New York, NY. The Baroness is New York’s premier designer of Elegant and Provocative Latex Fashions. She views her creations as beyond fashion or fetish attire, and believes they are the perfect antidotes for excessive “conventionalism”. In her lifetime dedication to the expression of the individual through clothing, The Baroness has evolved as a renowned designer, fetish expert, writer, performer, and lecturer.
From early childhood, The Baroness was destined to pursue a life of fashion. At the age of ten, inspired to action by the glamour and pageantry of Busby Berkeley musical extravaganzas, she borrowed a sewing machine and, in one afternoon, made a jacket and a too-tight skirt. At 13, she was arrested for making American flag shirts, on which she had painstakingly painted the Stars and Stripes.
In the late 70’s and early 80’s, the era of the female power suit, The Baroness was designing lingerie. Her company, Varx, produced a unique line inspired by Neo 60’s, punk, and Victorian fashions. Her designs and her inspired use of fabrics earned her recognition as one of “The New Breed” by BF/Intimate Apparel and Dupont, who referred to her creations as “wearable works of art”. Her exotic fashion shows were performed at the trend-setting Mudd Club and The Ritz. And Bloomingdales and Fredericks of Hollywood carried her sexy designs.
In 1983, for the cover of Time magazine she built a kimono that now hangs in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC. Soon, she was lured to the fantasy world of Broadway and Hollywood. It was there that she worked with the likes of Merchant Ivory, Madonna, Jack Nicholson, and Paul Newman, using her skills to create illusion and enhance character through clothing.
A decision to leave the film world and spend more time in New York City meant more time for her new passion, latex. Her penchant for the exotic and years of experimenting with unusual materials led her quite naturally to this truly sensual material. The inception of The Baroness’ Domain formalized her obsession and introduced her to the public where she enjoys celebrity status as a designer, multimedia performer, spokesperson and lecturer.
Print-ready portraits of The Baroness are available here. Please credit “© Mark McQueen, All Rights Reserved”