May 31, 2023 |
A love letter to the audacious, the daring and the unconventional, Dean and Dan Caten’s Resort 2024 coed collection at Dsquared2 returned to their roots. But not in a demure, minimalist kind of way; in a way that takes a Y2K rewind of all the aesthetic codes Dsquared2 has been known for over the past two decades and displays it in full force. Afterall, even just the concept of “quiet luxury” makes the brothers recoil.
Clashing seductive silhouettes with trashy, urban grit, the duo delivered a wardrobe replete with signature low slung, XXL jeans and cargos, jackets and skirts dripping with Swarovski crystal fringes and extreme washed hybridised denim; think jeans with side openings or buttons up the hip, sweatpants and hoodies crossbred with skinny racer jeans and trucker jackets, and jeans worn so thin and white in places it revealed reinforced denim underneath. Other jeans came coated with micro crystals, zig zag stitching, graffiti, a smattering of silver studs and sequin star appliques. Encumbered by chunky Dsquared2 logo belts with slivers of underwear peeking out from underneath, the idea was to deliver a “suburb chic” attitude, as Caten put it.
Cross-pollinated by sportswear references through both the men’s and womenswear lines, collegiate varsity jackets with striped ribbed waistbands in satin or classic cotton fleece cropped up – also explored in buttoned up cardigan mohair knits worn over chinos. Basketball shorts underscored a number of the looks while basketball tops, on the other hand, were worn oversized as mini dresses.
Putting the pedal to the metal, there were patchy women’s racer jeans and jackets with logo taping down the sleeves while fast and furious menswear ventured into biker-inspired lands with ridged leather trousers. Pulling out all the stops, there were also short sleeve baseball tops and a boxing style black skirt, as well as denim shorts that arrived mashed-up with joggers, proving that pairing wide volumes with short and fitted ones is a Dsquared2 staple.
For the boys, the motto was “the sparklier the jewellery, the tougher the guy”. So besides the preppy, biker and jock aesthetics, a slew of gilded Western references and borderline ballet-core allusions seeped through. A denim and check Western shirt had front fringes of fine crystals, a leather waistcoat featured floral printing and cowboy boots were made for walking. Pretty and pink, a bulbous set of jeans revealed a corset-style lace-up back. And just like that, the aesthetic pivoted into “bro-from-the-hood wear” bringing satin tracksuits, sleeveless knit tops, wide cargo shorts, camouflage windbreakers and hooded short-sleeved sweatshirts to the block, all with chunky crystal-encrusted pendants dangling from models necks and high tops or socks and slides on their feet.
The girls revelled in adrenaline-fueled activities like boxing, car racing and motocross. Reflected in their boyish, high-octane ensembles, excess met eclectic urban grit. Then the theme veered in a more cheeky direction with a sweet pink baby-doll negligee worn under a striped knitted cardigan and ladies tucking hand-held heart bags or silk pouches with crystal baguette cages under their arms. Toward a more bon-ton charm, classic tweed jackets were thrown over tight tank tops printed with ‘Dsquared2 Pizzeria’ across the bust. When the girls rolled into the hood, a riot of miscellaneous ingredients were revealed including baggy pants, a tartan mini skirt and graffiti printed leggings worn under a tweed mini skirt, all styled with glowing gold lace-up platforms, transparent mules and pointed toe logo pumps.
Men and misses alike, shared in the same brash suburban language, injecting a let-them-talk attitude cropped with a dose of controversy into their spicy looks. They even banded together in an amusing mutual salute to Betty Boop, whose iconic cartoon physique was printed on soft cotton patches and stitched onto trucker-style jean jackets and trousers.
It was an array of nocturnal glamour that closed off the collection. For men, evening looks merged tuxedo tailoring with sheer underlayers and included an embroidered sequin tulle cummerbund draped-but built into the front of a white shirt. Every look was worn with shiny patent black loafers. For women, there were skimpy ruched bodycons in salt-and-pepper silver and neoprene co-ords spliced together with fishnet panels and mesh. It was all killer, no filler.
Photography courtesy of Dsquared2.
