Dean and Dan Caten’s SS25 outing exuded subversion and elegance—unifying modern glamour with an unabashed edge.
THERE WAS something hip and charming about the opening look of Dsquared2’s Summer collection: an ultra-feminine, breezy gown slipped over a skin-tight bralette. It had the fluid vibe that’s been building over the past few seasons and was right in step with the dance craze that’s been seen at far grander and more richly resourced houses during the Resort shows.
It also signified a move forward, if not exactly a grand battement, a grand mashup of theatre performers who took the stage by storm providing a spectacle that served-up a feast for the senses.
All designers must take care to craft their signatures over time, and theirs has been about cutting up men’s and women’s formal tailoring and reconfiguring it every which way on a genderless frame.
“Theatre is an element that sits within us, and as we love to harness performance on crazy scales each season, it felt right to take this drama on stage and involve such a talented pool of creative minds who made this entire process extremely enjoyable,” the designers detailed in a backstage interview post-show.In this collection, they added a matter-of-fact tone to femininity, punctuating their raw-edged deconstruction by way of breezy gowns, and it was a strong relief.
Bare tailoring is Dsquared2’s main gig. Unabashed isn’t a word that gets used much in fashion, but maybe it should. It’s the reason why shoppers respond to their toppers that slouch on like a sweatshirt and crossover waistline pants.
Sheerness isn’t a quality that gets cheered much by large swathes of ordinary customers, but the duo embraces it, whipping up outerwear pieces in ultra-thin textiles that look completely reversible to the sight: take them off and you can stuff the whole thing into one of its gathered sleeves.
If those sheer numbers were more marketing gimmicks than anything else, it certainly made for Dean and Dan’s gorgeous sense of modern aestheticism. For Spring-Summer 2025, their practice lifts the shape and takes their offerings to new heights: from rolling in a sense of multiplicity while bringing in elegance with a provocative edge, the collection created a whole-encompassing league of artists who free up all manner of societal constraints.
The designers have a real knack for jumbling dress-up and dress-down categories, and for introducing unexpected elements, as in a pair of skin-tight bondage or chiffons. This season, emphasising liberation, it was very easy to note the fact that these clothes hold an increasingly contemporary relevance in the world, retaining an honest strength and a sensuous ease to match.
by Chidozie Obasi