The "modern" alternatives to classic Lycra fabrics

I've been into skintight lycra/spandex for as long as I am sexually active, or rather actually as long as I recall ever getting aroused sexually. It was 5th or 6th grade when girls wearing skintight shiny lycra leggings (at school as sportswear or part of their regular outfits) really caught my attention. I did my best not to stare - and until today I think I'm doing a great job to disguise my fascination/attraction whenever in public or other situation where it is not appropriate.

Ever since I've had no choice but to make sure any of my girlfriends/partners wear lycra as much as possible in the given circumstances. The nice part about this fetish is that it (like pantyhose) can be as inconspicuous as it gets. There are may ways a woman can combine wearing lycra (particularly leggings) with in every-day fashion without the vanilla majority of the general public out there noticing anything unusual. Nobody would consider her a freak for that - definitely different from e.g. latex.

To me, the best type of garment made from lycra is of course the catsuit. Ideally with attached socks, so that it covers the wearer from toe to neck.

Throughout the 1992-2020 period, the material that I enjoy most hasn't really changed. It was always the usual 80% Polyamide + 20% Lycra/Elasthane mix. Sure, there were companies performing various treatments of the surface of the fabric. I didn't like most of them, as they tended to make it less smooth to the touch. And to me (at least for a partner whom I obviously want to touch), the smooth feel is just as important as the looks. But fundamentally, the plain lycra fabric that I've known and loved for decades has not changed.

In recent years however, several Chinese brands of lycra-like garments have appeared: Most notably LEOHEX and AMORESY. While on the pictures it may just loos like any regular lycra [maybe slightly more shiny], you immediately note the difference when touching it: It is so much smoother than any Lycra I've touched ever before. The material itself is also thinner, and possibly a bit more stretchy, so it provides for an even tighter fit around the body.

Sadly there is no publicly available reference to where this material originates from (manufacturer), or what makes its production process different from that of regular lycra fabrics. At least I was unable to find anything about it.

My suspicion is that it relates to the density of knitting stitches. It seems those new fabrics are made from finer threads/fibers and more knitting stitches per inch than anything I had experienced previously. As I have yet to see any proper term to denote them, I'll refer to them as HD-Lycra (High Density Lycra) from now on.

To my fetish, this HD-Lycra fabric is even more attractive than the classic Lycra fabrics from the decades before. I would put its haptic attractivity somewhere between classic Lycra and Latex. This means I can hardly keep my fingers away from it once my partner wears it. Its so super-smooth!

Latex is still rated significantly better on my fetish scale, but since Latex is so much more complicated (difficult to put on, having to lube up, manual washing, very costly, easy to tear, ...) those HD-Fabrics offer a much more convenient alternative/compromise: They're still breathable (and can hence be worn much more extended time), they are comparatively inexpensive, can be machine washed and it's easy to dress/undress.

Sadly the above-mentioned new Chinese brands producing HD-Lycra catsuits do not (as far as I know) manufacture any catsuits with crotch zippers. That may be nice if you want to keep the wearer in chastity. I can appreciate that at times, but I'm not the kind of guy who wants their partner to live in long-term chastity. However, I do want my partner wearing lycra catsuits long-term. Luckily, the HD-Lycra (like its predecessor) doesn't tear if you cut it with scissors. So one can cut strategically placed opening[s] in the crotch area to access certain relevant parts down there - both relevant male and female parts (at different locations).

It's an extremely interesting and very sensual experience if both wear HD-Lycra catsuits. There's almost no friction between the two catsuits, so you can slide/glide parts of your body on parts of your partners in a way that's impossible naked (unless you would both cover your entire bodies in lube).