Repairs

When I picked the title and started to write this down I had another thing in mind. Eventually bringing together assorted ideas would lead to an extensive blog. Cautiously I decided to split it into two texts, addressing each idea at a time.
Being a fetish enthusiast and keeping an extensive collection of fetish garments demands important requirements. From room availability to storing conditions the fetish enthusiast will have to face several aspects, all demanding careful attention. Some of these aspects may be so evident that can often be overlooked. Eventually, a lesser awareness on some of these aspects can lead to an unsustainable situation. Indeed, the fetish enthusiast has to learn the best approach to deal with each of these aspects. Nevertheless, there is one key aspect which normally relates to all fetish collections and it's often ignored. Keeping a fetish collection requires time and money in order to maintain and repair a multitude of items. In fact, the more extensive and the more diverse the collection is, the more complex the whole conservation process is. In practice, what I mean is if you’ve gathered a collection of latex and leather clothing and high-heel’s footwear, and on top of that you have both stitched and glued latex garments and corsets and opera long leather gloves and,…, and thigh-high boots, you will end up having to gather a lot of information on all these items covering its specificities. Take for instance a latex garment which is made of glued and stitched panels, the repairing of such a garment is very much different from a glued garment. That means you will eventually need to find a skilled individual mastering each of this aspects. Thus, you will end up needing to gather as much information as you can on each of the items you possess. It is wise to keep a record naming each garment’s manufacturer/seller, on account of that’s supposedly the most accurate source for relevant information on each garment. Beyond that it is essential to learn as much as you can from the garment itself. A careful inspection can tell you a lot about the garment’s manufacturing process or techniques and the different materials used. Take for instance replacing a boning on a damaged Victorian corset; I would suggest a carefully inspection to find what is the original boning made of, and only then study the best solution, which can possibly rely on using the same material or an adequate substitute.
About 3 or 4 years ago I decided to replace a full length zipper on a thigh-high boot. Apparently not a complex job but if we take into account it is a made to measure model that can bring-up some other issues, namely: the availability of skilled individuals, the original cost of the boots and the possibility of a depreciation if the repair is not a quality job, or even eventually the impossibility of repairing as the original and the need for an alternative repair. Well, in my case I remember I had to run 5 or 6 shoe makers just to figure if they would be able to do the job. That wasn’t an easy job for me since the boot had a significant volume to carry it around all the time and it caused great sensation every time I took it out to show the repair men: it was a boot with a 9 inch stiletto heel and a 4 inch platform, all covered leather. I remember I had it repaired but not as I have instructed to. So, I kept in mind a new repair to have it properly fixed, and about two years latter I had the chance to have it made by a shoe maker instead of an ordinary repair shop. I remember him saying he could replace the zipper and do the stitching because it was the material was real leather. If it would be synthetic leather the sewing machine he used won’t be able to stitch it. Different materials call for different techniques and specific machinery. Each of the materials found on fetish wardrobe call for specific repair techniques. The fetish enthusiast will be called to learn the ropes on a complex blend of materials and techniques. I still keep the mentioned boots and I do consider these to be amongst the most important items I have.

Alison

I have arranged to sell Alison one of my latex catsuits. This is a garment I have bought through eBay from a seller in the UK. The catsuit is new and I have never got to wear it since it turned to be a very small size. I met Alison at YM and became a fan of her groups: AlisonInLeather and AlisonLeatherBitch. A couple of months ago she bought from me a red PVC body from «O» and a pair of red patent thigh-high boots. Unfortunately for the fetish enthusiasts «O» has been extinct but continues to be a reference on fetish fashion. Alison has done a photo session wearing this same outfit and published the pictures on her Group. Alison and John are an interesting fetish enthusiast couple, which prove the theory that fetish people are very respective individuals and creative minds.
I still have six latex catsuits in my collection and would probably like to sell two more. I have catsuits from each of the following manufacturers: kunzmann, Blackstyle, Invincible, Latexa, Libidex and Armory. I am of the opinion that a catsuit is the very top latex garment on a fetish wardrobe. But to rate it as top class the garment must have a good manufacturing quality and a good cut enabling best fitting. From the mentioned manufacturers and from my own experience with those latex catsuits, I would risk to say that all but one are very good quality. The exception is Latexa, which manufacturers catsuits based on a technique of gluing molded latex parts. But, in order to prevent damages, a latex catsuit needs careful storage and maintenance. This means you will need time to take care of your garment and room to properly store it. In addition you will need to have even more time to enjoy the feeling of being fully dressed in latex. I have reached the conclusion I do not have no time or room to fully enjoy my latex catsuits. My preferences go towards the Invincible, Libidex, Armory and maybe also kunzmann. These I will probably keep in my collection, which not necessarily mean that the others are worse. I am even a great fan of Blackstyle but for instance in what refers to this manufacturer, I found its sizing chart tends to run large and the size Small is way too baggy for my body.
Bellow is a picture from Alison and Sarah taken by John. Alison is wearing the red outfit and handling the cane.

Computer and layout

Last week's highlight is the new computer I have bought to replace my old Pentium II, working since 1998. This has been carefully prepared and I am happy to announce the topic is closed. I am way relieved and still excited with the whole thing around the new computer. These last days I have committed myself to organize my files, transferring all relevant information from the old to the new computer and installing software.
Meanwhile, on my bogging absence I have worked to set a new layout based on a new color palette using black, white and gray. I have also added a link section to the right-side bar, which is something the template did not have. I have only added links to other similar bogs, i.e. dealing with fetish. These are links to bogs I have been reading and find to be interesting for the fetish enthusiast. I must announce it has been thanks to 3xL support that I have gained courage to work on the template page and make it more consistent in terms of graphical design. The option available at Blogger allowing the user to freely edit the template page seems a very interesting functionality and there is no need to know about xml or xhtml. In fact Blogger has a very reasonable help link, which enables the user to learn about the most important commands and edit the code page. I begin to like it more and I realize I have made a wise decision to let my previous attempt of a web site and move onto the development of a dynamic web log.