L.A. Fashion Week Spring '09: Joseph Domingo

Bay Area designer Joseph Domingo’s Spring ’09 collection covered day-to-evening-to-pool and featured more than 60 looks, all inspired by the mythical goddess Aphrodite.

Domingo’s Oct. 14 show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios in Culver City, Calif., was his sixth appearance during fashion week. Each showing, he gets a little more refined. This outing, he started with a delicate short organza magnolia-print dress, which almost looked plastic. He followed it up with the same print on white maillots and richly colored bikinis. Other swim suits included solid-color bikinis with contrasting-colored buckle detailing and solid one-piece suits with strapping that continued throughout the length of the suit.

He featured a series of short dresses decorated with waves of flower petals on halters and strapless dresses in metallics and solids. He contrasted the heavy textures with clean silk dresses featuring white piping. Heading into evening looks, Domingo offered a series of long dresses in deep oranges, greens and blues featuring beading, ruching and swirly prints. If that wasn’t enough, he also showed a menswear set featuring suits in minty colors as well as more-neutral leather jackets. —Robert McAllister