FetishCon, Tampa, Aug. 8-13th

Have been real busy lately, so haven't had time to post this right when we got back. Mr. Matt takes all the photos, and usually there are hundreds of them that need to be sorted, edited, deleted and saved. I have a post coming up about my recent art show, and lots more photos will be there as well.

Anyway....the Tampa Fetishcon 6th Annual Trade Show was August 10-13th. We were up there starting the 11th. For any of my friends with kids reading this, there is no nudity or sexual content in this post except for one blurry bum getting whipped! We went as press, Matt taking photos and I taping interviews. We hope to put together a story on this very soon. It was a LOT of fun, and quite a learning experience. I'm not a fetishist myself, unless you count my affinity for vintage lingerie and pin-up, but I LOVE fetish people. This show was put together by Genesis Lynn and Vesta, 2 lovely ladies who succeeded in carrying off an awesome convention that was both well-organized and professional.

Look closely at the ladie's shirt graphic above. Cute, eh? Enjoy the photos. Matt got many good ones.



The Bondage Bunny. One of many attendees that hit just the right combination of fuzzy and freaky.

Another couple worth talking about but we didn't get great photos of was of the Drag Queen Dom with her great big bear Sub dressed up as a horse. Picture the Gimp from Pulp Fiction with a leather horse mask, hooves and a tail, on a leash, with Gene Hackman in a latex skirt, wig and platform heels leading him around.


Speaking of horses....Foxy from Native American Exotics with two fine mares on leashes. At least I think that's his name. You can't see their hands but they have leather hooves on them. Giddyap, bitches!









A fiesty cat burglar gets caught! This girl was a model for the fashion show and bondage demos.
She was so darling. A natural beauty with gorgeous hair and a big smile, and a sense of humor as you can see in her last photo. Here she struggles as a bondage pro demonstrates his skills. Don't ever rob this guys' house.





Watch that shoe, buddy!













Awwww!


















Can't get your kids to shut up? Try these.












If the mouth gags don't work, try these!











The two cheerful owners of Rainbow Rope. They seemed annoyed that yet 2 more idiots who knew nothing about fetish wanted to ask them zillions of questions about their wares. But they did pose for this shot, and they did have a fascinating array of toys, many of which would only be recognizable to someone in the medical field like Mooselet.

The art of bondage is much more than just tying someone up. Many people involved in ropes consider it an art. It can be very intricate and beautiful if done right.




I wish I could remember this sweetheart's name. This adorable nymph is the artist behind CeresMoon Inc., if I'm not mistaken. I have yet to play back my interview with her, so I will correct any foggy memories later when I review it. She designs cyber headpieces inspired by manga, anime and goth. In her words, it's not exactly fetish, but fetish accepts a lot of crossovers from all kinds of alternative subcultures, so she fits right in.




I'd have to say the best thing about going to this was not only was it a pleasure to be amongst such fun and creative individuals, but I got to see some serious artists like Cerez and Matthew Mansou who really bring back that kind of old school craftsmanship you just don't see everday.

Here I am getting accosted by a nurse. Mooselet, is this what you do to your patients? Actually, I am getting fitted for a vintage style corset by the salesgirl of one of my favorite vendors, Girdlebound. I love love LOVE vintage. Girdlebound provides old-fashioned girdles, corsets and stockings that your grandmother would have loved and our mothers were busy burning. They have a fantastic website that has tons of photo shoots of pin-up style models wearing Girdlebound's garments. If you like Betty Page, this is the place to go. I love you Girdlebound!!! Yes, I bought that corset. I will be dying it my favorite color, RED!

While I'm on the subject of vintage, I will provide a link to another of my favorite vendors. They were not at the Fetishcon and really have nothing to do with Fetish but their clothing is so beautiful. This is Trashy Diva of New Orleans, designers of gorgeous clothes inspired by the 20's to the 50's.



Mansour Designs is operated by artist Matthew Mansour. Here is a statement about his work from his website: "I make extremely high-quality masks and other assorted items with clean sharp lines and a very distinctive personal style that is obvious. I am a stickler for quality and I will only use the finest materials available or whatever I can afford at the time..."

He has made maskes for Cirque de Soleil. They are truly beautiful, the type of quality you hardly ever find in today's mass produced world. You can't get a sense of just how quality they are until you pick them up. Many of these should be in a museum, if they are not already. Matthew, a handsome gent with a mohawk, says that his art allows him to send his kids to private school, and he loves his life.


This is one of Matthew's designs on a model during the fashion show. There were nearly 50 outfits modeled.


















Here is a the back of the sexy Librarian model wearing vintage wear from Girdlebound. The audience is nuts with cameras. Notice Supergirl over to the left....there were a few comic book characters that day, including Wonderwoman.









Another gorgeous outfit on a gorgeous Suicide Girl type model. IT wouldn't surprise me if she was a Suicide Girl.



















This is stunning fetish model Rubberdoll flanked by two girls from the Filth-O-Rama Floozy's.

Rubberdoll is the hardcore latex queen, a kink performance artist of the highest degree.







Another kink queen, the brilliant Kumi Monster. I had a long interview with her where I asked maybe 2 questions and she talked the entire rest of the time. This is a fascinating woman. She bills herself as an International Asian Fetish Bondage Model. This lady travels worldwide working with the best photographers and modeling the latest fetish fashions. She also is a student of history and an avid reader.












Isabella Sinclair is another model, dominatrix and performance artist. We also interviewed her. She studied psychology, which gives her a lot of insight into the dynamics of the BDSM world. This is another fascinating and brilliant woman to talk to. For anyone who is interested, this Mistress gives training for submissives. She has an accute understanding of the dynamics of the trusting give and take of power in relationships (think of the trust consenting adults must have for one another during sub/dom play) and has contributed her knowledge to a book on the subject that many housewives have used to spice up their love-life. I found the whole subject intriguing, to the point that I would like to learn a bit more! Being a Mistress could be fun! As long as I wouldn't have to make the videos this lady makes, which are very hardcore.

There is just so much going on with the ladies we talked to that I cannot begin to write it all here. I'd be here all day. Besides, I have a recorder full of it, waiting to be listened to again. Sure, they dress up in latex and maybe smack people around a bit. But the women we talked to are savvy intellectuals who also happen to know their business. They are powerful in mind, brilliant and beautiful.
This lovely nymph, I forget her name (but I have it on tape!!) works for or is owner of Z-Edge, "Hot collectibles and cool stuff". (Their website is under construction at this moment. )












This lovely lady is all tied up at the moment. I'm guessing she is SheriFox, the wife of Foxy. Together they run Native American Exotics, "Makers of unique Native American BDSM equipment for the consenting adult connoisseur." Like I said, I don't exactly have my names straight, so will have to do some fact checking. So if anyone needs to correct me then by all means go ahead.













Jami Deadly, a retro fetish vamp, puts on a killer burlesque show at the Club Chambers in Tampa. This is one drop-dead killer babe. I love burlesque. Jami is a curvy babe. One thing about fetish and the pin-up burlesque scene is that the female body is BEAUTIFUL again. That means natural boobs and bodyfat are OK again! How refreshing in this homogenized world we live in.













Mere photos can't convey the absolute hedonism going on at Club Chambers on Saturday night. Lots of people were getting tied up and spanked with various objects. I've seen this sort of thing at ManRay in Boston, so it's no big deal. This crowd, believe it or not, was a pretty light-hearted bunch, into dressing up and having fun. It was SAFE....these people weren't getting slammed to death here. It was very surreal, like being in a movie.












Now doesn't this look like fun, even just a little bit?

Fetishcon ROCKED. One of the best things about going was the fact there were so many latex clad freaks (I mean that in a good way) running about a high-class hotel. One memorable moment involved 4 very rich, very white, Republican-esque women entering the hotel bar where people in piercings, latex, leather and spikes were all sitting around drinking beer and doing Jaeger shots. Imagine their surprise. They were visibly uncomfortable, yet mildly...and nervously...amused. One couple sat across from them, both in their 60's, both in latex. The woman, looking just like a grandmotherly Annette Funicello, had her cleavage spilling out between her latex jumpsuit for the whole world to see. The rich ladies couldn't stop looking. I, watching and loving every minute of it, couldn't stop laughing.

There were LOTS of older people there. Another cool thing about this scene. One woman, who had an uncalled-for sour and pissy disposition towards the hard-working Hyatt staff that made me want to smack her, had to be in her 70's. She was stout and walked with a stiff waddle. She had a face full of peircings and wore heavy leather and metal studded gauntlets on her calves and forearms. She also needs a lesson in treating service help, as she was completely rude to the barkeep (who did not deserve it) and left him a cheap insult of a tip that I would have thrown right back at her, if I were him.

After Fetishcon we took the long 4 hour drive home, stopping at a breakfast/lunch diner along the way in a small Florida town. We had no idea at the time, but it was run by a born-again and everyone in there had just got out of church. One family behind us, a young mother, husband, little girl and friend, were discussing Galatians from the Bible. Everyone was perfectly cleansed, polished, coiffed, behaved, with smart preppy pastel outfits. We should've known from all those minivans with Bush and Jesus fish on the bumpers parked outside. They made us so nervous, even though we looked perfectly ordinary!!!! (Must be those demons we're possessed with!!)

Fetishcon might have had some weirdos. But THIS was the weirdest place of them all. I'd rather be in a room full of big hairy dudes dressed as horses than in a room full of THESE people. But the food was astounding. Our bellies full, we finally went home, exhausted.