Mar 21

Arts and Culture

Joseph Domingo at Smashbox Studios
Hosted by Mercedes Benz Fashion Week; Presented by Manfolk PRBy Jesse Schmitt
By Alexx Shaw

Joseph Domingo's Fall 2008 collection entitled Vixen certainly lives up to its title. Unfortunately, the vixens look like they met up with some showgirls and hookers before they pranced down the runway on March 10.

Smashbox Studios, adorned with extravagant Mercedes cars, quaint tables next to the bar, and Smashbox cosmetics booths was quite a site as hoards of people lined up outside to get a peak at the celebrities walking in. Everyone clad with impeccable style flooded in and sat to watch the Asian designer's newest trends on the catwalk. The typical models began drifting out with frames so thin that a skeleton would be jealous. Problem was, the spandex, pleather, corset-wear, and laced frocks, though fitted to the models, would never be able to be seen on a girl of regular stature, for even a figure in a size zero would look obese in them. Every curve, hipbone, vertebrae, and belly button can be seen poking through the skin-tight materials, and with the added details of ribbons, sequins, beading, and rivets, one would appear to be a bondaged ball of flesh. Victoria's Secret seamless undergarments don't even stand a chance in these outfits.

The two highlights of the Vixen collection were a red satin, high-waisted pantsuit, and a black satin trench coat with embellishment on the shoulders. The suit, though too bright to ever wear to work, gleamed on the runway in a very contemporary style and color, and can guarantee any woman to look sexy. The coat, with three-quarter length sleeves, received applause as it appeared, tailored enough to give an hourglass shape, but loose enough to fit over a thicker material. A great addition to go over the simple little black dress, or for those of you brave enough, a leopard print ensemble.

Leopard print, as seen gracing the recent runways of Dior, was also plastered onto the models in the form of dresses. Thank God for the ornate print so the fabric that it was adorning could not be seen which was inevitably spandex or a polyester blend. Metallics, as have been seen for the past couple of seasons were showcased as well on leggings, gowns, jackets, bodysuits, and skirts. As much as metallics are a personal favorite, covering my body with them like Domingo's designs emanate Robin Williams as Mork when he first came to Earth.

Domingo's styles for women are extremely classic - gowns, suits, wrap dresses, corsetry, cocktail dresses, etc. If only the fabric, color palette, and detailing wasn't so binding, passé, cheap looking, and cheaply produced, then his designs would go from looking like a Vegas showgirl threw up on them to high street fashion that could be worn to a respectable event.

Domingo's fashion for men in his Vixen line was a bit more appropriate. The extremely metrosexual style that women find so appealing for their straight boyfriends was done very well, with muted and neutrals such as blacks, bronzes, chocolates, eggplants, and gunmetal as the thematic colors. Casual business-wear with fitted trousers, vests, collared shirts, and jackets could be worn day or night, and the occasional shimmer-infused garment was thrown in the mix on top of dark colors. It was towards the end of the show when the frightening metallic spandex and rhinestone and rivet embellished pleather shirts and pants adorned the male models as well, each carrying messenger bags and looking completely out of place, even in Richard Simmons times. Again, the shapes for the clothing were classic, yet the fabrics not so much.

Bottom line, Domingo's Vixen is far from the best I've seen. He designed for skeletal or Asian bodies, those who have no chest, no curves, and not a stitch of fat on them, and though they would look the best in these designs, I don't recommend they wear them either, or they might be taken for Cat Woman.