6 posts tagged "Dean Caten"
David Koma Dresses Mrs. Carter
Beyoncé′s Mrs. Carter Show tour kicked off in Belgrade this week, and in addition to Pucci’s Peter Dundas, Dsquared²’s Dean and Dan Caten, and Alon Livne, Bey favorite David Koma created some saucy, custom onstage ensembles for the star and her backup dancers. “We looked at musical instruments as art objects, and the print is a French horn,” said the designer during a chat at the London Showrooms yesterday. The costumes, which were influenced by Koma’s vinyl-record-inspired Fall 2013 collection, feature gold and black printed silk jersey bodices and slick, laser-cut patent leather peplums. “She usually goes for something body conscious and different,” said Koma, who’s worked with the singer since 2009. “And she likes to look strong and sensual at the same time. I mean, come on, she’s Beyoncé!” Take a peek at Koma’s sketches (above) and inspiration board (below), exclusively on Style.com.
From Designers To Drag Stars With Dsquared²’s Dean And Dan
For their latest campaign video, Dsquared² went “Behind the Mirror”—in full drag, as the nineties-supermodel doppelgangers they used to dress up as for a night on the town. Turns out Dean and Dan Caten made fairly convincing women, with the help of beauty pros like Charlotte Tilbury and Oribe, and costumes from their own nineties-inspired Spring ’13 collection. First, we brought you “Behind the Mirror”; now we’re going behind “Behind the Mirror,” with Dean and Dan’s mini-doc on the process of making the video. Two and a half hours in makeup, custom wigs, elastic bands to pull their faces smooth: It’s not for the faint of heart. But the brothers have never been that. As they say in the video, “If you are not convinced yourself, you’ll never convince anyone else.” However much makeup you may have on.
Dissatisfaction Is An Asset, And More Woolmark Wisdom From Alber Elbaz
Last week, the first regional winners of the International Woolmark Prize were named in the U.S., Europe, and China; following the upcoming announcements of the Australian and Indian winners, the finalists will compete for the global award at London fashion week. Style.com’s Tim Blanks was on the judging panel of the European edition of the prize; he writes in with notes from the judges’ bench.
“I’m used to being judged, not judging,” sighed Alber Elbaz more than once during Thursday’s European heat of the International Woolmark Prize. The 21 designers from 11 countries that Elbaz and his co-judges—fellow designers Giles Deacon and Dean and Dan Caten; Vogue editors Alexandra Shulman and Christiane Arp; and me as the Sancho Panza of the posse—were assessing represented the usual apples-and-oranges challenge of all such contests, but at least the criteria were crystal clear so it was relatively straightforward to edit them down to a final handful. And then Twelve Angry Men Syndrome kicked in, with occasionally heated debate among jury members. Passionately argued positions dissolved, allegiances shifted, wine flowed (for at least one juror), but it was finally those closely studied criteria that carried Belgium’s Christian Wijnants (left, with Albaz)—at 34, almost a veteran in this context—to the top of the heap with a capsule collection of knit dresses that matched expert technique to an inspired color sense. He’ll face off against Sophie Théallet (U.S.A.), Ban Xiao Xue (China), and yet-to-be-announced designers from Australia and India at the grand finale during London fashion week in February.
For me, the real pleasure of the day was watching Elbaz rise to his responsibilities. Less judge than mentor, he gave all sorts of subtle insights into his own working methods. Turkey’s Ipek Arnas showed a dress with a complex intarsia covering its front. Too in-your-face banal for Elbaz. He advised the designer to reverse the dress, and presto! It took on an entirely different personality. “Now there is a surprise,” he said, satisfied. Elbaz was seduced by the ingenious top half of J.W. Anderson’s outfit, but less taken with the skirt, so he asked to see it just with the underlying crinoline. The result was scarcely as its creator had intended, but that top truly came into its own.
“When you finish a collection, do you love it the next day or hate it?” Elbaz asked a young Italian duo. He was clearly speaking from experience, so it wasn’t surprising that he confessed to being nonplussed by the unambiguously upbeat answers he got to his probing questions, at least in the initial stages of the judging process. “Unhappiness is the motor to move things forward,” Elbaz offered. Take this to heart, designers of the future: Dissatisfaction is an asset.
The School Of Dsquared²
For most high school students, the books have closed on this academic year and summer is now in full swing. Not so for Dean and Dan Caten’s co-eds—the Dsquared² designers, who staged a full-on high school prom at their Fall ’12 show in Milan, continued with the theme for their latest Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott-lensed ad campaign. The short film (debuting exclusively here on Style.com today) is an ode to teen rebellion in the sixties, featuring the designers and a very good-looking crop of students, including models Benedikt Angerer, Simon Van Meervenne, Liuk Bass, Ralf Javoiss, Daphne Groeneveld, Frida Aasen, and Bette Franke. Though they are sporting the label’s sweeter-than-usual offerings for Fall, like button-downs, brushed mohair sweaters, and cropped pink pants, don’t be fooled—they are up to no good. Watch the full film, shot at London’s Ragged School Museum, to see what they’ve got up their sleeves.
To Canada, With Love From Dsquared2
Yesterday afternoon was a busy one along the Rue Saint-Honoré: As the new Balenciaga store shed the last of its protective taping, up the street at the Dsquared² boutique, Dean and Dan Caten welcomed friends who popped by to check out their new handbag line—make that lines, starting with the Montana bag spotted on the runway in February. Although made in Italy, the bags, like the boys, sport Canadian names and flourishes—there are colorful totes bearing Canadian provinces, birds, and maple leaves, and a motif that would do Sandra Dee proud, with its bouffanted dolls, pearl necklaces, lipstick, nail polish, and the odd cigarette. The Quebec comes in four colors and may be the official flagship bag, but Dan confesses to a preference for the ultra high-end Toronto bag (pictured) in croc and suede (Dean, for his part, likes the paper-bag-style Kimberly in nappa leather). A tartan moment aside, men’s bags are strictly utilitarian, with cargo pockets, oiled canvas bodies, and expandable shapes on some models (as unrepentant heavy packers with a thing for shoes, these designers know that every extra corner helps). And regardless of gender, dual cell phone wielders will appreciate the ubiquitous twin pockets inside. But before they pack for Mykonos, and even before the men’s collections, the Catens are heading back to the classroom to offer us all a brief tutorial on how to work those sparkly high heels (more to come on that later—stay tuned on Style.com). Look out for the bags in stores in mid-July.