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=========================================================================== Frequently Asked Questions of alt.lycra=========================================================================== Version 4.34 - February 5, 1998 Created by: The Invincible (invncble@best.com) Maintained by: Robert Goodwin (rsg0910@iglou.com)--------------------------------------------------------------------------This FAQ is now maintained by Robert Goodwin, rsg0910@iglou.com. TheInvincible (invncble@best.com) no longer maintains this project.All suggestions, comments, additions, and corrections are welcome andgreatly appreciated! Please email them to me at the rsg0910 address. Awebpage is provided for updated FAQs, at:http://members.iglou.com/rsg0910/lycrafaq.htmlIt will not be HTML-ized, but kept in regular text format. Note that thelycrafaq.html filename may change. If it does, eliminate that filename fromthe line, and go from there, and look for the FAQ listings.Much of the information was collected from postings from the alt.lycraUSENET group as well as personal email contacts. Some of the information isparaphrased.--------------------------------------------------------------------------About the FAQ: The alt.lycra always needed a simple document that could answer the basic questions and concerns that all newcomers to the wonderful material that we call lycra had. From simple questions such as "Where can I get..." to the more complicated "How can I make...", they appeared on the newsgroup again and again. The FAQ is designed to make it easier and better for the puzzled user to find the answer to the nagging question. The information in this list was collected from the postings on the news group. I will continuously monitor all the relevant info and decided if it is worth placing on the FAQ. Anything that could be considered personal will not be placed into the FAQ unless consent is given. Credits to particular people can be removed or replaced with a pseudonym if desired. Lastly, I encourage all lycra fans to contribute to the FAQ.Copyright (C) 1995 by The Invincible, Robert Goodwin, and the members ofthe Usenet Newsgroup, alt.lycra, for their invaluable information. Allrights reserved.Disclaimer: This document is distributed "as is" by the author. The author will not be held accountable for an direct, indirect, accidental, or consequential harm or damage to any property or persons. The author is in no way connected to any of the businesses and suppliers offering service. Also, the author does not receive any kind of payment, monetary or otherwise, for writing and maintaining this FAQ.---------------------------------------------------------------------------Table of Contents:================== 1. Background Information 1. FAQ History 2. What is alt.lycra? 3. History of alt.lycra 4. Netiquette on alt.lycra 5. Lycra history - the early days 6. Getting the FAQ if you have no web access 2. Terminology 1. Lycra 2. Spandex 3. Leotard, Unitard, Catsuit 4. T-Back Sports Bra, Body Suit, Bike Pants, Biking Shorts, Capri Pants (Capris), Stretch Pants, Ankle Pants, Stirrups, Thong Back Brief, and Bikini from LycraTM Spandex Terminology Listing 3. Online Information 1. Online Catalogs 2. Personal WWW Pages 3. Online Lycra-related Information and Opinions 4. Internet Relay Chat (IRC) and #alt.lycra/#lycra channel 4. Normal Lycra Wear 1a. How can I overcome my fear of wearing spandex in public? b. What about the laws about visible male and female body parts? 2a. What is a dance belt and where can I get a nylon lycra dance belt? b. Where can I get a nylon lycra dance belt? 3. Review of Different Brands of Tights 4. Review of Different Brands of Leotards 5. Review of Different Brands of Unitard 6a. Taking Care of Your Lycra b. Painting/Dyeing your lycra 7. How does supplex lycra compare with nylon lycra? 5. Play Gear 1. How can I make a cheap lycra hood? 2. How can I make a cheap lycra sleepsack? 6. Entertainment 1. "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers" 2. Are there any other TV shows or movies that have people wearing lycra? 7. Suppliers of Lycra and Lycra-related items 1. What mail-order companies carry lycra items? 2a. What companies sell plain spandex? b. Patterns 3. What lycra specialty companies are there? 4. Are There Any Good Lycra Shops in London? 5. Where can I get rubberized lycra or speedskating/luge suits? 6. Danskin Factory Outlet List (Locations and Phone Numbers)---------------------------------------------------------------------------1. Background Information1.1. FAQ History: All other previous versions up to 2.0 - no information available Previous version information for 2.0 up to 4.30 can be found at http://members.iglou.com/rsg0910/lycfaqhist.html v4.30 - updated links, store addresses, and entertainment, added new section on patterns for making your own, and moved FAQ history to the homepage in a separate file v4.34 - added mailserver for sending faq via email, updated Danskin outlet listing (deleted large list, and added link to find the rec.arts.ballet FAQ), updated personal and company links, including Seattle Fabrics after a move to a new location1.2. What is alt.lycra? The purpose of alt.lycra was to discuss anything related to lycra, the synthetic fiber created by DuPont. This ranged from where do get a particular item to what were the different opinions about a specific lycra item. Stories (non-fiction and fiction) with some mention of lycra have also been posted here. It is also a place where anyone a bit shy about their enjoyment of lycra could talk to others for support and encouragement. In a time where dressing up in lycra could have led to a stereotype or label being placed on the wearer, this group offers help. Finally, this group has been a place for everyone to see that there is nothing wrong with wearing and enjoying lycra.1.3. History of alt.lycra - m91djm@ecs.ox.ac.uk (Dan Mitchell) History; there was a lot of discussion of the merits of lycra amongst a (incidentally mainly male) group of readers of soc.bi, amongst which the suggestion of setting up a group specifically for the topic came up; so I actually did get one set up. - porsupah@tbyte.com The creation of alt.lycra took two newgroupings, at any rate - the first one (issued at drycas? I'm not sure) managed to get the group through to some sites, but left many still outside the sleek fun. The esteemed Mr. Mitchell and I wondered how best to solve that, and I ended up asking some kind Canadian site admin (I can't remember who) to resend the newgroup, figuring that newgroups coming from two distinct parts of the net might make it filter through effectively. Within a few days, the group was visible to a useful majority of sites.1.4. Netiquette on alt.lycra: Please read the following comments concerning the alt.lycra. This group is listed on the alt hierarchy in the Usenet. There will be posts that will have a sexual connotation to them. Likewise, sexually explicit language will be used which should be taken without any kind of offense. If any of the above disturbs you, please do not subscribe to this newsgroup. When posting to alt.lycra, please be respectful to the views and feelings of the other readers. Continued harassment and questionable comments will not be tolerated, as you may be reported to your provider. Finally, behave in a proper but not necessarily agreeable manner. Debates or disagreements are bound to happen. However, mutual respect is expected. Insulting the members of the group or their interest will only cause a negative backlash against you. As usual, personal postings are allowed, as there seems to have been no large complaints filed. No posts by commercial businesses for the sake of advertising. Rating, or discussing a particular product is welcome, of course. Anonymous posting to alt.lycra is welcomed. However, anonymous postings will have the same guidelines as any other kind of posting. Posting binaries on this group is generally discouraged, as alt.lycra is considered a non-binary, it is not alt.binaries.pictures.lycra. Some providers have no formal policy, while others do. There are some reports of some who have removed it, while others may in the future. Best to post in a binaries group, like alt.binaries.pictures.erotica.fetish.latex, or similar, and post on alt.lycra where you can find the binary. Some of us still read the group and answer offline, while others have to pay for the downloading, in terms of the size of the download, so it's best to post binaries elsewhere. It is possible that there may be an alt.binaries.pictures.erotica.fetish.lycra or an alt.binaries.lycra, but no one has yet made mention of it, though there is an alt.lycra.pictures.1.5. Lycra history - the early days - Super Jayhawk <superjay@hawkcave.com> > I'd appreciate any thoughts on the subject. What the high-anxiety > dilemma it can be!! There was a time that tights were something practically all men of status and nobility wore, in Europe during the middle ages through the Rennaisance. Women weren't even supposed to show so much as their calves or it was considered indecent; But men wore flaming tights with multicolored legs and codpieces that showed off their manhood like nothing else-- and all this was perfectly acceptable at the time. During the 19th Century, a man by the name of Jules Leotard in France perfected the upper-body portion of the tights, the leotard, (for which we are enternally grateful) and brought the form closer to perfection. But alas, the Victorian high-collar repressed look took over, and not only did it take over all of Europe, but the Americas as well, and men were supposed to wear pants, not tights, any longer. Women of course were just as restricted as ever with corsets and no visible ankles, and took the next 80 years to recover from this; Now a women showing off not only their ankles but their entire body in tights and leotard is somehow more acceptable than a man doing likewise; but this will change. You don't think women asked sheepishly one day, "Gee, Mr. Society, would it be all right if we wore pants and jeans instead of skirts?" Of course they didn't. They just went out and did it, to the protestrations of the old fogies and the repressed within society and made them deal with it. Now a woman in jeans is no big deal; Thirty years ago it was shocking. Men need to do the same thing with tights, and spandex in general. Anyway, enough rambling, I've probably raised enough hell for today. More history can be found on the Renaissance Dancewear page at; http://fresno-online.com/renaissance/hosiery.html The page before it will also lead to more historical texts.1.6. Getting the FAQ if you have no web access There are some of you who do not have access to the web, so I set up a mail server to request these files. Send a blank email to rsg0910@iglou.com with lycrafaq in the subject, and you will get this faq by return mail. If you wish to get the FAQ history, use lycrahist. This is actually an email filter called procmail that is set up for filtering email, but has a rather nice side effect of allowing you to set up a file server of sorts, while filtering out unwanted email.2. Terminology2.1. Lycra - by Susan B. (an207248@anon.penet.fi) Lycra is the DuPont registered trademark for their brand of spandex fibers. Since 1992, DuPont has been advertising Lycra heavily in the US (and maybe elsewhere) print medium, pointing out that Lycra is ONLY available from DuPont. Vyrene is another brand name for spandex, but has not been seen in the US for more than a decade.2.2. Spandex - by Susan B. (an207248@anon.penet.fi) Generic term (mostly in US) for the family of lightweight, rugged, stretchy fibers containing at least 85% polyurethane. Polyurethane is a type of "plastic" material that is very similar to rubber in many respects but has many superior characteristics and none of rubber's "bad" habits. First patented in 1954 by DuPont (US), spandex fibers were improved significantly during the mid and late '50s until they began to displace elastic (rubber) in corsets, girdles, bras, and such around 1960. Spandex is three to six times more powerful than elastic on a weight-to- weight basis, and unlike elastic, spandex is highly resistant to abrasion, ozone, oils (including skin oils and applied lotions), and detergents. And also unlike elastic, the fibers of which, must be relatively thick to be strong enough to be used in modern high-speed knitting machines and must be covered with another material such as cotton or nylon (an expensive process) to be suitable for use in clothing, spandex fibers are thin, strong, and light, and can be knitted directly into fabrics in their raw state. All of these things make spandex far superior to elastic for use in stretchy garments. When spandex is added during the knitting process to other fibers such as nylon or cotton, which have essentially no "stretch" at all by themselves, the result is a fabric that is light, thin, durable, and cool, has plenty of stretch, and a variety of finishes (from matte to shiny metallic). Fabrics containing a small amount of spandex are frequently used in close-fitting sport outfits, street clothes, and less expensive fetish items, all of which are comfortable, form-fitting, and allow complete freedom of movement. Fabrics containing higher percentages of spandex are used for all kinds of foundation and "figure control" garments, and similar fetish wear, generally eliminating the NEED for boning. Elastane, but before 1976, elastomeric, is the similar generic term usually found outside the US.2.3. Leotard - by UZYG79A@prodigy.com (George Schaaf) Leotards are basically like women's one-piece bathing suits. They can, however, have long sleeves. Unitard - by UZYG79A@prodigy.com (George Schaaf) Unitards come in several styles, but they all incorporate some kind of a leg (bike short, knee-length pant, ankle length, or even footed, where they cover the foot too). These don't have to have full-length sleeves either. Sometimes bike-short length unitards are called "bikatards". Catsuit - by invncble@best.com (The Invincible) Catsuits are essentially unitards with attached long sleeves. They cover the body from the next to the toes. Gloves, feet, and a hood can also be attached to the catsuit to provide total body coverage. Front or back zips are part of them, to allow the wearer to get in and out, to give the suit its look on the wearer. Some newer catsuits coming out are now incorporating hoods.2.4. T-Back Sports Bra, Body Suit, Bike Pants, Biking Shorts, Capri Pants (Capris), Stretch Pants, Ankle Pants, Stirrups, Thong Back Brief, and Bikini from LycraTM Spandex Terminology Listing - piero@cyberverse.com (Dairenn Lombard) T-Back Sports Bra: This is garment, though does not appear to be a bra has built in cups for support, comfort and stability. It takes on the features of brassiere because of the shoulder straps, however, it is only removable by means of a shirt. This is mostly worn for people engaged in high-movement exercise activities. Body Suit: This is identical to a leotard (which looks like a bathing suit); however, the difference is that, in order to be made for casual living, it has been made with an opening under the crotch to facilitate easy removal without having to remove all of ones own clothing (this comes in handy in the event one may need to visit the facilities). Bike pants, biking shorts: Because it is tremendously unsafe to ride bicycles with baggy jeans on, bike pants were developed so the clothes would not catch within the chain or the tire spokes so the bike will suddenly stop flinging one from their seat (which is disastrous under any circumstances). Bike Pants are made with spandex and are about half-thigh length and can be worn in daily use for comfort. Capri pants (capris): These pants (though not obligated to be made with spandex) go as far as half-way down the shins. Stretch pants, ankle pants: These are ordinary pants, however, like all spandex, it clings to the body like tights. Some have taken to weaving spandex into denim for "stretchable jeans." Stirrups: Pants with stirrups to keep the pants legs down; almost always made with Spandex. Thong back brief: This garment is worn for the comfort(?) of the one exercising, it is worn over the unitard/bike-a-tard/leotard/biking shorts and to fit snugly between the cheeks of the buttocks. Bikini: Traditionally thought to be the name of the entire swimsuit, it is, in fact, only the definition of a style of briefs cut for that swimsuit. Many swimsuits are made that are two-piece, however though, are not bikinis. More accurately, they should be referred to two-piece bikinis (only referred to as a bikini for ease of verbalization). Bikinis are cut with the legs high and with the flesh of the crotch partially seen on each side; the rear has each buttock half-covered in an upward V design. Some bikinis are cut with a low-stomach as to have a dip downward into the crotch to present the optical illusion that the woman's stomach is in fact a lot longer than it originally is. This piece of fabric, for the peace of mind for its wearer is made for spandex (so it may continue to remain on their body even if something does snag onto it). The unique quality about spandex (Lycra brand) is the ability to absorb sweat, keeping the body cool. This makes exercising less burdensome by relieving the body of the weight of the clothes that, if made with cotton, would be heavy with one's own body sweat.3. Online Information3.1. On-line catalogs http://catalog.savvy.com Found a WWW location that will send catalogs from many, many different kinds of companies. Several of the listing were for athletic clothing and equipment (i.e.baseball, football, wrestling...) http://www.wickedtemptations.com/ Wicked Temptation's home page. They carry male and female lycra items. They were previously known as Steamed Heat. http://www.lubricants.dupont.com/catalog/page8.html One of the WWW pages from a catalog from Dupont with cycling related items. http://pwr.com/sporteuropa The Sports Europa Homepage/Online Catalog. Still Under Construction. Doesn't seem to have been updated much, if at all. http://www.sailingangles.com A sailing page, showing a bit of lycra stuff. http://ww2.playware.com/ An online catalog of lingerie, underwear, etc. from Playware. http://www.catalog.com/utopian/catalog/new.html A page from Adam's and Gillian's BDSM online catalog with lycra hoods.3.2. Personal WWW Pages http://users.aol.com/kerryjtv/index.htm A personal WWW page of a lycra fan. Images of him in a Spiderwoman and black catsuit outfits. http://www.doogieland.com A nice personal page under some construction, that contains some pics from the TV show 'Pauly' as well as others. http://LycraLand.base.org A pretty detailed page on lycra, with all sorts of links. http://www.skintights.com The SkinTight page, for the skintight stuff!  http://members.aol.com/TheLyc The Second Skin Club homepage - pretty nice!  http://www.drake.org.uk/stirrups http://www.geocities.com/FashionAvenue/4296 Page of lycra stirrup pants, not your usual lycrawear page, maintained by ski-pants@drake.org.uk  http://www.beebware.demon.co.uk/alsa/index.html alt.lycra story archive -- for all your lycra-related stories Quick note: The above's website provider (Beebware and Demon Internet) have a restrict of about 25Mb download per 24 hour period. http://www.insidetheweb.com/messageboard/mbs.cgi/mb32381 Extreme Exposure message board. Not much at the moment. http://members.aol.com/sdspeedo/2TheLimits.html All guys in swimsuits, speedos, g-strings, etc. http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/9184 LycraLover of Scandinavia - mostly gay page http://members.wbs.net/homepages/a/d/n/adnannachevizir.html Personal page with all sorts of lycra pics. http://www.annett.de The Nylon Gallery http://uakron.edu/~mjudy/lycra The Lycra Image Warehouse - loaded with images sorted by categories or galleries, of people in lycra. http://www.geocities.com/Eureka/Plaza/6997/Nude.html Personal male lycra and spandex tightwear/speedo gallery3.3. Online Lycra-related Information and Opinions http://www.fashionmall.com/media/editors/jean/docs/jfindex.htm A short commentary on cycling fashions http://bird.taponline.com/style/Lycra.html A short commentary on Lycra through the ages.3.4. Internet Relay Chat (IRC) and #alt.lycra/#lycra channels From: "Christopher D. Garry" (docg96@tao.agoron.com) The list of DALnet Servers can be found listed within the mIRC archive, found at http://www.mirc.co.uk. Getting on to IRC depends on what IRC program you use. The name of the channel is #Alt.Lycra. And here's the story on how it was born; "One day I was sitting in the #Red_Dragon_Guild, which is a Free Form Roleplaying room I created, watching people jump in and out, wondering to myself, why don't more people use IRC. Then I logged on to the #Alt.Lycra newsgroup, as I usually do every night, and started reading posts. One night, I had seen a posting about Superhero bondage fantasies, and I posted a reply to it... and someone posted a reply back to me... and so on and so on. Finally, I gave up on it because I was getting frustrated after checking for the next reply for a week. After all of the frustration I've had in finding a "NICE" person in New Jersey on the newsgroup, it hit me... Why not give these people a chance to talk to each other in real time, without having to wait for posts, or e-mail? So, I went and I created the #Alt.Lycra IRC channel located on the chain of DALnet servers. So far it's been slow, but I hope after a couple more weeks, more people will have the chance to talk to others in the room. From my experiences, it's been wonderful to talk to SuperJayhawk, and LycraSlave..."4. Normal Lycra Wear4.1a. How can I overcome my fear of wearing spandex in public? - cprasley@nbnet.nb.ca (Jetson) There are three separate tactics for dealing with this fear. First, start by wearing spandex bike shorts under another pair of loose shorts, with just an inch or two peeking out below the hem. Not only is this unquestionably acceptable, but is periodically trendy. Several companies even manufacture one-piece shorts that have this two-layer construction (ie: Nike's "Agassi" model tennis shorts-- denim shorts with a lycra liner that extends several inches below the denim). Then simply go with less and less cover, showing more and more lycra. At some point, you can exchange the covering shorts with a long T-shirt and continue to reduce coverage as you see fit. Second, start wearing fully-exposed lycra in a setting where it's expected. Nobody questions wearing lycra bike shorts when you're riding a bicycle. Nobody points and giggles if you're jogging or swimming and choose to wear the appropriate spandex gear. Once you get used to wearing lycra under those conditions, it's a small step to extend the boundaries--why wear jeans to/from the tennis court, if you're only going to have to take them off to play? If you're out on the bike and decide to stop at the store, how can anybody expect you to change before going in? The thought-process involved changes over time, from "it's OK to wear spandex because I'm playing tennis" to "it's OK to wear spandex because I'm on my way to the tennis court" to "it's OK to wear spandex because I'll probably stop by the tennis court later" to "it's OK to wear spandex because, um, sometimes I play tennis." Third, (and I can only speak for us guys, here) one of the biggest barriers to wearing just spandex is public is the fear of getting an erection. You can't hide it. You can't even pretend not to notice. Since spandex is a fetish for many of us, simply putting it on causes this fear to justify itself. The only solution is to "get over it". Either wear spandex around the house until you can put it on without getting an erection (this may take a *long* time, and will certainly spoil the fetish to some degree), learn to live with the erection (it is actually illegal in many places in North America to display/suggest an erection in public even if fully clothed), or simply avoid wearing the lycra where an erection is likely (such as a steamy movie or when hanging out in a "target rich environment" such as a pick-up bar).4.1b. What about the laws regarding visible male and female body parts? - morgan@powertv.com (Morgan Woodson) There is an "Illegal Erection FAQ," which addresses the legality of this masculine feature, as well as the female features. It's not included in its entirety due to the large size of 24K. However, it can be found via normal FAQ link on my homepage, as well as a more direct way to read it. http://members.iglou.com/rsg0910/erection.faq.html It contains a breakdown of a number of cities legal codes and what they say about it. It's very interesting reading. Below is the table of contents to pique your interest if you wish to read it sometime. Illegal Erection FAQ version 0.99 2/12/97 Frequently Asked Questions with Answers about legal definitions of nudity that define an erect penis as nude even if covered with opaque cloth. Contents FAQ 1) Why this FAQ? Where can I get it? Who maintains it? When is it updated? FAQ 2) What are the common legal definitions of nudity? FAQ 3) What kind of laws incorporate nudity definitions FAQ 4) What is the law in <country, state/province, city>? FAQ 5) So, what's the final word? Like I said, the legal section is quite detailed, though not everyone will want to read this section. Below is a final section. FAQ 5) So, what's the final word? So, the only places I've found where it's illegal to walk around (as opposed to dance around on stage in a nice part of town or appear in a magazine that's shown to a kid) with an erection are Clearwater, Florida, the whole states of Indiana and South Carolina and Akron, Ohio. I'm sure there are more laws, probably in the regions of the U.S. where I've already found some, but the fact that tiny municipalties can enact such codes based on "community standards" means that there will be spots all over the place, so check your local laws before you get stiff on Main Street.4.2a. What is a dance belt and where can I get a nylon lycra dance belt? - by an191944@anon.penet.fi A dance belt is a very snug undergarment worn by male ballet dancers under their tights. It's the dancer's equivalent of a jock strap. It has a heavy, strong, and generally rather wide elastic at the top (anywhere from 1 1/2 to 3 inches), very tight, almost like a man's girdle. The back is a narrow strip like a thong, so your tights show off your ass-cheeks to best advantage. The pouch in front is triangular, tight, and almost flat. You wear it with your penis pointing up, not down, and the belt's function is to keep all your hardware lifted up and forward. Ideally, if you stand with your leg far apart, nothing will be hanging down in between them. The pouch is tight enough to keep you pointing up, even when you land from big jumps. On the other hand, because everything is up front, there's a conspicuous bulge in front. Some people believe dancers pad their belts to exaggerate their endowment, but this is unnecessary; the belt does it all. You occasionally see belts in which the pouch has a quilted lining; this is for comfort, not for exaggeration. Dance belts are normally black or flesh-colored. The flesh-colored ones are for use under light-colored tights, where a black one might show through. Because they are so tight, there are no visible lines from the belt: they are nearly invisible under a pair of tights. They are made of cotton, cotton/lycra, or nylon/lycra. The nylon/lycra ones are smoothest and, in the opinion of many, the most comfortable. (The only nylon/lycra dance belts I know of are made by M. Stevens.) Dance belts normally come only in small, medium, and large. If your normal size is medium, a medium dance belt may be too tight for comfort and you may want to try the next larger size. Dance belts take some getting used to, because they are so tight. Some men love them, some can't stand them. You will find out only by trying. You can find them in any dancewear shop. If you're not a dancer and not familiar with dancewear shops, you may be put off by all the frilly girls' things that constitute the bulk of their merchandise. Don't worry; somewhere off in the back there will be a small space grudgingly allotted to men's dancewear, and there you will find the belts. If there is no dealer in your area, consult the dancewear FAQ posted in alt.arts.ballet or in alt.answers for names and addresses of mail-order houses.4.2b. Where can I get a nylon lycra dance belt? - by Tom in Tights (This information shamelessly stolen from the dancewear FAQ over in alt.arts.ballet.) There are really nice ones in nylon spandex (well, nylon lycra) by M. Stevens. Try dancewear suppliers in your area. If they don't have them, you can get them by mail order from; Patterson's (800) 554-2340 Boston: 181 Massachusetts Avenue Boston, Massachusetts 02115 (617) 536-2281 Burlington: 185 Cambridge Street Burlington, Massachusetts 01803 (617) 273-3089 Chelmsford: 23 Drum Hill Road Chelmsford, Massachusetts (508) 459-73004.3. Review of Different Brand of Tights - Superjay@hawkcave.com (Super Jayhawk, Avian Defender of KU) - tightlycra@aol.com (TightLycra) This is essentially the post from Superjay entitled "Notes on Tights I". Extra comments from TightLycra are indented with a ">". Some notes on Lycra/Spandex tights I have been wearing throughout the years, since there has some been some conversation/questions about brand names and their feel and texture: > SuperJay's notes on tights are a good starting point to a more > complete discussion. I've been wearing Lycra tights since Hind > first made them available (in fact I recently finally retired my > very first pair). Hind Lycra : I really got into Hind Lycra tights, especially since they had so many colors when no one else did, about 1988 or so. The problem with Hind is that a) they aren't machine washable and have to be handwashed all the time, and b) over the years they tend to wear out and 'flake' out into small dots from the fabric. I don't know if they are of early manufacture and they've fixed these problems since, but every pair of Hind Lycra tights that I own has worn-out spots. > Hind tights are very subject to "Lycra Degradation" which basically > means that if you allow them sit with sweat or other oils on them, > they will spontaneously self-destruct. Little spots fall out and > they look terrible. Religious hand-washing right after sweating in > them is the only way to prevent this problem. My Hinds seem to last > quite well, so it is possible to maintain them. I hand-wash ALL my > tights to insure maximum longevity, and highly recommend this > practice. > > Originally they came in regular and long lengths. since I have > short legs, I found the regular to be much better fitting. > Unfortunately, they decided that since Lycra is stretchy, they would > discontinue the regulars and make everybody wear longs. I bought a > couple pairs, but they just don't cut the mustard since you get > bunchy areas when you buy something in Lycra that is too big. The > only Hinds I currently wear are a heavier weight Lycra with a zipper > on the ankle. They are great as an alternative to long underwear > for skiing, and can be worn alone on a warm spring day. SoftTouch : SoftTouch makes a brand of Lycra tights called "Lite-tite" that is very good, although very tight (like that's a bad thing?). They are not made of flatseam construction like the Hind tights, but they are very snug and you have to stretch them to get them on. I was impressed with their sheer texture while having enough material that they weren't see--through. Last time I saw them they were at Lady Foot Locker and MC Sporting Goods. Scott Tinley : These are OK, but the fit is too loose and the waistband drawstring breaks after about a year. > Agree. If you want tights that are loose, fine, but that seems like > a contradiction in terms to me. Nike : These are OK, but overpriced, as they usually run about $45-$55 or so. Besides the fact that on one leg they say "NIKE" in big white letters. Have you ever tried to run around in a Superhero costume that said "NIKE" on one leg? > You are slandering my favorite brand! I've never had to pay that > much (it seems that $24 - $29 is normal). The Lycra is a nice > lightweight and I particularly like the feature of no outside side > seam which makes them very smooth looking. I have several pairs in > black and they only have a small discreet NIKE near the waist on the > left side. This is a decal, so it could be scraped off if you found > it offensive. Like the Hinds, they are a little long, but their > overall quality makes them quite nice. Danskin : Danskin makes tights that are pretty durable, especially since they make them for the dance and not the jogging industry. They tend to not have a drawstring and tend to be womens' sizes (so what else is new) but the colors are nicely varied and the fit is very, very tight and satisfying. Do not be surprised, however, after wearing Danskins for awhile that they leave "tights-lines" on your legs. > I wore Danskin and Capezio nylon tights when I took ballet classes, > but have never seen their Lycra offerings. Their nylon tights are > great for dancing, but since they are designed to be rolled over an > elastic belt to keep them up or worn with suspenders, they aren't > practical as sportswear. They are also tight enough to show your > religion (to misquote Robin Williams) so must be worn with a dance > belt, which isn't everyone's favorite undergarment. Speaking of > which, what do you like to wear under tights? I've tried many > things but find that a Champion Cool-Max jock is the all time best > for sports or hanging out. My dance belts also get frequent use > under Lycra shorts (which seem to have a tighter crotch than tights) > or when I really want to park my package up out of the way for > stretching or dance. Sport Europa : There has been some talk about Sport Europa here on this newsgroup, and I have to say that their products are some of the best I've found around. Their tights are very durable and very shiny lycra, in quite a few different colors. The $20 version has a drawstring, while the cheaper ones do not, but they are both very comfortable. I've had 3-4 different pairs of Sport Europa lycra tights and they have held up very well to the test of time. Also, their lycra gloves can't be beat and are better (and less restrictive) than the lycra gloves I've bought from other places. Please keep in mind that these observations have been over the last 8 years of wearing spandex, and that the new versions may be different or much better than my conclusions. But if you enjoy dressing up as a Superhero in lycra as I do, color, durability and tight fit are of the utmost importance. > These opinions are those of other author, who has worn Lycra > extensively for 10 years for all sorts of activities. Your opinion > may vary and I look forward to hearing about your experiences.4.4. Review of Different Brands of Leotards - Superjay@hawkcave.com (Super Jayhawk, Bird in Spandex) Of course, ever since I was very young, it was fairly obvious that in order to have a full-blown superhero costume, you had to have both tights and leotards. Especially before catsuits came along (about the late 80s, I'd say). So in order to make your outfit complete for a night's fun, you'd have to go find/buy a matching leotard for your tights that made the costume look halfway shiny & convincing. It was hard enough finding leotards that matched the color of the tights that you had bought, but being a young male going into a dancewear store asking to buy a leotard can be a pretty embarrassing thing! Usually the lady at the desk looks at you funny like you're some kind of nut that should be locked up immediately. I have, though, found a few sympathetic clerks that are glad to help; Especially if you tell them that you're into dance; For some reason it's OK for a man to buy a thong-back pink leotard for dance, but not if he's getting it just to wear around the house. Odd. Anyway, one of the hardest things about finding the correct leotard to match your tights is that most of the leotards out there are designed and sewn for women. If you have shoulders that are the dimensions of most men, it's very hard to fit into most of the leotards since they are intended for women. And men's leotards are the most BORING thing you can find. Women get all the interesting colors, and men get black, white and gray. Not to mention that most of the men's leotards are cotton (UGH!) /nylon instead of the wonderful spandex/nylon brand that separates the truly shiny heroes from the drab ones. With that, here's what I've found out as far as brands and designers: Capezio : Probably one of the better leotards out there, one of the first leotards I was able to find in something that wasn't black or white.  They tend to use the thicker lycra these days for their leotards, and have added some durability to the design. I still have my blue long-sleeve Capezio that I bought in 1988, and it's still holding up. Star Styled : For those of you that don't know, Star Styled Dance and Bodywear makes dancewear in all kinds of hard-to-find colors... they are the place to go to if you're looking for a rare color (a green lycra leotard, for example). Their leotards come in two classes; their "flexi-weight" version, which is the thicker lycra, and the standard lycra version, which is the thinner. The thicker ones are much more durable and snug, but the thinner ones are tighter and tend to ride up into a thong in the back. (My last girlfriend loved to torture me by doing that..) Major Motion - I hadn't heard of this brand until recently when I went to a costume shop to get another lycra leotard, but they are very durable and the fit is perfect. I'm wearing my royal blue major motion leotard now as I'm typing this, and the sheer fit and the shininess of the spandex makes my chest glow in the dark computer room by the glow of the monitor. I just need to find out if I can get them in any more colors. Dansksin - I do have a few leotards by Danskin, but they only made them in 100% nylon, so the shininess is zilcho. Next! Gilda Marx - I have three leotards by Gilda Marx, and the design is pretty good, although the front is a bit low cut. Boat-neck leotards tend to be shoulder to shoulder rather than up to the neckline, and the cut is low enough that it does feel at times that it's slipping off your shoulder. That's pretty much all the lycra leotards that I've had experience with; The problem with finding leotards in general is that they're more expensive than tights and you can't find them easily in most "sporting goods" catalogs, like EastBay or Sport Europa for example. But combined with tights, they do have a different feel in an outfit than a one-piece catsuit does.4.5. Review of Different Brands of Unitards - WESK16A@prodigy.com (Bart Cox) DANSKIN: These were the first unitards I owned. The spandex is on the thin but shiny side. For me, the cut on them is all wrong. Danskin unitards never seem to be tight enough around the crotch. They almost always have spots where they don't hold to the skin and tent-out. The legs are cut too short as well, so that with the stirrup in place, they pull down on the crotch like mad. I rarely, if ever use my Danskin unitards. FLEXITARD by GILDA MARX: These are some of my favorite unitards. When I shop at thrift stores, my eyes are always peeled for anything by Flexitard. The spandex is very heavy and holds nicely to the body. There is considerable shine to these as well. They don't have a lot of styles, however. I think 3/4 sleeve, tank, and camisole just about cover the choices. I only have a couple of the 3/4 sleeve and am dying to get a camisole top. BAL-TOG: I understand that they have changed their pattern and have a better fit. The one Bal-Tog unitard I have is a camisole stirrup that, like a Danskin unitard is just a little too baggy for my taste. I want a unitard to feel and look like body-paint! That said, however, I do like the cross-back camisole style of the one I have. The back plunges way down, pointing to the butt, and shows it off. If it could only cling around the crotch better... PREMIERE: I don't know if they're still in business, but I have a camisole top footless number of theirs that is GREAT. The legs are so long that I can wear it as a full-foot model. The spandex is thin and kind of dull, but the fit is perfect. It molds into every crack and crevice without tenting. I dyed my unitard a dark gray and roll down the top to use as tights for ballet ad it's great. M. STEVENS: This would have to be my favorite all-around unitard. They are not terribly shiny but the fit and feel is second to none. They have a thinner weight of material, but it's like pouring liquid spandex on your body. They hold to each contour and groove of the body. Best of all, they have feet! I've had one unitard for ten years and it's held up to costumes, fetish sessions, and countless ballet classes. It keeps coming back for more. Well, these are the makes that I currently own. I'd be eager to hear about any that I have not mentioned. I'm always on the look-out for a good unitard.4.6a. Taking Care of Your Lycra - Superjay@hawkcave.com (Super Jayhawk) Now, the problem with tights is eventually you have to get them washed and clean them up The old nylon/spandex ones I got years ago from Danskin were "handwash only", which meant you took a bottle of Woolite and poured a cap into running warm water in the sink, and soak for four minutes. If you had an entire R O Y G B I V spectrum of tights and leotards like I do, it's a pain to wash all your lycra, and it tends to take all day. If you were crazy enough to machine-wash them, then what happened is that the washer and dryer would slowly pull apart the crotch seams (even with a reinforced cotton crotch, even with a garment bag), and eventually you'd have a costume that had new ventilation features. This, folks, was not good. These days, however, times have changed. The new washer/dryers out there can handle delicates much better than they used to, and my Maytag 5-speed works like a charm on all my costume wear. I just start it up, and hang it up when it's done. Speaking of hanging your lycra, which we all have to do since we can't put it in the dryer (heaven forbid!), one thing to do if you want to wear the garment that day, you can cut the drying time in half by rolling it up in a folded towel and gently squeezing the towel roll. This gets about half of the water out and makes it dry much faster. I quit using Woolite in my tights about 3 years ago; Instead I use DeliCare, which is a new kind of washing detergent for delicates; It's also got a built-in softener, and doesn't give that odd smell that Woolite always used to. DeliCare is sold in a pink bottle that looks like a teardrop-shaped shampoo bottle, and I've used it ever since. And one last thing.. make sure to have spare lycra sets of your costume in case supervillains come knocking at your door! There's nothing more embarrassing than having to tell your arch-nemesis, who has sworn to destroy you, that "I'm sorry, you're going to have wait a few hours, my leotards and tights are in the wash."4.6b. Painting/Dyeing Your Lycra (sheervan@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca) : Hello out there. Has anyone had any experience painting on lycra? And : if so with what? I was thinking of using a dye and painting like water : colours to get the density right. -- Very Close.... however I find that brush painting has a tendency to be rather dicey when it comes to things like defined outlines, due to the streeetchy nature of the fabric. However, an electric (or compressed air) air-brush is just the thing... with interchangeable nozzles you can texture or do extremely solid designs. Two other tips. Avoid 'vegetable' dyes for the most part. The majority of these (while politically and ecologically correct) are of the 'semi permanent' variety... and that means, when you take off the leotard, catsuit or whatever... the dye has seeped onto your skin, where they SEEM to BECOME permanent! Also avoid anything that has a petroleum base, as it tends to break down the fabric. Pastel 'permanent' inks, for calligraphy do nicely, as they are viscous enough to bond with the material, and yet thin enough that they don't 'crust' (like some of the stuff on tee shirts, you know?) Secondly, try to do the painting with someone wearing the article, or stretching it over a full form mannequin. Stretching it over a cardboard form does not give you the dimension, both visually and realistically. Even if your model or form does not have the same figure as you do, the basic integrity of the design will be maintained, (unless, of course, stretched to unreasonable proportions. Then they're really interesting designs, but possibly not what was intended!)4.7. How does supplex lycra compare with nylon lycra? - miles@access4.digex.net (Ms. Morrisine) Supplex is a nylon (!!) but looks similar to cotton/lycra blends. It does have a little bit of silky sheen to it though. It is softer to the touch than cotton. It still is closer to cotton/lycra than nylon/lycra. It is flat to nylon's shine, and a little rough to nylon's smoothness. I would say that the stretch is as good or almost as good as nylon. It does last longer than cotton. The color stays and it won't shrink as much as cotton (as if cotton shrunk that much anyway.)5. Play Gear5.1. How can I make a cheap lycra hood? - by an266193@anon.penet.fi The Cheap Do-It-Yourself Hood: Let's face it- it's too damn hard to find a lycra hood that is really snug and tight without spending major $$$ and getting something you may get tired of. Hoods aren't flexible- they only can do one thing (cover your head) one way ( the way it's made). My continuing experiments with commonly found lycra items has led me to the As-Tight-As-You-Want-And-How lycra hood. I use a pair of good quality opaque black lycra tights. It helps to get the biggest size available and to pre-stretch it the long way before using it as a hood. Pull one leg over your head so that your head now sits inside one of the thigh portions of one of the legs. The waist/panty portion of the tights I like to tuck into my long-sleeved turtleneck leotard. You now have a significant length of the two legs to wrap your head in as you like. First use the leg that your head isn't in, being sure to stretch it lengthwise and crosswise to get the most out of it as you wrap your head up. I tuck the free end ( the foot) in the back. Do the same with the other leg. If you're the lycra dominant, you can wrap your head in such a way that only your eyes are visible, albeit through the single layer we began with. You'll be able to see and maybe your partner will catch a hint of your eyes behind the lycra. If you're the lycra slave, wrap your head completely and snugly. There's only so many layers of lycra you can see through. If you're wrapped tight enough, you'll find it difficult to even talk- a built-in gag!5.2. How can I make a cheap lycra sleepsack? - by an266193@anon.penet.fi The Cheap Do-It-Yourself Sleepsack: 1. Obtain a crew-necked, zip-back, long sleeved unitard that has a lot of stretch in it. It mustn't be footed (though it may work). 2. Turn both legs inside out. At the end of one of the legs, knot it closed. Turn this leg right side out, leaving the other leg inside the outfit. 3. Carefully slip both your legs into this one leg until your feet reach the knot (which is now on the inside). 4. Pull the unitard up around yourself. Turn both arms inside out and have your partner zip you up. If you're alone, put your arms through without turning the arms of the unitard inside out and zip up- then pull your arms inside, turning the sleeves inside out as you go along. 5. Now the only drawback is that your head is still sticking out. You could sew the neck opening shut, but I still want to use the unitard normally once in a while. Personally, I like to take one of the sleeves and, leaving it right side out, pull it down over my head snug. The commercially available sleepsacks have internal sleeves to immobilize your arms- After some thought and experimentation, I modified my original idea to include internal sleeves and enhance the bondage aspect, but it requires a long-sleeved scoopneck leotard (which are pretty inexpensive)- 1. Before getting into the "sleepsack", take the aforementioned leotard and turn the arms inside out. (Mind you, you won't be able to use this leotard for anything else after my suggested modifications) 2. Sew the ends of the sleeves shut and then sew them into the inside aspect of the leotard parallel with the sides. 3. Pull on the leotard like you would normally and slip your arms into the sleeves. Now get into the garment described above. Admittedly this isn't optimal- try it out and offer improvements. In order to make it more difficult to get out the sack, use the inside out arms of the unitard- 1. Take the right arm and go around your front and to the back to your left. Do the same with the left inside out arm, going around the front to your back on the right. 2. Have your partner tightly tie the two arms together behind your back. In doing so it becomes more difficult to manipulate the sack from the inside to get out. And if it's nice thick lycra you like, try multilayering, using a long-sleeved scoop-neck unitard in place of the leotard above. Don't forget to turn one leg inside out and tie the other one shut. Then get into the sack as before.6. Entertainment6.1. "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" - piero@hondo.cyberverse.com (Dairenn Lombard) Episode list of occurrences of Amy Jo Johnson and Thuy Trang (formerly of Saban's "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers," of the Fox Kids Network--US): Season #1 (August 28th, 1993-May 24, 1994): Day of the dumpster: In the opening sequence (and in all subsequent first season episode theme song intros), Kimberly (Amy Jo Johnson) is seen backflipping in a spaghetti-strap leotard with bike pants over them. High Five: Trini (Thuy Trang) participates in a putty fight wearing grey stretch pants. (Editor's Note: This looks extremely sexy on her.) A Pressing Engagement: Kimberly spends the first two acts in a bike-a-tard. (Editor's Note: This is worth taping.) A Different Drum: Kimberly is teaching a class wearing more delightful spandex (Editor's Note: Due to Fox's negligence to re-broadcast pre-2nd season episodes, I have forgotten what specifically what she wore.) Power Ranger Punks: Trini is playing volley-ball in bike-pants during Act One. Act Four concludes the episode by both Kimberly and Trini wearing thong back briefs, Kimberly is found wearing a denim tie-end jacket and knee-length stretch pants; Trini is wearing bike-pants and a leotard with a shirt tied around her waist. (Editor's Note: This is ALSO worth taping.) Rita's Seed of Evil: Trini spends the day in a half-length shirt (for those with a four-head VCR with Freeze Frame, you might be able to catch one of Trini's Bra's cups for a split second); also wearing yellow stretch pants. Trick or Treat: Kimberly treats us by wearing a hooded body suit and bike pants during Act One. Season #2 (July 21, 1994-September 9th, 1995): The Wanna-Be Ranger: Trini spends the day in black stretch pants. Putty on the Brain: During a putty fight, Kimberly is found in thin (panty-line showing) stretch pants. Bloom of Doom: Briefly, Trini is found recruiting Volley Ball players wearing black biking shorts. Forever Friends: Kimberly goes through Act One in half-length bike shirts and a T-Back Sports Bra and Act Four consists of Kimberly in the second best poses I've ever seen in a unitard. (Editor's Note: Definitely worth recording.) A Different Shade of Pink: In Kimberly's last episode, she spends most of the first of this three-part episode in a variety of spandex-made clothes. In Act Four of Part III, Kimberly shows her millions of fans what they'll be missing during one of Kimberly's hottest gym routines in a leotard (by itself). (Editor's Note: Crotch shot--worth taping.) There may be other brief instances of A.J. or Thuy Trang wearing spandex, however, I am only noting things that may be of interest to readers of a.l. should Fox ever decide to re-broadcast any of the above mentioned episodes.6.2. Are there any TV shows or movies that have people wearing lycra? (Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread, and Diskdet2 for starting it.) From: Diskdet2 (diskdet2@aol.com) Grease, Hardbodies, Lunchwagon, Spring Break, Xanadu, Galaxina, Roller Boogie, Skate Town USA, almost any of the old Sold Gold shows. I will update the list and repost as new names get added to the list. This way if someone missed seeing one of the great Lycra shots, they will get to see them. I was thinking about some of the movies I had seen that had great looking women in them wearing Lycra. Lycra fans go out and rent the movie "Spring Break". It should be in your local video store. The is a band, which happens to be the rock band Vixen. They are wearing Lycra when they are singing. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. From: rmisra@cs.umb.edu (Ray H. Misra) Stuart Gordon's _Dolls_, a fairly decent horror movie, features a British blonde punk in black spandex--the best kind! :) The pulchritudinous ("cute" just doesn't do her justice) Lori Singer appears briefly in black tights, too, near the beginning of _Warlock_, tending to Julian Sands' wounds before realizing how evil he is. Sadly, it's just one (poorly lit) scene. :-( Spike Lee's "School Daze" features a _terrific_ musical number with all the "wannabes" and "jigaboos" (DISCLAIMER: Not an offensive term in context; see the movie and you'll understand. Trust me.)--ALL SINGING! ALL DANCING! ALL SPANDEX! There's some Corey Haim movie out there with a very cute girl riding her bike in red lycra. Maybe it was _Dream A Little Dream Of Me_, but I don't remember because I didn't see it (HONEST!! :-), but it was in the trailer. David Essex's "Rock On" was the background music, so that was probably on the soundtrack, if that little clue helps. VERY brief scene in _The Big Crimewave_--shitty movie, absolutely not worth renting just for this scene, but included in the interest of completeness. (FILM THREAT's glowing endorsement of this movie factored into the cancellation of my subscription.) _Model By Day_. _Buck Rogers In The 25th Century_: The Gil Gerard version. Still a guilty pleasure for many reasons, including the ravishing Erin Gray as Wilma Deering in her resplendent costume. :):):):):) Many guest stars, including Jaime Lee Curtis, also showed up long enough to prance around in our favorite fabric. In the interest of equal-opportunity ogling-positiveness, here are some for the het girls/gay guys: The "Superman" movies, obviously. "The Trial of the Incredible Hulk" features Rex Smith in a full- body black lycra costume as the blind vigilante Daredevil. And, of course, the videos of the old "Spider-Man" TV series/movies--a little something for all you Nicholas Hammond groupies, who've been crushed out on him since _The Sound Of Music_! :-) Superheroes, it seems, are the way to go. There are tons of animated superhero stuff on video, so look into that--it isn't all male, either. Or, barring that, just pick up a comic book. (WARNING: "The Flash", though a fine series in its own right and available--some episodes, anyway--on videotape, is not that spandex-heavy; John Wesley Shipp's costume is rubber, not lycra.  They did it that way because a thick, muscle-contoured rubber suit would give him a greater, more intimidating presence, and, one would guess, make him less shiny. :-) From: plthomps@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca (Mad Pete) Well.. don't know what kind of movies those are (other than Grease), but Octopussy comes to mind. Mind you, it was somewhat dark and didn't last all that long, but it involved a circus band of spandex-clad females all rioting against the bad guys in this classic James Bond movie :) From: andyc2@ix.netcom.com (Andrew Castelluccio) You might want to check out "Under Siege". The Baywatch actress (Erica Eleniak) steps off a helicopter wearing a black spandex bodysuit and from what i can see, 5 inch pumps. It was reminiscent of Olivia Newton John in Grease, which i think is the best lycra outfit ever filmed. From: doogie@doogieland.com (Doogmeister) Last night I watched "Serial Mom" with some friends. In one scene, Mom chases one of her kids friends into a Heavy Metal club, where the all female, lycra clad band "Camel Lips" is playing. When you get a close look at them in their lycra tights, you realize where they got the name "Camel Lips" from. :-) From: "CODMAN" (chriso@btcase.bt.co.uk) One movie worth looking for is Aerobicide. This is a sexploitation movie about a serial sex killer in an aerobics club. Lots of good shiny lycra, with the cast doing interesting pelvic thrusts. From: Superjay@hawkcave.com (Super Jayhawk, Bird in Spandex) Does anyone remember the video to Laura Branigan's "Self Control" that came out about 1983-84? It had some incredible scenes since everyone was wearing full lycra bodysuits on the set in some bizarre effect, but I didn't have a VCR back then. Also Patty Smythe's "The Warrior" had lots of spandex in the video (1985-86, I think). And, of course, the guy in the full lycra bodysuit from Suzanne Vega's "Blood Makes Noise" was fun too... From: rsg0910@iglou.com (Robert Goodwin) The movie "Heavyweights" has the new owner of the camp, played by Ben Stiller as Tony Perkis, wears a diveskin in the last part of the movie. Plenty of excellent scenes, both front and back, and there's a couple other scenes, one of him jogging and other gymnastics. House : When the owner of the house checks the mail, his female neighbor jogs by in a brightly-colored unitard. An old, but humorous, show called 227 has a character played by Jackee who is man-crazy and sometimes wears spandex. Seems she always knows how to look good no matter what. Cool Runnings : Bobsledding suits! The Nutty Professor : Eddie Murphy is back as his usual funny self. He's Buddy Love in the slim form, and the Professor in the big form. One scene has Love rushing into a sports shop and replying "Spandex!" when the salesperson asks what he's looking for. Another has him in an aerobics class making his famous face in a sea of female rear ends. The old classic show Soul Train always has someone in tight lycra. MTV usually has at least someone in lycra. It's not hard to find, just watch the videos and you'll find someone. The early to late 80s most always had someone in them.7. Suppliers of Lycra and Lycra-related items Note: The Shiny Spandex Listing has been made a separate file. Greg Mortensen, loki@world.std.com, is the maintainer, and the listing can be found at http://world.std.com/~loki/misc/lycra.html. The alt.arts.ballet newsgroup has a FAQ on dancewear supplies. Some of what's in here, can also be found in that listing. This listing is quite large, a little too large to be included in here. The best place to look is in the rtfm.mit.edu FTP site, which also has a number of other FAQ files.7.1. What mail-order companies carry lycra items? Body Aware PO Box 1247 Sonoma, CA 95476 or Erskine House Trowbridge, BA14 8RY, UK. Body Aware's latest men's range of interesting underwear (called Skin Deep) contains lots of sexy Lycra underwear, including a really tight dance belt. Free catalog, e-mail to: Services@bdyaware.demon.co.uk CyberKinky (Bruce & Valerie) http://www.graphicad.com Besides the usual array of adult items, they also have lycra suits. They sell torso suits and full coverage suits, and related suit items. Dance Distributors P. O. Box 11440, Harrisburg, Penna 17108 (800) 33-DANCE Dance belts by Capezio Dance France Mail Order Ribbed Leotards (Full and Thong), P.O. Box 15016 Tights (Bike, Capri, and Ankle), Bike York, PA 17405 Unitards 800-421-1543 717-840-5834 717-755-1409 (FAX) Doc's Sports P.O. Box 490338 DEPT DC College Park, Georgia 30349-0338 USA FAX: 404-473-0059 Toll free 1-800-241-4975 or 404-996-3627 I have an address/ phone number for DOC'S SPORTS (a mail-order store) that specializes in lycra work-out wear. The style selection is limited, but the items are of high quality material and construction. They have Men's tights, and shorts, and tank tops along with a wide selection of briefs, and posing suits (thongs and body-building gear) in a variety of colors. Request a catalog (free) by mail or phone: Eastbay 427 Third Street Wausau, WI 54403 800-826-2205 Eastbay has the usual lycra running tights, etc, but also has nylon/lycra wrestling singlets in 9 solids ($22) and 18 2-color combinations ($30). These are only shown in the winter catalogs. Excel Sports Boulder, Colorado 1-800-627-6664. They do also have a good range of other cycling clothing: jerseys, shorts, bib shorts, tights, etc., and they also have clear PVC rain jackets with side vents, $20. Pearl Izumi's rubberized lycra cycling suits are available mail order in the latest Excel Sports cycling catalog. Fit to be Tried 4754 East Grant Tucson, AZ 85712 1-800-669-6409 / Fax: 1-520-321-1182 Mr. Ulrich Hartl Oedacker 2 D-93339 Riedenburg/Haidhof The last pricelist is a year old. Luge suits are available in shiny red, silver, and gold. Sizes small and medium, DM 398 (USD $235). Sizes large and extra-large, DM 448 (USD $265). Hind (request a free catalog) 1-800-235-4150 International Male/Undergear swimwear, undergear, etc. email address: style@intmale.com Phone #: 1-800-853-8555, 1-800-293-9333 Just for Kix / Dance Etc. PO Box 724 Brainerd, MN 56401 1-800-762-3347 / 1-218-829-7618 Koala Swimwear PO Box 5519 Sherman Oaks, CA 91413-5519 1-800-238-2941 / 818-904-3301 / 818-238-5170 (fax) http://www.koalaswim.com This is one of the more unique items to come across the FAQ, as they sell swim 'trunks' for men only. These trunks are not the usual shorts-style or speedo-style. These merely give coverage to the penis, allowing the male to show off the rest of himself, *just* enough to be legal, depending on where you are when you put it on. Mellow Mail wide variety of lycra dresses and skirts Morex Activewear Co 213-626-2381 http://www.morex.com New York Dancewear Company 188-06 Union Turnpike Flushing, New York 11366 (800) 775-DANCE Dance belts by Capezio. Full-coverage suits can be had by asking for catalog number 8999. Patterson's Dance & Ballroom Shop 182 Cambridge Street Burlington, Mass. (617) 273-3039 or 181 Massachusetts Ave. Boston, Mass. (617) 536-2281 or 23 Drum Hill Road, Drum Hill Plaza Chelmsford, Mass. (508) 459-7300 Dance belts by Bloch, Capezio, and (recommended) M. Stevens Physical Culture p.o. box 30486 Oakland, CA 94604 1-800-944-3144 or outside the US 510-287-5000 (request a free catalog...Great clothes for women and men... some really daring fashions in lycra, mesh, and cotton (I know yuk! --but the styles are Hot) Rage!/Gigglewear 136 Wildwood Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45216 (513) 821-3913 They have a nylon dance belt in their catalog. I don't know anything about it, but the model in the photo isn't wearing it properly: he's dressing "down" instead of "up." The catalogs cost $2, which is deducted from your first order. Record Sports Downs Lane West Looe Hill Looe Cornwall. PL13 2HX Phone: 01503 262675. Send an SAE for a catalogue (only line drawings) They custom make Lycra bike shorts, leggings, bib shorts and full skin suit (legs and arms, no feet or gloves). The skin suit isn't cheap at 49-50GBP but it is fully custom made. Their main business is athletic shorts, which they do in 'normal', 'extra brief' and 'micro' design (with no liners). I haven't ordered anything yet but if I do I'll let you know. Renaissance Dancewear (rendance@fresno-online.com) 2284 North Brunswick Fresno, CA 93722 1-209-271-1411 This is a company that mostly caters to the theatrical groups, but they know of people's fetishes like this. If you have a design in mind, no matter how outrageous, they'll make it. Where else can you have a full body suit of purple on one side and pink on the other made? Same with the harlekin/harlequin designs, which are diamonds of varying colors, thus making a rather wild and colorful sort of costume! Renard Inc po box 700206 Tulsa Oklahoma 74170 1-800-225-1670 Lycra cycle pants with polypropylene pad supports can be found at: Renard - Understatements for the well endowed. (Their catalog alone is worth the price of a stamp!) Road Runner Sports 1-800-551-5558 in California good source for lycra / spandex items: For Lycra T-shirts: - romey777@aol.com (Romey777), otter@nyc.pipeline.com (Dan Wilkinson), and cibersmurf@aol.com (CiberSmurf) "Re:Vision" in the back of "Rainbows & Triangles" greeting card shop on 8th Ave. near 20th St. There are many stores in the West Village of NYC that have them, especially on Christopher St, between 7th Ave. and Hudson St. Try The Loft, Street Wise, and Body Body. Also check the Undergear catalog (1-800-853-8555). Ordering through Ms. Morraine (e-mail miles@access1.digex.net) : What do you want? I can get others items, well just about everything (dance belts excluded too), yet another item I am working on. I can get some really shiny and smooth leotards, capris, bra tops (best in the industry), thong briefs, and full briefs by "GEAR 1." These things are -nice- looking. I am new to this, and am still establishing connections with other manufacturers. Right now I can get Dance France, Carushka, and "Eurotard" also.7.2. What companies sell plain spandex? Spandex House 228 West 38th Street New York, NY 10018 (212)354-6711 http://www.lycrafab.com/ Impala Industries, a big wholesaler that also sells retail, and has a good on-line catalog. http://www.rctfabrics.com/rosecity.htm A sporting goods fabric wholesaler that also sells retail. No pictures or detailed descriptions on their web page, but hundreds of types of lycra fabrics available at good prices. http://www.zoom-is.com/bizarre/choice.htm Some interesting bits of lycra items7.2b. Patterns Lots of outdoor sporting fabrics companies also stock patterns for lycra clothes, like shorts, tights, and full body suits, as well as regular fabric houses. Browse their pattern books. Patterns worth getting include Green Pepper 406: Stirrup tights Green Pepper 401/402: Womens/Mens bike jerseys Stretch & Sew 309: Catsuits and bodysuits Stretch & Sew 313: Tights, bike shorts Kwik Sew 1727: Men's tank top, tights, bike shorts Kwik Sew 2108: Catsuits, including one with a hood Kwik Sew 2335: Wetskin/UV Suit, full-body or short sleeve body suit with front zip. One good catalog with patterns and lots of types of lycra is The Rain Shed 707 NW 11th Corvallis OR 97330 (541)753-8900 The Rain Shed is a mail order shop in Oregon that specializes in outdoor fabrics and patterns. Seattle Fabrics also has a good catalog with patterns and lots of spandex fabrics. http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Heights/3204/1home.html Stitchboy's free patterns for men's spandex swimsuits, with other good links, too.7.3. What lycra specialty companies are there? Fantasy Unlimited 1st and Pike Seattle, WA (It has a heavy lycra body bag with a full length back zipper and a front crotch zipper. It was black and came in sizes small medium and large. Interestingly, it came with about six straps attached to the sides that could be fastened for extra restraint. Price was approx $140. Male Hide Leathers 312-929-0069 Hooded catsuits for about $35-40 or so. They can also get spandex bodybags, both with openings for "certain parts" and without. Black only, though. I don't believe they have a catalog, but I'm sure they're willing to help you get what you want via mail-order. It's really more of a place to stop in and shop, though...but I'd suggest being well-armed with money before doing so! :) - dacc@tigerden.com (D.A.C. Cromwell) Second Skins 8100 Yonge St. Thornhill, Ontario Canada (905) 737-2629 It's a custom-order shop and have different colors (green, purple, silver, etc). I don't know what to say about thickness... I'd say about average...7.4. Are There Any Good Lycra Shops in London? - by jrk@sys.uea.ac.uk (Richard Kennaway) Dancia International / 187, Drury Lane // Covent Garden // London WC2N Tiny, but packed full of neat things; lots of catsuits, unitards, many fun colours/shapes. A shop for serious male and female dancers, or anyone else who wants to wear their stuff. Julienne & Porselli 9 West Street, Cambridge Circus, London WC2H 9NE Serious dancewear for men and women. All sorts of leggings, leotards, catsuits, in many materials and colours. Friendly and helpful staff. Branches in Cambridge and Norwich as well. Lillywhites National chain of sportswear shops. The huge branch near Piccadilly in London has a large amount of nylon lycra bikewear and swimwear, and is reported to have lycra diveskins (i.e. complete-coverage diving suits) but I've not looked for those. Top Shop/Top Man Large branch in Oxford Street. They have had lycra short- and long-sleeved t-shirts. Try both the men's and women's departments. Gandolfi 150 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5PP. 0171 935 6049 Serious dancewear, will also make anything you like to order. I've never visited this one, but I've heard favourable reports of it. From a satisfied customer: I have ordered many items through them, they are interested in helping with all kinds of made-to-measure lycra items and their poloneck back-zip shiny catsuits are excellent. Their turnaround is about 10 days and they take credit card orders. I also have never visited them, but their mail order service is excellent. They manufacture for TV and Films and the quality of their work is outstanding.  I've also heard of: Sports Locker; 17 Floral St // London. (Covent Garden area) Large, entirely menswear. Nothing I particularly liked when I visited, but for stuff like outrageously expensive silver lame' microshorts, this is the place.7.5. Where can I get rubberized lycra or speedskating/luge suits? Seattle Fabrics 8702 Aurora Ave. North Seattle, WA 98103 (206)525-0670 or fax (206)525-0779 Seattle Fabrics is another good outdoor and recreational fabrics shop that does mail order, http://www.seattle2000.com/seattlefabrics. They do wholesale too, and asked how many yards I needed: it would be cheaper in whole bolts of cloth! Bedsheets? Jehlor Fantasy Fabrics (206)575-8250 Young Originals P.O. Box 28 89 Perch Lake Somerset Center, MI 49282 800-470-3359 517-688-4860 517-688-3161 (FAX) youngorig@aol.com Young Originals makes skinsuits for ice and inline speedskating, bicycling, downhill skiing, luge, etc. Everything is custom made to your design and measurements, using nylon/lycra in any of two weights and 27 colors. They say to inquire for pricing on luge suits of black or white "rubberized coated stretch fabric". Call or E-mail them for a free catalog. Here's two reviews from satisfied customers; From: lbonser@bluehawk.com (Les Bonser) Subject: Young Originals is the tops in lycra I just got the suit I ordered from Young Originals, cheaper than the custom-made catsuit I had made last summer. It even fits better; I did the measurements myself. I emailed YO at youngorig@aol.com and requested a catalog. I got an e-mail response in a day that the catalog was sent. I received the catalog in about four days. I ordered my suit on a Monday and received it 10 days later. That includes the time for the order to get from Las Vegas to Michigan by first class mail and time for the suit to arrive by second-day air UPS. I ordered a "Long One Piece Uniform" w/ hood in royal blue. The price was about $85.00 with shipping. I'm extremely pleased and suggest that everyone on this newsgroup give this excellent company as much business as possible. Subject: PU-coated Lycra Luge Suit From: ayjay1@aol.com (AYJAY1) Hi fellow Lycra lovers Just thought I d pass on some of my experiences with my custom made PU-coated lycra luge suit (catsuit). I bought my suit from Young Originals a couple of months ago and its really been great. PU (polyurethane) coated lycra has a very shiny smooth exterior surface like highly polished latex, but is very strong and hard to tear (unlike rubber!). My luge suit is black with attached feet, open faced hood and straps that fit over the thumbs. I had wanted a full length back zipper but YO were unable to make this work with the attached hood, so it has front zipper instead. This suit is extremely tight and form fitting, including the arms (which are often made on the loose side). In fact YO will make it as tight as you want - enough to cut off circulation to your extremities if you re so inclined! The PU-coated lycra has a LOT of stretch so you can really go for a skin tight fit. I am primarily an ardent rubber fetishist, but this suit has really impressed me. The nice thing about it is that it is so easy to put on and take off compared to my rubber suits. No powder is required and I get the suit on and off in less than two minutes compared to the twenty minutes it takes to get into my rubber catsuits. The lycra also doesn't need any polish to maintain its shine. Not that this suit will ever completely replace my rubber suits - it just doesn't have the same feel, texture and smell as latex. I wear this suit under my street clothes a lot (I tuck the hood in under the collar) and nobody can tell I'm wearing it. The suit costs about $230 which is expensive for lycra (but still worth it) but about half the price of a custom made latex suit.. Workmanship is excellent (YO are very helpful and will e-mail you with questions or suggestions) and delivery is about 2 to 3 weeks. I really cannot praise this suit or Young Originals enough. Go out and get yourself one of these - you'll love it! Tim Davis, TDavis9999@gnn.com, offers this message on how polyurethane compares in feel to either latex or spandex; AYJAY1 wrote.... > I am primarily a rubber enthusiast, so I would like to hear from >anyone who has bought or worn any PU coated lycra from YO, ie: > > a) How does it compare in feel to either latex or spandex? I haven't bought from Young Originals but I have made my own suits of polyurethane coated nylon/lycra... It is quite an erotic feeling material, very strong in hold. In addition to the lycra there is the additional tension provided by the polyurethane coating, which is similar, I think, to the plastic used to package Holly Farms chickens. The fabric will stretch as far as uncoated spandex, but to do so takes considerable tension, and the PU coating becomes strained when doing so, resulting in a finely wrinkled appearance. The hold strength is similar to power net (used in girdles) but is more difficult to stretch the further you stretch it, as opposed to latex and power net's more constant tension thru most of it's stretch range. The grain of the material makes a big difference in that it stretches more easily in 1 direction than it does at right angles to that direction. Arranged so that the easier stretch direction is around the body while the harder to stretch direction is up and down, the body is preferable. Otherwise the fit is not as skin-tight, doesn't recover as you exhale. The fit should be just slightly smaller (95%) in circumference than wearer's actual size for the arms and ankles, 85% at the thighs, while the torso may be scaled to 75% of the wearer's size. Keep the other direction (up-down the body or limb) at about 90-95% of wearer's size. This will give you the tightest fit practical for PU lycra. A back zip makes it easiest to get into a PU suit, but it is more difficult to zip up by yourself. A front zip must be very long in order for the suit to stretch over the shoulders, which is difficult to do, but is easier to stretch the material together in order to zip it up by yourself. A pullover made with the scaling described above is quite difficult to pull on, and virtually impossible to get out of without putting a slippery regular nylon lycra garment over it so the inside out material doesn't 'tack' to itself. The feel is kind of between lycra and latex. The coating can feel smooth like polished latex, or, if it's real clean and free of oils, you can get it to 'squeak' when you rub it. Also it depends on the type of coating, some, like for competition swimsuits, are slimy to the touch, even when clean, as an effect which reduces drag in the water. PU lycra is _much_ tougher than latex, very easy to sew together and the seams stay very strong, but the very thin coating can easily wear away if you sit on concrete, for example. The material is _almost_ air tight, but due to the thinness and the way it's bonded to the nylon/lycra there are sometimes microscopic holes where the nylon knit meets the PU coating. PU lycra has some good features of both materials, the smooth, shiny surface of latex, plus the incredible strength of nylon/lycra, and the skintight elastic characteristic of both combined.7.6. Danskin Factory Outlet List (Locations and Phone Numbers) - WESK16A@prodigy.com (Bart Cox) DANSKIN FACTORY OUTLET LOCATIONS & PHONE NUMBERS There's a more complete listing of this in the rec.arts.ballet FAQ, and the Danskin listing can change every year. The FAQ can be found on the newsgroup or head to ftp://rtfm.mit.edu. I'm looking for a mailserver for this FAQ for those who have no web access. The rtfm site mentions it somewhere.[End of FAQ]