January 18, 2006

This time round, those irrepressible showmen Dean and Dan Caten conjured a vision of WASP aristocracy, one that was less Ralph Lauren than "I want to be a Hilton." The result was a typically anarchic exercise in clashes of high and low culture. A long coat, red sash, and topper looked fit for an ambassadorial reception, except for the distressed denims they were paired with. A bandy-legged equestrian strolled down the turfed catwalk in glossy, olive-green leather combats.

The same leather featured as a topstitched coat, a reminder that the Catens excel at outerwear. A simple tan mac was the quietest and most desirable item in the whole show. But such is the congenital exuberance of the twins that they'd rather pile it on. Each look was composed of layers and layers of clothes. Pull them apart and there were smaller pleasures, the shoes for instance, or the expertise of the cutting, highlighted by welted seams on a camel-hair coat. Here was proof that, beneath the razzle-dazzle, the Catens are evolutionary (not revolutionary) designers, with a canon of signature looks—low-slung bottoms, tailored tops—that they tweak each season.

In the meantime though, it was on with the show. For the finale, a begowned Brittany Murphy vamped outrageously, not to say incongruously. The twins, both dressed in red evening jackets, toted her back upstage, one on either side.

— Tim Blanks