# Help with Halloween costume (I'm clueless about leather) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 7, 2005, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-halloween-costume-im-clueless-about-leather/320466 "2005-09-07T03:29:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-halloween-costume-im-clueless-about-leather/320466/21 "2005-09-09T04:42:40Z")
> [@swampbear](#): > > If you can’t afford a good quality pair of chaps right now, it’s worth it to wait until you can. After all, you will get use of them beyond Halloween and a good pair can last for several years. Just some sage words of advice from somebody who has err…umm… been around a while. 😉 True. I’ve got a pair of chaps that are a bit more than half as old as chaoticdonkey, and they’re still in good shape. Got a harness that’s even older. IIRC, I made it about 14 years ago. Unfortunately, it fits my 14-years younger body better than it fits me now. ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-halloween-costume-im-clueless-about-leather/320466/22 "2005-09-09T11:44:13Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > True. I’ve got a pair of chaps that are a bit more than half as old as chaoticdonkey, and they’re still in good shape. Got a harness that’s even older. IIRC, I made it about 14 years ago. Unfortunately, it fits my 14-years younger body better than it fits me now. I’m gonna need a cite for this. Pictures of you modeling the chaps and harness will do nicely. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-halloween-costume-im-clueless-about-leather/320466/23 "2005-09-09T13:47:02Z")
Essayist Joel Perry tells a funny Leather Halloween story in his book _That’s Why They’re In Cages, People_. He dresses in his leather gear for an office Halloween costume party and gets compliments from the office Do-Gooder until she finds out that he already had the gear. She says something about not being eligble to win because it’s not a costume if he already owned the leather. He replies that it is a costume because the leather band is on his left arm. She looks at him quizzically and wonders why that would make a difference. Another co-workers reveals a bit about himself by laughing at the query and remarking that it makes a world of difference. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-halloween-costume-im-clueless-about-leather/320466/24 "2005-09-09T14:21:12Z")
I don’t get it. What’s the difference? ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-halloween-costume-im-clueless-about-leather/320466/25 "2005-09-09T14:41:08Z")
> [@swampbear](#): > > This little ditty is from that website **donkey** _SNORT_ Flying Possum Leather. _SNORT_ You have just _got_ to go check out _SNORT_ Flying Possum Leather. _SNORT_ I already have been at some previous point in my life. If I remember correctly, all they sell are _SNORT_ shoes ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-halloween-costume-im-clueless-about-leather/320466/26 "2005-09-09T14:46:51Z")
> [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > I don’t get it. What’s the difference? Ooh, I wanna take a stab at this, before the people who actually know what they’re talking about get in here and ruin it for me. Band on the left signifies top, band on the right signifies bottom? ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-halloween-costume-im-clueless-about-leather/320466/27 "2005-09-09T15:53:12Z")
> [@chaoticdonkey](#): > > Ooh, I wanna take a stab at this, before the people who actually know what they’re talking about get in here and ruin it for me. > > Band on the left signifies top, band on the right signifies bottom? Good job! Though in leather circles it’s more dom/sub, but you got the gist. I am proud of you grasshopper! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-halloween-costume-im-clueless-about-leather/320466/28 "2005-09-09T15:58:38Z")
[Leather 411](http://www.mrlt.com/mlt/leather411.htm). Believe it or not, it’s actually work safe. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-halloween-costume-im-clueless-about-leather/320466/29 "2005-09-09T16:17:27Z")
> [@swampbear](#): > > Good job! Though in leather circles it’s more dom/sub, but you got the gist. I am proud of you grasshopper! 😃 _wipes away a tear_ It’s so nice to see the older generation of gay folk taking the younger in hand…so to speak… ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-halloween-costume-im-clueless-about-leather/320466/30 "2005-09-09T16:52:21Z")
> [@swampbear](#): > > Good job! Though in leather circles it’s more dom/sub, but you got the gist. I am proud of you grasshopper! 😃 Shouldn’t that be “…you get the _fist_ …”? ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-halloween-costume-im-clueless-about-leather/320466/31 "2005-09-09T17:31:02Z")
> [@plnnr](#): > > Shouldn’t that be “…you get the _fist_ …”? Depends on the color of your hanky. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-halloween-costume-im-clueless-about-leather/320466/32 "2005-09-09T17:42:31Z")
> [@Homebrew](#): > > Depends on the color of your hanky. And which arm you’re wearing the armband with the red piping on… ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-halloween-costume-im-clueless-about-leather/320466/33 "2005-09-09T20:07:55Z")
Well, I was right. That’s neat. On a side note, the whole red hanky thing reminds of my ex-bf trying to explain hanky codes to me, because he assumed that I, as an 18-year-old, had never heard of them. He proceeded to tell me that red was anal sex, but I didn’t feel like correcting him. It would have shattered his innocent image of me. (What can I say? I like the internet.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-halloween-costume-im-clueless-about-leather/320466.md?page=1)