Guest Author - Norma Shephard
If two heads are better than one, then Britney Spears was wise in turning to the design team of Dean and Dan Caten for the costuming of her Circus Tour comeback. The identical twins behind the popular fashion label DSquared2 are experts at showmanship and no strangers to the circus — the media kind anyway, having made fashion headlines of their own over the years.
Historically, circus costumes for women have always been short on fabric and long on sex appeal, with plenty of exotic elements to add to the spectacle. True to form, the ringmaster, acrobat, clown, and bareback rider costumes the Caten design duo have produced for Britney and her team, reveal plenty of skin, but are a new take on an old theme.
The long lean look the brothers have perfected for themselves is replicated in the costumes designed for Brit’s back up singers —dark, skinny-legged onesies and narrow clown pants are paired with bondage cuffs and dog collars for a tough sexy look that results in a silhouette that is foreign yet familiar. Masks, headpieces, and helmets cleverly reference equestrian and juggler acts. Stylized whips, chains, and chest harnesses suggest traditional circus accoutrements but are made sexy and provocative. In an interview with Alex Hawgood of the New York Times, Dan Caten admits to playing with the circus theme, giving it a “bit of a sexual, sadomasochist twist. The hooded guys, her backup dancers, were kind of like her sex slaves,” said the designer.
The twins incorporated a 50s silhouette when fashioning the costumes for Britney, giving her a look that is “a little bit more retro than what she usually wears.” The pieces were designed to provide the singer with an elongated silhouette that could be appreciated from a distance of some 200 feet for patrons sitting well off into the audience. The entertainer’s bold and beautiful corseted pieces, accented with feathers, tassels, sequins, pearls, Swarovski crystals, and metallic jewelry are so impressive, they may just upstage the music.
But theatrical costuming is about than more than just fantasy. Dancers and acrobatic performers need to be able to move unimpeded by restrictive garments. Headpieces and masks must not impair vision or slip out of place in the middle of a number, and at the end of the day, costumes must be durable and sturdy enough to be danced in and laundered repeatedly.
If there is truth to the adage that imitation is the highest form of flattery then Spears can be confident in the success of her comeback concerts as fans are decking themselves out in copycat ringmaster costumes, complete with thigh-high boots, and top hats. I may just do the same—at Halloween.
