Dsquared2 men’s spring 2018

Who knew that being twins and good time boys supposedly make up for showing silly tired clothes?

Who can explain why these clothes are relevant to anything?

Who can tell me why these 2, who do possess talent, continue to show Halloween costumes/get ups season after season?

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Who knew that “a million” belt buckles could become tuxedo stripes? A punk revival?

Who would be seen in daylight in these clothes?

How does this brand make any money?

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Is this supposed to be androgynous?

When did the pedestrian become a trend?

What would “fashion” be without the “Levi” jean jacket?

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Why are these clothes so been there, done that?

How can you take any of this seriously?

Can anyone explain this to me… anyone?? Any of it?

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P.S. I actually loved the white dinner jacket trimmed in black and the “bleached out” sequin jeans … god forgive me

Dsquared² MFW Fall 2015

When the Catens aka Mickey and Judy,  put on a show it always me reminds me of those old Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney musicals where one inevitably turns to the other and says “why don’t we put on a show” and so they do with a chorus of 50 extras singing and dancing, all fully costumed.

That’s how I see these shows as they really are just formulaic spectacles designed to entertain rather than promote anything else. One might postulate that ese  show are nothing more than PR events  to promote the brand rather than show a new collection. 

This season is about Eskimos and Indians and nomads and maybe even some AWOL period soldiers, banditos or some extras from the Road to Morocco or maybe 2000B.C.

So with all that base information, you can expect to see parkas and Indian blankets, serapes, trapper hats, military jackets and even some tights that look like full body henna tattoos. Put it all together and “Let’s put on a fashion show!” My bad here or what?

Oops and it almost slipped my mind to mention the trapper furs which still might have teeth marks from the steel traps and the trapper boots or maybe they are caveman boots with fur lashed onto them …. The purpose of such folly evades me as even if there is something to be seen here one needs to strip away the multitudinous layers of stuff that will camouflages it, I  doubt anyone needs a new jean or a new cargo pant that falls under the category of unwearable .. or for that matter dresses that look like the undergarments of a nickle a dance chorus girls from the local saloon.

Dsquared².. resort 2015

From first glance it is not rocket science to see that the twins have plucked one of fashion’s most reliable and legendary icons as their muse and reference point for this collection. I speak of Diana Vreeland, the first lady of fashion.

What is so disturbing about the Catens is that they can’t seem to figure out who they are. They have these extreme mood swings which span from a teeny bopper Hollywood street walker to doyennes of fashion. What I find so amazing is that as much as they want to be showmen, hip and  groovy, they  are just provocateurs with all their over the top bells and whistles but their shining moments occur when they do beautiful feminine,  and dare I say it, chic stylish clothes.

Funny how life works, you spend all these seasons promoting this 3 rings circus of a collection and the most beautiful collection is the one that references a lady who was anything but trendy and always stylishly chic. It is almost as if Dsquared² and Vreeland in the same sentence created an oxymoron.

There is no doubt that the Vreeland style and swagger is pervasive but there is also this YSL attitude coupled with something very decadently Helmut Newton about it all. The big question is whether or not this portends the future or is this one more of their one hit wonders? The collection is very old school and yet it retains a modernity to it and I think that the Catens should wear that as a medal. There is always a polish and soigne moment that shows up occasionally in their collections but rarely is it so all-encompassing and it is very flattering to the clothes and the designers. 

Impressed? … Yes. Surprised? … Yes. Hopeful? … Yes.  My gut tells me this is but a fleeting fashion moment that should be repeated but won’t be as the twins are far too restless and accustomed to thinking they ride the crest of the fashion wave and producing a collection that that might actually sell and be worn is beyond their scope of reality. Tis a pity!

Dsquared² ... Milan Collections Fall 2014

My first impression is 2 fold: what happened to the bottoms of these tunics? AND ... How did they get into the wardrobe archive of Motown and find all the Supremes’ 60s wardrobe?

My comprehension extends to understanding all lengths, whether I like them or not but what it doesn’t quite grasp is why you spend all this money on creating samples that appear to be half of an outfit. One would highly doubt that an additional 2 inches in length would change the “vision” of this collection. 

 On other fronts it would truly change a lot but here...  not so much!

Here’s the other quandary about this collection and that would be who the Dsquared² customer is? She is no longer the hipster blue jean chick who wears everything with stilettos and torn jeans. Apparently she is now the hipster chick who wants to dress like a retro Carnaby street “bird” that resembles Petula Clark in her heyday. It is mind boggling to think that these boys can just continually do an about face with the direction of the clothes and think that their client base is not eroding or maybe they have no client base? To their credit ... I know it is a shock that I find a redeeming factor… this collection is a continuation of pre fall and that is an accomplishment.

Okay before I finish I need to back up here and speak of the shoes that look like they stole the ankle restraints from the electric chair and why on earth would anyone buy a gown from this collection given what the prices must be .. And oh one more thing...Did I see some Monica Vitti reference in the leopard pieces?? 

As far as entertainment goes, the Catens should be musical revue producers as they are without question great showmen but as far as stewards of their brand … not so much. One more time it is time to say... this is a business of selling clothes... if you don’t sell clothes then you don’t stay in business. It is to time to grow up and make the leap and decide who you are and not just who you are this season.