Philadelphia, PN
If I liked wearing body-revealing costumes, I would want Thomas Lauria to design one for me. In fact, he’s already made my fantasy garment: a head-to-toe bodysuit printed with a pattern created by scanning a 1970s Scrabble board, the same kind I learned on. The getup is interactive, playable with velcro-backed letter tiles that can be affixed to a chest grid. The full suit, which includes a mask, is also full-on fetishwear. Competitive verbiage is not a common fetish, though I guess it’s mine, and indeed the rest of Lauria’s designs hew more closely to the sexual norms of such gear. This includes a red latex devil suit, complete with inflatable tail and horns, created as a means of dealing playfully and daringly with a not-so-fabulous coming out experience to his conservative, religious family. Also available is “Scene Study,” a flashy latex suit complete with clear crotch panel, as if a superhero had been crossed with a porn star. Porn Man to the rescue!
—Lori Waxman 10/15/2023 2:02 PM