“Fashion is transformative,” is what the Editor in Chief of Marie Claire magazine recently said as a judge on the television show Project Runway, and she’s right, especially when talking about fashion in a BDSM context.

Recently I was at a convention where an author dressed as someone from the time period their books were set for all four days and nights. They were a pleasure to spend time with and I walked away from some of our conversations sure they were from a different time and place. Speech patterns can be learned, but when the corset, skirt, stockings, boots, gloves and hat are put on, it becomes that much easier to convincingly portray a person from that period.

The same principles can be applied to a participant in the BDSM world, whether it’s for one night, a weekend or the 24/7 lifestyle. Putting on the trappings of the preferred role will transport the partakers and viewers deeper into their play space, hence why parties and clubs hosting the events often require attendees to dress up. Scenes are as general or detailed as the members have agreed to and what they wear follows the same guidelines and range from simple to elaborate.

BDSM is a big world so I’m narrowing the field for this discussion on fashion to bondage enthusiasts. This group can generally be put into two categories. One prefers how the scene evolves on its own, like rope play, and the other choose to bring other things into the sex or BDSM activity. The latter group could contain dominants who dress in a way that personifies power, although not necessarily a defined character such as a police person, and the one to be bound would be the submissive. A sub would wear something that emphasized innocence and compliance to their partner/s. A shepherdess, like Little Bo Peep, is a good characterization or they might wear a leather harness, collar or nothing at all.