Latex’s journey towards acceptance in the fashionable mainstream has been a slow one. For decades – nearly a century – it was seen only as the material used to make niche fetish gear or necessary but unfashionable items such as raincoats and boots. In contrast, the recent emergence of high-fashion latex has been rapid and explosive.

Putting on clothing is something we all do every day. At this point in your life, it’s probably not a task that you spend a lot of time thinking about. Slipping into your work clothing as you stumble sleepily through your morning routine has become second nature.

In our last article, we taught you how to properly lube up, put on and shine your favorite latex outfit. Unfortunately, as much as we’d all like to, we can’t keep our fashionable latex wear on forever. Eventually, at the end of the day (or night, if that’s more your style) you have to get undressed, clean off both your clothing and yourself, check for and repair any damage, and put your latex away in proper storage.

When you think of latex, your mind probably travels to one of two extremes. Perhaps “latex” to you brings on the image of a bulky raincoat, shapeless and fully covering, perhaps with a pair of equally bulky boots to match. On the other hand, you might instead think of a slinky, sexy catsuit, such as that worn by Catwoman or the principal cast of The Matrix.

Without a doubt, the most recognizable piece of latex clothing is the full-body suit. From slinky supervillains to badass action heroes and heroines, the latex suit has entered the public consciousness as a symbol of both sensuality and confidence. Within the fetish scene, the full suit has evolved to evoke both dominance – the traditional “catsuit” – and submission – “the face- and eye-covering “gimp suit”.