Voices hushed, lights dimmed, the spot light settles.
A dame-moiselle saunters into view; languid, self-assured and smoking hot.
Her silhouette delights in womanly curves; day wear is a sassy masculine/ feminine mix, while an alluring fairytale femme fatale is revealed through an evening wear set that comes sprinkled with star dust and is surrendered to us on a cushion of feather and mink clouds.
Our daytime Dame-Masuclines arrive walking with sinuous swaggers thanks to ultra tight mid length skirts. Fabrics carry a masculine air; tweed, pinstripes and wool. Apart from the occasional electric primary, the colors have been gently dusted down; pink blushes, mossy greens, dark sages, smoky lavenders and nutty taupes set the tone.
Hardwearing cloths are made luxurious with a ruched tuile edging that’s threaded throughout the collection. Carefully placed touches of tortoise-shell, mink-tailed detachable pins, bejeweled buttons and glittering adornments make this daywear rich. Silk and camisole lace play peek-a-boo as undergarments are woven both on top and beneath the rigid tailoring of these classic 40s silhouettes.
A boyish ‘Jazz Pant’ appears with a wide leg that slips softly down the thigh to below the shoe. These trousers carry a marked waistband that lazily slouches accidently-on-purpose off the hip, a fit that has been precisely considered to give these retro-dames a decidedly dynamic air. The pants come paired with the female version of the double breasted, finely cut yet unlined Napoli Jacket, made by a men’s tailor and fitted for a woman’s body.
The final touch are the layered crumpled socks and nylons that dip into shoes that carry those chunky dance heels reminiscent of dance shoes from the 40s. The bag accessory is a simple Port Perry clutch with “boomerang” lines, in either astrakhan fur, patent leather or in the smoothest of satins.
The hats in this collection are a mix of the best of retro Americana and Parisian styles from the early 20th century; the western-style ten gallon fedora, stolen from the boyfriend and a set of ‘cutie-pie’ berets in feathers and felt are easily recognizable, but watch out for the part baseball mesh net and part house turban, because it's here that Dean and Dan have broken the mould.
There is a gasp as the evening’s enchantresses enter. All wear a ‘slip-of-a thing’; floor length dresses, made up of webs of intricate tendrils that swirl about their contours. From these vines spring newborn leaves that are gently sprinkled with showers of diamante raindrops.
These ladies of the night float forward in a froth of delicate lace, in a mist of ostridge feathers or on pillows of soft downy mink ripples. They are visions of pure sumptuousness, glamour and desirability.