When Dita Von Teese stepped under the gilded domes of an opera house in a latex dress, and when Shibuya’s subcultural teens paired fluorescent latex dresses with ripped denim, what was once confined to underground clubs began its glamorous transformation from taboo symbol to high fashion. In the interplay between body and fabric, latex dresses weave an eternal dialogue of desire and restraint. I. The Romanticization of a Dangerous Material The encounter between latex and ski