Discussing why anyone other than a fisherman would want to wear rubber clothing is the subject for another entry. This is just going to tell you how to make latex look good and stay that way.

To don your new latex skirt/trousers/shirt you will need a large bottle of talcum powder or powdered cornstarch¹. The difference between the two isn't significant enough to merit discussion. In my experience, I prefer cornstarch, but it's an individual decision.

Powder yourself liberally with the talc/starch. There is no such thing as too much. The powder enables you to slip into the garment with ease, greatly reducing the chance of rips and tears, and also absorbs your sweat - latex is non porous, after all. (Don't worry if you get powder on the outside of the garment, we'll be dealing with that in a second.)

With most latex wear, the garment will be thinner and more delicate at the outer edges and those should be handled with care. Pull it on with caution. As time passes, you'll get the hang of dressing.

Now you're dressed, and a bit powdery on the outside. The next step is tidying and shining the garment.

The dull colour of unpolished latex suits some - in which case, just dust yourself off with a damp cloth.

I like to shine my rubber clothing, so I'll tell you how.

You just need a bottle of the stuff automobile afficionados like to spray all over their car interiors to make them shine. I recommend "Son of a Gun" and I most heartily do not recommend "Armor All". Better yet, if you frequent fetish-stores, ask them what they recommend for rubber clothing, and buy that.

Spray your chosen product liberally on the surface of your garment and gently wipe it away with a clean rag. You do not want to wipe the buffing substance entirely away, but rather leave enough for the garment to gleam. It will feel a little slick to the touch.

An assistant at this point is handy, unless you have extensively studied yoga. I know, as I once nearly sprained myself while trying to buff the back of the knees of a pair of latex trousers I was wearing.

If you are going to be wearing the garment for any significant period of time - and with rubber wear, that tends to mean any longer than an hour - go somewhere private to re-powder and re-shine the item. Re-powdering might be awkward, but it's preferable to coming out in a rash. Some wags like to talk about 'powdering their noses' as they step away with talcum in hand, but that joke is old and I regret repeating it.

Once your excursion is over, immediately wash the garment in plain water. Don't use soap, as that can cause the garment to deteriorate.

To store latex wear, you can either hang it over a cloth-covered hanger, or liberally powder it, fold it up and put it in a cardboard box. It is extremely important that the garment does not come into contact with any plastic - such as a plastic coat hanger - as that will cause it to rot.

The item should be powdered wherever it comes into contact with itself as latex-to-latex contact can lead to rubber-rot over time: liberal powdering can prevent that. It's much less bother to simply re-shine a powdered garment than to have it disintegrate the moment you put it on for the second time.