Friday, August 7, 2009

The Fashion Show’s Merlin Castell talks about his style

By Susan Jordan
Celebrity fashion designer and star of Bravo’s hit “The Fashion Show,” Merlin Castell is no newcomer to mesmerizing viewers with his glamorous designs and eccentric personality.

Known for his haute couture tailored clothing crafted from highly luxurious fabrics, Merlin has attached his name to some of Hollywood’s most recognizable entertainers, such as Paris Hilton, Carlos Santana and even Marilyn Manson.

Merlin and his designs have been featured in both national and regional television shows, including “The Janice Dickenson Modeling Agency, ” “LATV,” “The Insider,” “Al Rojo Vivo,” “American Latino Television” and Bravo’s “The Fashion Show.” Merlin has also been featured in print publications such as “Women’s Wear Daily,” “Las Vegas Magazine” and “Las Vegas Weekly.”

Named one of the top designers to watch out for, this chameleon of fashion is constantly venturing into realms other designers dare not step into. On “The Fashion Show” Merlin made such an impression with the viewers and judges that Bravo asked him to appear back on the show’s finale as a fashion expert.

Merlin Castell answered some questions about his work for The Empty Closet.

What is your fashion or style philosophy?
Well, to tell you the truth I really don’t have one. As a designer I’m always changing with the seasons. But if I were to have one, I would have to say, epic, timeless, sensational.

Which great designers have inspired and influenced you?
Valentino would be my number one choice. A close second would be (a tie between) Yves St Laurent and Balenciaga.

Do you feel your work resembles haute couture in that you design for individuals, not the mass market?
I would have to say yes. However, I would license my name so that the masses would be able to wear my product. With the same high standards, with more affordable prices.

Who have you never designed for but would really like to?
I would have to say most definitely my princess/goddess Nicole Kidman.

What do you most enjoy about the show?
The show afforded me the chance to go to New York City, where I’ve always wanted to visit but never had the chance. And of course I can’t forget the massive amount of exposure.

Anything you’d like to add?
What I would like to add is that I really got the chance to show the world that I’m a unique and talented designer, not just a character/TV personality.
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Thursday, August 6, 2009

Merlin Castell: Llegó desnudo y ahora se viste de éxito


Merlin Castell: Llegó desnudo y ahora se viste de éxito

Por Hirania Luzardo

Merlin Castell, quien estuvo en 'The Fashion Show' de Bravo Network, tiene una historia digna de guión de Hollywood. Vivió literalmente en la calle y había días en que no tenía dónde comer. Ocho hermanos criados por una madre soltera. Llegó ilegal a Estados Unidos procedente de Honduras en 1999, y hoy, está convencido, que va a ser el diseñador de Nicole Kidman. Es excéntrico, irreverente, no le teme a nada, y su meta es "armar un imperio latino de la moda en Los Angeles".

-¿Es cierto que has sido víctima de discriminación?
He sufrido discriminación por hablar inglés con acento, por ser latino, por no tener papeles, por no contar un permiso de trabajo para poder ir a un banco a cambiar un cheque de trabajo. Cuando llegué me usaron y no me pagaban. Me amenazaban con inmigración. Me decían que yo no iba a poder cumplir mis sueños, mis metas.

-¿Cómo y por qué viniste a Estados Unidos?
Llegué como todos los ilegales. Llegué literalmente con una mano delante y otra detrás. Vine porque quería hacer mi carrera, quería hacer todo lo relacionado con moda. Empecé muy abajo, hasta que a punto de perseverancia, he logrado poner mi propio taller. Tocaba en las boutiques y todos me cerraban las puertas. Pero soy como los caballos cuando tengo una idea fija no miro para los lados. Creo en lo que soy. No me pongo obstáculos, ni tengo complejos.

-¿Cómo logras ser parte de 'The Fashion Show' ?
Los productores ya me conocían y sabían que yo les iba a dar rating, lo que nunca imaginaron que yo tenía talento también. Soy extrovertido, excéntrico, sé qué vende en televisión, cómo atraer la atención del público y aunque me eliminaron en el episodio 9, me trajeron en el 10 porque yo funcionaba. No sólo se trata de ponerme una pluma. Es también llamar la atención.

-¿Es verdad que uno de los jueces se burlaba de ti?
Se burlaba de mi acento, me decía las cosas en forma de burla. Pero yo sé para lo que soy bueno. Yo se transformarme totalmente en cámara.

-¿Por qué vistes tan excéntrico?
Me visto así para la TV, pero soy bien normal. Ando en mi casa con un short y una camiseta. El otro día fui al mercado y la gente me empezó a decir que me veía bien normal. Ese día me di cuenta la fama que había ganado con el show.

Haz click sobre la imagen para ver fotos de Merlin Castell.

-¿Es cierto que has sido víctima de discriminación?
He sufrido discriminación por hablar inglés con acento, por ser latino, por no tener papeles, por no contar un permiso de trabajo para poder ir a un banco a cambiar un cheque de trabajo. Cuando llegué me usaron y no me pagaban. Me amenazaban con inmigración. Me decían que yo no iba a poder cumplir mis sueños, mis metas.

-¿Cómo y por qué viniste a Estados Unidos?
Llegué como todos los ilegales. Llegué literalmente con una mano delante y otra detrás. Vine porque quería hacer mi carrera, quería hacer todo lo relacionado con moda. Empecé muy abajo, hasta que a punto de perseverancia, he logrado poner mi propio taller. Tocaba en las boutiques y todos me cerraban las puertas. Pero soy como los caballos cuando tengo una idea fija no miro para los lados. Creo en lo que soy. No me pongo obstáculos, ni tengo complejos.

-¿Cómo logras ser parte de 'The Fashion Show' ?
Los productores ya me conocían y sabían que yo les iba a dar rating, lo que nunca imaginaron que yo tenía talento también. Soy extrovertido, excéntrico, sé qué vende en televisión, cómo atraer la atención del público y aunque me eliminaron en el episodio 9, me trajeron en el 10 porque yo funcionaba. No sólo se trata de ponerme una pluma. Es también llamar la atención.

-¿Es verdad que uno de los jueces se burlaba de ti?
Se burlaba de mi acento, me decía las cosas en forma de burla. Pero yo sé para lo que soy bueno. Yo se transformarme totalmente en cámara.

-¿Por qué vistes tan excéntrico?
Me visto así para la TV, pero soy bien normal. Ando en mi casa con un short y una camiseta. El otro día fui al mercado y la gente me empezó a decir que me veía bien normal. Ese día me di cuenta la fama que había ganado con el show.

Haz click sobre la imagen para ver fotos de Merlin Castell.
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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Doing It With Style


DOING IT WITH STYLE: Merlin Castell has become a breakout star on Bravo's hit "The Fashion Show," thanks to his luxurious designs and eccentric personality, and now he's looking to take his pieces to the next level.

"I haven't had the opportunity to dress the real, real celebrities that I want to dress, but I will. I am on my way there," says the Latin designer. "I get thousands of calls from people who say, 'Oh, my name is on this show. Can you dress me for this event?' I'm sorry, but I don't do that. My pieces are one of a kind. If I'm going to be dressing somebody, it has to be an A-lister.

"My dream is to dress somebody like Nicole Kidman. I would love to dress her! It might not happen for 10 years, but I don't care. I'm patient," he adds with a laugh.

When asked if he was surprised about not winning the show, Merlin responds no. "I wasn't expecting it because I know my market is not the market they are targeting. I was trying to stay in there as long as I could," says Merlin, who was asked back to the finale as a fashion expert. "It's been a really great experience. It's totally changed my life, so I'm glad I did it.

"Plus, it showcased who I really am. With the way I dress and the way I look, people think I just want to be a character for TV. No, no, no! That's Merlin! That's me," he claims. "With me, people either loved me or hated me -- there was no in-between. If they get to know me, though, they get to love me!
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Thursday, July 23, 2009

Red Means STOP! /Merlin reveals his hot, new, red designs

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Thursday, July 16, 2009

Merlin Busting Dangerous Moves He likes to let loose to music.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

TFS: TLo Interviews Merlin (plus decoy collection)



Tell us a little about your background and family in Honduras.
I was born at…how do you call it? A banana field where the Chiquita banana started, that’s where I was born. My family was a very typical one, they were farmers. I have six siblings. I was the only “coo-coo” one. I’m the black sheep in the family.

You once made a dress for your mother out of a tablecloth.
Yes, I did. It was for my graduation. She didn’t have anything to wear and she wanted to buy something and I said that I would buy the material. It was a material full of flowers, beautiful, and I had no idea it was a tablecloth.



You went to school to be an architect.
Yes, I’m an architect. That’s what I studied, then, I moved to Mexico to study fashion. I got a scholarship and I went to Milan where I studied for two years. Well, actually it was eight months studying and the rest of time I was having fun [laughs]. Then I moved to the United States. That was my goal, to come here.

Did you think that you could fulfill your dreams here? Is that why you came here?
I knew I could never be a fashion designer in Honduras. In Mexico, they pretty much copy fashion from outside, and this is not my style. I also thought that Europe was very conservative. It’s more about legacy, you have to have a big name, you maybe have to come from a very rich, respectable family and even when I was there people kept telling me that I should be in America. America is a young country of young people, and the fashion is fresh. America is a rebel, baby.

Speaking of America, you’re so funny on the show. Are you always over the top like that?
[Laughs] Always, darling, always, and there’s a lot more.

We noticed that everything you made for the show was very well constructed. Take the yellow jacket, for example, amazing work in such a short period of time. When did you learn to sew so well?
I was eleven years old when I learned how to sew. My family couldn’t afford to buy me clothes, so what I used to do was to buy vintage clothes. Something that I don’t like too much, so, I used to destroy the vintage clothes and copy the pattern and make something else for me in the materials and the color I wanted. I used to destroy all the garments and see how they were made and I learned how to do it myself. I’m not patient to wait for somebody to do something that I want.

Now, you said you didn’t know anything about Madame Grès and yet you made this great gown that was very much her style and aesthetic. Did anyone help you?
Nobody. I didn’t even know who she was and I was just trying to concentrate. I kept thinking, "Who is she?" It’s true. She came to me in the night and told me.

Most of our readers cannot believe the judges sent you home with that last outfit.
You know, everybody in this life has a destiny and it was my time to go. I could’ve done the best outfit, an outrageous dress, it doesn’t matter. I knew I was out. It was part of the plan [laughs]. You just have to accept it. I take everything that comes to my life, I take it and I transform it into something positive for me.

Did you think there were worse outfits?
Oh, yes, honey and I said so.

Were you and James-Paul close? It seemed that way, especially towards the end.
I like James-Paul because we’re both different. We try to experiment with fashion and that’s the way you grow, that’s how science and everything…that’s why we got aspirin, they experimented with everything. That’s how you grow as a designer, if you’re stuck in the same position you never grow and I see James-Paul trying to find his identity and I like that about him. The same with Reco, and the other contestants, they play safe. They just want to please the market, I don’t have any reason to be pleasing the market. People that can afford my clothes will buy them.

You have dressed many celebrities, such as Paula Abdul, Paris Hilton, and Marilyn Manson.
Yes, they like my clothes and that’s my niche. I have my niche, and I dress a lot of women from high society in my area here in Beverly Hills and Bel-Air. They are all very happy with my work because it’s unique, it’s different and they are collectors. Some say “I don’t even fit in that dress, but I’m buying it because I love it.”

One of the things that impressed us about you on the show it’s that you like to be challenged, play with fabrics you never used before, for example. To us, that’s the sign of a true creative designer.
Yes, the material itself doesn’t make you a good designer; it’s what you can do with it. I'm intrigued by new things, new materials I've never used before. I like to see what I can create with them. I was trying to expose a concept on the show. I’m not trying to be a cookie cutter. Honey, I have gotten so many offers to work for companies here in LA. Hell no, that’s not what I want to do in my life. You know, I have suffered so much in my life. I’ve slept in the street in Europe and here in America too just to survive and stay true to myself and do what I like.

You’ve been called the Latino John Galliano.
[Laughs] Yes, in the Latin market. They are very proud of me because they know my career, where I came from and I’m not ashamed at all. Everything I got it’s because of myself, just me, me, me, me.

How would you describe your style and aesthetic, Merlin?
I’m more experimental. I like to keep together the colors. It’s more theatrical, it’s very theatrical actually. I like to play with different patterns. I’m the shape shifter. I want to try to find a new shape that can accommodate a woman, to establish the new shape of the century, like Dior did in the 50s. He changed thoroughly the shape of the woman. I want to experiment with the new materials. I want to find out about new technologies.

Your decoy collection was an explosion of shapes and vibrant colors. What was your inspiration?
My inspiration was this painter, Max Ernst. He’s got this painting from the 40s called “The Robing of the Bride.” He’s amazing; he’s the master of the masters. I took all the colors from that painting and that was my inspiration.

Were you pleased with the way it turned out?
Yes, I was very happy and I named it “The Phoenix” because I’m like a Phoenix, I emerge from the ashes.

We’re glad you got to show your collection. We knew it would be quite a show. So, did you enjoy being on The Fashion Show?
That was an amazing experience. Now people aren’t going to be in shock when they see me, when they see the Phoenix walking. They’ll say “Oh, that’s Merlin.” You know, when you see me for the first time you are shocked. I don’t know why, I’m just a little mouse. My business partner says that I got presence wherever I go. I love it, I like to be like that.

Well, you’re very good at it. Never change, darling. What's next on your agenda?
I have a lot of plans for this year. I’m presenting a new collection in Miami for spring. I’m going to my country for a dinner with the president and everybody over there and present a collection there too. I’m also launching a new line.

You’re going to be busy. Thank you so much, Merlin.
Thank you, guys.
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Saturday, July 4, 2009

Congrats and Bye-bye



And our Chicken Diva goes home. We are both sad and at the same time very, very confused. To our eyes, there is way more good going on with this outfit than there is bad. And there were FAR worse outfits on that runway.Let's start with that coat, which we think is amazing, but the judges nit-picked to death.Beautiful color, amazingly well-executed with lots of detailing. The judges acted as if there was way too much, but have they seen some of the coats out there lately? There's a pocket and a compartment for every possible item one could conceivably leave the house with.And we thought he did a great take on the unfortunate American habit of traveling in sweat suits.It was chic and looked great on her and also had some great detailing. On top of everything else, it was practical.As a traveling outfit, it afforded her some comfort while still looking chic and she had compartments all over her clothing for everything from tickets to breath mints. What else do you need? Maybe he should have added some compartments for holding her shoes. The judges love that sort of shit.The ONLY part of the outfit that undeniably sucked were those ridiculous pants with their ballooning knees. We understand that they were SO awful that they may have overrided most of the outfit's good points, but the judges completely overreacted to them.And why did the judges completely overreact to this outfit? Because the crowd of "fashion insiders" did. That's probably our biggest complaint about the show, the judges are forced to restrict their decisions to whichever garments got the lowest and highest scores, which means by definition, the judges are forced to judge their way around other people's decisions and criteria. It's a murky process made doubly so because we have no idea who the vast majority of these people are (except for a shot of maybe 6 or so every episode) and we have no idea what information they've been given about the challenge and what the designers were required to do. "90% of the audience said they wouldn't buy your outfit." Well, okay. Who the fuck are they, then?
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