the guidance of Phil Spector in 1962.
Goffin and King wrote the song after discovering that singer Little Eva was being regularly beaten by her boyfriend. When they inquired why she tolerated such treatment, Eva replied, with complete sincerity, that her boyfriend's actions were motivated by his love for her.

Kinda fucked up, right? But then again, songs glorifying serial killers or about pimping out young ladies' vaginas are a bit screwed up too.

Get Into Focus On It

2008-03-15T15:19:00.005-04:00

Look! An ad poster with latex for Focus on Imaging, an annual European trade show for cameras and shit. (The party starts in '09.) Credit for the picture goes to a pretty cool dude named Justin Focus. The title is "The Photo Evangelist." Go here to see a snappy making-of video.

Do not ask me the clothing brands. Two reasons: 1) I don't give a flying shit; and 2) they're not any of mine.

The Sexual Fetish -- RANDOM POST BONUS

2008-02-20T14:45:00.007-05:00

Here are several excerpts of interest from The Sexual Fetish paperback. Click here for part one and here for part two of the main blog entries.

----------------------------------------------------

Chapter I: Contemporary Definition of the Sexual Fetish

The term that one is "making a fetish out of it" is used pretty freely today, although not only in a sexual sense. The implication is that one is overly obsessed by some object or quirk. The word fetish, or fetich, actually denotes a feeling applied to a primarily non-sexual object that has, for the beholder, certain erotic and sexually stimulating connotations. This can be carried to extremes in which sexual feelings are applied to most unlikely-sounding items. There are cases of persons having erotic reactions to a roll-top desk or a can-opener. These persons are candidates for the analyst's couch.

[. . .]

Rubber as clothing material, while as prevalent a fetish item as leather, has not yet been fully accepted as a public form of dress. The one exception to this, of course, is the brightly colored rain-wear that women wear, contrasted with the more drab official coats issued to postmen. Nevertheless, there are many people who devote themselves to the wearing of clothes made of rubber, who cannot understand the attraction of leather; they feel that rubber is so much more form-fitting. These include the skin-diving enthusiasts who would never dream of actually going under water.
[. . .]

----------------------------------------------------

Chapter XX The Fetish: A Summing Up

[. . .]

Fetish is derived from the Portuguese word fetico, meaning charmed. Psychiatrists believe that no person, except the very rare asexual individual, escapes the aura of fetishism. Whether he recognizes as fetishes the things that attract his attention depends upon the person's depth of self-understanding.

Some authorities suggest that an attraction for a "non-sexual" part of the body is always a fetish. If this be true then we would have to assume we are all would-be fetishists if we enjoy looking at a pretty girl. For what catches the eye first is basically non-sexual. Generally, the buttocks, breasts, hair, facial contours, and type of walk attracts the attention. None of these are absolutely essential for sexuality. [Sexuality, not eroticism: big difference.--Rubber Betty]

One is pleased by a tight sweater, a contour-clinging pair of slacks, some saucy and eye-catching footwear. Is he a fetishist? The very correct gentleman of yesteryear admired the crinoline and taffeta that fell gracefully over curving bosoms and hips. Was he a fetishist? According to current definitions, the answer is yes.

Less prevalent, perhaps, is the third category of fetishism mentioned. The sexual reaction obtained from the association of a certain material. But it must be remembered that the definitions of fetishism do not stipulate that an orgasm must be obtained, or even sexual "preparation" be present during an association with certain materials.

If one thrills to the touch of a leather handbag or the rubber gloves used for dishwashing; if the wooden breadboard gives one chills up and down the spine (it may resemble that college paddle) one has, like it or not, a fetish attachment.

By unanimous consent, however, one need not worry about the fetish if it does not replace sexual activity. And, some of the authorities in the field say, one need not worry even if the fetish does replace sexual activity. Most who do hold this opinion would prefer that the etish be a supplement to the traditional sex act, but thet feel that sexual activity of some kind is better than none at all.

Often, so say the liberals, a fetish attachment can have the same stabilizing effect that a hobby such as coin collecting or bowling can have. Indeed, some fetishists do turn their interests into an actual hobby. Collecting literature and illustrations (spankology, leather publications, bondage pictures) or fetish implements (whips, paddles, phallic symbols, special tailor-made clothing) is believed to ba a channeling of fetish desires.

The question arises as to what is fetishism's future. It is not a question as to whether fetishism will continue to be in existence (it will be as long as sex remains with us) but as to what forms it will take. Psychiatrists, backed by sociologists, say all indications are that the three forms of fetishism are maintaining their traits primarily in one combination.

Fetish materials are being made into clothing and applied to non-sexual (and sexual too, of course) parts of the body for purposes of displaying the anatomy. Thus all three aspects of fetishism become rolled into one. Fashion and clothes designers are attempting to appeal to this fetish attraction. It transcends mere surface sex appeal and becomes an appeal to sensuality.

Another phenomenon is the increasing output of fetish literature and fetish-orientated magazines. As people seek to know themselves better and to be aware of their "afflictions," they seek information about things that do or could apply to themselves. The large demand for knowledge of fetishism is noted bt psychiatrists as an indication of increased fetish existence.

As Kinsey's studies provided exhaustive information and lifted a screen that was covering sexual relations, so fetishism is beginning to grip the researcher's interest. The taboos that have long been obscuring this area of sexual activity are being dispelled.

New Blog Alert! 3xL: Fetish Rainwear

2008-02-18T12:35:00.003-05:00

New blog in town!

The rubber fetish powerhouse that is 3xL: Love, Lust, Latex recently started a new blog called Fetish Rainwear. Oh no, you may say, not another fetish blog. Yes, and it's totally awesome. If you have not already guessed from the name, its focus is on rainwear. Rainwear is not just for old British people, it's for you and me. Rainwear, in conclusion, is awesome and so is this blog. But don't stop reading mine--because I am also awesome.

Get out your wellies, get out your SBR macs, get out your plastic polka-dotted umbrellas, and let's all sing in the rain.

Vintage Paperback: The Sexual Fetish (Part 2 of 2)

2008-02-11T14:22:00.009-05:00

Continued from the earlier post Vintage Paperback: The Sexual Fetish (Part 1 of 2).

I forgot to include the publishing info in Part 1. The Sexual Fetish in Today's Society by Hugh Jones was published by Brandon House. Copywright (c) 1965. It boasts an introduction by Harvey T. Leathem, M.D. Oooh, an M.D.! For realz.

Harvey T. and Hugh Jones collaborated on other pulp sex paperbacks such as Sex For One, Mondo Erotico and The Act of Love. But that's not all: Harvey also authored other trash tomes including The Spankers, Sex Gadgets and Boys and Girls Who Do: An In-depth Study of Today's Mod Mini Swingers. To view some more of his very sophisticated oeuvre, go to this amazon.com page.

The second half of the chapter titled "Rubber As a Fetish Symbol" is reproduced below in light blue, non-italicized text.

---------------------------------------------------

Of particular interest to the fetishist is the soft, squishing sound made when walking or bending. The female devotee rarely ceases talking about the fact that in bending, stooping or reaching, the rubber holds its resiliency like no other material she has ever worn.

As far as covering above the waist is concerned, a zipper is brought into use. All shirts or blouses have long sleeves and these are rolled in the same way as the pants are. The zippers are usually placed in the back. The fronts of the garment[s] are plain rubber, but brassiere-type pouches are included. These garments are usually specially ordered to fit the individual. There are no stock "sizes." About fifteen different measurements are required by the best rubber clothing manufacturers. The garments are so constructed that one needs help in getting into the shirts.

In fact, most rubber fetishists are married couples who indulge in this activity for mutual admiration. They pick certain days, usually weekends, when they wear the items around the house. If they do venture out of the house they wear conventional clothing over their rubber wear.

Rubber panties are popular with girls under their street clothing. The girls describe the ever-present awareness of the rubber clinging to them as "thrilling."

Fetish houses that specialize in rubber clothing indicate that not only do they fill many orders for panties, but they also manufacture men's undershorts and a rubber version of the athletic supporter. These are for men who like to wear an item of rubber clothing in their daily work. Much of the excitement of the rubber fetish seems to come from the surreptitious wearing of the material.

As stated, the rubber fetish does not seem to be related to any other type. Rubber devotees do not bind each other up. Whipping seems not to interest them, and though paddling a rubber covered pair of buttocks intrigues a small portion of the flagellant element, it is not a part of the activities of the true rubber fetishist.

As tight pants are connected to the buttocks fetish, so are rubber pants. Without the curves to "mold" itself to, the rubber pants would hold little attraction. The same is true for the shirts, which outline broad chests or swelling breasts.

Before looking at case histories, we should mention the connection that is sometimes brought to mind between rubber clothing and the male contraceptive. One or two writings indicate a relationship between encasement of the sexual organ and the wrapping of the entire body in rubber. This is, according to psychologists, pretty far-fetched. The only connection that might be termed logical is the utilitarian property of the contraceptive to cling and stretch. This is exactly the chracteristic which attracts the rubber fetishist.

The following letters were taken from a rubber devotees' magazine:

"My husband and I became interested in rubber clothing through the reading of your magazine. We happened to notice it at a friend's house and they discussed their 'hobby' with us. Frankly, we aren't sure why this material appeals to us. But we saw the order blanks in your publication for rubber outfits and we decided to give it a try.

"We took the required measurements and sent them in. After a wait of about three weeks the package came and I'll admit we were pretty excited. We had made the choice of ordering a two-piece outfit instead of the one-piece 'diving' suit. The reason for this is that we thought we might want to wear the pants seperately.

"The clothing fitted just beautifully, and we were amazed at the softness of the lining. The way the pants clung to the body left not one curve or indentation to the imagination, which is just the way we wanted it to be. We wore them around the house the entire first day. I must admit that we stopped to embrace much more than usual.

"However, my husband and I found ourselves in trouble. We were unable to fulfill our desires completely without removing the pants. As we were inspired to five or six such sessions a day, we found the act of getting dressed and undressed irritating. So I made a little modification in the pants that I thought might interest your readers.

"In order to make it easier to enjoy each other in our rubber clothing, I carefully cut speacial openings in each of our pants. The whole area is sexually very stimulating to us. We thought some other couples might be interested in the idea, if it had not occurred to them already!"---Mrs. L. W., Minneapolis, Minn.

Another letter stated:

"Hal and I have been rubber fetishists for some time. We had a mutual affection for this material before we married. I'll not go into the reasons for our liking rubber clothing items, but my husband and I have a whole closetful of them.

"However, I am writing to you now to describe one particular aspect of our devotion. My husband and I work in a real estate agency. While we spend entire weekends dressed up in our special clothes at home, we don't dare wear any of the rubber items to work for fear of being considered 'strange.' But we dearly wanted to wear something under our regular clothing.

"We finally developed an idea. Both Hal and I ordered special underpants made of rubber. Mine are cut along the line of regular panties and Hal's are skintight 'jockey' shorts, with a special rubber pouch in front. They are so tight you can feel them squeeze your buttocks together as you stand up, for instance, Hal says he can feel the increase in pressure when he becomes sexually excited. [sic]

"Just knowing that each of us has these rubber items wrapped around our sexual organs stimulates us during our work day. We exchange secret smiles when the office is crowded. What is more fun is that Hal will sureptitiously pat me on my rubber-covered fanny when no one is looking. He finds excuses to pass by. I, in turn, lightly squeeze Hal's shorts. Sometimes, though, he likes me to get rough. A hard pinch or a quick slap will light up his eyes. He has told me, though, that the pressure of the pouch interferes with the luxury of an erection. Perhaps this is just as well--in the office. But this secret sex-play during the day is lots of fun for us. Sometimes we can hardly wait to get home and into the rubber clothing which we wear until bedtime."---Mrs. A. J., Youngstown, Ohio.

---------------------------------------------

In Part 1, I mentioned that one reason of presenting the book as a series of case histories with pyschology-type commentary was to get around censorship, but I neglected to mention the most glaring reason. The case history/psychological text construct provides the sexual narrative with an a official stamp of approval. After all, science is Truth with a capital T. It's one way of making the fantasy real, and, although not necessarily more immediate, more acceptable.

I hope you've enjoyed this tiny piece of rubber history.

Let's Go For a Swim! (Rubber Duck Not Included)

2008-02-08T21:36:00.000-05:00

Fashion sucks, but the juggernaut still rolls on, crushing the skulls of the fabulous, the innocent, the addicts, the perverted.

I don't know what's going on for FALL 2008. Frankly, right now I don't care and I don't have the time. I'm just getting caught up with SPRING 2008. The juggernaut ran over my foot and I had to spend some time in the hospital.

I was more unimpressed than usual with the fashion bullshit for SPRING '08. Most of the collections were hideous boring garbage, like if the Olsen twins were made out of fabric and not coke and bulimia. The only excitement came from the accessories, but I'll deal with that later.

Thank gawd for John Galliano. Yes, he does the same shit every year, but it's AWESOME. I worship at the alter of his derivativeness. His SPRING '08 had a few actual latex rubber pieces, namely flapper-style bathing caps. I love those!

The three pictures were ganked from style.com.

The sheeting color of the swim cap featured above and in the full body shot directly below is a bit hard to tell. I think the cap may be made from one of Radical Rubber's "Electric" colors. It looks too light to be Supatex Jade Green (4D).

The color of the swim cap above is Vibrant Turquoise manufactured by 4D.

Hey Blogger, fix the spell check!

Vintage Paperback: The Sexual Fetish (Part 1 of 2)

2008-02-07T17:41:00.001-05:00

I forgot I had this vintage gem in my rubber history archive. "The Sexual Fetish in Today's Society" is one of those pulp paperbacks published in the 60's. I have a bunch of them that I've collected over the years. They're basically sensational "jerk-off" books masqarading as psychological tomes. What my generation may not be aware of is that censorship was a big thing way back in the day--much more than it is today. I'm guessing this was one way to kind of get around the censors.

Although this book isn't directed towards rubber people, it does have a chapter on rubber fetishism--sorta, kinda. You can get a sense of what the book is about and its overal attitude from the front and back covers. Don't expect grand prose or pyschological discoveries. Enjoy it for what it is: a little piece of rubber history and a little piece of glorious pulp trash. The chapter in question is partially reproduced below in light blue, non-italicized text.

Random Question: When did the word "latex" become common usage instead of the word "rubber" to refer to natural latex rubber sheeting and/or the garments made from said sheeting? I'm asking this because, in all of my readings of vintage fetish magazines and books, latex is almost exclusively called rubber. Did the common usage of the word latex start catching on the the late 80's/early 90's?

----------------------------------------------------------

Chapter XII

Rubber As a Fetish Symbol

Inevitably, comparisons are drawn between rubber and leather as fetish symbols. This is probably because these two materials are used in virtually all exotic fetish clothing. However, the attraction that leather has for many people may include areas other than that of clothing. The bondage and flagellation fetishes are manifested in leather straps and paddles. But rubber seems to hold no fetish obsessions except in the form of clothing.

Statistically speaking, the rubber devotees are much fewer than the leather fetishists. Rubber devotees claim the skintight clinging effect of their favorite material is the main source of their devotion. They feel that it is designed to be worn next to the skin, without anything underneath and, as such, functions both as outer and inner clothing at the same time.

As leather clothing touches both the exotic and the real, so does rubber clothing. But in a different manner. [sic] Such items as high-heeled boots or leather pants hover between the two fields. Not completely accepted items for street dress (they draw stares even in the most sophisticated of cities) yet not so completely bizarre that they are solely the property of the exotics. [sic]

With rubber clothing either the item functions as street apparel, such as a rubber raincoat, or as an exotic fetish item such as rubber pants. An exception to this is the rubber diving suit. This appears most often in its primary use as a protection against the ocean's cold. But it is also a favorite costume of the rubber fetishist who would not dream of going near the water.

In checking with psychiatrists to inquire as to the personality make-up of the rubber fetishist, we find them frankly baffled. Not many rubber devotees bring their deviation to the psychiatrist, nor do they steal rubber items and thus are never referred by the courts to psychiatric help.

Almost any deviation or aberration can be linked to a defect in the psyche, including that of the leather clothing addict. But the sexual attraction of rubber clothing leaves psychiatrists and psychologists merely theorizing as to the probability that it is actually an anatomy fetish. The rubber simply clings and outlines the human form and the various sexually-orientated parts. There are few case histories of rubber fetishism in their files and we have had to turn to the literature of the specialist in fetish attractions to find first-person accounts.

Incidentally, the aforementioned attraction to rubber rainwear such as coats, caps, and galoshes is outside the realm of this book. We are concerned primarily with sexual fetishes, and attachments for rubber street-wear appear to be non-sexual in nature. Descriptions of this type of dress that appear in the fetish magazines dwell more on the bright and gay colors than on sexual connotations.

Of greater interest, however, are the rubber pants, shirts, shorts, and panties. The pants, in particular, come under the name of "rolled" clothing. These pants are applied to the leg and buttocks much as a rubber contraceptive is applied to the male reproductive organ. They are lined with a soft material which is not at all harsh to the skin.

The wearer "prepares" the pants by stretchin them out and then rolling them inside out, very tightly, down to the bottom of the pants legs. Rarely are the rubber feet, so common to the diving suit, included in the fetish version. The feet are inserted into the legholes, and the pants are rolled up the body. Naturally, the rubber clings tightly to the skin, so much so that a special pouch is included in the male garment for the genitals. An elastic waist band prevents any sagging.

-------------------------------------------

The second half of this chapter can be read in this post. I appreciate, and look forward to, all of your comments.

Plastic Rainwear Pour Les Hommes

2008-02-03T16:26:00.000-05:00

FOUND! in the February 2008 issue of Interview magazine: two natty-as-all-fuck metro-men in slick tailored plastic rainwear. The 60's never went out of style. It just comes out of hibernation once every so often.

Clothing credits: the man in black melting into a inky puddle is wearing a plastic trench and plastic tuxedo shirt by Burberry Prorsum. The man in grey is wearing an outfit by Z Zegna and shoes by Dior Homme.

The accompagning article is interesting enough and short enough for me to type out and reproduce directly below in italic text:

"Clear and Present" by Meredith L. Fisher

THINK "COO COO CA CHOO, MRS. ROBINSON"

Mr. McGuire was onto something when he advised Benjamin Braddock in "The Graduate" to listen up: "I want to say one word to you, just one word...plastics." Forty-one years and countless raincoats late, the material is making a comeback--this time on the catwalk. Thom Brown gave the trad mac a short-sleeve, plaid makeover, while Z Zegna took the synthetic material a step further and combined a blazer with a cape to create a whole new genre of outerwear. And, of course, Christopher Bailey had something up the sleeve of his plastic Burberry trench in the form of pop-colored button-downs and a high-glass take on the tuxedo shirt. No wonder McGuire was such a believer. How can anyone go wrong with plastic? It cleans quickly, is ideal for inclement weather, and serves a variety of household purposes when you've worn out its welcome.

Hmm, I don't get all this fuss about plastic. Substitute "rubber" or "latex" for plastic, then it will all make sense.

The men in the audience should listen up. Stop complaining about not getting laid at parties! Really, it's pathetic, and pathetic in a way that won't get you any pity. Here's my suggestion: buy yourself a natty rubber outfit like the ones above, and go to the next fetish party. It doesn't matter if you are a slob, are fat, or are a fat slob; the clothes make the man. Sit at the bar and siddle up to a nice, young model type broad. Be charming, ply her with drinks, and pretend you're worth a lot of money. Make sure you flatter her and talk about women empowerment and all that rot. Her legs will spread in no time. Ah! I'm kidding, I'm kidding.

Poll Results: Latex Sheeting

2008-02-01T18:36:00.000-05:00

I must offer my apologies to my loyal guys and dolls. I once promised to put up a new poll every week. Well, I failed you. I failed all of you. The same poll has been up (and closed) for about a month. Oh, the blog horror!

Anyway, we'll get over it...together, we'll rise above.

Without further ado, and, unfortunately, no spankings, here is the results to "My favorite type of latex sheeting is"

Drumroll, please.

Out of a whopping 56 votes:

28% chose "standard/supatex"
33% chose "semi-transparent"
5% chose "vibrant/neon"
21% chose "metallic/pearlsheen"
0% chose "OK, really, what the fuck?!"
10% chose "anything with boobs behind it."

Semi-trans has won this round. Even though I tend not to wear semi-trans latex clothing--I'm a shy one--I really love the semi-trans colors, especially the traditional natural color. However, I voted metallic/pearsheen because lately I've been working with those colors a lot. Click here for a sample pic.

Fresh Meat

2008-01-29T12:30:00.000-05:00

We've got some fresh latex meat from Japan on the links list. Latex Adventures in Japan is a relatively new blog written by Rubbergaijin, a foreign student living in Japan. He writes about his quest for a rubber soulmate and the mis/adventures that ensue.

3xL [the mutha of all rubber blogs] posted about L.A. in J. first. When I visited Rubbergaijin's blog, what did I notice? The Rubber Betty Blog was on his blog roll! Awesome.

Miss Rubber World 2008 Report

2008-01-23T12:33:00.000-05:00

Betty LaBamba here, bringing you all inside scoop from this year's Miss Rubber World, the world's premier latex/rubber beauty pageant. As you may have known, I was one of the judges for said competition. Wow, I'm big shit, right? All kidding aside, let's get on with the shoe.

My boyfriend and I took photos with a polaroid camera. Why a polaroid? I say, why not? Polaroids just make everything look awesome.

MRW was held at Rebel, formerly the goth/industrial club Batcave, about a block away from Penn Station in NYC. The venue was spacious yet cozy with suitably decadent decor. However, it was a bit too cold for anyone not decked out in head-to-toe rubber, i.e. me.

Here I am in a new dress I made just for the occasion. My inspiration came from photos of little school girl dolls in a Japanese doll magazine. The main color is Radical Rubber's "electric blue," which is essentially a metallic pale blue. The color combo just popped in my mind, and I knew what the dress was going to look like even before I drafted the pattern.

Too bad it was freezing that night because I had to cover up with a cardigan sweater most of the night. Many party-goers stayed away since the weather was dangerously raw and arctic. Also, I had to wear black wool tights underneath my dress instead of latex stockings. Unfortunately, you can see the marks from the tights on the waist area. But that's all right: I still looked fabulous.

A judge's duty is never easy: some one always has to get executed. Oops, I mean...flogged. Yeah.

The two previous polaroids show us judges hard at work computating the scores. From left to right: Miss Rubber World 2006 Jess, me, Lady J. I've got the smallest boobs out of all the judges--and probably everyone else in the room. Hah!

This year there were only four contestants. Seven shimmied and shook their rubber-clad bums last year. Even with four, the show lasted well over an hour.

Pictured above is the 2nd runner up Dawn--in the anime catsuit--and 1st runner up Justine. It's a shame that that spectacular catsuit was PVC instead of latex! What also killed me was that there were three prizes total (the title prize, 1st runner up, 2nd runner up) and only four contestants. I felt so bad for the gal in last place. Do you think it was easy for me? I was partly responsible for crushing someone's dreams of rubber-beauty-world-domination. So close and yet so far. If there were five or six contestants, then it wouldn't have been so bad.

There's Miss Rubber World 2008, Steffy, looking especially radiant after her win. She'll be one of the judges for MRW 2009.

And now for some bonus pics.

Rubbertime Andrew, me, and Steffy looking oh-so-adorable.

Here we are again.

Rubbertime Andrew and Steffy: ready to kick rubber ass.

For more party photos, go to the official Miss Rubber World website here.

This is your final warning.

2008-01-14T21:44:00.000-05:00

There's only two more days until Miss World Rubber 2008! Two days! Do you hear me? TWO days!

All the info you need to know is in this post.

I'm still working on my outfit, and I don't think I'm even gonna complete every thing I intended to complete. Don't forget to say "HI!" to me. You'll know me; I'll be the only female there not in high heels. 'Cause I'm such a non-conformist.

Be there or be...not cool.

The Ruffles! They live! And they're taking over the world!

2008-01-07T13:36:00.001-05:00

Ah, it's been a long while since I've done a propaganda entry. People tell me I need to show off more. I'm getting back into the swing of things. By the way, keep your eyes posted for a forthcoming post about Rubbertime magazine.

New in Betty LaBamba latex news is the "Ruffled Thong." Wow, ruffles. Big deal, right? Well, these ruffles go all the way around every edge of the thong. Originally, this was a one-off custom commission, but my client said, "Hey, why don't you start selling these?" So now you know the rest of the story.

Price starts at $95.00. Bows, appliqués, or metallic colored ruffles will cost you extra. Every seam is reinforced at key stress areas, and the ruffles are double-reinforced. Contact bettylabamba[at]hotmail[dot]com to order.

View the rest of my latex stuff here. Don't forget to visit (and buy a bunch of stuff) from my eBay store.

Suck My Caucus, Iowa. I'd Rather Read Elle Magazine.

2008-01-05T23:06:00.000-05:00

Found! in this month's issue of Elle magazine (USA), an artsy fartsy b&w spread. No latex, but plenty of "shiny" and plenty of glamour.

Glistening hair, glistening lips, glistening nail polish; doll-like bow and hat; the model could be male or female.

Same as above but with a biker's jacket and zip-up leather opera gloves. Notice the shimmering lining of the skirt.

Fur fetish: the most politically incorrect of them all. However, this coat's made out of marabou feathers.

Poll Results: Thickness

2008-01-03T01:15:00.000-05:00

Not that type of thickness. Oh my, get your mind outta the vanilla gutter.

We have the poll results here for "In general, what is your favorite gauge of latex sheeting?"

Out of 45 votes,

24% voted 0.20mm/0.25mm (thin)
28% voted 0.33mm/0.40mm (medium)
31% voted 0.45mm/0.50mm (medium-kinda thick)
4% voted 0.60mm or thicker (officially thick)
11% voted What the fuck?!?! (not a gauge)

If you're reading this and saying to yourself what the fuck? indeed, what the fuck! go read this post. I might think about re-writing that post to add extra info, but right now I'm not feeling so generous.

This small-talk about thickness also bring up another question: exactly what is "heavy rubber" to you? Does "heavy" mean the thickness of the latex sheeting used in the garments? Or does "heavy" conjure up a certain aesthetic sense? Or is it just the name of a magazine published by Marquis?

Oh yeah, Happy All Those Holidays That Just Passed!

Inflatable Art Madness: Big Fucking Rubber Duck

2007-12-30T17:17:00.000-05:00

I love giant, random, ridiculous, inflatable objects. This monstrous rubber duck, titled Rubber Duck, is part of the "Loire Estuary 2007," an outdoor art fest in France. It's 26 by 20 by 32 meters and is made out of rubber coated PVC. For more info, go here.

Maybe this giant rubber whale can keep Mr. Big Duck company.

Special thanks goes out to Garlor for posting about Rubber Duck on the IAR. View the thread here.

Rubber Betty News

2007-12-14T13:50:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone!

Have you noticed the extreme lack of posts lately? The Rubber Betty Blog is still in business, but I'm taking a break from posting because I've got a lot of shit on my plate. For one thing, I'm very behind on latex orders, and I've had to ambiguously refuse new customers to keep from shooting myself from the stress. Also, I'm swamped with school work, and I have a film internship to go to.

Have I mentioned yet that I have a lot of shit on my plate? Basically, I have no more friends because I got a shitload of shit to get done that should have gotten done last week. I'm taking three night classes. Two of those classes require a finished essay handed in every week and longer papers due at the end of the term. The other one requires a fuck-load of studying everyday. Added to that is an internship I go to twice a week, and a latex clothing label that's full-time work with part-time pay. On top of that is this weird concept called sleep that's apparently necessary but really is just a waste of time.

There's good news, though. Next week is my last week of classes. After that, I'll be able to post all the crap I've been wanting to post. Stay tuned...

Poll Results: What's Your Favorite Fetish Stereotype?

2007-11-29T13:30:00.000-05:00

Oh, no! Stereotypes! Stereotypes are bad. I'm going to hell for reinforcing stereotypes.

Out of 34 votes:

17% voted "Nurse/Medical"
23% voted "Dominatrix"
11% voted "Maid"
44% voted "Rubber Doll"
2% (only one person) voted "Anything with big boobs"

The Rubber Dolls win! Word out on the street is that it's a trend or something like that.

Kudos to the guy or gal who voted "Big Boobs."

Enamel Erotica

2007-11-18T14:23:00.000-05:00

All these scans are from Vogue Nippon. See this post. There are lots--and I mean LOTS--more shiny shiny pictures to scan, so keep an eye out for them over the next month.

Here's a patent leather product collage called "Enamel Erotica". No latex, but it's interesting to observe how the Japanese fashionistas are interpreting this season's obsession with all things glittery, shiny, and fetishy.

ABOVE: knee-high boots by Giuseppe Zanotti Design; patent leather hood with snap closure (bottom left) by Yves Saint Laurent; cuff bracelet (center left) by Erickson Beamon; bondage cuffs (upper left) by I have no idea 'cuz I forgot all the Japanese I learned.

BELOW: bow headband by Rada; gloves by Prada; spats by Celine; studded stilettos (upper right) by Dolce & Gabbana; gold and black buckled heels (bottom left) by Jimmy Choo.

Below is another sleek product collage adorably named "Color My Fetish."

THE SHOES: Red double-buckled platform mary janes by Dolce & Gabbana; grey t-strap stilettos by Stella McCartney; blue strappy-buckled tango heels (bottom left) by Chanel.

If you would bigger versions of these scans, let me know. My email is listed in the navigation bar.

Vogue Nippon Post Bonus

2007-11-18T13:06:00.000-05:00

Continuing from the Vogue Nippon scanfest...

Two cute but strictly serious pen-and-ink drawings from the horoscope section of said magazine. Illustrations by Miyuki Morimoto. Very 60's!

Click on the pictures to enlarge.

New Movie Alert...

2007-11-12T23:47:00.000-05:00

Walk All Over Me

a dominatrix slash crime drama staring Leelee Sobieski.

The tagline is "Love. Latex. Larceny."

Click here to see poster at imdb, which won't let me right-click-save or even hot link it to the blog post.

Synopsis from Capri Films here [where I ganked the picture].

It's probably not that bad or not that good. The usual Hollywood filth. Yeah, you know you'll buy the DVD when it comes out anyway. Don't give me that "mainstream media is misrepresenting thee lifestyle" bullshit. I'm not in the mood. Besides, it's an indie movie. From Canada.

Real Doll Tough Love

2007-11-11T20:01:00.000-05:00

I got a chance to go the the Japanese market in North Jersey, so I picked up a copy of the November 2007 issue of Vogue Nippon. [Nippon = Japan.] I'm glad I did; it's filled with all sorts of shininess, and the theme is "hard love." There's a few other photo spreads I still have to scan. This spread is called "Tough Love" and features gorgeous dolls dressed in designer clothing. Although no latex appears in the spread, I reproduced it here for those of you into the Rubber Doll lifestyle.

DOMINATRIX: Dolce & Gabbana [above]
MEDIEVAL HARDCORE: Burberry Prorsum [below]

If you appreciate the work I've done the past year on this blog by buying all these magazines (especially those hard-to-get vintage fetish ones) and scanning them, please consider getting me a book on my Amazon.com wishlist. Thanks!
SWEET PUNK: Yves Saint Laurent [above]
BIKER BABE: Junya Wantanabe Comme des Garçons [below]

If you would like bigger versions of these scans (only the first picture will enlarge when you click on it) just let me know, and I'll send them to you. My email is listed on the side navigation bar.

EDIT: The très awesome blog Doll's Realm has posted the full-size versions of these scans. Go here and here to view them.

New Latex Rubber Sheeting Colors

2007-11-08T23:35:00.001-05:00

If you haven't heard about it already, you've heard it here first.

Here's some exciting news in the fast-paced, dog-eat-dog world of latex rubber sheeting. 4D Rubber has just come out with two new latex colors, Supatex Vibrant White and Semi-Trans Cloud Grey.

So why did 4D make another white and another grey?

White latex is not a true white; it's an off-white cream color that yellows very easily. Although the difference between the two whites is not so pronounced in this horrible photo I took, the Vibrant White is noticeably brighter than the standard white. In person, it really pops. The regular creamy white is nice, but it tends to look dingy after a while, especially if it's not contrasted with a dark color. Maybe with this new Vibrant White, white latex won't be such a frustrating "labor of love".

Supatex White contrasted with Supatex Vibrant White:

Onto the greys. You're already familiar with the Semi-Trans Grey, which is commonly referred to as "Semi-Trans Smoke" or just plain "Smoke" since it has no resemblance to any kind of grey. The new color, Semi-Trans Cloud Grey, is an actual cool grey. Look at the picture below to see the difference. I placed a Betty LaBamba label underneath the Cloud Grey to indicate the level of transparency.

Semi-Trans Grey contrasted with Semi-Trans Cloud Grey:

Forget 4D for a minute. Here's a particularly delicious sheeting color by the new sheeting manufacturer, Radical Rubber. The official name is Metallic Fuschia, but I call it Metallic Pink. Don't ask me why I change names--it's my only pleasure in life. I expect it will be a hit with all lovers of pink, Barbie, and the Rubber Doll enthusiasts.

Radical Rubber's Metallic Fuschia:

Halter by Betty LaBamba.

Sweet Shindig Alert: Miss Rubber World 2008

2007-11-04T14:16:00.000-05:00

Quick! You only have three months to get yourselves ready for Miss Rubber World contest. I really should get my ass in gear; I have no idea what I'm wearing yet. You may remember that I was a judge last time, and I'm a judge again this time, too.

Who: M.C.'d by the one and only The Baroness. Judges are Betty LaBamba (that's me!), Webster Hall Entertainment Director Shane Savant, Latex DIVA and make-up artist extraordinaire Lady J, Skin Two contributing editors Ted N' Di, MRW '06 and her hubby Pet & Owner.

What: There's a strict dress code: rubber/latex/pvc/neoprene/spandex.

When: January 20th, 2008. Doors open at 9.00PM. Party goes on to 4.00AM.

Where: @ Rebel, 251 west 30th street (between 7th & 8th avenue), NYC. I don't know about the parking garage scene, but you can easily take the LIRR or NJ Transit to Penn Station. Rebel's only a few blocks away.

Why: 'Cuz it's fun, and everyone gets dressed up to the nines. And we have fun. In rubber. And, oh yeah, boobs.

How: Wanna compete for the title to end all titles--not to mention a supreme crapload of delicious prizes? [Over 11 grand and counting.] Download the form here.

Directions and other info can be found here, including shopping, dining out, and additional party listings.

Tickets cost $50 per person, or $60 per couple. (So bring your main squeeze or a friend.) Advance tickets can be purchased here online or at NYC's premier fetish boutique Purple Passion in person. Need some latex to wear to the party? Purple Passion also carries Betty LaBamba latex.

Poll Results: My favorite piece of rubber is...

2007-11-03T22:11:00.000-04:00

Here's the results from the last poll, My favorite piece of rubber is:

Out of 86 votes,

22% chose "my hood"
60% chose "my catsuit"
10% chose "my leggings/stockings"
6% chose "my spare tire"

SMack! The Demonatrix Edition

2007-10-26T21:25:00.000-04:00

Halloween's almost here. You know what that means. It's SMack! party time, the best fetish/alt/punk/goth party ever! The theme is, like, demons n' shit. Now we all have an excuse to break out our red & black latex.

SMack! is tomorrow nite, but I think you still have time to buy advance tix and save $10.

Go here for all the info.

The Sky Ship

2007-10-22T12:26:00.001-04:00

Recently I saw a flyer in the city with this arresting image of men in outrageous leather gear. See pic above. It's from a silent film from 1918 called The Sky Ship (Himmelskibet), which played yesterday at BAM's Pordenone Silent Film Fest. I missed the screening [arg!], so here's the only info I have for you is from BAM's website:

Think silent films are dull? How about trips to Mars, singing clowns, or exposés of white slavery? They’re all here at the sixth year of highlights from the Pordenone Silent Film Festival, featuring remarkable films from the Danish film studio Nordisk. All films with live accompaniment by Donald Sosin unless otherwise noted.

The Sky Ship (Himmelskibet) (1918), 83minDirected by Holger-Madsen

An aviator constructs a ship to travel to Mars, where a utopian society is discovered. A sort of Danish Voyage to the Moon, The Sky Ship boasts wonderful set design as well as a thinly veiled plea for peace during wartime.

I'm just in time to miss everything...

Plastic Nurse Loo-ee Vee

2007-10-12T16:47:00.000-04:00

Although there was no rubber in sight, Marc Jacob's fall '08 collection for Louis Vuitton was nevertheless very exciting. Models paraded down the runway in transparent white gauze-like plastic retro-style nurse dresses accessorized with black lace surgical masks and the usual fabulous bags only %0.01 of the world's population can afford. Each model had a different letter on the front of her nurse's cap, spelling out L-O-U-I-S-V-U-I-T-T-O-N one after the other. The sherbet-colored dresses under the plastic nurse dress was also a nice effect.

I've got a serious weakness for all things medical. The nurse theme gets a bad rap among the ersatz-intellectual fetish elite for being boring and overplayed, but I still like it as long as the iterations are aesthetically pleasing. See, look at the big words I'm using. That makes my opinion better than yours. I'm kidding, I'm kidding.

All in all, the nurse uniforms in this collection are a nice interpretation of a standard fetish archetype. Be sure to check out the rest of the collection, too. [link above]

Red Stockings on a Skinny Bitch

2007-10-11T01:58:00.000-04:00

Found! in the May 2007 issue of Interview magazine [I know, I know, I'm a little behind on things], some skinny white chick in a pair of red latex rubber stockings throwing dead flower parts at us. The scan looks a little wonky because the magazine is printed on crappy newsprint.

Latex "Hsu"s for Everyone!

2007-10-06T17:44:00.000-04:00

Norman Hsu, the convicted fraudster and Ponzi schemer who raised massive campaign funds for Hillary "vote for me 'cuz I've been thru a lot" Clinton and Barack "no relation to Osama, I swear" Obama, apparently had ties to the apparel industry in the 1980's, reported Women's Wear Daily. That's not so interesting in and of itself, but get this:

While numerous news reports have described him as a "sourcing executive" or "fashion industry executive," no one contacted by WWD was aware of his business activities since the late Eighties. He was accused in California of running a Ponzi scheme in the early Nineties under which he was buying latex gloves for resale, but ended up spending investors' money on himself according to published reports. Hsu pleaded no contest to one count of grand theft in 1992, agreeing to three years in prison and a $10,000 fine. -- WWD, Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2007 (subscription required)

See, this proves that you can never tell who's into latex. Or Ponzi schemes. I'm still waiting for Hillary to call about a latex pantsuit, though. I'm thinking lilac with a large lapel and no pleats on the front of the pants. Pleat-front pants make everyone look fatter than they already are.

Poll: What's the best fetish mag ever?

2007-10-03T10:07:00.000-04:00

From now on, if the polls aren't too stupid, I'm going to post the results after they close. Anyone remember the "Which Simpson character would you least like to see in latex" poll? Moe won that dubious distinction, I think. I really wish I saved it.

Here are the results from last week's poll, "What's the best fetish magazine ever?"

Out of 16 votes,

00% chose Skin Two
43% chose Marquis/Heavy Rubber
12% chose Secret
31% chose Atomage
12% chose I don't know

Jeez, Skin Two got nothing. Even Secret got votes. I mean, they're all fine magazines, bastions of literary excellence. Oh, shit. I guess I just blew my chances of getting in either of them. Oops. I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Can I kid once in a while, or is the "scene" under an iron curtain with a sign saying "No Sarcasm Allowed"?

The Mechanical Muse: Hussein Chalayan FALL '07

2007-09-28T11:15:00.000-04:00

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.

Then again, Chalayan's a frickin' genius. His designs are very mechanical, not in a modern industrial sense, but rather in an ancient Greek and Italian Renaissance context. Go see the video from the fashion show here. It's a fantastic show in every way and you will not be disappointed.

All pictures in this post were ganked from style.com. Go here to view the rest of the collection and here to see previous fashion shows.

It's all Bush's fault!

2007-09-27T14:22:00.000-04:00

Today I give you, my dear loyal readers, no pretty shiny pictures and no useful advice. Instead, I present you with violence.

Frustrated? Need to unwind? Why not put on a rubber Halloween mask and try to shoot up a school?

September 27, 2007
Who Was That Mask, Man?
By Sewell Chan

The police said Omeash Hiraman was wearing a mask yesterday afternoon when he was arrested on the campus of St. John’s University with a .50-caliber rifle, but there were conflicting reports about what kind of mask he was wearing.

We don’t mean to make light of a disturbing story. No one was hurt, but the campus was locked down for three hours; Mr. Hiraman, a 22-year-old freshman, is being arraigned today on weapon charges. But we are bothered by slippery details.

During and after the lock-down, rumors swirled on campus that the mask resembled President Bush or Michael Myers, the character from the “Halloween” series of horror-slasher films, according to Peter Doggett, 23, a first-year law student from Pittsford, N.Y.

Chris Benson, the 22-year-old St. John’s student who helped apprehend Mr. Hiraman, said he believed Mr. Hiraman was wearing a President Bush mask.

The police had a different theory. They said that Mr. Hiraman — who at points took off the mask — was wearing a rubber mask with the mouth portion cut away. They said it looked like former President Ronald Reagan or, perhaps, Fred Flintstone from the cartoon series.

So was the mask based on Bush, Reagan, Myers or Flintstone?

News reports couldn’t agree this morning.

The Times and The Daily News, citing the police and Mr. Hiraman’s lawyer, Anthony J. Colleluori, went with Flintstone.

The New York Sun, evidently relying on Mr. Benson, reported that it was “a rubber President Bush mask streaked in red with the mouth cut out.”

The New York Post dodged the issue, calling it simply “a creepy Halloween mask.”

Looking at the picture of the actual rubber mask, we have to say it looks vaguely familiar — and nothing like any of the choices above.

--Article from THEE New York Times online blog stuff

Is it just me, or does the mask look like Marv Albert?

Drying & Talcing Latex Garments

2007-09-18T18:18:00.001-04:00

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.

House of Rubber #1

2007-09-12T19:33:00.000-04:00

Since I haven't done any "vintage" posts in a very long time--and I'm experiencing a major extended brain fart--here's some classic rubber eye candy. Click on the links below to view House of Rubber No. 1 in its entirety. Dial-up peeps take notice: all scans average 600 x 800 pixels. Go to this post to see H.o.R. #3.

Big thanks to Rubberron for emailing me the scans!

Please leave a comment if there's any broken or mislabeled links. Anonymous comments are OK.

The content of the following pages is 18+ and is reproduced here for anthropological reasons. I warned you already; don't get offended if you get offended.

Page 1 (front cover)
page 2
page 3
page 4
page 5
page 6
page 7
page 8
page 9
page 10
page 11
page 12
page 13
page 14
page 15
page 16
page 17 (my favorite out of the bunch)
page 18 (very cool pic)
page 19
page 20
page 21
page 22
page 23
page 24
page 25
page 26
page 27
page 28
page 29
page 30 (back cover)

The IAR's going off the air...

2007-09-11T16:23:00.000-04:00

...is a frightening possibility.

If you love the IAR, visit it daily or almost every day, or even if you don't but can't imagine the internet without it, go and donate a bit moolah to keep it running. Anything you'll willing to give is great, whether it's ten bucks, twenty bucks, or even a hundred bucks. You can donate securely through PayPal. The IAR is a vast, gigantic site that takes an incredible amount of effort to keep it online. Although membership to the IAR is free, the upkeep of a website of such magnitude is definately not free! Show your love and support and donate. Don't let the motto change from "You are not alone!" to "You're on your own."

For those of you who have no idea of what I'm talking about, the IAR (rubberist.net) is the largest and oldest forum website dedicated to rubber, and membership is free. Within it's pages, you can find a wide range of rubbberlicious topics, from the psychology of rubber fetishism to random rubber sightings to high fashion to care tips and much, much more. Without a doubt, there's no other place on the web that offers you so much information and community support.

New Betty LaBamba Latex Gear: Zip-Back Pencil Skirt

2007-08-30T17:20:00.000-04:00

Introducing the Latex Basics Zip-Back Pencil Skirt by Betty LaBamba. This pencil skirt is crafted from sturdy 0.45/0.50mm gauge latex rubber sheeting and features a separating zipper closure in the back. (Yup, it zips apart for easier dressing.) Not only that, you can unzip it partially from the bottom up for easier walking, which comes in handy when you have to run after somebody to give 'em the beat down. The zipper itself is fully re-enforced and has a flap (or fly) behind it to prevent your flesh from getting caught in the zipper teeth. Available in sizes 2 thru 14. See the size chart here, and the color chart here.

Price: $150.00

Available base colors: black, metallic bronze, semi-trans black.

Available trim colors: black, white, semi-trans black.

Zipper available in black or white.

Email: bettylabamba[at]bettylabamba[dot]com to order.

Jennifer Lopez in Latex?

2007-08-30T00:58:00.000-04:00

...not really, but it's close enough.

Found! in the Fashion Rocks supplement that came in the mail with my September issue of Vogue and Elle magazine: Jennifer Lopez, aka J-Lo, in a Dolce & Gabbana metal padlock corset and OMO Norma Kamali black leggings. The photo shoot details page in back of the magazine stated that the leggings are PVC. Too bad.

More Leggings and Other Things

2007-08-27T14:25:00.000-04:00

Found! in the September '07 issue of US Vogue magazine: random rubber headgear and something like resembles rubber leggings. The photos reproduced below are part of the same spread as the first two in my last post.

In both photos, you can see some type of red latex rubber hat thingamajig placed under the real hats. Don't go crazy looking for these hats on Madison Avenue; my guess is that the stylist cut up a sheet of 0.45mm or 0.55mm red latex and artfully arranged the pieces under the model's hats. Stylists--good stylists at any rate--do that kind of thing when it's time to add extra oomph to the clothing.

The "lipstick-red" leggings are by OMO Norma Kamali, who's known for her fetish-friendly PVC and spandex leg wear. The blurb doesn't say what kind of material the leggings are made out of, but they sure do look like latex. It's hard to tell from just a picture because PVC and certain types of shiny spandex sometimes photograph like latex.

In the second picture, the red gloves certainly shine like latex, but judging from the thumb seam, I think they are patent leather. Neither the maker nor the material is indicated anywhere in the magazine.

Click on the pictures to make them bigger.

Rubber Box Fashion For Your Next Rubber Box Social

2007-08-24T23:44:00.000-04:00

Found! in the '07 September issue of US Vogue magazine: a $858 boxy rubber shift dress I can't afford. The designer is Marni, who also did this jacket I wrote about in June. (I'm not linking to the Marni website because the site having major issues with my browser.)

The photo caption says the following:

BOLT FROM THE BLUE Beaver-fur mittens, a laminated rubber dress, and killer platform peep-toes create an electrifying ensemble; the cerulean stockings add even more voltage. Marni ebony dress [$858], mittens, and stilettos, Marni, NYC. Wolford tights.

And here's another rubber piece from Marni, this time an "onyx" rubber skirt at a mere $486. (Still complaining about the cost of rubber clothing, eh?) Vogue's fantastic caption writer tells us that "natural or synthetic--whatever the fabric, the more tactile, the better." I agree!

Let's come back to the first dress, since it's also featured in the Fashion Rocks supplement that came with the Vogue in a very oi! oi! old skool punk rock spread. This makes me wanna break out some Exploited and talk about the good old days.

Also note that the model in the striped mohair sweater/pull-over is wearing black latex leggings. So what's up with all the latex leggings in the fashion magazines? I could put it into some type of socio-economic-post-feminist-ersatz-intellectual context, but I don't wear a bow tie and sandals on a daily basis--and I like to think my readers can smell bullshit from a mile away. Here's my verdict: they're trendy and they look fucking cool with almost everything.

Dishwashing Glove Gardening + Caucasian China Feti-chic

2007-08-23T14:47:00.000-04:00

Found! in the September 2007 issue of US Vogue magazine are two ads I think you will find interesting. Click on the pictures to full their full size.

The first one is an ad for tarynrose.com that pictures a woman in evening wear pretending to do gardening while wearing--stay with me now--fuchsia rubber dishwashing gloves! It doesn't make much sense, but the photo looks very adorable and very elegant. Wouldn't it be a scream if all the starlet "it" girls began wearing brightly colored dishwashing gloves with their borrowed couture on the red carpet?

Next is an ad with a Blade Runner by way of Kill Bill theme for the RAZR cell phone . I think it says "RAZR 2" or "RAZR Z" on the bottom--the font's too screwed up for me to read. (Frankly, I don't give a crap what it says. Some of the buttons on my old RAZR phone started falling off, and I had to put scotch tape on the keypad to save them.) Too bad the outfit is not rubber; it's made out of some kind of PVC fabric. I can't tell exactly what material the accessories are made out of.

Back to School Blues

2007-08-21T11:22:00.000-04:00

It's nearing September, and we all know what that means: back to school time. You probably have kids that have to go back (kicking and screaming 'cuz summer fun time's over), or you're the one going back (kicking and screaming 'cuz you don't know how the fuck you're gonna pay off those student loans). The weather is getting colder, the sky is getting darker earlier, and you could have sworn you heard God laughing at you.

The approaching fall is not all that bad, however, considering now's the time of year when all the major US fashion mags put out their fall "biggest issue ever" editions. Ah, 5 lbs and 700+ pages of chic lumpen capitalism! The mailman hates me; I subscribe to all of them--Vogue, Elle, Bazaar, W. I've already "read" through the first 5lbs. Now I just have 15 more pounds of glossy perfume-drenched paper to wade through, mentally and physically . (Is there a patron saint of paper cuts I could pray to?) The good news is that I already found 5 pictures worth scanning and posting for my rubbery fashion conscious readers.

An another note, R.I.P. to Phil Rizzuto, Brooke Astor, Leona Helmsley, and Merv Griffin.

Brazil: Steampunk Lumpen Totalitarian Bureaucratic Nightmare

2007-08-14T01:43:00.000-04:00

Suspicion breeds confidence. --Brazil

What do ducts run amok, terrorist bombings, retro-futuristic steampunk imagery, lumpen totalitarian bureaucracy and Robert DeNiro have in common? The movie Brazil of course! Jonathan Pryce stars in this black comedy directed by Terry Gilliam (one of the guys from Monty Python) . Besides Robert DeNiro it also features Michael Palin (another Monty Python guy). The movie's from 1985, so you can be sure it does not have that perfectly bland digital commercial patina you see in every movie made nowadays.

The sets and costumes are absolutely amazing-- too amazing even for a government mule to scoff at. And yes, there is some random rubber content in the movie, though much of can be easily missed. Keep an eye out for the evil cops in gas masks and some random guy breathing into a rubber bag at what looks like a phone booth.

Semi-Transparent Smoke VS Semi-Transparent Black

2007-08-03T21:27:00.000-04:00

4D Rubber makes the Semi-Trans Smoke, officially termed Semi-Trans Grey, which I previously wrote about here. The Semi-Trans Black is made by Radical Rubber, the new latex kid on the block.

So what's the difference between them? I took pictures. Look.

I'm guessing both companies use some kind of black pigment for both. One's a hell of a lot greener than the other, obviously. However, S.T. Black does have a slight greenish hue, though on the whole it appears very brownish under most lighting conditions. This reminds me of one time in high school art class when I was mixing black and white paint together. You would think I would get gray paint out of the mix, but no....I got some fucked up chartreuse green. It may have been because of my Alice in Wonderland luck or because of the excellent fine arts department at my ol' high school where the track coach was also the art teacher. He was a real character, as are all high school teachers, and had no artistic ability or critical eye. His only direction to us art students was "You should put some more glue on this" or "Let me put some glue on that." On second thought, maybe I actually did learn something from that class. Excuse me while I go put some glue on some latex.

S.T. Smoke and S.T. Black photographed over a white background:

S.T. Smoke and S.T. Black over my arm:

Slow News Week

2007-07-30T15:21:00.000-04:00

My dear readers, it's been a slow news week. There's not much to write about and I don't really feel like writing about what can be written about.

In honor of The Simpsons Movie, which everyone except me has probably seen by now, I did one of those avatar "create your own Simpsons character" things the Fox network has been shoving down our throats. (Since the movie site's so flash heavy, I'm not gonna even bother to link to it.) I tried to get it to look as much as my real self as possible. Brown pants? Check. Blue sneakers? Check. Black shirt? Check. A look of frustration and ennui in the eyes? Check. Oh, Like the rubber duck on my shirt? Cute, right? See, I can still manage to sneak in a reference to rubber.

Rubber Animal Farm

2007-07-18T13:25:00.000-04:00

Inflatable rubber whale helps scientists rescue stranded whales. Story below.

Screw politics! The Rubber Betty Blog gives you all the news that actually matters. Rubber animals are taking over the world, and the media expects me to care about Hillary Clinton? When she starts wearing latex pantsuits on her campaign trail, I'll take notice. But for now, let's take a trip to the rubber animal farm.

Rubber duck armada nears Britain -- article from Ananova.com

The first of 29,000 rubber ducks which have been circling the world's oceans for 15 years are expected to wash up on a British beach soon.

The ducks fell overboard from a container ship bound for Seattle from China in 1992, reports the BBC.

Their journey since has given scientists a valuable insight into surface currents as they have been far more widely reported than the floats scientists use.

"The ducks went around the North Pacific in three years - all the way from the spill site to Alaska, over to Japan and back to North America," said Curtis Ebbesmeyer, a retired oceanographer based in Seattle.
"This was twice as fast as the water at the surface - so I began to call them hyper-ducks."

The floating ducks are expected to wash up on the Cornish coast this summer, battered and bleached by their journey through the waters of the Arctic, the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

They have floated along the Alaskan coast, reaching the Bering Strait in 1995. It is thought they were trapped by slow moving ice for several years as it then took them until 2000 to reach the Atlantic ocean.

A year later, they were tracked in the area of the north Atlantic where the Titanic sank. Some broke away and headed for Europe, others have surfaced in Hawaii, Indonesia, Australia and South America.

Two children's books have been written about the toys which have become collectors' items, selling on eBay for £1,000.

Beachcombers will know whether these are the genuine rubber ducks as they will have the words "The First Years" stamped upon them.

Rubber ducks' global journey of discovery from the Daily Mail

Read more about our adventurous rubber--well, technically plastic--friends at dailymail.co.uk here.

Rubber whale helps train rescuers -- article from BBC News

A lifesize two-tonne pilot whale, made of rubber, is helping to train groups of marine rescue volunteers in Gwynedd.

The course in Barmouth is being run with groups involved in rescuing seals and dolphins that become beached or injured.

The British Divers Marine Life Rescue Group (BDMLR), which tried to rescue a whale trapped on the Thames in London last year, is running the training.

The course aims to form a group of volunteers to be on 24-hour standby.

Wales coordinator for the BDMLR Phil Lewis said: "The north Wales coast receives a number of strandings of marine mammals each year and we are keen to boost the numbers of trained medics to respond to these strandings."

The course includes lectures on marine mammal biology and first aid and then practical exercises on rescue techniques at the nearby beach.

These include handling injured and stranded animals, first aid, assessing injuries and the refloating of dolphins and whales using the rescue group's specialist equipment.

Three different inflatables will be used during the course, including a dolphin and a seal pup.

Mr Lewis added: "The water-filled inflatable mammals we use are so lifelike that when the course has been run in the past, members of the public have offered to help, thinking they were real!"

He said that the group dealt with around 12 live strandings a year.

"Some are due to disorientation, some are through sickness, some could be pure accident where they have taken a wrong turning out at sea and come into an area where there's no feeding for them," said Mr Lewis.

"We learn a lot with every rescue that we attend, we always learn from things.

"We know from an assessment we can tell whether or not it is a reasonable thing to put the animal back into the water to refloat it or whether or not it does need to be humanely put to sleep."

Veterinarian gives dog a rubber eye -- article from Tampabays10.com

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. (AP) — One family's golden retriever is getting a new look at life, thanks to a veterinarian who specializes in making prosthetic eyes for cats and dogs.

Lucky lost an eye to glaucoma, and the Needell family of Boca Raton decided to have the diseased eye replaced by a black silicone ball.

The prosthetic doesn't help Lucky see any better, but the family says the nine-and-a-half-year-old dog doesn't look any different, and the fake eye even moves like a real one would.

Lucky's vet says she implanted 25 of the rubber eyes last year, mostly in dogs.

The American Veterinary Medical Association says the prosthetics eyes are considered cosmetic — and they're not the only silicone implants available for animals. Vets say testicular implants for male dogs who have been neutered have been available for years, but they never caught on with owners.

Yellow Latex Leggings

2007-07-15T11:02:00.000-04:00

Found! in the July '07 issue of US Elle magazine, a pair of yellow latex leggings. The model is wearing them throught most of the photos in the spread, but this is the best one. It's some type of sporty theme. The leggings weren't made by me, and I really don't feel like sending business to another label.

Everyone loves polls!

2007-07-12T13:24:00.000-04:00

Blogger recently added a new poll thingamajig, and I fully intend to make use of it. One's already up. Take a look at the navigation strip of crap on your right hand side. Gallup and Zogby got nottin' on me, nottin. Every week I'll make a new ridiculous poll that may or may not have anything to do with rubber. After all, we can't be serious all of the time. Suggestions are certainly welcome.

Rising Fetish Photographer: S. Jenx

2007-07-11T14:42:00.000-04:00

Keep your eyes out for photographer and graphic designer S. Jenx. His artwork bleeds dark surrealism-- it's definately not your average stock fetish imagery. He's been shooting for 17 years and his influences range from Carravagio to Cindy Sherman. I think it definately shows. Drool over this photo of NYC model Cyndie Myst modeling Betty LaBamba latex. Ok, enough with the drooling now. Wipe your mouth.

High Tide Heels

2007-07-11T00:12:00.001-04:00

Look at these shoes! High heels + scuba gear = "High Tide Heels". Schiaparelli would be proud, I'm sure of it. Unfortunately, I have no additional info to give you other than these images. Is it an internet joke? Is it an anonymous art installation? Is it an actual product? No one knows yet. Let's just keep our flippers crossed that someone will reveal all soon. The most info on this fetish fashion mystery can be found here at the IAR.

Attention Comrades! All bodily functions are now State Property.

2007-07-09T21:56:00.001-04:00

I can smell the class struggle from here. It smells like....rubber.

Don't get sent to Siberia. Keep yourself silent with a Betty LaBamba Silence, Comrade! Surgical Mask, which features a Lenin-tastic hammer & sickle applique. Communism has never looked so sexy. And for $40.00 + s&h, that's a real bargain, comrade. Why spend hours waiting in line for bread when you could buy precious rubber directly? Email bettylabamba[at]bettylabamba[dot]com to order.

Listen Up, Bitches

2007-06-30T15:39:00.000-04:00

By bitches I mean fabulous wonderful people.

There's a new sheriff in town, and by sheriff I mean a new latex sheeting manufacturer. If you read 3XL and hang around RubberPal and IAR, you might already know the story. More info about the company is posted at The Fetishistas blog, where I ganked the picture in this post.

Basically, Radical Rubber is a UK-based fashion latex sheeting manufacturer in conjunction with the label Libidex. I just received my sample pack today and I'm too pleased for words. I should call up the people at Webster's Dictionary and tell them to include Radical Rubber in the definition of quality. Seriously, I doubt I'll be able to sleep for the next couple weeks. Yeah, I already placed an order for a ton of shit. You'll see what I got soon. I also have more garment styles to add to the Betty LaBamba catalog and some one-off shtuff forthcomming. Bear with me, I'm only one woman. An obsessive compulsive woman.

Rubber Ice Cream: The NEOpolitan

2007-06-28T15:00:00.000-04:00

What do you get when you mix neapolitan ice cream with a latex mini skirt? Betty LaBamba 's NEOpolitan Mini Skirt of course! This particular mini in the picture is flavored with liberty, fraternity and equality, but the possiblities are endless. Go here to see what flavors--excuse me-- colors I have in stock. Price is $60.00. Email bettylabamba[at]bettylabamba[dot]com to order, or, contact me through my yummy latex goodies eBay store.

Big thanks to 3XL: Love, Lust, Latex for mentioning my label and blog! THANKS and a big rubber-gloved high five!

Rubber Tee-Shirts and Patent Jackets

2007-06-26T16:16:00.000-04:00

Found! in the July '07 issue of US Vogue magazine are two very interesting jackets. At first glance, they look like rubber --especially the one on the right-- but Vogue informs me that they are patent leather. The fur-trimmed coat is by Marni Pekan, the extra rubbery lookin' one is by Marni. Go to style.com here to see more patent leather looks by Marni. I give you full permission to think outside da box: the black catsuit and hood combination is not the only one true holy grail in life.

Found! (part deux) in the July '07 issue of US Elle magazine is the following blurb about House of Holland's clever slogan tees. The pink and black tee-shirt dress is indeed made of out latex rubber. See a better view of this cute-as-all-fuck dress below the blurb.

Picture above ganked from House of Holland.

Where Am I?

2007-06-21T22:18:00.000-04:00

I'm sorry I haven't kept up to date with new posts for the past ten days. Life hit pretty hard. My father passed away June 12 and I need grieving space. I don't think I need to get into here about how much I love him and how much he's given me. If you love my Betty LaBamba products, note that without his support I doubt the label would have lasted past the dreaming stage.

In the meanwhile, check out these blogs I recently added to the link list: F&ART, which is mostly fashion, and Swiper's Snake Pit, whom some of you may recognize from the RubberPal forums. You could always re-live the Rubber Betty good times by perusing the archives.

I'll be back to terrorize the blogosphere next week.

Documentary Double Feature

2007-06-10T18:44:00.000-04:00

Two feature-length documentaries are up for review today that I think you might find interesting-- actually, what I find interesting. Go ahead and netflix it up if the mood strikes you.

The first is Burden of Dreams directed by Les Blank. It's a documentary about the filming of Werner Herzog's epic Fitzcarraldo, which I wrote about in this post, and has nothing to do with rubber otherwise. Watch it to learn about the native Amazon Indians. Why? If it wasn't for them, I doubt anyone would be able to have a rubber fetish...or car tires. The DVD I rented also came with Les Blanks short, Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe, whose premise may be guessed from the title. Herzog does eat his shoe but not the rubber sole part.

The second is Julien Temple's The Filth and the Fury , a "rockumentary" about the Sex Pistols. Interspersed with interviews and band stuff scenes from what I believe is the fetish classic Dressing For Pleasure. Also, there's video of the interior of Vivienne Westwood's shop SEX showing punk it girl Jordan dressing herself and others in Atomage rubber gear.

Protect Yourself From Infectious Lawyers...

2007-06-01T12:55:00.000-04:00

...wear a Betty LaBamba surgical mask. We here at Betty LaBamba care about public safety, your public safety.

Andrew "Tuberculosis is Awesome, dude!" Speaker

Andrew Speaker, now lovingly known as "TB Andy" or "That TB Guy" is in my opinion a fucking asshat personal injury lawyer from Atlanta, GA, who figures he's special and the rules don't apply to him. Somehow he got a "dangerous, extensively drug-resistent" strain of TB, knew he had it, yet took a few plane trips around the world anyway. What a nice, caring, wonderful man. Oh c'mon, TB is nothing--it's just a little cough! It's not like anyone could actually die from it. In fact*, studies show contracting TB is beneficial for AIDS and cancer patients and may even help them recover competely in cases where death is the only option.

*In case some of you humourless twats didn't get it, this is satire, bad satire but satire nonetheless. And my unimportant opinions which constitutes my opinion.

Lush Fetish Ruffles Attack

2007-05-30T13:31:00.000-04:00

The picture above hints at one of the first steps of latex ruffle making. Notice how nice and even the strips look. I've got a thing for narrow strips of latex sheeting folded over each other over and over again. It reminds me of certain Marcel Duchamp paintings, don't ask me why.

See the completed ruffles in action below in Betty LaBamba's new "Ruffled Leg Garters".

Price: $105.00. Sizes go by thigh circumference and include the following: 16"/XSMALL, 18"/SMALL, 20"/MEDIUM, 22"/LARGE. Bigger sizes may be made to measure at the cost of %20 extra. They're made from heavy 0.55mm latex and come with three garter clips on each leg. Extra garter clips can be added at the cost of $7.00 per pair. Ruffle and trim colors are available in whatever sheeting I have in stock, the base color is only available in white or black.

SMack! June 2nd NYC "Sexxxy Spies"

2007-05-29T23:13:00.000-04:00

What: SMack! NYC's Premiere Multimedia Fetish Party celebrates its 11-year anniversary! You must be 18 with ID to get in.

When: 2 June 2007. Doors open at 10pm. Party ends 4am.

Where: Club Shelter 150 Varick St. b/t Spring and Vandam (New York City)

Dress code: "SexXxy Spy/Secret Agent- Emma Peel [the Avengers], Latex Catsuits/Catburglars, Tuxedos+Guns [James Bond/007], Goldfingered (goldbody paint), Molotov Cocktease, Agent 99, Assassin, Ninja, Fembot, Bladrunner, etc etc Fetish: Latex. Leather, PVC/Vinyl, Metal, Corsetry, Military Uniforms, Warped and Kinky" The more effort you make and the more fabulous you look, the better chance you have of getting laid. That's one of the immutable laws of the universe. If you don't like it, that's not my fucking problem.

Buy tix here online or in person at the following stores:

Purple Passion: 211 W. 20th. St. 7th/8th Aves, NYC 212-807-0486

Gothic Renaissance: 108 4th Ave @ 11th St. NYC 212-780-9554

The Baroness: 530 E. 13th St. NYC 212-529-5964

Yeah, I'll be there unless I have to be somewhere else at the last minute. I'm not doing a fashion show, so that nite I'm just a civilian. Yawn. Feel free to come up to me and say "hello" but don't get offended if I seem distant, bitchy, or awkward. It's not you (unless you're one of the four people I have seething festering personal vendetta against)-- I have a lot of anxiety and get freaked out in social situations. So yeah, say HI!

Wikipedia Go Fork Yourself, Here Comes LatexWiki!

2007-05-23T21:33:00.000-04:00

Grandpappy of the rubber blog-o-sphere (brubb-o-sphere?) 3XL: Love Lust Latex has just developed the fetish counterpart to Wikidisinformationa, LatexWiki. It works and looks like original recipe Wiki, but it's better because it's shiny.

The LatexWiki is a free latex fetish encyclopedia that anyone can edit, a online resource for latex fetishists, rubberists and rainwear lovers. --LatexWiki

Vintage Mags: House of Rubber #3

2007-05-23T15:27:00.000-04:00

Long time readers of the Rubber Betty Blog may remember my post about the mini-mag House of Rubber No.3. I switched image hosting to another place, so the links in that post won't work. Here are the new and improved links. (Please leave a comment if the links below are broken or I listed the same image twice.) Disclaimer: don't click on 'em if you're under 18 years of age.

Front cover

pages 01-02
pages 03-04
pages 05-06
pages 07-08
pages 09-10
pages 11-12
pages 13-14
pages 15-16
pages 17-18
pages 19-20
pages 21-22
pages 23-24
pages 25-26
pages 27-28
pages 29-30
Back cover

All Is Wellie with the World

2007-05-21T23:21:00.000-04:00

I've got a big thing for wellies, especially funky lookin' wellies like the pair above. Good thing for me, they tend to be in fashion pretty frequently. Unfortunately, when they actually go out of fashion, they're hard to find and way too expensive once found. Funky-Wellington-Boots.co.uk carries an eclectic range of wellies for the whole family along with neoprene wellies and chic leather riding boots. Even if you don't get yourself a pair, read the site's "Facts About Wellies" for a fetish history lesson.

Big thanks to Garlor from IAR (rubberist.net) for his original post there. By the way, IAR now takes donations via PayPal. Hint. Hint. Nudge. Nudge.

Beauty Hospital

2007-05-19T14:40:00.000-04:00

Introducing a new breakthrough in cosmetic surgery: Betty LaBamba's Beauty Hospital Cosmetic Surgical Mask for all lovers of beauty and glamorous artifice.

Beauty knows no pain, so what you crying about girl? -- Frank Zappa

Sliced flesh pulled, tightened, stitched. Anesthetic dreams, plastic phallic injections, bruised bodies out of breath. Perfection is pain. You'll be a woman soon. Fuck it all: wear rubber. Your doctor plays dress-up when no one's looking, anyway.

The Beauty Hospital Cosmetic Surgical Mask is available on demand in any colors in stock. The price of perfection is $35.00. Email bettylabamba[at]bettylabamba[dot]com to order.

Mattress Giant Sealy Breaks Into Fetish?

2007-05-17T13:55:00.000-04:00

Mattress manufacturer Sealy has come out with a new mattress using "latex comfort materials". Nice euphemism there. Now you rubberists home-improvers can buy a latex mattress to go with your latex rubber bedsheets and pillowcases.

The Wall Street Journal reports:

Build a better mattress, and the world should grab a pillow and beat a path to your door. They might even pay top dollar when they arrive.

That's what Sealy Corp. is hoping. With more than $1.6 billion in sales last year, the world's largest bedding manufacturer is making what seems to be an aggressive push into rubber latex for specialty bedding.

From a factory in Mountain Top, Pa., the company is ramping up its U.S. production for nonspring, 100% latex mattresses and latex core mattresses, with the first shipments expected this month...

"Speciality bedding"? Aha! But we all know what they're really up to, don't we?

I Will Outrubber You

2007-05-11T20:42:00.000-04:00

The title of this post is a line from the movie Fitzcarraldo, directed by Werner "I'll eat my shoe" Herzog. If you like two and half hour long foreign movies, check it out. If you have no attention span, buy yourself a six-pack and a bottle of Ritalin and watch it anyway. You get to see a rubber baron (no relation to The Baroness) feed some fish thousand dollar bills.

What's it about? Since I'm terrible at condensing 2 1/2 hour movies into short paragraphs, here's the synopsis from Wik-omnipotia:

Fitzcarraldo, a great fan of the famous tenor Enrico Caruso, dreams of building an opera house in the remote Peruvian city of Iquitos. To make his dream a reality, he purchases a steamer, acquires the deed to a rubber-rich, but inaccessible, area of the jungle, and sets off to exploit this area until he earns enough money to build his opera. However, because his newly-acquired territory can only be reached via a tributary of the Amazon River strewn with dangerous rapids, he devises a more creative solution: travel up a parallel tributary; then, with the manpower of helpful natives, physically pull the steamship over a mountain, from one river to the next.

In one scene, they show a rubber tree (hevea brasiliensis) being tapped for it's sap (latex), and talk about how heavy it is and how much it stinks. Sorry, no dildo-licking fake lesbians playing dress up in this movie. No, that's a lie: I'm not sorry.

The documentary filmaker, Les Blank, made a documentary about the filming of Fitzcarraldo, called Burden of Dreams. I haven't watched that one yet, but it's in my Netflix queue. I'll do a post about it after I watch it if I feel the need to. However, a little birdie tells me that most of you would rather read about the fake lesbos in latex.

Ding! Ding! Round's Over

2007-05-09T22:50:00.000-04:00

It's been a long while since I posted something with a pic and not just mind-numbing text. In honor of the DeLaHoya-Mayweather fight, here's a sweet blast from the past from Atomage Bondage Supplement No.1, page 17.

Even though I don't follow boxing and could give less of a crap, I knew Mayweather was going to win-- it was a certain sparkle in his eyes. Maybe I should've bet some money on it. Oh, well.

RubberBay: Alternative Auction Site

2007-05-07T12:27:00.000-04:00

There's a new addition to the "adult" auction sites that have popped up in response to eBlah's puritanical "no fun stuff" policy. This one's called RubberBay and is-- pardon the pun-- geared mainly towards the buying and selling of latex/rubber products.

From RubberBay's "About Us" page:

RubberBay.com is the online auction specialized on rubber/latex clothing, toys and accessories and also other fetish gear you can imagine.

All registered users can buy, sell or swap their new or used gear.

Companies or users who have lots of stuff to sell are welcome to open stores to profit from lower fees.
We hope you will enjoy our auctions!

Kind regards,
RubberBay.com Team

It's really new and I haven't used this site, but there is talk about them on the RubberPal forums. Anyone have any experience with RubberBay?

NYC Fetish Model Cyndie Myst in Sunsilk Hair Commercial

2007-05-05T18:15:00.000-04:00

My friend and NYC fetish model Cyndie Myst is in a Sunsilk "Get hairapy" commercial. Go here to view it. Click on "Hair Toons" and then on the green boot button. Yup, that's her legs rendered in poppy animation.

Cyndie says: "Believe it or not, that short commercial took about 3 hours. I had to walk this pattern...crack a single tail, over and over. But hey...the annimation is kinda cool. The sound is actually from filming."

Way to go, Cyndie!

Say It Loud! Say It Proud! or More on Washing

2007-04-22T22:28:00.000-04:00

NEVER HANG LATEX OVER YOUR SHOWER CURTAIN ROD!
NEVER HANG LATEX OVER YOUR SHOWER CURTAIN ROD!
NEVER HANG LATEX OVER YOUR SHOWER CURTAIN ROD!

Why? And yes, the all caps mean I'm yelling at you.

The rod is metal. Metal is bad for latex and will stain it. Therefore, hanging a [wet!] latex garment over a shower curtain rod to dry is bad and will stain it.*

Naughty, naughty. Don't do it. Or do it 'cause you're lazy and don't want to take five minutes out of your totally awesome busy life to wipe off your expensive clothing. How much did your outfit cost? $300? $400? And it's white? OK, fine.

*Knife fight to the death: rubber syllogisms vs rubber haiku. Who will win? Available on pay-per-view channel 99 for $49.99 saturday night. Don't miss it or you'll suck 4-ever.

Washing Latex Garments Part I

2007-04-13T21:22:00.000-04:00

This post is for those of you new to washing latex garments. The first time I washed any latex, I though to myself, "Oh my gawd, am I doing this right? What the hell is going on? Why is it changing color? Is this normal?" I've never heard anyone talk about this, so I took a picture to show you what happens to the fabric itself when it's submerged under water. In fact, latex, especially darker colors, will change color and become grey-ish and cloudy during washing. The "wrong" side, or rougher side, will appear darker (much like woven fabric clothing). Once it's completely dry, it will go back to normal. Wiping off the garment with a soft towel will not remove all the moisture in the fabric. It will need a few minutes of air drying to get completely dry.

If you don't know the first thing about proper washing or need a refresher course, here are some basics before we go on the the pictures.

The basics of washing latex garments:

Use warm water that's not too hot or too cold.
Don't use a harsh sponge to wash your garment. It will destroy the soft shiny finish of the latex. If you need some kind of a sponge, make sure it's soft.
If plain water is not enough and soap is needed, use a mild dish detergent without citrus. Don't use harsh detergents or chemicals. Rinse off all the soap.
Hand wash only. I personally don't recommend putting latex in the washing machine. Sure, it may work for some people, but not every washing machine is created equal. I don't even like washing my "regular fabric" clothing in the machine because they tend to get fucked up. While we're on the subject, don't put expensive delicate bras and panties in the washing machine either.
When drying off your garment, use a soft lint-free towel. Don't use a paper towel; you'll scratch the finish and get a bunch of lint crap on it.
A good drying system is to start on the inside of the garment first, concentrating on seams, zippers, grommets, and any metal stuff. Wet metal is dangerous to latex!
I recommend talc-ing at least the inside of the garment after it's dry. Talc the outside if you're storing it. You don't have to have yourself an 80's coke party with the talcum powder, enough to keep the garment from sticking together is fine.

Semi-Trans Smoke swatch:

Semi-Trans Smoke* garment, just washed, still wet:

In the picture directly above, you can see how the latex changed colors under the water. It appears cloudy and spotty and even "warped" in some places. Don't worry, plain water is not going to "hurt" the latex. For example, once when I was really forgetfull and left a garment in a wet sink overnight, I found it horribly bubbly, warped, and discolored. I thought I screwed up a perfectly good garment, but after I wiped it off and let it air dry, it turned back to its original glory. However, don't take this as an OK to leave your dirty latex laundry in the sink, especially if it has metal bits like zippers, rings, or snap closures. Latex is a fickle and delicate mistress that must be handled with care.

*The trim color is Olive Green.

Ruffle My Feathers

2007-04-12T23:29:00.000-04:00

Like, ZOMG! Does ruffles mean it's automatically "couture"?!?!?!! No.

A customer recently asked for a "ruffled" version of the Betty LaBamba basic thong with really big ruffles, and I'd thought I'd share the results with you. The base color is black, the trim and ruffles are metallic pewter. Price varies depending on size and color and is available upon request.

See more pics below. Forgive the dark pics, please; I need a soft box pretty badly. Eh, maybe I should just go to Target or something and get some regular office lamps.

The fucking Beyonce crap you all have been whacking off to...

2007-04-03T20:22:00.000-04:00

Ok, click here to watch the music video for "Green Light" starring Beyonce the Armpit Wonder of the Red Carpet. Yeah, bitch. I'm pissed I wasn't nominated for an Oscar, too.

Visually, the video is solid. Nice effects, set design, yada yada. I can do without the whiny milquetoast voice, though. I don't know why it referenced that Shania Twain video that in turn referenced another video from the morass of neon failure called the 80's. Maybe someone said, "It would look really cool if we did...." Probably.

The latex clothes themselves were meh. All right. Not good, not bad. Same old, same old. The stylists all go to the same couple of sources to get their shit. They looked off-the-peg. I liked the ballet shoes and the striped tube dress. That's it basically. I wonder how many of you reading are pissed off that I'm not wildly raving about how amazing the clothing is [exclamation point, exclamation point]. So you think you can do a better job, eh? you may ask. Answer: Yes. What am I gonna do, say no?

Nundies! No Undies!

2007-03-29T00:34:00.000-04:00

Listen up ladies (with female parts)!

There's a new product on the market called Nundies which claims to have the power to liberate twats from traditional undergarments:

Women of the world unite! Are you embarrassed by tacky panty lines? Do you despise wearing uncomfortable thongs and g-strings? Do you dream of going "commando" without the discomfort of itchy clothing? Well, now you can say "So-long!" to your thong and "Bye-bye!" to your briefs, because women everywhere have a new lease on freedom.

Now, I personally like wearing underwear--I have on at least ten pairs at any given moment--but this looks promising for us latex underwearin' folk, especially for fetish models and the hygienic-minded latex companies who hire them for photoshoots and fashion shows. Not only that, some of us are susceptible to yeast infections, and not all of us like going completely bare under a tight latex ensemble. Think about it: who the fuck wants a pantyline showing under a $$$$ catsuit?

So what exactly are Nundies? Propaganda from the Nundies website:

Nundies are a one-time use, disposable panty that adhere to the inside crotch of a woman's pants. They are intended for use as an alternative to wearing underwear. Nundies are a great fashion solution product for women who want to go bare down there without the discomfort of itchy clothing. Nundies also save women from the embarrassment of tacky panty lines and from having to wear uncomfortable thongs.

Always at the cutting edge, fashion models around the world are lining up for this latest fashion fix:
"Panty lines are the ultimate fashion faux pas!" according to International Model and Premiere Fashion Event Producer Jan Strimple. "New technology has enabled textile manufacturers to create the finest of lingerie fabrics, but even the slimmest g-string can't compete with Nundies. They're in every stylist's and model's bag for lingerie shoots, swim shoots, and for barely there summer clothes .... and in our personal wardrobes for everyday wear. We can't live without 'em!"

Brought to market by Dallas-based Advanced Materials, Inc. (AMI4), Nundies marks a new product line for the company known for its success in manufacturing medical products, such as diet patches, mammography pads, and single-use ice packs. The vibrant company lead by 40-year-old William Mortensen, President and CFO, has a host of new ideas on the drawing board...

The disposable, tulip-shaped Nundies come in packages of five for a suggested retail price of $15 each. Whether it's 5 Naughty Black Nundies, 5 Blushing Buff Nundies, or 5 Sassy Assorted Nundies, there's a color to suit every need.

Disclaimer: I, along with Betty LaBamba, am not in any way affiliated with Nundies/AMI4. However, if anyone from that company is reading this, I'll take a couple sample packs.

Inflatable Leather By Gareth Pugh

2007-03-27T14:37:00.000-04:00

Am I the only one who's wondered what would happen if the ghosts of Leigh Bowery and Atomage's John Sutcliffe made wild wild love by a pool? Yeah...probably.

Black and white leather inflatable arm thingy ensemble by Gareth Pugh from March 07 issue of the magazine W.

Keep your eyes on designer Gareth Pugh! Why should you care? He likes to use latex.

Pugh's talent makes me want to go into a jealous murderous rage. To put it mildly: he's got the "it" thing, and that it factor is kicking the shit out of us fetish designers' so-called "couture" creations. There's a special quality that sets his work apart from the rest of the avant guard trash that passes for ahhrt. Mark my words, although he's still a "young designer", he's either going to eventually make it big like John Galliano or crash and burn completely. I doubt he'll do the latter; he's got too much of a sense of humor.

Gareth, daaaahhling, call me.

Latex Dress on ABC's 'Ugly Betty' Sitcom

2007-03-26T15:13:00.000-04:00

Special thanks to good people at IAR for breaking the story (...a long time ago--don't look at me that way, I'm no journalist!). Pictures in this blog entry are from IAR.

ABC's hit show Ugly Betty recently featured an hilariously tight metallic silver latex dress manufacted by Syren/stockroom.com. Wouldn't it have been a bit funnier if they used Betty LaBamba instead? Fuck yeah, I'm going to be biased towards my own label!

Clips from the episode can be viewed here on [the almighty] YouTube: part one; part two; part three. The same YouTube user who uploaded the clips also has an excellent blog called Kinky Gerlinky where you can find the mutha load of Ugly Betty-related downloads and stills.

Other resources to get your Ugly Betty Latex Fix:

Ynot.com

TV Squad

The Bound Forum (age 18+ ONLY!)

AVN.com (another 18+)

For the clear plastic lovers...

2007-03-26T00:49:00.000-04:00

FOUND!:

In the April '07 issue of Elle magazine (USA), this Dolce & Gabbana advert.

The model's wearing a dress or top with oversized clear plastic flower corsage accented by clear thick-framed glasses. The corsage is obviously stitched and "stiffened" by some kind of wire. The bud thingy in the middle looks at though it's made from a white suede leather.

Go to this page from style.com to view runway photos of Dolce & Gabbanna's Fall 07 collection.