Longtime readers of theNotice will know: I’m a bit of a leather fiend. I love the buttery smell; the detailed hand stitching; the soft flexibility of a material that breaks down in a way that customizes each piece to your body over the span of years. I love how secure a good leather piece feels. But when it comes to a question of leather vs latex, I find myself split.

I wear a lot of natural textiles, like linen and silk, with little leather accents. Some of them are new and some are thrifted; others were just a quick, practical find. But as I branch out, I’ve been slowly adding more pieces of latex into my collection.

This little gem from Honour Latex sticks out to me as an oddly wearable, affordable item to start with. After all, there isn’t really a contest between leather vs latex in my head — why not just go with both?

Like leather, latex is an intimate material; structured and durable. Both have their own associations as kink wear, particularly in the BDSM community (they are, perhaps, the epitome of dressing for the job that you want), but from a purely aesthetic standpoint, they have a feeling. It’s close-quartered and raw, with a pressure to perform. Leather and latex are the law degree of the fashion world. Both will make people take you seriously — but are they ever going to be hard to pull off.

Why wear leather vs latex?

With leather and latex more than anything else, you have to embody the items in order to wear them well. They’re unforgiving. If you slouch in cotton, you look relaxed; if you slouch in latex, everything pinches. (If you slouch in leather that you haven’t broken in yet… well, let’s just say “chafing” and leave it at that.)

In terms of wear and care when it comes to leather vs latex, you have to truly love latex in order to manage it. We’re talking a full rinse and powder every time you take a piece off, with a rub-down using silicone-based lube to shine it up. That means you’re risking silicone stains on every surface you sit on, and you still have to deal with the massive amounts of sweat that you’re going to produce while wearing it.

But latex, I think, is forgiving in other ways. Well-made pieces are incredibly durable — when I purchased my first waspie and asked about its durability, the artisan who made it looked me in the eye and said, “honey, I could pick you up by that thing and throw you across the room if I really wanted to. Trust me, you couldn’t tear it if you tried.” It’s not as comforting or easy to clean as leather, but it’s also crazy strong and impossible to stain.

How to pick a great latex piece: Budget finds at Honour Latex

The one thing that I’ve learned from Honour Latex’s Silver Zip Latex Dress is that latex is (somehow) more wearable than I ever thought it would be. While I wouldn’t feel comfortable waltzing into a family restaurant in this dress, I think it would look right at home in a club or on the dance floor — without making anyone feel uncomfortable, which is really important to me. Consent over everything!

However, when you’re buying latex, you do really get what you pay for. This piece from Honour retails for £74.99. It’s comfortable and easy to put on, but it did arrive smelling strongly of latex. (I washed it with lukewarm water a few times when it arrived. It needed to air out in my closet for another 5 months before the smell went away). The elastic nature of the material means that it fits snugly, but the basic panel design bunches up around my hips, chest, and shoulders. Though this piece is sized to an XS frame, the shoulder straps are still about 1 – 1 1/2″ too long on me, and wobble around a bit.

That being said? The zipper closure on this is awesome. Its scoop neck design gives me cleavage that I’ve only ever dreamed of having before, and this is honestly so easy to get on and off. The length is just right, too — short in a way that’s flattering on a petite frame, but not super revealing.

Comfortable, high-quality latex at Northbound Leather

In contrast, I have a latex waspie from Northbound Leather (in Toronto) that I absolutely adore. Their short-frame corsets are around $198 CAD — so you’re getting about 1/3 of the material as compared to Honour Latex, for a little under double the price. (You won’t be able to find the style I have online, but you can call or email to order it with no extra charge!) The entire experience is different: my Northbound waspie has no scent at all, and the latex is significantly thinner. Somehow, however, it seems more durable. The seams are more tightly glued, and each panel is contoured to emphasize your features.

All of this goes to say one thing: if you’re picking a latex piece, you should suit it to your budget. I feel like there’s a huge difference in quality between my items from each brand, but honestly? I’m can’t justify spending $500 on a latex dress from Northbound. With my lifestyle, I simply wouldn’t be able to give it enough love!

Easy tips for bringing fetish wear into the everyday

I love kink in small amounts. I’m not a lifestyle kinkster, but like a lot of people in the blogging world, I’m pretty open about things. For me, latex and leather are a great way to subvert stereotypical fashion guidelines in an exploratory fashion. They serve as a physical reminder of the open, inclusive way that I want to frame my life. This dress in particular is a piece in my wardrobe that feels pointedly playful.

At the same time, irregular textiles are a really interesting way to connect to your body. Because these feel so different than what my skin and muscles have acclimated to, wearing them brings my attention into my body. It makes me hyper-aware of my pain levels, sensations, and existence in space. If you love somatic experiences like float tanks, I think you’d find new materials to be an interesting sensation, too.

To make latex more wearable as a non-kink piece, I like giving myself a one-item-per-outfit limit. Latex boots and gloves may be gorgeous, but they’re not really “me.” Above and beyond that, I never shine my latex pieces, either. Keeping them clean and almost imperceptibly powdered means that I can wear them without fear of a silicone reaction, and the brushed finish makes each a little more forgiving.

Leather is a little easier to wear as an accessory, perhaps because it’s been done well for so many more years. A little leather collar or set of cuffs are classy ways to express your kink in a way that’s super subtle — if, like me, that’s your thing.

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This dress from Honour Latex was a gift from the brand.