Beyond the practical descriptions of that A-Z, I thought of it as an interesting exercise to think how I would categorise the different types of latex clothing, and the reasons people wear them. This article is the result. Over to Japan now. In the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, the characters wear a high-tech suit called a plugsuit, which is made from an unknown form fitting material that moulds to the wearer’s exact shape. If that is not the perfect description of a custom made latex catsuit, often described as feeling like a second-skin, then I don’t know what is. And indeed, latex plugsuits are quite a staple cosplay outfit. More often than not, characters are never officially portrayed wearing latex per se, instead they could be wearing any non-descript figure-hugging material. It could be anything from lycra to latex, spandex to vinyl, or even some fictitious material, so long as it is skin tight, potentially reflective, and looks fabulous framing an heroic stance! If we’re absolutely honest, if your job title is Crime Fighter then instead of latex you would probably wear one of those other, more practical and breathable materials. But cosplayers never let these boring practical considerations get in the way of a cool and sexy rubber outfit! Latex may not be the best choice for fighting off super villains, but it certainly is more figure-hugging, more fantastical, more futuristic, more eye-catching. In short, perfect for bringing larger-than-life fictional characters to reality. EDI

In part 1, we looked at how fictional characters have been portrayed wearing latex outfits in official adaptations or promotions, and how that has inspired cosplayers to run with the theme and wear their own latex outfits when cosplaying those characters. In part 2, we will look at latex cosplay as artistic interpretation! From the game Mass Effect, EDI is an artificial intelligence inhabiting a humanoid robot body. As you’d expect, the effect is something living yet cold, metallic yet alien. This is no bulky, armoured robot, but sleek and feminine. I haven’t seen a better interpretation of this than with latex, which can achieve the metallic sheen and sci-fi look while keeping something quite organic and human about itself. I saw this especially when building the Vendor A-Z. Browsing some 350-plus online stores, I noticed some easily defined boundaries between one type of latex clothing and another. I sought to add these to the store descriptions to better guide people to the specific type of latex they may be looking for.

Release the Inner You

I find that we can class latex cosplay under three umbrellas, the first of which this post shall deal with: authenticity. Here’s hoping that Dare continues to grow her love of latex clothing and we see more shiny cosplay ideas from her soon. Latex is a hugely popular material when it comes to dressing up as characters from films, games, anime or comics, topping its popularity even among the fashionistas on the red carpet. In this two-part post, I’ll look into the different reasons why latex is perfect for dressing as something right out of fiction, with examples to illustrate the point (that’s what you came for, right?) Latex clothing is sufficiently popular that the world of assorted latex designers and wearers encompasses many different styles. When a person seeks out latex clothing, they will have something in mind beyond simply “anything from natural rubber”.