Nothing could have prepared me for the intense sense of being possessed that comes with wearing a collar. When that collar is on, it feels as if I am no longer master of my own fate. At those moments, I belong entirely to another and the erotic charge that comes with that is unlike any other.

That act of ownership is almost entirely psychological. As the physical manifestation of that control, however, the collar itself can be hugely influential in how that mental game gets played out.

KinkLab’s Bondage Basics Collar adds an element of style to bedroom kink, elevating a simple act of appropriation to something that’s damned near poetic.

One of the joys of objectification is being the goal of another person’s desires. It’s not that this other person simply wants something in general – it’s that this other person this other person wants *me* in particular. The elegance of the Kinklab Collar plays into that.

The design’s simplicity and elegance is, for lack of a better word, hot. It’s really hot. I could very well be that special someone’s dirty little whore while wearing that collar, but there’s a perverse sense of pride that comes with that label when one looks good and recognizes appreciation of that fact in another’s eyes.

The collar’s design functions a lot like a perfect lipstick color – it adds a transformative je ne sais quoi that elevates the good to the great with a minimal amount of effort.

The finished side of the collar is a gorgeous, matte cherry red (or pink, depending on your choice of color). The unfinished side is suede smooth and has no pilling or rough spots. There’s no apparent shedding of the leather, although I have found this to be a very minor concern in other KinkLab products I’ve tried.

Leather doesn’t breathe particularly well, which may result in moisture build-up under the collar when worn for longer periods of time. Even with that wetness (and while wearing a white shirt!), there was no bleeding of the color.

Unless you’ve been graced with a particularly long and elegant neck, you may find that the collar’s two-inch height limits your range of motion. The collar sits snugly and is high enough to cover my entire neck without having me feel as if anything is being stretched. I can turn my neck from side to side with no difficulty, but it is impossible for me to bend my chin down fully. By the same token, I also can’t lean my head back fully.

The closing mechanism is entirely unique to the KinkLab product line and bears additional explanation.

If you look at the photos on the product description page, you'll see that there are a row of slits. There's also a metal tab riveted to the opposite edge of the cuff. To close the collar, you bring the slit end around to form a circle and place the slit over the metal tab. You then pull the thin leather strap through the tab to keep it in place. No doubling back.

It’s a mental hurdle to get used to the absence of any sort of buckling, but the connection is solid. The collar doesn’t loosen or come undone without a buckle.

Most collars come with a d-ring or an o-ring wide enough to accommodate a wide range of attachments. That’s not the case here and you do have to keep in mind the size of the attachment rings. There are two points which can be used to attach something to the collar - one hoop that functions exclusively as an attachment point, and a second which fastens the closure strap. I tried passing a few different things through the attachment points and had mixed results. Very thin rope/clothesline, carabiners, snap hooks - all of these work as long as they’re thin. Any hardware or rope thicker than approximately 3/4 inch will not pass through the attachment points.

When cleaning the collar, the rules that apply to garment leather care also work here. You can clean the leather with a soft cotton cloth and any over-the-counter leather cleaner.

If you don’t plan on sharing the collar with others, are monogamous, and have no STD concerns, stop reading here. If these conditions don’t apply, there is also the issue of body fluid and skin/blood borne pathogens.

If you are in a situation where exposure is even the slightest concern, clean the collar with a medical antiseptic/disinfectant as soon as playtime is over. If that’s not available, place it in a 10% bleach solution for 10 minutes. The color of the leather may be affected, but the damage to the integrity of the leather should be negligible. After that, follow up with the usual leather care.