catsuit

A woman wearing a black latex fetish catsuit and thigh-high boots.

A catsuit is a close-fitting one-piece (usually stretch) garment that covers the torso and the legs, and sometimes the arms.^[1] Catsuits can be used by both genders, and despite the name they do not in general have feline characteristics.

History

Catsuits date back at least as far as the 1940s. Although many catsuits are made of spandex, that fabric was not invented until 1959.

Construction

Catsuits can be made from a variety of usually stretch fabrics or materials. These include lycra, chiffon, spandex, leather, latex, PVC, or velour. They may have a zip at the front or the back, but other necklines are possible.

Usage

Fashion

Catsuits were occasionally worn as a high fashion item at various times from the 1960s to the 1990s. During the 1970s and 80s they were worn for aerobics and disco dancing. In about 1980 disco dance catsuits briefly became a street fashion item in the UK.

Sportswear

Often worn by athletes for speed skating, bobsled, winter triathlon, ski-racing, cycling, scuba-diving, and gymnastics. Recent developments in swimming costumes have produced high-tech catsuits for competitive swimmers. Serena Williams also once wore a black catsuit for the 2002 US Open.

Stage costumes

Frequently worn by dancers, magicians, circus performers, and pop-singers.

Functional wear

Sometimes worn as thermal underwear in cold weather. Diving suits reduce heat-loss by stopping warmed water from flowing away from the skin.

Fetish use

Some people consider them to be a fetish item. Catsuits for fetish use are often made of latex or PVC where such a catsuit is typically highly shiny, tight fitting and may be (but is not exclusively) worn with an corset over the top of the suit. Other materials such as lycra, shiny wet look, or velvet are options for fetish wear too, with some lycra materials having animal print designs. Catsuits can have zips on the front, or rear for access with some having zips on the shoulders. Additional zips can be placed in specific areas for access, if required. Typically a fetish catsuit will not have gloves or feet. Feet, if present, are typically form fitting like socks and the gloves will have individual fingers. Tyipcally gloves and socks can be worn as additional accessories to a catsuit to give a whole body look, with some opting to add a hood as an option too. Hoods can also be incorporated in to the catsuit. Rarely will a catsuit incorporate boot or shoe, although it is possible. An option instead of gloves might be bondage mittens, which might have a D-ring at the top, and such catsuits can be used as straitjackets in the context of bondage. More extreme options for catsuits have incorporated monoglove instead of sleeves and they can also be used for bondage. Catsuits may also have incorporated corset and/or neck corset, although these are typically added as accessories to complete a look.

Zentai

A zentai is a fetish garment, usually made of spandex, being a catsuit with both feet gloves and a hood which totally encloses the wearer. The name zentai comes from the Japanese word for "whole body".

Appearance in popular culture

The catsuit is often worn in movies, television, music videos and computer games. Perhaps one of the most iconic appearances of catsuits in popular media are those worn by Emma Peel (played by actress Diana Rigg), who in the British television show The Avengers often wore tight leather catsuits. Earlier episodes of The Avengers frequently featured the character Cathy Gale, played by actress Honor Blackman, in leather catsuits; leather was chosen because it lit well in studio lighting and did not split during action scenes. Shirley Bassey wore a sleeveless chiffon catsuit for a gatefold album photograph, and in concert.^[2] Cher has also worn catsuits in concert.^[3] In comics and their spin-off movies, catsuits are often worn by superheroes of both sexes. One well-known icon is Catwoman, the villainess/anti-heroine of the Batman series, who has worn a number of different styles of catsuit in her numerous film, comic book and cartoon adaptations. A heroine in the Batman series, Batgirl, also wore catsuits. Catsuits are standard attire for dominatrixes.

The character of Jade in the Wrong Number series from R.L. Stine's Fear Street has an affinity for wearing catsuits.

On the America's Next Top Model casting episode of cycle 11, the contestants wore catsuits in a photoshoot.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Bodystocking
• Fetish fashion
• Gimp suit
• Jumpsuit
• Latex and PVC fetishism
• Latex clothing
• Spandex fetishism
• Unitard
• Wetsuit
• Zentai

References

• Pop-culture reference to 'first catsuit' ("Witness the group's formation and the first time they wore catsuits!" - Editorial review of Archie Americana Series Best Of The Forties Book 2 on Amazon)
• Invention of wetsuits ("Bradner took the first plunge in a neoprene wetsuit in the winter of 1950 at Lake Tahoe.")

External links

• Catsuit pattern drafting
• How to make a catsuit