Tag: Fashion

If you’ve hung around femdom blogs long enough, there’s a good chance you’ll have heard the Mosuo mentioned. They’re an old Chinese community who, as far as I know, are the only example of a matriarchal society in the world. Women sit at the center of their world, with the Grandmother the focus of the family unit, and the traditional idea of marriage doesn’t exist. Relationships are female driven, with men taken as temporary lovers in order to provide sperm or sometimes as longer term partners if their company is deemed enjoyable.

I mention them now because this Guardian article popped up today with a detailed description of their culture, in both its positive and negative aspects. Although it seems a very feminist culture, the focus on motherhood and children undercuts that initial impression. Women are in control, but that control stems from their role as mothers. The idea of not having children isn’t considered one of their choices.

Of course, as so often happens, unique and unusual cultures tend to get distorted and then ultimately destroyed when they come into contact with the modern Westernized world. The Mosuo are no exception. If you’re interested in learning more about them before that happens, the article is based on a book by Choo Waihong.

I believe this image of a non-traditional twist on a traditional Western marriage look features Jake and Pum Lefebure and was photographed by Dean Alexander.

I’m in Las Vegas for a few days of R & R. In an unusual turn of events I’ve actually got no kinky fun lined up for this trip. Just hanging out with friends, eating out and relaxing. I’ll try and keep the blog updated but updates may be a bit erratic.

One thing I always enjoy in Vegas is dressing smartly. It’s not exactly Monte Carlo (despite the namesake casino) when it comes to fashion, so a suit really stands out, while still looking good.

This is a photograph shot by Tibi Clenci for Elle magazine in October 2010. The models are Silviu Tolu and Andreea Diaconu.

I’m not really a fetishist. I’ve never asked a domme to wear a particular outfit and, much as I appreciate the aesthetics of traditional latex and leather S&M outfits, I can also happily play without them.

Smart clothes on the other hand, that’s a whole different story. I love getting dressed up and going out with people who feel the same way. Seattle is a wonderful city in many respects, but fashion and dressing for dinner is not a big thing here. My suits have probably got more hours clocked in suitcases at 30,000 feet than they have being worn in Seattle. Seeing a well dressed couple moving together through a restaurant or bar always makes me happy. There’s something very right about that scene.

This particular image is Michael Fassbender in GQ. He looks great, and the position of her gloved hand really makes the shot.

I’m back in freezing Seattle after my jaunt down the coast to California. From a food and friends perspective the trip was a storming success. If you’re in LA and looking for great restaurants I’d strongly recommend Scratch Bar, Ink and hinoki & the bird. They were the three standouts of all those I tried.

From a kinky perspective it wasn’t quite as successful. The original person I planned to see had a scheduling conflict and we never could quite align our calendars. Then my alternative choice turned out to be sick and unable to play. At that point, rather than ringing around for a last minute beating, I decided it simply wasn’t meant to be. Instead I went clothes shopping in Beverly Hills. That’s an entirely different level of masochism. The sales assistants might not dress in leather, but they can certainly inflict punishment. I got a figurative screwing that was more expensive than a literal one. Although at least I ended up taking more home than a sore bottom.

The topic of clothes and fashion does give me an excuse to feature some fashion based femdom. This is for voodoo hosiery and taken from their 2010 ad campaign.

I found this recent Slate article on the history of the Victoria’s Secret company interesting. I’d always assumed that fancy lingerie stores were a standard fixture in the boutique shopping areas of most cities. Apparently that only became true in America in the 1980’s when Victoria’s Secret went from a company founded with $80,000 in ’77 to a $1.9B empire by ’95. I was particularly amused by the fact that the founder originally created it because the department stores made him feel like a ‘deviant’ for shopping there and he wanted somewhere for men to be comfortable. I know quite a few dommes where that embarrassment and deviance factor would count as a bonus not a drawback.

Of course this story gives me an excuse to feature a suitably frilly image with a hint of femdom. This is Larisa Fraser shot for Bonprix lingerie.