What do Playboy Bunnies and fashion have in common? Aside from the extravagant sexuality that soft porn and fashion often share, Miss Sixty, the French denim designer, is braiding the two mingling worlds closer together by calling up Hef’s bombshells to promote its revealing, youthful spring line.
Last Wednesday, Miss Sixty transported the sexy Bunnies from their glitz and glam lifestyle hanging at the Playboy Mansion to an underground modeling gig at Oxygen Lounge in Coconut Grove. Needless to say, instead of models caught in the throes of heroin sheik and too much eyeliner, the event was packed with perfectly sculpted pinups like Maria Santos, Patricia Pereira and host, December 2002 Playmate Lani Todd.
One might’ve expected the unexpected, but the unexpected never came. Set in the main room of Oxygen, “Dining with Divas” was attended by unenergetic 21-and-over crowds as hype for the show built late into the night. There was more “free” testosterone than free drinks, and, unsurprisingly, more anticipation to get a taste of the eye candy than the French fashions. Combining skimpy outfits and voluptuous women is an obvious recipe for success, but the event’s planners made little effort to capitalize on the potential.
Miss Sixty is known for its denim, and rumors of new hot washes and designs were casually traded before the catwalk opened. Instead, original work-wear jeans walked the plank, denim that didn’t reinvent anything from last season. Once again, Miss Sixty has decided that low cut Brazilian-style jeans are “it,” just like nearly every other designer these past few seasons. Whoever said that Brazilian jeans were on their way out is probably on his/her way out, as Miss Sixty models and women attending the show were clad in essentially the same styles. The evening focused on cropped barely-on tops and tight-fit low cut jeans.
Other designs included midriff-bearing athletic baby-tees sporting the number 89, a few extremely- tiny tops with matching bottoms in different fabrics including denim and knitwear. Sexy, girly pieces were sparse, but included a baby-pink flowing top decked with fruits, a tight white plunging v-neck dress, a black glittery top with extreme side cuts, and adorable white tailored pants. The bottom line for this season is that less is once again more, and there’s not an outfit to hide behind in this collection. Host Lani Todd added little entertainment, enthusiasm or fun to the almost informal show, with people bustling around like it was put together right before the doors opened. Oh, and whoever said that there was going to be pole dancing was tripping.
A narrow runway lit by Oxygen’s signature blue lights limited room for creativity. There was hope that the unconventional models would add some spunk and attitude to the growing night, but the walk itself was extremely short and showcased a rather dull, small collection that left this fashionista disappointed.
Fashion shows are supposed to be organized and innovative, this show lacked it all. For more info, visit www.misssixty.com or check out the Miss Sixty store on 845 Lincoln Road in Miami Beach.
Jeanette Hallak can be reached at jhallak@umsis.miami.edu.