Fall 2009 Lookbook

October 18th, 2009

LUIS VUITTON/TIM HAMILTON

THE TINY MASTERS OF TODAY SHOW OFF FOR THE BLOCK’S FALL LOOK BOOK
Words Lucy Madison Images Ryan Pfluger

Ivan, age 15, and Ada, age 13, may have started their band as a joke, but the Brooklyn-based brother-sister duo Tiny Masters of Today has never had to ask to be taken seriously: the band’s first gig (at an open-mic night for kids in Brooklyn) was covered in the pages of Newsweek, their first single, “Stickin’ it to the Man” was praised as “genius” by David Bowie, and their first album (which came out in 2007 – you do the math for how old they were then) earned them fans like Karen O and Nick Zinner. And that was just the beginning.

DIOR HOMME

CALVIN KLEIN

DKNY

ACNE

Last June, the Tiny Masters put out their second full-length, Skeletons, which features the vocal contributions of the aforementioned Karen O, and opened up for Art Brut at their New York show. For The Block’s fall fashion Look Book, we asked Ivan and Ada to model looks by Louis Vuitton, Dior Homme, Tim Hamilton, Acne, Diesel Black Gold, Calvin Klein, DKNY, Rodarte, and 3.1 Phillip Lim. They also told us about their personal style, their musical influences, and what it’s like to go through one’s punk-rock rebellious stage at the age of eight.

Lucy Madison: How did you guys manage to get a band started when you were so young?

Ada: My brother got a guitar for Christmas when he was seven, and I started playing piano. It was kind of as a joke that we started writing songs and playing together in the basement, and then we got serious about it, I guess.

Ivan: It was summer, and we were bored.

LM: Were your parents big music junkies?

I: You could say that. There were always records and stuff.

A: There’s a closet filled with CDs and records. It’s kind of scary to go into. It’s like a booby trap. Everything is stacked so precariously.

LM: Did the music that your parents listened to affect your own sound?

A: You know, you listen to the Ramones when you’re little and you’re like, “Yeah, I want to start a band!” That probably inspired us. Listening to The Clash, stuff like that. But you kind of get sick of it. Sooner or later, I’m going to rediscover it.

I: I was very into The Clash. I was going through my punk-rock, rebellious stage.

LM: How old were you then?

I: Probably eight or nine.

LM: Do you guys feel like people ever give you a hard time because of your age?

I: It’s definitely hard to be recognized as a real band. It’s kind of annoying when people just talk about how amazing it is, how young we are.

A: I’m not going to deny that the age thing is something that people notice. There’s nothing wrong with that. I just don’t want people to begrudge us any success because we’re young. I want to be recognized as a musician, not just a novelty act.

LM: You just put out your second album, and you got to work with Karen O on it. What was that like?

I: It was definitely cool. I’m a huge Yeah Yeah Yeahs fan. She’s a pro.

A: When we came into the studio, we’d see her recording, singing the songs in one take, getting them perfect. Whereas we probably had to do like, five takes, because sometimes Ivan would be dancing and laughing at me through the glass, and I’d crack up.

LM: This is The Block’s fall fashion issue. Do you have any fashion influences?

A: Well, I think Karen O’s style is really great. I don’t know if I’d have the guts to wear what she wears onstage, but I still admire her. I just like to wear skinny jeans and a t-shirt, with some accessories. I also wear a lot of vintage clothes. But I’m not that crazy. I don’t take that many fashion risks.

I: I like wearing jeans. And t-shirts.

LM: What’s next for you guys? Another album?

I: Well, the new one just came out so we’re slowly realizing that eventually we’re going to have to do it again.

A: That’s our problem, the album comes out and we’re so glad it’s over, and then people ask, “Are you writing songs for the next one?” We’re like, “What?! I feel like I just stopped writing songs.” But we’re mentally preparing ourselves.

IMAGES RYAN PFUGER
STYLING/CASTING JAMES WORTHINGTON DEMOLET AT SEE MANAGEMENT

Fashion Assistants Ileana Lagares and Lauren DeLeo
Make Up Samantha Trinh using Dior Cosmetics for Atelier Management
Ada’s Hair by Enrico Mariotti at See Management
Ivan’s Hair by Raymond McLaren at Mildred Inc for Stephen Knoll Salon

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