Not being hissy—okay, maybe just a bit—but it’s frustrating as a reviewer of designers you’ve been assigned to for eons to be blocked from going backstage to talk to them afterward because the influencer-wrangler can’t be bothered and the security guards are poorly trained. It was a shame because Dean and Dan rustled up a really effective, tight-for-them collection that contained some of the funniest pieces of the season so far: sneakers for men and sneaker heels for women that took the Triple S/Archlight template—already pretty oversized—and pumped it full of Dsquared2 steroids. Especially excellent were the women’s wedges that twisted the over-articulated molded sole form 90 degrees and needed a Velcro ankle strap to stay in place: They looked like mad fashion versions of the foot-braces of Sigourney Weaver’s power loader in Aliens.
Had they been available, Dean and Dan might have characterized this as military/sportswear/disco, or something. The opening section was lots of pretty good Watanabe-esque mixed-up drab and khaki with the odd iridescent holographic patch. Then there was a section of luxified early ‘90s paneled tracksuits. After that we swung back to military but inserted a silk floral jacquard. The women’s was riffs on the same but with the addition of parachute silk gowns secured with webbing and harnesses—there was plenty of harnessing for the boys too.
I hope those influencers are Instagramming the bejesus out of those sneakers right now.
