Since the day her sophomore album, The Art of Loving, dropped at the end of last year, Olivia Dean has risen from an artist on the brink of stardom to a full-fledged global superstar. A record that explores love in all its varying, messy forms, it not only invited a wider audience into her world of neo-soul but also won the musician her first Grammy and four BRIT Awards. The accompanying tour kicked off in April in the UK, headlining a sold-out six-night run at London’s O2 Arena, which was so in demand that she’s returning for another stint this month before kicking off the summer leg of the tour across the US.

The musician’s stage looks are every bit as compelling as her vocals. Known for sporting mini dresses encrusted with sparkles, slinky silk numbers or opulent full-skirted looks with crop tops to match, Dean’s tour wardrobe underscores the allure of her old-school elegance. The brains behind her on-stage ensembles is London-based stylist Simone Beyene, who began working with Dean in 2021. And woven throughout the tour wardrobe are designs by 16Arlington’s Marco Capaldo – a longtime collaborator of both Beyene and Dean – whose custom gowns have become some of the musician’s most memorable looks.

“These are pieces that are designed to come alive when worn,” Capaldo tells us, “and Olivia understands that instinctively.” Created in close conversation with Dean and crafted to move with her on stage, the looks are adorned with sequins and sparkle, while feathers and petals unfurl from the seams. Below, Capaldo tells us why Dean is the perfect embodiment of the 16A woman and why collaborating with her felt like a natural extension of a longstanding partnership.

Ella Joyce: How did the collaboration with Olivia come to be?
Marco Capaldo: Simone [Beyene] has been a long-time friend and collaborator of both myself and the brand, and we’ve worked with her on looks for Olivia from the very beginning. This project came together really organically. There’s already a shared language there, so it felt like a natural extension of what we’ve been building together over time rather than a standalone moment.

EJ: What was the design process like? How did you find collaborating on the looks with Olivia and Simone?
MC: Having worked on so many looks with Simone, the process felt very instinctive. There’s a real shorthand between us at this point, and a strong mutual understanding of what feels right for Olivia within the world of 16Arlington. It’s very collaborative but also very fluid. There’s a lot of trust on all sides, which means we’re able to really explore ideas creatively without overthinking them. The focus is always on how the pieces move, how they feel to perform in, and how they amplify Olivia’s presence on stage.

“Olivia really embodies the emotional core of what we try to do at 16Arlington. She brings a sense of ease and joy to the clothes…”

EJ: What kind of reference images were on the mood board?
MC: The mood boards pulled heavily from past 16Arlington collections, particularly in terms of fabrications, colour and movement. There was also a strong reference back to silhouettes Olivia has worn before, like the ‘Electra’ neckline. A key starting point was an unseen SS26 exclusive capsule Simone had a preview of.

EJ: How do you feel Olivia embodies the 16A woman?
MC: Olivia really embodies the emotional core of what we try to do at 16Arlington. She brings a sense of ease and joy to the clothes, but also a real emotional connection to performance and movement. These are pieces that are designed to come alive when worn, and Olivia understands that instinctively. She has such a strong personal point of view, but she never feels like she’s wearing something separate from herself, it always feels fully integrated, which is exactly how we want the clothes to exist in the world.

“She never feels like she’s wearing something separate from herself, it always feels fully integrated…”

EJ: What cues from the SS26 collection were taken into the custom looks?
MC: There were quite a few direct fabric and embellishment references from SS26. The lingerie satins and delicate tonal laces were a key foundation across all three looks. We also developed a custom lightweight feather treatment, dip-dyed in soft green tones with brown, which adds a sense of movement and softness when in motion. For the pink look, we introduced a custom crystal hot-fix motif, each crystal set within a metal casing. The pom-pom-inspired feather motif also runs through both the pink and black dresses, creating a rhythm and texture that really responds to Olivia’s movement on stage.