Leather subculture
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Leather subculture denotes practices and styles of dress organized around sexual activities that involve leather garments, such as leather jackets, vests, boots, chaps, harnesses, or other items. Wear
Triumph Thunderbird from the movie "The Wild One"
Cover of the magazine Physique Pictorial volume 17 number 1 by Tom of Finland, 1968
Artifacts from motorcycle clubs and leather bars on display at the Leather Archives & Museum (2024)
Bootblack working the stand at Folsom Street Fair.
Handkerchief code
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The handkerchief code is a system of color-coded cloth handkerchiefs or bandanas for non-verbally communicating one's interests in sexual activities and fetishes. The color of the handkerchief identif
Leather subculture
…were bootblacks, e.g., the Gold Coast in Chicago and the Ramrod in New York City were fitted with bootblack stands. Another new development was the hanky code, which communicated sexual preferences through colored handkerchiefs. The first leather contest was most likely the "Mr. Gold Coast" pageant held in…
An assortment of handkerchiefs
Hanky code
Color Codes from Bob Damron's Address Book (1980)
More modern hanky codes