Flesh Suit Diaries

Silicone Chests, the less well known cousin to the breast plate. With advances in crafting and the expansion of availability through online commerce, chest plates are becoming a more popular option for cosplayers and drag kings, myself included. 

There are a variety of options for chests, many developed quite recently, in cut and style, but the basics are the same. A very tight, stretchy, silicone garment meant to act as a second skin. Early in quarantine, I purchased one for use in drag, and have used it for a few different looks over the last year. Thanks to the wildly varying extremes of Winnipegs climate, I’d like to think I’ve garnered some useful advice based on those few times. 

My chest, or at least my store bought one, is the original tshirt style chest in caucasian from Roanyer. The chest comes in small or regular. I was nervous about buying something in a size called “regular”, but found that generally these chests are VERY stretchy. As someone who usually wears between 2x-3x, regular fit me just fine.

For Fit and feel, even for someone like me, who’s been steadily growing outwards for the last 5 years, it looks good. I look like a buff, cool guy, with very pert nipples. And that’s very fun. The silicone stretches easily to get over my head and around my shape, and while I certainly don’t look slim, I do look masc. The silicone tends to suction to the skin, which isn’t unbearable in my opinion, but can make removal very difficult. As well, the shoulder and neck can occasionally feel tight, so make sure to check your circulation regularly.

Speaking of which, these garments are NOT ideal for all day wear. They get hot and sweaty very  quickly because there’s nowhere for the moisture to escape to, as the silicone repels liquid. Despite the heat, I would recommend wearing a tanktop or binder underneath. The barrier between the skin and the silicone will reduce some of the sweatiness and suction that occurs after extended wear by absorbing moisture. To further prevent that suction, you’ll need a heavy coating of baby powder. If you don’t take measures to prevent the succ, you’re gonna need someone's help to get your chest off.

I personally wear a tanktop and a binder that is one size larger than what I would wear for day to day under my chest, because I feel this helps make my shape more believable. I would only recommend wearing a binder if you’ve worn the chest a few times and are comfortable with it. I also won’t recommend wearing a corset underneath it (why would you do this) but I’ve seen it done, and as long as you’re listening to your body it’s probably not that bad.

Now, unless you very badly need the shoulder musculature for whatever look you’re planning, the tank top style is much more comfortable, and easy to move in. The sleeves on the t-shirt style are fairly tight, and will limit your arm movements and may affect circulation. It is also MUCH harder to take off by yourself. It can be done, but you’re going to have to be brave with how far you’re willing to stretch the chest, and if your head gets stuck in the sweaty silicone it can be a little claustrophobic for a bit. Consider a strip spotter for the first few times.

Roanyer has a limited range of skin tones (as is unfortunately often the case with these kinds of products) and it can be easy to misjudge how closely it will match with online purchasing. The silicone will take makeup fairly well, though you may have issues with blending out. Liquid products have a tendency to look streaky, while grease paints can be spread a little easier. Powder colours take VERY well though, and can be used to enhance contouring, highlights, and do funky things with the nipples. You can trim the neckline, which is thinner than the rest of the garment, with some sharp scissors. Or simply wear a collar or necklace that hides the seam. The sleeves are thicker at the edges, and shouldn’t be cut, especially if your model has veins.

There are a few options when it comes to price as well. Because it is higher quality the Roanyer muscle shirt is quite expensive. Mine ran me about 450$, with shipping on sale. Roanyer has the highest quality and the most options (you can get it with more defined muscle, tattoos, chest hair, tshirt, full sleeve, or tank top) and now has fulfillment centers in North America, so they are my recommendation. However, you can get much cheaper versions, including tank top and T-shirt style in a variety of skin tones, on amazon. I can’t attest to their quality, though you can see online that many kings have had good experiences with them.

For storage, if you have a metal garment rack and some sturdy hangers, you can store it that way like a shirt.  I personally just put mine back in the box . You may want to wash it first though, as it will get a little rank after one or 2 wears. To wash it, you just need warm water, a light scrub and pat it dry. 

All in all, I find the muscle shirt/silicone chest/ chest plate to be a great option for open chested looks. It is certainly more comfortable than tape binding (though I haven’t tried with trans tape yet) and looks realistic and impressive. If it’s in your budget, I’d recommend giving it a try.