We can work around many outfits, but what works well for shibari? In general, less is better. A lot depends on your goal. As a default, simple no danglies or garnishments, flat colors with bootie shorts and no underwire bra is a good place to start. Use props, not outfits, to set a theme.

Layers are very good, and allow you to change while on site, and cover up during and after each set as needed. Layers: hoodie/robe, pj pants, blanket both to cover yourself, and the ground.

Basic shibari:

• Stretchy and comfortable: you want the restriction to come from the rope, not the clothes. Plus, you don’t want to rip your clothes when you go one inch too far in the stretch. Notable as we tend to get deeper stretches with rope, all while the clothing is held less mobile by the rope.
  • Below the waist
    • Full monte: This can limit posing if we have to watch where you and the camera are pointing. As a general suggestion, for comfort and options, we’d look at one of the below options.
    • Safety shorts: Underpants are great to work in, but you might want to double up to help keep covered “just in case.”
    • Bootie shorts: Better than tights
    • Tights: Better than jeans or fishnets
    • MORE (see “keep it simple”)
  • Above the waist
    • Topless & pasties: topless works well, but if you want a cleaner look when posting on social media sites, tape or pasties make photos and video immediately usable without the need to blur or cover images in post-processing
    • Bras: Generally, you will want to avoid bras with an underwire. These can poke you or can break, ruining the bra. Sports bras work, but generally, they look out of place and are just big enough to blend with and get confused with the rope in pictures/drawings. That said, sports bras work well for practice.
    • Corsets: these can be worn with rope, but
      • Generally looks out of place,
      • Can add additional breathing issues that you may already be dealing with while in rope,
      • It may get damaged. Like with a bra’s underwire, the ribbing in a corset may get damaged or be pushed and damage the fabric of the corset.
    • MORE (see “keep it simple”)
  • Keep it simple
    • Danglies, i.e., ribbons, string, etc.: These may get caught in the rope. It may cause both slower tying and risk damage to the garment and may act as a distraction affecting the scene’s look.
    • Garnishments, i.e., flowers or beads: in addition to the risk of getting caught in the rope like danglies, these may also create pressure points that may be uncomfortable with pressure on it.
    • Lots of fabric: this not only can get tangled in the rope and bunched up, creating pressure points, but it also can hide the rope making it hard to understand what the audience is seeing in the imagery.
    • Busy imagery: If the outfit has a bunch of lines or other decoration, the ropes may visually get lost in the noise.
    • Costumes vs. props: costumes often include all of the above (danglies, garnishments, tons of fabric, and busy designs). Consider using simple outfits and using a prop instead. Props held, attached, or just background decoration works well.

Venue:

A lot depends on the venue.

For photos, almost anything can be made to work. Even outdoors, robes, hoodies, pj pants, and blankets can cover not just the skin, but the rope in case someone approaches. A lot is also acceptable as its an artistic photo shoot. Its all about you and your comfort level.

For drawing, people come to draw the human figure, and thus, less is more. I usually leave it up to your comfort level, but going in line with what the artists come for helps encourage donations. These are generalizations, and may vary from time to time:

• Up top
  • Men are always topless.
  • Women, 5% wear a shirt/top
  • Women, 10% wear a bra
  • Women 5-10% pasties
  • Women 75% go fully topless
• Down below
  • Men, 75% go full monte
  • Women, 5-10% wear pants/leggings
  • Women, 85-90% wear shorts or underpants
  • Women, 5% go full monte

Events: in the end, it depends on where we’re at, but the same that goes for photos, drawing, and general shibari applies here. For the show, bootie shorts or underpants below the waist and tape/pasties up top with additional coverage options. Layers of clothing are great for pre/post-show time. Most venues wouldn’t allow nudity. Either due to being public or due to alcohol being present. There is also roaming time where we can put the rope over an outfit if comfort levels or the venue require.