Their business is ten years old, they made it to 40—and Dean left Phuket one day before the tsunami struck. No wonder the Caten twins are in a thanks-giving mood. Advance word had it that religion would replace raunch in Dsquared²'s fall show—the stage set of church pews and the burst of Kanye West's "Jesus Walks" on the soundtrack certainly suggested we were about to witness the most remarkable conversion since Saul set out for Damascus—but in the event the pre-publicity was a little misleading. Dean and Dan haven�t so much seen the light as simply grown up, which this polished collection proved.
True, there were tokens of faith scattered throughout the show: crosses dangling from necks and belts, a distressed-denim jacket printed with the Shroud of Turin, a trucker's cap that read "Angel" where once would have been some cheerfully smutty pun, and a big zipped cardigan that blared "Jesus loves even me." And, if one were so inclined, it would be easy to construe the dressy mood of the collection as Sunday best—Dsquared²'s usual stable of midnight cowboys was expertly turned out in immaculately conceived coats and jackets with collar and tie. But drop below the waist and there were the sexy denims, combats, and chunky trucker boots that are the twins' signatures.
This combination of spirituality and sexuality could have been crass, but Dean and Dan's sincerity and talent won the day. The two had the audience way before the white doves took flight at show's end.
