There is only one woman-owned business in the US that’s exclusively dedicated to latex fashions, with everything made on the premises. And that business — The Baroness’ Elegant, Provocative Latex Fashions — will close its doors in Manhattan at the end of August.
The Baroness has decided that now is the perfect time to fulfill a life dream to move to France. Influenced by Covid-19 induced loss of revenue and months of lockdown, The Baroness reviewed, catalogued and archived both the history of The Domaine of The Baroness and the fetish scene she was integral to developing. This provided an overview as to just how much the latex world has changed and, as a result, the realization that this was the perfect time to move on to her next phase.
Established in 1993, The Baroness herself and the shop quickly became New York’s premier designer of elegant, provocative latex clothing. It was one of only three latex designers in North America. Working from home, The Baroness taught herself to work with this unique material through trial-and-error. She first sold her latex garments at events, to private clients and through a wholesale rep.
In 1995, The Baroness launched Baroness.com, her award-winning website with the world’s first online fetish clothing catalog. Then, after a decade of steady growth in both sales and fame, The Baroness moved into a combination boutique and atelier on East 13th street in New York City’s East Village in 2004. The Baroness’ clientele included Lady Gaga for the Grammys, Victoria’s Secret for their fashion show and Beyonce for the Met Gala. Her creations were worn on stage by Madonna, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry and many others.
Determined to bring latex further out of the closet and into the mainstream, The Baroness spread her gospel of latex and the power of clothing through her writings, lectures, interviews and television appearances on ABC America, E! News and Real Sex, among others. She became *the* sought-after spokesperson and authority on all things fetish. She wrote and/or was interviewed for The New York Times, Vogue, Interview, Visionaire and countless other publications.
For fifteen years, The Baroness’ monthly fetish party — The Fetish Retinue (“a Safe Place to do Dangerous Things”) — provided a play/performance/social space where she held court and encouraged many, many curious newcomers to explore their desires. For those seeking something more exclusive, she hosted eight annual “Royal Amusements,” an exclusive and very formal dinner and play party. She was also a popular performer, speaker and MC at many other fetish events such as Smack!, The Black and Blue Ball, Click’n’Drag, Diabolique, Erotic New York, Miss Rubber World, The Montreal Fetish Weekend and The Texas Latex Party.
As fetish was released from the bonds of secrecy and shame, the scene became a colorful, boisterous celebration of once-taboo desires and proclivities. That evolution produced a brief, colorful, fascinating piece of history over the last 30 years, and The Baroness was one of its driving forces. She is determined to preserve that history for all to see.
The Baroness has archived her fetish collection — garments, magazine articles, video, notes and more — all of which are available at The Leather Archives in Chicago, The Fetish Archives in the UK and at The Texas Fashion Collection. Soon, The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York will also house her work.
Further, throughout August, it’s a storewide sale in her shop including jewelry, feathers, fashion show accessories and everything right down to the fixtures. Supplies are limited and will be more so as time passes, so shop early and take advantage of drastic reductions, including; gift with purchase, buy one get one free of lesser value and discounts from 25-75% off.
