Fetish gear came out of the S&M clubs and onto the catwalk for Autumn/Winter 2011/12. The recipe? Hardcore looks that include everything but the gimp mask. Literally. Oh, and Kate Moss smoking a fag on the Louis Vuitton runway. When it comes to clothes, the mantra is black, black and more black, with lashings of leather and intricate corsetry lacing as well as a generous helping of PVC and even the odd bondage strap. Elements of fetish made themselves known in all the fashion cities, but is was the Paris designers who put S&M front and centre. From Louis Vuitton to Alexander McQueen to Emanuel Ungaro and Thierry Mugler it was a case of no nice girls allowed.
On the catwalk: Louis Vuitton, Alexander McQueen and Emanuel Ungaro. Photos: PA
As terrifying as this trend might appear to the uninitiated, it's actually pretty simply to rock. Everyone from Jennifer Aniston to Daisy Lowe has been snapped in a leather dress in recent months, and we urge you wholeheartedly to jump aboard this trend. You won't know what you did without it. Honest. Other key elements include a leather trench and some over-the-knee boots. Whip and dog collar optional.
Unleash your inner dominatrix and find out how to work the trend into your Autumn/Winter in our fetish shopping gallery.