Black Party Fashions

"We're calling it 'Behind the scenes at the world's sexiest party,'" Matt Humphrey says of BPX: The Black Party Expo and Bazaar. And what would the Black Party be without the titillating, pushing-the-limits outfits worn by performers and revelers alike? Humphrey, who headed up expos for HX magazine before becoming the director of BPX, says that a BPX fashion show will offer a glimpse of three decades of this head-turning gear.

What to Expect
Longtime Saint at Large collaborator Epiphany is doing the heavy lifting in organizing the fashion show, Humphrey says. “We don’t want to give away too much,” he adds. But the BPX director will reveal a few tidbits about it.

Foremost, like a fashion show should, this undertaking will feature merchandise that’s available now. Look for an appearance from Le Dame Footwear, the Verona, Wisconsin–based maker of women’s shoes in large sizes. And BPX host Acid Betty will be sporting a pair of Le Dame boots in size 10.5.

In addition, NY JOX, a BPX exhibitor, will be launching a new line of swimear to complement its existing collection of jockstraps. And fellow exhibitor Rubio Leather will be sending its fetish uniforms down the runway.

Humphrey says that The Saint at Large has also put out an open call to supporters to show off their Black Party looks from past years. He doesn’t expect traditional harness-and-jeans combos in response, but rather costumes that correspond with previous party themes.

“Younger generations aren’t too familiar with the leather crowd, and this offers them a little exposure,” Humphrey says.

Younger people may also be influencing the look of leather, Stephen Pevner adds. The Black Party mastermind suggests that the fashion show will evidence a fascinating evolution of a subculture: “For many years there was the cliché that motorcyclists influenced leathermen, and then that icon moved to fetishism. At least in the last five years we have allowed for much more liberal interpretations of that. Now we’re feminizing the leatherman through stockings, eye makeup, and through the wider acceptance of a transgender aesthetic. It’s a way to reinvent something that’s been around for 40 years and making it appropriate for our time.”