Dundas (Q2969)
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Dundas is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Dundas |
Dundas is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
Peter Dundas designed one of Poppy Delevingne’s wedding dresses in 2014 (the other was custom Chanel) and here she is returning the favor, starring in his new resort lookbook. Back then Dundas was heading up Emilio Pucci, now he’s running his own label. There’s a through line—he’s always been the guy to go to when you want to be noticed—but his bourgeois bohemian leans sexier today. The cropped long sleeved top that’s one-half of a two-piece set reveals a hint of underboob, the black leather hot pants that accompany a leopard print jacket are high cut on the sides, and for underpinnings his ’70s-style pantsuits come with sheer bras and garters.“She wants to be seen,” Dundas said on a phone call from Paris, where he’s selling the collection. The quiet luxury trend that’s taken over the industry doesn’t apply here. “Honestly, I don’t think about it too much,” he said. “My woman is so defined.” On that note, the body conscious white dress that’s been a signature of Dundas’s since Gwyneth Paltrow turned heads in a side- and back-lacing white number of his circa 2010 (whiplash is more like it) got a nip and a tweak. This season’s version is almost entirely backless, its skirt suspended from a delicate string. But overall, the décolletage was this collection’s erogenous zone. His woman will be able to take her pick from a plunge-front mini caftan in all-over crocodile embroidery, a stretch jersey number with a peephole neckline and side cutouts, and a jumpsuit with a deeply draped scarf bodice.
26 June 2023
After a hiatus of four years, Peter Dundas celebrated his return to Paris Fashion Week in grand style, staging his fall show in the salons of the Opéra Garnier, whose crystal chandeliers and gilded mirrors were bathed in red light. The front rows were bursting with clients and celebrities sporting the slinky, skimpy numbers he’s known for. They were probably in for a surprise, as today’s collection was less Dundas-esque than expected.At the beginning of his career, Dundas got a good training in tailoring working for Jean-Paul Gaultier; a sharp-cut blazer or a tailored suit often opened his shows. Today, the first look featured a sweeping navy wool greatcoat, lined in red, thrown over a red minidress; it was followed by a series of capes, peacoats, ’70s redingotes and double-breasted pantsuits that showed off the designer’s tailoring skills. “I wanted to go back to my roots,” he said.Dundas grew up in a close-knit Norwegian clan connected with seafaring culture: his father was a naval officer; his aunt was one of the world’s first female naval telegraphists. Referencing his family history, he loosely weaved the theme into the outerwear offer. A pair of sailor pants worn with a one-shoulder bodysuit looked cool. On the same memory-lane note, a Fair Isle wool jumper was inspired by the ones his grandmother, a painter, used to knit as gifts for the family. Here, it was proposed à la Dundas, paired with teeny-weeny hand-knitted panties.As the saying goes, the leopard cannot change his spots. As much as Dundas kept the collection’s feel elevated, focused on tailoring and more elegant and slender silhouettes, he can’t help but be a sensualist. His front-row guests looked delighted at the sight of see-through chiffon dresses as flimsy as whispers, printed in Celtic motifs, or slinky numbers cut on the bias with ultra-plunging draped necklines in velvet devoré. High-necked, body-skimming sequined tunics were deceptively demure if seen from the front, yet so utterly backless, the g-strings worn underneath were in plain sight. “I wanted to veil the body more than exposing it,” was Dundas’s explanation. “This time it’s all about being more sensual than sexy.”
6 March 2023
Peter Dundas is heading to Paris Fashion Week for fall 2023. Looking forward to being on the runway again—it’s been nearly four years since he showed his signature collection on the catwalk—he gave his pre-fall collection an elevated spin. Out went the Body Glove-ish bodycon knits and in came a more soigné mood. The lineup’s boudoir-ish atmosphere is partly down to the shoot location, the bedroom of Los Angeles art collector Eugenio Lopez, and to the sexy mien of his model Paris Jackson, but more so to Dundas’s instinct to use more black than usual. “My girlfriends are always asking, ‘can I have this in black?’” he said on a Zoom from his LA home base.It pays to listen to your girlfriends. There’s longevity in a little black dress, whether it’s a long devoré velvet slip with Celtic tattoo motifs, or a “twinset” bustier and pencil skirt combo. Dundas also worked in red and white velvet, out of which he cut oversized suiting, and a single blast of fuchsia pink for a long t-shirt dress with a bare back. The squiggle print stretch jersey pieces are evocative of Keith Haring, but he said the lively pattern was actually lifted from a vintage Korean camo print. They were an outlier here. “I found myself taking things off more than putting them on,” he said. Dundas is too much of a sensualist to qualify as a minimalist, but this collection was the pre-Paris palette cleanser he said he wanted.
9 December 2022
Peter Dundas shot his eponymous collection in a Financial District penthouse that boasts the highest private terrace in New York City. Clearly, Jessica Stam, who jetted in from her Hawaiian home for the look book shoot, doesn’t suffer from acrophobia; she’s 82 floors up in these photos, with Manhattan looking like a model miniature spread out behind her. Dundas designs for highfliers, but this collection leans even more extroverted than usual with its emphasis on cutouts and catsuits.The designer said he had Serge Gainsbourg’s 1978 hit, “Sea, Sex and Sun,” on repeat when he was working on the clothes. “When I’m in a good place I think about it,” he explained. Hans Feurer’s 1980s fashion photographs of models posing beachside in bathing suits were another reference point. Scuba tight and electric bright, his color-blocked stretch knit minidresses and separates for spring are reminiscent of Body Glove, a popular label of that era. Other body-con looks emphasize the lacing that is his own brand signature.Dundas is a mean tailor. Though that’s not what he’s focused on this season, the two suits pictured here show his range, one being oversized, masculine, and boxy (and worn over a bodysuit, natch), and the other more fitted with a corset-back jacket. They’re cut in sunny citrus hues, “colors that are therapeutic for me,” he said. “It’s like candy, putting them together.”
19 September 2022
Heidi Klum models in the new Dundas lookbook and she’s every inch the Los Angeles TV star in the photos: wearing full hair and makeup poolside and rocking stilettos with her cut-out maillots. The bathing suits are a new category for Dundas, but there is no extension more natural for his body-con aesthetic. Cannes watchers will have already seen photos of Natasha Poly at the amfAR gala wearing his Coco Royal dress, a sultrier version of his best-selling side-lacing number in which the lacing twists around to the torso, exposing a matching but separate bikini bra top. Klum wears a mini version of the Coco Bijoux in hot pink with a spangled bra.“I didn’t want a complicated story, it’s resort,” Dundas said. “I make clothes that allow a woman to feel sexy and feminine and still feel strong.” Klum won’t be taking business meetings in his highlighter pink pleated trousers and black bra top, but there’s no denying it’s a boss look. For the most part, though, this collection was focused on a softer sort of dressing: jersey minidresses and matching leggings or clingy jumpsuits with as many cut-outs as his swimsuits. “Comfort might be the one positive thing we’ve maintained from the pandemic.” Proof that Dundas’s clothes are comfortable: It wasn’t just Natasha Poly who got her hands on the Coco Royal dress before its lookbook debut. Rihanna wore the mini version in Barbados about a month before she had her baby.
8 June 2022
Peter Dundas will present this collection in the metaverse next month on Decentraland. He launched his first NFTs on the night of the Super Bowl, when Mary J. Blige performed in a custom-made look of his design on stage. He’s gung-ho about virtual fashion, but he’s always been a designer whose clothes live in hot-blooded 3-D. Fall is no exception. The star of the lineup is his Nirvana dress, a hero piece that returns each season whose lace-up seam curves provocatively across one hip and up the back.Where the new lineup diverges somewhat from his recent work is its sense of undoneness. “It’s delusional to move forward as if everything will be the same as two years ago. Comfort is great, freedom is great,“ he said. Dundas tried to represent that with fabrics, like the crushed silk of a slip dress and the crushed velvet of a minidress with side cut-outs, or the stretch satin that made a fitted skirt suit an easier-wearing proposition than it otherwise would be. The more relaxed attitude of his materials knocked a bit of the preciousness out of his go-to shapes. Ironically, he said it was male athletes’ insistence on ease, even for their red carpet looks, that persuaded him in this direction. “They don’t want it too dressed up,” he explained, “I’m just bringing that to my women’s now.” Not that you’d know it, these pieces were as sexy as anything Dundas has ever done. Crystal pinstripe pajamas really delivered on his message about comfort.
24 February 2022
Peter Dundas has made his home in fashion capitals around the world, but no one can argue he’s not an Angeleno now. This collection was photographed at the home Dundas shares with his partner in life and work EV Bousis; downtown LA sparkles in the distance behind model Daria Stroukos. More telling though are her clothes. Sexy is in the brand DNA—in Dundas’s DNA. But the performance fabric he used for pieces like the Electric Jungle-printed jumpsuit with chain detailing that opens the lookbook is a new element, one that seems aligned with the gym-going healthy living practiced by SoCal-ers. Knitwear also features prominently; he cut it into clingy tank dresses, and a crop top and flared pant matching set, whose low-slung pants come with racy circular cutouts at the hips. If Dundas hasn’t designed a lower-priced version of that matching set for his Revolve collab, he should get on it quick. It’s the 2022 answer to Y2K’s ubiquitous and fortune-making velour tracksuits—you know the ones.He cut pantsuits in crushed silk and linen in oversized, slouchy proportions, with the painter pants that are his current obsession. The provided a counterpoint to the body-conscious silhouettes that defined the collection, but spin the jackets around to the back and the lacings that crawl up the side of his dresses appear there too, the better to cinch them.
25 January 2022
Peter Dundas is fresh off a New York show, which he staged with the e-commerce powerhouse Revolve. On a Zoom session earlier this week, he said that the high-low collaboration went extremely well; some of the pieces are already sold out, and they’re doing second production runs. It’s a good time to be Dundas. Eighteen months into the pandemic, women are eager to reconnect with their sultry side, and across the spectrum, designers are embracing a sexy aesthetic. Sexy is second nature to Dundas, so there’s no learning curve.There are curves galore in his latest collection, of course. Natasha Poly models an array of clingy crepe jersey dresses, many of them with laces twisting down the back and side in his signature style, and others with cutouts conveniently placed where a lover’s hands might grip your waist. Dundas constructs some of the cutout dresses on bodysuits, which prevents slippage and generally makes their wearers feel more secure. He gets that it’s not hot to have to worry about an unintentional reveal. That said, there is absolutely no shortage of exposed skin here. His “twinset” features a crop top that straps around the midriff and a long wrap skirt that ties up slightly off-center in the front. It can be strictly laced, Dundas explained on our call, or it can be worn as Poly does, with an inch-plus of bared flesh. Dundas’s palette is as ripe and lush as his silhouettes. The mango yellow of his cutout “T-shirt dress” is especially appealing. For those who prefer their little dresses black, there’s one embroidered in a mirrored animalier motif and another with metal chains clinging to its sides. Both look ready for a good time.
28 September 2021
Peter Dundas is the only guy who could call a body-hugging jersey number with a cut-out down the back flank that’s cross-hatched with gold chains a T-shirt dress. But his signature glam has been dialed down for resort. That’s partly because Dundas has plans to show his spring 2022 collection at New York Fashion Week this September. Anticipating his label’s Big Apple debut, this collection has an attitude Dundas described as more American. “It’s a cleaner, fresher, more functional type of glamour,” he said on a Zoom call. Adjusting to his customers’ altered post-pandemic realities is part of the story too.The look book was shot in Los Angeles on Stella Maxwell and Stevie Wonder’s son Kailand Morris. We see them through the windows of a house in the hills, lounging in the bedroom or out by the pool. Even Dundas’s celebrity clients are spending more time at home these days, and that’s reflected in the clothes which have been shorn of a lot of the usual frills. Dundas made the embroidered sheer purple jumpsuit H.E.R. wore to her first Oscars in April. Here, he embellished the neckline of an ivory caftan with a golden alligator motif and added perspex mirrors to shell suits; they’re not red carpet material and that’s the point. Dundas also included some oversize pantsuits cut in proportions that Cary Grant might’ve recognized. These looked like a real departure for him, until he pointed out that, like his “T-shirt dresses,” they’re also backless.
7 June 2021
Comfortcertainly isn’t the sexiest word, especially for a designer like Peter Dundas, whose label is a standard-bearer for unabashed glamour. But even he has had to inject practicality and realness into his collections, without giving up on the alluring appeal he favors.For fall, Dundas played on contrasts, walking the fine line between ease and voluptuousness, versatility and provocation. He addressed the need for coziness his own way, layering greatcoats over skimpy draped minidresses, or roll-neck sweaters under sensuous fluid numbers. As an alternative, tailoring was offered in sharp velvet pantsuits and slender dusters: Dundas cut his sartorial teeth chez Jean Paul Gaultier, a master tailor if ever there was one, so he could cut a mean blazer blindfolded.Dundas’s idea of comfort is adding stretch to fabrics—which obviously makes shapes body-hugging—and contouring them the way he likes. When he says, “T-shirt dress,” do not imagine a simple, unassuming square-cut or polo-necked kind of thing; his version is a long piece of smooth stretchy jersey cut into a formfitting number with a see-throughanimalierpanel across the waist.The moment will certainly come when circumstances open up and we’ll all be ready for a good party and fun times. Then Dundas will be our ally. The swinging fringed tops and miniskirts, the ultrashort draped frocks in disco ball jersey (as he calls it), and the feathered cardigan dresses worn with lacy hosiery (recently launched) will have us shimmering and shimmying on the dance floor. “More extroverted times will surely come, more celebratory of the body and of physicality,” said the designer. Sexy as the new normal? If that happens, Dundas will certainly be in a very good place.
25 February 2021
“Six months ago, when we were midway through the pandemic,connectionwas the word most often on my mind,” reflected Peter Dundas while Zooming from his studio in London. “Now it’s different. What I’ve been thinking about a lot lately is utility, survival, bravery. Vulnerability and protection. Freedom and nature.”Connecting with nature had a particular resonance for him during the various quarantines; Dundas was born in a small village in Norway “literally in the forest—I was a committed Boy Scout!” he said. “There’s nothing easier for me than appreciating the freedom which comes from living outdoors.” But as Norwegian woods weren’t a viable destination under the circumstances, he had to make do with lots of promenades in London’s parks.Social interaction has obviously changed dramatically, and Dundas, who dresses jetsetters and celebrities with busy social calendars, had to adapt to a swim-or-sink situation. Daywear having taken pride of place in women’s wardrobes, he gave his own glamorous interpretation to the concept of protection, which seems to be of universal concern among designers. But he can go only so far: The most efficiently protective outfits he offered in his Dundas15 collection were actually übersexy military-inspired safari suits.A khaki cape-jacket had seductive leopard-print lacing running along the sleeves and was worn with a sensual, slightly see-through blouse in printed chiffon. In another alluring iteration of the theme, a cotton-canvas strong-shoulder, sharp-tailored, cinched-waist safari jacket was paired with a skintight pencil skirt with revealing lacing openings along the sides; to amp up its sexy wattage, it was worn over a flimsy animalier-print pussy-bow blouse. Dundas cannot resist a nod to the feral sensuousness of jungle wildcats.The collection moved on familiar territory in its offer of the designer’s best-of dresses—draped, short, and formfitting in provocative black leather and Lurex jacquard; long, flowy, and bohemian in wispy georgette printed with toile de Jouy motifs or in romantic broderie anglaise.While refraining from the glitzy embroideries he usually lavishes over his hypershort party numbers (“In these circumstances, you have to be mindful, even if you want to keep the optimism”), Dundas indulged a more “demure version of embellishment,” as he put it.
This consisted of a long T-shirt dress made of soft, curvaceous jersey that was daringly laced with thin metallic chains at the back, leaving not much to the imagination. He described it as being an example of “low-key glamour.”For the first time, an edited menswear offer was proposed within the collection; a series of ’70s-flavored shirts, tunics, and short caftans in denim, leather, or animalier print was inspired by Dundas’s favorite rock stars—Jimmy Page, Mick Jagger, and the like. “If there’s something that can lift our spirits today, it’s certainly music,” he said. No arguing with that.
25 January 2021
True to his peripatetic nature, Peter Dundas navigated the rocky circumstances of lockdown in different parts of the world, from Chicago to Greece. Like many of his fellow designers, he had the time to confront the meaning of his work. “My father wanted me to train as a doctor,” he said, speaking from London via Zoom. “I wondered many times during my quarantine if I should’ve followed his advice. It [probably] would’ve been a more useful choice.” Then he reflected: “But in the end, fashion can also serve the purpose of making people feel good about themselves. It can be uplifting; it can improve self-confidence and a positive attitude towards life. I try to bring a bit of joy to the women who choose to wear the dresses I design. I’m very grateful to them; their support has allowed me to follow my true passion.”Dundas’s niche brand seems to have weathered the pandemic rather well. He launched it in 2017, pioneering an independent formula with an agile, flexible structure, shunning the official fashion calendar’s grinding pace for a more sustainable rhythm of production and presentations. In the years since, his offering has slowly expanded into more categories; in addition to glam ready-to-wear, he now makes activewear, swimwear, and eyewear. He certainly hasn’t been idle during quarantine. A shiny little box was sent as a gift to friends and clients, containing the most fabulous masks printed in animalier spots and bright florals. “I’m working on producing them for children too,” he said, showing off an adorable, tiny leopard-printed mask from the other side of the computer screen.The D14 collection, shot in a marble cave on a Greek island, was Dundas to the core—think tiger-printed see-through chiffon numbers opening to reveal sexy brassieres and shorts from the activewear line, or strong-shouldered, form-fitting ’80s minidresses with ultra-plunging necklines. Yet the WFH situation we’ve all experienced has forced Dundas customers to (at least temporarily) curtail their globetrotting lifestyle. They asked for easier daywear options: less glitz and more loungewear, which he promptly added to the collection. Pajamas and flowing robes in sensuous satin and silk georgette had the decadent, luxurious Dundas touch. When we’re able to party again, they’ll transition from the bedroom to the dance floor in no time.
29 September 2020
Peter Dundas seems to be on a roll; celebrities flock to his glamorous repertoire like bees to honey. Dressing Shakira for her firecracker halftime performance at the Super Bowl (“We used 20,000 flame red crystals for the dress,” he said) was a highlight of his career; Lizzo looked sensational at the Brit Awards swathed in a draped electric blue sequined number. His style has always been about celebrating the body beautiful, no matter the size or the age. “I like to dress my teenage nieces as well as I’m happy to help an 80-year-old [woman] look her glamorous best,” he said during a showroom appointment.Dundas’s hyper-glamour isn’t associated with an idea of comfort; his body-con, voluptuous creations surely don’t conjure images of a laid-back, easygoing attitude—rather, they suggest one of decadence and indulgence. Yet for his 12th collection, he wanted to address the issue by proposing a jersey capsule of long, sinuous dresses in white or black stretchy jersey with knotted crystal details, intended to be more ease-friendly—when, say, you’re trying to run agilely away from throngs of paparazzi chasing you. To amp up the comfort ante, he also introduced an activewear line of spandex leggings, bralettes, and leotards in black or jungle print. The clothes can be used for performance, but they can also be layered under more sexier styles. A #dundasgirl also wants to look smashing on a treadmill.The rest of the collection walked familiar territory, referencing Eastern themes tinged with sensual overtones and inspired by the roaring twenties. Black underpinned a palette of mostly dark colors contrasted by more vivid jewel-toned accents. Silhouettes were obviously contouring and sexy with a dash of louche—you won’t find demure chez Dundas. Yet he has a penchant for kimonos, which have a body-friendly shape and can be more easily adapted to different sizes. “I was inspired by a kimono Freddie Mercury used to perform in; he belongs to my heroes’ pantheon,” explained Dundas, whose work often references the music world. He offered plenty of the item’s iterations: in silk jacquard printed in a butterfly motif, in crushed panne velvet, in silk fil coupe with a metallic shine. In pure Dundas style, they were worn over a diva-esque, shapely bustier minidress embellished with crystals or else wrapped over an alluring ensemble of tight faded-denim pants worn with a matching brassiere—which probably was what comes closest to his idea of ease and comfort.
“It’s sexy but functional,” he said, perhaps somewhat oxymoronically.
28 February 2020
Peter Dundas’s new headquarters in London’s Hammersmith are housed in what once were the famous recording studios of Island Records, the independent music label hugely influential in the U.K. during the ‘70s. Everybody who was somebody in the music scene at that time was signed to the label, from Roxy Music to King Crimson, from Traffic to Steve Winwood to Adam & the Ants. Being a huge music lover (Dundas travels to music festivals wherever they’re staged), he wanted to pay homage to the New Romantic spirit of that era. The ‘70s are one of his favorite moments in style; the nomadic attitude of that time resonates with his peripatetic spirit.Dundas’s look is a well-honed mix of haute bohemia, free-spirited sex-appeal, and glamorous party clothes; the 11th drop of his seasonless collection stayed true to this script. In the lookbook Scandi blonde Elsa Hosk models an updated parade of Dundas’s greatest hits: off-the-shoulder tiered and ruched numbers in fil coupé in a psychedelic print called Space Crocodile, or in resplendent golden lace; pirate blouses with plunging necklines worn with super-hot hot pants; and body-hugging minidresses in scuba jersey or else embellished so lavishly as to make a disco ball pale in comparison.Dundas could infuse sensuality even into a more severely cut, sharply tailored masculine pantsuit. Here he proposed his translation of the theme in a fluid version in coral pink, slouchy and slightly louche as he likes it; an oversize, double-breasted iteration in white pinstriped lamé looked just as sexy, cinched at the waist with a tasseled golden rope.Breaking the flow of ethereal mousselines and see-through chiffons, was a denim offering, obviously à la Dundas: flared, high-waisted, gold-buttoned, and as glam as can be, or else proposed in a white version—inspired by the white jeans he always wears. He also had his own ‘70s oversize vintage sunglasses copied, launching them as part of the collection. They’ll come in handy in one of the sun-kissed locations he loves to travel to, joining his posse of #DundasGirls.
11 December 2019
Peter Dundas is certainly not a minimalist: You won’t find demure black dresses or bourgeois checkered blazers worn with pussy-bow blouses and pleated mid-calf skirts in his repertoire. He likes a sexy, bold look—exuberant and glamorous as it can be. He also likes a good party and actually shares the fun-loving, jet-setting life his posse of young aficionados favors. Like them, he’s constantly on the move. During a recent relocation, he found an old Guy Bourdin book, which he unsurprisingly found inspiring. No one was able to glamorize ’80s louche atmospheres like the French photographer. His stylish images were coated with a veneer of provocative polish and soaked in saturated, alluring colors.Bourdin’s bold, electric palette of chlorophyll green, fuchsia, cobalt blue, and blackberry energized the usually languid ’70s-inspired Dundas silhouettes, which were kept more streamlined and less flouncy than usual. “I come from a school where a well-cut jacket is the wardrobe’s foundation,” explained Dundas. Actually, tailoring was one of the collection’s best parts, with strong-shouldered blazers elongating into dresses or worn over matching shorts in abbreviated and boxy versions; a double-breasted jacket and front-pleated cropped pants were cut from gold-laminated, python-printed faux leather and paired with a sexy eco-leather bustier: “There’s mindfulness in all the madness,” joked the designer, referring to the attention he’s paying to the use of more sustainable fabrics.The play on ’80s-inspired, short, draped, and boldly body-con silhouettes contrasted nicely with the sensuous, tropical bohemian feel that is the designer’s trademark. A feast of opulent golden floral jacquards and fil coupés graced off-the-shoulder, tiered, billowy long dresses, cinched at the waist with laced leather corset belts and open in the front to reveal sexy micro-shorts; mini-dresses with ruffles galore in gold-flecked motifs had an artistic vibe.Independent designers have to carve out a niche for themselves, establishing a clear-cut, unique aesthetic to make them stand out in the crowded fashion marketplace. Dundas’s choice to go solo has so far proved successful: His style appeals to women who are not afraid to powerfully flaunt their seductive side—and the body that goes with it. There are plenty out there, as Dundas’s club definitely seems to have no shortage of membership requests.
27 September 2019
In the center of Peter Dundas’s runway were several giant screens. Preshow, they displayed taped black-and-white footage of the backstage prep—models arriving, hair and makeup, hugs and kisses all around. Once the show got under way, it changed to color and became a live feed, and we saw Dundas making final adjustments and whisking the models on their way. It was anUnzippedfor the Instagram age; those clips of Joan Smalls and co. will live long after today.Dundas designs for extroverts, so the wraparound coverage made sense for the brand. As any party girl will tell you, getting ready with your girlfriends is often the best part of an evening out. Come the New Year’s holiday, which these clothes were designed for, the Dundas gal will be headed to the islands. The collection had a tropical flavor, with lush florals, jungle prints, and polka dots mashed up on ruffled organza dresses cinched with corset belts over a base layer of eco-leather bikinis, fishnets, and stiletto heels. She’s not going to the beach for a yoga retreat.The point, said Dundas, “is to not take it so seriously; we’re a happy brand.” With the right bod, you couldn’t not have fun in one of his barely there frocks, but for the dress-averse he did show some of his typically strong tailoring. Back to the subject of media impressions, an acid yellow jacket-and-shorts set embroidered with crystal palm leaves was modeled after the white tuxedo he wore to the Met Gala. Dundas cut quite a figure on the red carpet alongside his dates, Ciara and Emily Ratajkowski; it was clever to re-create the look.
1 July 2019
Peter Dundas laid out his repertoire in full for his eighth collection, presented right in time for Oscars season. He was obviously in Los Angeles, letting his party-animal side run free in its natural habitat—parties, after-parties, and after-after-parties—and, along the way, dressing a few celebrities of the likes of Glenn Close’s daughter, actress Annie Starke, and singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding. “Music is very important to me,” he said. Coming from a family where music was played constantly (his mother was a professional violinist, his father plays the piano, and Dundas himself plays the violin), he understands both the importance of theatrics and what it takes to dress a performer for visual charisma. His knack for glamour is part of his style equation. Just ask Beyoncé.Music was the subtext for the eighth drop of his collection. Having recently spent most of his time in America, Dundas said he wanted to pay a sort of homage to “classic Tennessee performers, to Elvis and Roy Orbison, who always dressed in black,” he explained. He was also taken by the dark, gothic vibe of the Los Angeles music scene. But Dundas’s dark side always comes sunny-side up, brightened by ample servings of rhinestones—he cannot resist a good dose of sparkle. He called this collection “Rhinestone Cowboys Going Graceland.” “I’d love to dress Dolly Parton,” he mused.Yet Hollywood played a much more convincing role here than Memphis, with plenty of sexy numbers that will keep Dundas aficionados swooning (there are quite a few, and not only in the showbiz arena). The darker tone the designer was referring to could actually be perceived in a more extensive than usual use of black; case in point was the opening look, a pantsuit in luscious black velvet inspired by the bedazzled country-and-western Nudie suits—born in the 1950s and worn by everyone in Hollywood, from Cher to Johnny Cash to Gram Parson. The Dundas version entailed upping the sexy factor more than a notch, with the blazer cut in a va-va-voom almost-hourglass silhouette, ’70s-inspired flared pants, and abundant bejeweled and sequined embroidery.Black velvet also gave a sensuous vibe to a maxi robe cardigan, lavishly embellished; a draped bustier minidress fringed in gold; and to a halter-neck open-back number with a high front split, drenched in antique gold and gunmetal decorations. If you have the physique for it, the effect would certainly be a killer.
Flame red contrasted the black vibe in a leather-and-suede figure-hugging pencil skirt and blouse, or in a not-for-wallflowers long pleated taffeta dress with a sash flourishing on one side. Yet Dundas was at his best when he let his bohemian spirit do the talking: A sweeping long ruffled gypsy number in patchworked printed lamé, fil coupé, and lace intarsia looked sensational. It didn’t seem intended only for Dundas’s audience of celebrities, though: It’d look smashing gorgeous on (almost) anyone.
28 February 2019
“Showing in L.A., showing in Hollywood, definitely did affect the collection,” said Peter Dundas before putting on his seventh Dundas show at The Art of Elysium’s star-studded annual Heaven fundraising gala in Los Angeles last night. “I used to binge-watch Old Hollywood movies when I was a kid so that found its way in . . . there’s a little bit of Tracy Lord inThe Philadelphia Storyand a little bit of Elvira Hancock inScarface.” Known for his unabashedly extroverted silhouettes and bold use of color, beading, animal prints, and lamés, Dundas was almost restrained in his focus on black and metallic red carpet gowns.“It’s that time of year,” Dundas said simply. “And it’s long because the last collection I did was entirely short.”Among the black floor-length asymmetric tuxedo and ’40s-style pouf-shouldered dresses were occasional flashes of color in the form of Dundas’s signature jewel tone caftans; metallic fil coupe dresses; and a tangerine satin jacquard jacket, pants, and bustier ensemble. “Because it’s a smaller collection I was able to play with different elements and really think about individual pieces,” said Dundas. For the designer’s hyper-glam posse of devotees, an African-inspired giraffe-print cape and sequined bikini top, shorts, and duster were the most outré pieces on offer.“With having my own brand I’ve become more and more sensitive with each collection to what the client needs,” said Dundas of the evolution of his self-named line. “I guess I can communicate more directly with my clients now. My girlfriends (he counts Poppy Delevingne, Eugenie Niarchos, Bianca Brandolini, and Emily Ratajkowski among their ranks) come and try on the clothes and tell me what they like and what they are missing in their wardrobes.” And that, it appears, after a season of microminis, is length.
6 January 2019
The sixth installment of Peter Dundas’s eponymous collection will be delivered in May, following a see-now-buy-now formula that’s apparently successful so far. “May is when they start traveling,” he said, referring to his globe-trotting, party-loving posse of fans. At that time of year, they’re probably hopping on (private) planes for far-flung, exotic destinations.Dundas is a designer who shares his clients’ wanderlust; in his world, life and work blend seamlessly together. His boyfriend, Evangelo Bousis, is also his business partner and a source of inspiration, so much so that the new collection actually revolves around a vintage African batik caftan that belongs to him. Dundas translated the motifs into a linen print for one of the many minidresses that peppered the lineup: big-shouldered, one-sleeved, ruffled, and draped on the hips, with a touch of black lace peeking seductively underneath.This collection didn’t stray from Dundas’s true-and-tested recipe: a sexy, unabashedly glamorous look, where free-spirited ’70s bohemia blends with the audacity of the ’80s. A long, sensual number in purple chiffon worn with a matching cape played against a pair of black leather sequined shorts paired with a leather brassiere; an asymmetrical ruffle-hemmed, one-sleeved dress in printed silk jacquard contrasted with a military-inspired mini tunic in khaki cotton canvas, redolent of Yves Saint Laurent’s famous safari look. A bit of soft tailoring was added for good measure, but in Dundas-land, anything boardroom-ready wouldn’t do; a shimmering golden blazer, worn over a matching jumpsuit with a plunging neckline would be well suited for an alluring, genetically blessed Jerry Hall type.It is rather obvious that Dundas’s fashion propositions aren’t for everyone, so how is he addressing today’s inclusivity debate? “My collections are for women who are not afraid to be seen, who like to shine,” he said. Witnessing the rather perplexed expression of this reviewer, he added: “In my collections one can also find loose-shaped options like caftans or fluid dresses; we’ve moved up the sizing. I feel lucky to have the chance of dressing actresses and performers, but with the same respect I also dress women in their ’60s and even in their ’80s, or my nieces who are in their 20s.”While it’s true that his made-to-measure, couture offering caters to a wider private clientele with different needs, his style definitely calls for a good dose of confidence to be embraced.
“I don’t want women to be confident in order to wear my clothes,” he said. “I want them to feel confident when they’re wearing them! For me it’s about giving confidence, not requiring confidence. There are so many ways to express glamour. It’s not a matter of age or of body type, but more about a state of mind: My women all love to celebrate life.”
4 December 2018
“It’s hot, but not the kind of hot I was imagining,” Peter Dundas said as he sweltered backstage at the Musée Bourdelle. The Left Bank museum is air conditioner–less and it was downright tropical in the dressing area, a rather apt environment for the “urban punky jungle chic” lineup he came up with for Resort.Dundas launched this self-named collection a year ago. In the time since, he’s shown a couple of collections by presentation and solidified the vibe. It’s short, sexy, and aimed at the young—make that the young and the metabolically blessed. The boho-deluxe caftans and Le Smokings of his debut have been shelved (well, there were tuxedo jackets, just no tuxedo pants) in favor of a haute disco feeling: lots of sequins, even more beads, animal prints, metallic lamé, and leather fringe. Dundas cycled through Ungaro just a decade and a half ago and there was a little whiff of that designer’s high ’80s sensibility here in the pronounced puffed sleeves and wrapped and draped minis. Dundas updated those minis by layering lace bike shorts underneath them, a practical gesture that spoke to contemporary obsessions with exercise and athleisurewear. Logo tees and sweatshirts cropped just below the bust and featuring crystal embroidery of the tattoo on the designer’s left arm is what Dundas casual looks like. His customer is a woman for whom looking sexy is a full-time endeavor.It’s not as narrow a target audience as it might seem. Anthony Vaccarello is working similar territory at Saint Laurent, and we’ve all witnessed the success of that mega-brand. Dundas’s business is small and fledgling; he needs to be strategic. In any case, anybody who is anti-lace bike shorts can wear Dundas’s micromini sequined dresses as shirts with a great pair of skinny jeans.
2 July 2018
Peter Dundas recently traveled to Moscow with his muse and longtime model friend Natasha Poly, who introduced him to the city’s many charms (and clients). Being a natural-born sensualist, he was smitten by the opulence of Russian hospitality—not to mention by the splendid imagery of Orthodox churches, gilded palaces, and colorfulmatryoshkas—so much so that all this profusion of lavishness found its way to Dundas 4, his fourth collection’s drop. Presented by private appointments in his new Milanese showroom, it was proof of the designer’s enduring romance with bohemia, obviously of the most sumptuous kind.As always with Dundas, ’70s glamour was heavily referenced in the collection; the mood board boasted a dense collage of images depicting the chic debauchery of Yves Saint Laurent’s gang of beautiful people. The French couturier’s legendary Russian collection, with its sublime take on folklore, was obviously an inspiration; tunics in fluid crepe in a bright shade of emerald or cobalt blue had richly embroidered peasant sleeves, while a czarina-worthy black velvet cape was decorated with golden soutache appliqués. The same abundance of curlicued motifs graced the lapels of a tailored black velvet pantsuit, cut mean and sharp; it was an obvious homage to Le Smoking, but the sexy wattage was amped up the Dundas way. The Oscars are just around the corner, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see it worn by one of the many Dundas aficionados who will covet many other red carpet–worthy propositions in the collection. The designer even concocted a feathered number made of technical silver fabric that flatteringly reflects the light when photographed. Talk about knowing your customers.Elsewhere in the collection, a sensuous flair and a touch of romance smudged the exotic folkloric inspiration; case in point was a white cloak with black trimmings and tassels, reminiscent of a hussar uniform, which was worn with skintight black leather pants and a sexy corseted mirrors-embroidered bustier with a flimsy Chantilly lace blouse. Along the same lines, a silk velvet minidress (where the term “mini” was quite an understatement) in a regal golden Venetian hue, Fortuny-inspired, was richly decorated with an embroidered reproduction of Moscow’s Byzantine St. Basil’s Cathedral; it also boasted the designer’s name written in Cyrillic. It all felt (and looked) a quite decadent by-the-book tribute, almost like a fashion postcard that read: “From Russia, with love.
Yours truly, Peter D.”
1 March 2018
Peter Dundas would’ve fit right in in the ’70s, partying in Marrakech with Talitha Getty, touring with the Rolling Stones, befriending Debbie Harry. Of course, in the ’70s he was just a kid growing up “in a forest in Norway,” so his ideas about the decade as a golden age of stylish rebellion and bohemian glamour come from music, movies, and books. “Recently I rediscovered a book about the illustrator Antonio Lopez, calledAntonio’s Girls,” he explained. “It was about his muses: Pat Cleveland, Jerry Hall, Grace Jones. But I have my girls too; they’re my ‘Peter’s Girls’! Giovanna [Battaglia], Poppy [Delevingne], Eugenie [Niarchos], Bianca [Brandolini]. They’re all glorious and they enjoy life; I wanted to celebrate them.”This hyper-glam posse of globe-trotting beauties are the constant inspiration behind Dundas’s work, together with supernovas like Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian West, Katy Perry, and Lady Gaga. Come April, they’ll all be ready for Coachella, in billowy tiered dresses cut from cheerful lamé fil coupé or suede Perfecto jackets hand-painted with Art Nouveau–inspired poppies and paired with matching shorts—artfully mud-splattered Wellington boots optional.“My fashion embraces a guilt-free attitude and a happy disposition,” Dundas said. “It’s for women who celebrate the power of their femininity and sensuality, who are generous with their energy; they’re not afraid of being seen, spreading good vibes around them.” When you look like a goddess swathed in a tangerine chiffon flecked with gold, life smiles at you, for sure.The collection is Dundas’s second since launching his eponymous brand, and it exudes the glamour that was on display at his first outing during the Paris couture shows last July. Yet a bohemian feel was more in evidence here. Gypsy dresses and caftans were graced with delightful prints of cherries, poppies, and camouflage motifs, enhanced by bright hues of turquoise, tangerine, purple, marigold. As always with the designer, tailoring was also part of the story. Speaking of which, the cherry on the cake was a body-con jumpsuit covered in glittering purple sequins that would’ve been perfect for the stage. “It was inspired by the one that Georgia May Jagger wore at the New Year’s party in Mustique last season,” Dundas said. “Her mum, Jerry Hall, who knows a thing or two about rock ’n’ roll —does she not?—gave it to her as a present. It was vintage Yves Saint Laurent.”
21 December 2017
Backstage, Peter Dundas called his debut collection and the show with which he’s launching it “a labor of love.” To prove his point, he introduced his Norwegian nieces Iris and Noor, who were hard at work helping the models into their first looks. Noor was quick to point out her favorite outfit: a bright pink fox robe coat, jeans in the same shade of shocking, and silk-satin lace-up boots embroidered with flowers. Launching a brand in today’s market is no small undertaking, not least of all because the competition is backed by conglomerates that spend millions not just making collections but also promoting them. If Dundas has an advantage over his better-funded designer peers, it’s that he has always known how to make clothes that turn on hot young things. Consider Beyoncé, who gave Dundas his coming-out when she wore a dress of his design at the Grammys earlier this year, or Emily Ratajkowski, for whom he designed the black lace catsuit and train she donned at the Cannes Film Festival. Kim Kardashian West is also a fan.All of them will find pieces to love in Dundas’s new collection. It felt very much like a grab bag of extroverted items, ranging from sequined concert tees (the lion that appears on one of them is a replica of the designer’s arm tattoo) and sequined catsuits to beaded beach caftans and a couple of KKW-approved naked dresses. He also threw in a Le Smoking embellished with electric blue crystals. Dundas is known for his red carpet frocks, but he’s also a mean tailor. In an interview several days before the show, the designer called the lineup “a test,” to see what “his girls” respond to. The Resort-timed collection will be sold exclusively at Moda Operandi, and the results, presumably, will give his next runway show (date TBD) a more cohesive point of view. He could go in a rock ’n’ roll direction, like those sequined T-shirt dresses, or maybe it’ll be more boho, à la the breezy beaded caftans. Either way, it will follow the Dundas golden rule: “I like to make women feel seductive,” he said.
2 July 2017