Last week we had discussions on the subjects of boots and chaps and this week I want to continue talking about the major apparel items that are critical to establishing a core of leather wear that will serve as a foundation for your collection while also achieving that well finished leatherman look. A look that proclaims "I may not live this lifestyle or wear this shit everyday but by God I know HOW to wear it and I look fucking hot when I do." And if not that then at least a look that doesn't make everyone at the local leather watering hole want to laugh in your face when you come prancing in for an evening out of drinking Dubonette with a twist.
Now, having purchased your first chaps and a good pair of boots to go with them we need to focus on the upper torso and although there are any number of garment choices that one can make in this arena I would suggest that when starting out one limit oneself to two very basic items and those are the harness and the vest.
Lets start with the vest since I think this is the easier of the two to deal with as there are limited styles available and frankly, one should really try to avoid all but the two most basic vests on the market when one is just beginning to assemble ones leather collection.
The nice thing about the vest is that it is really quite flexible, able to be worn solo with no shirt, with a t-shirt, with a harness underneath, with shorts or with jeans etc, etc., It also has a very nice feature in that a vest will tend to make the wearer look less fat, hiding love handles while highlighting chestiness and accentuating nice arms when worn shirtless.
The vest is also great for those who, like me, have their nipples attached directly to their dicks and who get instantly aroused when even the slightest breath of air passes over them. There's nothing quite so nice as wearing a vest shirtless and having the rough yet still soft inside leather of a good vest rubbing against ones nips while out participating in the various events that leathermen like to participate in – such as {very} cheap beer drinking, ass grabbing, belly rubbing, spitting in one another's open mouths, smoking awful smelling cigars or discussing the latest championship orchids that one just purchased for ones country/beach house.
I'm partial to the very basic vest with neither buttons, snaps, nor zippers and with a solid or closed side although as you can see in the picture of my ex boyfriend Patrick here (immediately above), the woven sided version can look very nice indeed. Vests are intended to be worn slightly small so that your abs and nipples are exposed and easy to get at so make sure that you don't get a vest that is sized so large that it looks as if Tarbosh the Tent Maker made it for you. Conversely, too small is to be avoided as well for this will only make you appear as if you are some sort of deranged sommelier with fetish issues.
As to the harness, for me this would be the purchase that I would make first if I had to choose between one or the other. My choice has absolutely nothing to do with practicality and is simply personal preference so let your own tastes be your guide when deciding for yourself what route to go in buying these items.
In my opinion harnesses are one of the most abused items of leather wear that you are likely to see on a man and the purchase of one is fraught with peril for the uninitiated or those credulous enough to believe their idiot friends who, when escorting them to the local leather store to help shop for this item, will moronically tell their buying friend "you look hot" when in reality he looks like a turd. Generally the reason for this, other than listening to his idiot friends, is simply the failure on the part of the buyer to adhere to the acronym of KISS when buying something of this nature. KISS obviously standing for Keep It Simple Stupid and when buying leather/fetish wear – or for that matter, anything else in life – it should be a guiding principle for everyone and a mantra repeated throughout ones day. Were this the case we all would have much more pleasant lives to be sure.
To say that there are a number of harness styles available would be an understatement of biblical proportions and it is important to realize that by the very nature of the construction of the harness it is both adjustable AND modifiable and it is in the subsequent modifications that most people step off the path of virtue and onto the road to perdition.
The basic "Top Harness" is a simple affair; four fairly equal lengths of leather permanently attached at one end to a steel O ring with a second O ring that the free ends of the leather straps can snap or buckle onto. Needless to say, I prefer the snaps to the more showy buckles but both can look smokin' on the right bod. The top harness is the basis for all other harnesses such as the English Top Harness, the Full Body Harness, the Noose Harness or the Open Back Harness. If you have a good Top Harness you can build yourself all of these that I just mentioned by adding to the basic Top optional items that can be purchased later.
Although some of these other harnesses can look fairly hot I've always tended to stick with the basic Top Harness with thick, one inch wide straps. If you're fey or wispy you will want one with thinner straps otherwise you'll look fucking ridiculous but lets face it, if you're fey or wispy pretty much any leather/fetish wear is going to make you look ridiculous so you just need to prepare yourself for that or find yourself something else to play dress up in, mmmkay?
After the jump I've put up some examples of various harness types, some of which are much more succesful than others.
The next lesson will be on accessories and the importance of being able to say "no" to yourself when accessorizing.
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