Count on Dean and Dan Caten to come up with a theme and really run with it—even during in-between seasons, when most designers are focusing on pumping out commercial hits. For Pre-Fall, the DSquared boys showed a swinging sixties lineup full of mod silhouettes, micro-mini skirts, and equestrian hats that drove home the idea. Altogether, it felt like a comparatively clean and understated direction for the label known for its ultra-sexy wares. While bonded wool shifts and coat dresses were cut on the boxy side (neoprene treatments added structure), there was nothing "square" about their upper-thigh-grazing hemlines—seriously, you need stems like Twiggy or Alexa Chung (plus a pair of black opaque tights) to pull those off. Other memorable looks included a slim double-breasted suit in a graphic windowpane check, sharp capes and festive LBDs. Better make that TBDs, as in "tiny black dresses." Those evening numbers featured either ostrich feathers and jet beading or dramatic, draped gazar in back. They suggested that DSquared's girl is more grown up this season, but she still knows how to party.
