DOUBLE DOCS, MIAMI-EDITION: BECCA AND CHRISTINE MCCHAREN-TRAN

Becca and Christine McCharen-Tran do things their own way. The couple are both entrepreneurs supporting inclusivity; Becca is the CEO and Creative Director for the body positive and size-diverse swimwear label Chromat, while Christine is the co-founder of Discwoman, an agency and collective for female-identified DJs. Recently ditching Brooklyn in favor of Miami, the two consistently fly in the face of the status quo — as evidenced by their Double Docs photo shoot (in 35mm film, no less). Does a pair of Dr. Martens belong at the pool? In the McCharen-Tran family, the answer is yes.  Absolutely. Read on for a quick Q&A with the couple, plus a bit about new holiday traditions, and how they styled their Docs.

It’s the time of year for “Best of” lists. What are a couple things on the Becca and Christine Best of 2018 lists?

Moving to Miami is a definite highlight! We had the opportunity to travel around Vietnam with Christine’s parents (who are originally from there) for 2.5 weeks. The fresh pho, the islands of Ha Long Bay and the bustling motorbikes in Ho Chi Minh City made it a trip we’ll never forget.

Tell us more about your move to Miami.

Becca: We LOVE Miami! We’ve been visiting Miami for years for Swim Week, Basel and Music Week and we recently decided to make the big move and live in Paradise all year round (with trips back to our offices in NYC every month). We honestly don’t really feel as much ‘holiday cheer’ here in Miami as we usually do in NYC — it’s more of an elated joy because of the gorgeous beach and warm sun. In NYC we cling to the holidays to stay buoyant when it’s cold and dark, but in Miami we’re already in a good headspace. It’s like champagne vs egg nog. Both festive, but different moods.

Do you have any new holiday traditions, now that you’re in Florida?

Becca: Shopping for gifts at the outdoor mall in the center of South Beach—Lincoln Road, for a chance to see our favorite building—1111 Lincoln Road. I first learned about this building—by architects Herzog and de Meuron—when I was in architecture school and we always discover new design details every time we go. And then we go to Shake Shack for a taste of home (NYC).

Christine: It’s nice to start fresh in a new city and make new holiday traditions with our family and friends. Cooking is always a big part of our holidays. My parents came down for Thanksgiving and my mom taught me her homemade pho recipe. We had friends over for a night of pho, corn bread and karaoke!

What inspired your photo shoot? Why did you decide to shoot on film? Did the purple velvet 1460s ever fall in the pool?

It still looks and feels like summer during the holiday season here, so we wanted to show the warmth and energy of Miami during the holidaze. We are big fans of 20-year-old Miami-based photographer Lex Morales, who shoots mainly on 35mm — we were excited to work with her on this. Ha, the velvet 1460s did not fall into the pool. Christine made sure of it! She’s always looking out for me.

How did you style your Docs?

Becca: I love mixing up colorful laces with all my Docs—it started with the AW18 WAVY runway show where we re-laced all the iridescent pink and black Docs with red, blue and yellow laces to match the colorful bungee cords featured on the garments. Ever since then I’ve been re-lacing every shoe I own!

Christine: I love a classic black/black Dr. Martens look and the platform Jadons give a little extra height.

We’ve seen you do it on the runway, but do you ever pair your Docs with a Chromat suit?

Becca: Every day! I love wearing Chromat swim as bodysuits with pants or a skirt. And Docs are my everyday shoes so that’s a given.

Christine: Becca can clearly pull off the Chromat suit with Docs. I’m into the functional Docs, bike shorts, crop top look.

What are you looking forward to in 2019?

Our upcoming runway show at NYFW in February!

Photography by Lex Morales