LOS ANGELES, Mar 20, 2006/ FW/ --- Debuting at Smashbox Studios today, San Francisco-based designer Joseph Domingo just put the City by the Bay on the fashion map proving that Silicon Valley is not just the home of the geeks but also a hot bed for being chic and stylish.

Domingo, who has been a favorite of the San Francisco social set for his made-to-measure clothing is trying his hand with ready-to-wear in his first-ever pręt-a-porter collection entitled ‘Safari Rose’ that converged classical tailoring with contemporary silhouettes.

‘Safari Rose is experimental,’ Joseph Domingo told FW in a pre-show interview. ‘Although I designed sportswear that were distributed nationwide during the 1980s, my work for the past 10 years has been all for the custom-made clientele.’

‘I wanted to see where my imagination will take me, so I combined the things that are near to my heart. I love animals and rose is my favorite flower, hence Safari Rose,’ he added with a smile.

With Apolonia sitting front row, together with several of his clients from San Francisco who came down to Los Angeles just to see their favorite designer, Joseph Domingo proposed 43 looks for Fall 2006 that ranged from daywear to eveningwear, dressing the ladies in easy-to-wear ensembles that emphasized the female form.

Playing with texture, Domingo mixed cashmere sweaters with a jacquard pencil skirt and a solid turtleneck cashmere sweater with giraffe print pants. Trousers are pencil slim that were sometimes embellished with thin piping giving it a tuxedo pant look.

To keep the ladies warm, the Philippine-born designer proposed multiple variants of the coat and shawls, from a double-breasted elk coat that was cut several pieces at the back adorned with red piping, giving it a swing to a black leather jacket with raglan sleeves quilted horizontally creating a tubular shape, the vertical lines creating a slimming effect on the torso.

Must-have for daywear is the red-ruffled cashmere sweater cut to look like a cardigan that was paired with a bias cut skirt made of light wool and embroidered with flowers using raw yarn.

And though the daywear was lovely, it was in the evening gowns that Domingo excelled and showed his range as a designer. Cocktail dresses with taut bodices emphasized the waist then flared at the thigh line with the addition of pleats or bias cut material for easy walking.

Gowns that accentuated the shoulders were cut to gracefully trace the model’s figure. His coup de grace was the finale, a red satin halter-top gown with a rose petal hem. Domingo might be a freshman, but this debutante can hang out with the big boys.

Joseph Domingo

Joseph Domingo

Joseph Domingo

Joseph Domingo

Joseph Domingo