Many an unforgettable music video look can be attributed to plastic; it’s a material with a contradictory nature of sleek efficiency and rockstar sex appeal. Shania Twain wore vinyl pants in the music video “You Win My Love,” then pulled a baller move and had her background male musicians sporting tight black PVC pants in “Man! I Feel Like a Woman.” Both Michael and Janet Jackson wore black PVC pants in the 1995 “Scream” video, and Posh Spice rocked a PVC catsuit in the video for “Say You’ll Be There.” Even Audrey Hepburn wore a PVC trouser suit in Two for the Road. It’s a material that’s simultaneously all-business (hence the dominatrix effect) and all pleasure. There’s no room for funny business if you’re wearing a PVC catsuit.
One article even dubbed vinyl the “new leather,” which I think might be true. Once upon a time existing mostly in the territory of dominatrices and rainwear, vinyl and PVC have taken on a new life. Wearing these materials gives off the vibe of being a chic, sexy computer hacker — life’s worries (and rain!) quite literally sliding down your vinyl exterior. Below are nine of our favorite pieces to carry you through from winter snow to muddy spring rains…
