There is never a lack of interesting fodder in the collections of Dean and Dan Caten, so perhaps Pre-Fall's gleeful mishmash of all things biker and Balkan shouldn't have come as much of a shock. Here was a veritable gypsy-rock riot, where matryoshka graphic tees played alongside a leather peplum biker jacket edged in passementerie. The Catens' signature—perennially standout tailoring—was present in basic black, of course, but also in a graphic macro-wallpaper print. Elsewhere a series of glitter-waxed chunky knits felt wonderfully weird. An Eastern European influence was most present in a grouping of glossy silk pieces splashed in bright folkloric designs; the twins' taste for all things opulent meant they came tiered, trimmed in black velvet, and whipped into sexed-up flouncy minidresses. But for all their zest, those clothes were nearly upstaged by some of the collection's strongest items, which married traditional, slightly rough-fringed knits in red, black, and tan with biker-y leather. That combo yielded a killer coat and midi skirt. All in all, this was a bold lineup befitting Dsquared²'s ambitious retail moves of late: The brand's first Stateside shop bowed on Rodeo Drive in September, and a New York flagship is poised to open in Soho soon, followed by a store in Bal Harbour.
