Sunday, Jan 13, 2008    Text size: 

A crowd developed outside of the Empire Ballroom anxious to escape the chilly air and enjoy some booze with a side of bondage. And with more than 50 adult company sponsors, it wasn't long before the crowd swelled and spilled into the parking lot.

To the beats of celebrity DJ Jonathan Peters, partygoers packed like sardines on the dance floor, creating a sea of jumping bodies highlighted by neon green flashes of light. The VIP tables were packed with beautiful people and never-ending bottles of SKYY vodka and fresh juice.

The upstairs area was an adult who's-who of the online sector – Kink.com's John Sander, Stockroom.com affiliate representative Mario Moralez, online starlet Trisha Uptown and Mr. Skin's Derek Meklir were some of the familiar faces enjoying table service on comfortable couches.

When suddenly no Stockroom.com reps could be found, it was obvious that it was time for the company's much-anticipated Syren latex fashion show. Sure enough, dramatic music soon boomed from the speakers as performer Diamondback Annie, standing abnormally tall in a black-and-white striped latex gown, glided across the show floor onto the stage.

The scene was straight out of a Tim Burton film – "Nightmare Before Christmas" comes first to mind – as Diamondback Annie stripped off her gown to reveal she was sitting on an intricately constructed seat placed atop a strong man wearing leather pants. Leave it up to Stockroom to invent something like that.

Onstage, Diamondback Annie was surrounded by other performers modeling Syren's latex couture designs and intricate masks as they writhed and grinding to Annie's silent commands and the crowd's delight. Stockroom President Mike Herman told XBIZ he was blown away by another amazing performance.

"Honestly, I get chill bumps every time I see them perform," Herman said.