SF Fetish Ball 2008: Sturm Und Glam

This weekend's "Metropolis"-themed SF Fetish Ball (organized by dynamic director and dominatrix Paige White) again made us wonder if new residents of San Francisco were greeted by Welcome Wagon baskets of leather, latex, and PVC, because the whole city seems up for a good spanking. See some snaps afer the gap.

The seventh annual event comprised three days of activities, including a gallery show, a public play party called "Club Enslaved," and the Ball itself, which took place at the massive Regency Grand Ballroom and capped the weekend.

What surprised me was that I didn't see all the same people at each event; the gallery show was a little more subdued, Club Enslaved attracted a crowd more comfortable with public flogging, and the Ball was, well, like Halloween has become everywhere mixed with a feeling that the City Council had mandated everyone celebrate it.

One highlight was Saturday's fashion show, featuring outfits from Syren and Stormy Leather, Madame S. Leather, and Stockroom. While I didn't understand everything that was happening thematically, I was convinced of gas masks' use as erotic items in a way I was dubious of before.

While there is some overlap between the porn world and the fetish community, Porn Valley fetish always seems darker and more menacing than what unfolded in San Francisco, where people actually smiled through the pain.

· San Francisco Fetish Ball (sffetishball.com)