If you don’t have nipples yet, run out and get some ASAP. Nearly every show at Smashbox Studios yesterday prominently featured bare mammary glands, starting with the areola parade that was Alexis LaMontagna’s show. This was no mistake—many of the garments were constructed using sheer materials and were modeled without underwear, let alone undershirts. The collection looked very S&M, featuring black patent leather stilettos (which one model nearly tripped over while walking), rosaries worn as necklaces, leather harnesses worn as vests and whips dangling alongside.
With the exception of a few pieces in specific shows, Fashion Week has mostly been a sea of basic black.
Octavio Carlin’s show was predictably cool-toned at first, but halfway through he busted out with a silk wrap dress in lavender that literally made us gasp, as we hadn't seen a shade above charcoal in what felt like eons. The highlight of the show? Carlin gave everyone who attended individually wrapped cupcakes. In an attempt to remain hardcore in front of our fellow fashion peers—all of whom left their cupcakes behind—we waited to eat ours until safely out of view behind the portable toilets.
Joseph Domingo’s line was, by far, the worst of the day. With his female models in Divine-like drag-queen makeup and his male models wearing what appeared to be giant leather condoms, it was all very Eurotrash—without the ironic twist. The dresses in leopard print stood out, but overall the collection looked cheap, as though the gods of Santee Alley had inspired him.
Suh-Tahn’s show was probably the best of the day, featuring clothing with nice lines and intricate fabric details. There were a few odd pieces—like a leather dickey—but for the most part it consisted of complicated garments constructed from simple fabrics.
Finally, in what can only be described as medieval disco,
Veronika Jeanvie showed a line primarily composed of pastel and metallic lamé bodysuits with chain-link ponchos and boleros. I was more impressed by the waif-like models, each of whom probably suffered a dip in self-esteem after having to spend 20 minutes with an extra five pounds on their body. The whole thing looked very Europop circa '93. I will admit that there were some pieces that might look chic on the right woman, but you’d have to be a bombshell like Giselle Bündchen or Melania Trump to pull them off. To be fair, it was by far the most colorful and experimental line shown all week, and definitely the most innovative in terms of material use.
Surprisingly, we didn't spot anyone worth mentioning, except maybe for the cute bartenders in the hospitality lounge on loan for the week from
Citrus.
Marcos Luevanos is Style editor for Metromix Los Angeles.
