The male harness' time had surely come.
Or so many fashion blogs predicted after actor Timothée Chalamet arrived on the Golden Globes red carpet wearing a black sequined harness by Virgil Abloh, artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear collection.
Naomi Pike of Vogue UK called the actor’s sartorial chutzpah “The most Instagrammed/viral look” of the night. Page Six declared that Chalamet and his mother Nicole Flender (who also sported custom Vuitton), “easily secured spots at the top of the best-dressed list.”
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Representatives for Vuitton were quick to correct harness-happy writers, clarifying that Chalamet’s bedazzled accessory was in fact an “embroidered bib.” Chalamet himself would later swear to Ellen DeGeneres, “I thought it was a bib. They told me it was a bib.”
Three weeks later at the SAG Awards, staff at Vuitton PR no doubt dealt with headaches once again. Michael B. Jordan rolled up to the ceremony wearing a watercolor-printed Vuitton bib that was quickly dubbed a harness—and a masterpiece.
“Despite the tinge of S&M and the maybe-leather-daddy vibe the accessory carries with it, [the harness] is becoming kind of A Thing for black-tie affairs,” Jonathan Evans, Esquire’s senior style editor, wrote.
The sticklers among us might shrug our shoulders and say, “Three makes a trend.” In that case, please direct your attention to the black leather Moschino harness (not bib) Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon wore underneath his tux jacket at the 2018 Oscars.
Bibs be damned, Rippon's brilliantly fierce accessory paid tribute to harnesses as S&M devotees know and wear them. It was the latest in a long line of acts of appropriation by the world of fashion from the world of kink, as worn by the likes of Madonna, Kim Kardashian, and Lady Gaga. In search of shock, fashion is a frequent visitor to the land of sub-dom.
Maya Salam of The New York Times called Rippon’s S&M prom look, “Pure, unapologetic edge,” but one year later, as harnesses abound, it looks downright trendy.
The R-rated accoutrement has managed to do the impossible: make the internet go gaga over menswear on the red carpet, which is typically a snoozy sea of black tuxedos. That alone is no small feat. But can the harness transcend its horse/people-restricting reputation and emerge a bona fide, available at your local Topshop, capital-T trend?
So far, so maybe. British e-tailer ASOS currently sells a handful of male harnesses. Each one rings in under $50, and most are branded for “parties” or “festivals.” While none of the current offerings are as glorious as Jordan’s multi-colored overlay or Chalamet’s glittering “bib”, one $45 standout resembles a chainmail sweater vest.
But away from the virtual high street, harness mania seems stalled. Alexander McQueen sells a $2,500 number for women, but there are none for deep-pocketed, wannabe male doms for sale at East Dane, Mr. Porter, or Nordstrom. The fanciest harness money can buy might be Louis Vuitton’s own teal, calfskin “cut-away vest,” but the simple design comes off as more traffic guard than leather daddy.
According to Google Trends, people are searching “harness” en masse—but only with the word “dog” or “pup” in front.
Searah Deysach, owner of the Chicago-based sex shop Early to Bed, told The Daily Beast that she has seen an increased interest in BDSM gear becoming more fashionable out of the bedroom, but mostly when it comes to womenswear. (She blames 50 Shades of Grey.)
“I’ve noticed that companies such as Bijoux Indiscrits are making mass-market pieces that clearly walk the fine line between fashion and BDSM,” Deysach said. “I’m seeing things that are made to be sexy and provide some level of restraint, but not in a hardcore or serious leather way. Sparkles, vinyl, fur, but not sex dungeon.”
Deysach hopes that any celebrity-led harness-ance will encourage more men to explore their kinky sides. “I think you might see people who have an inkling of interest in BDSM feel more free to tap into it, get a harness, wear it outside, even if they’re not going to a club,” the store owner said.
According to a clerk at New York's The Blue Store who did not want to give his name, “In general, I haven't seen men wearing [harnesses] for fashion. We only really sell them if there's an event or a party coming up.”
“I think it's validating to see celebrities in harnesses,” said Lolita Wolf, manager of Purple Passion, a bondage and sex shop in New York City. “Fashion trickles up, and it trickles down. It starts from the underground, then it gets picked up, gets more popular, and falls away.”
Though Wolf mentioned Rippon's Oscar outfit as a harness high point, she admitted that most of her customers are not buying the accessory to wear under a suit jacket. “They're wearing it with skin, to the bar on Saturday night or to dance parties,” she said.
And—if red carpets are to be believed—the harness will soon be seen at many more parties. As for the 'bib,' save it for babies and as protective wear for lobster eating.
