DSquared2 do Rocky Mountain rhinestone 'n' roll

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Jan 14, 2018

Bella Hadid opened the action and Kendall Jenner ended it at DSquared2 Sunday, even though this is officially the menswear season in Milan. Though the mixed male and female runway turned out to be an ideal solution in a particularly strong collection of dashing rock 'n' roll fashion by DSqaured2 duo Dean and Dan Caten.

On a chilly, blue-sky morning, walking out before a remarkable giant wall of thin glass tubes containing thousands of LEDs, Hadid appeared in padded plaid jerkin with cowboy patch shoulders and Western shirt. Indeed, red plaid is the fabric of the season here in Milan – seen in this show in barn dance jackets and rock star draped coats – rifling through Saturday’s Versace collection and evident in all the heirlooms inside the big store opening of the weekend, Woolrich on Corso Venezia.
 
No one in Milan, though, stages their collections with as much energy as the Caten twins. Especially this Rocky Mountain and roll show – with leather chaps; check rustler shirts; tooled leather cowboy boots; and a series of short jackets in burnished leather for the gents. While their cunning cowgirls will go out to party this autumn in leather and lace tops with peplums; puff-sleeve riding jackets and sexy jodhpurs cut like cargo pants. Or, better yet, in fox fur lined blousons worn over patchwork silk saloon dancer dresses accessorized with Indian feather jewelry – just like the ensemble Jenner finished the show in to great applause.

No wonder, Renzo Rosso of Diesel, whose group manufactures DSquared2, seemed so ebullient pre-show. Telling editors that this house continues to thrive with strong double-digit growth. 
 
In a word, DSquared2 and the Catens are completely in sync with their market and their aesthetic.