It's not an exaggeration to say that, save from Prada, DSquared2 is perhaps the most anticipated show of Milan Fashion Week. Though us editors don't go entirely with the fashion in mind, instead we're hoping for high camp frolics, near nude male models and outlandish excess. It’s a legendary show – past attendees compare stories of the most scandalous things they've witnessed - and the perfect finale to the week. This season's venue, popular Milanese nightclub Alcatraz, suggested that Dean and Dan weren't going to disappoint.
The duo had jazz fever for Autumn/Winter 2013. War heroes returned from the front, still decorated with their medals and military garb, to wreck anarchy on the underground club scene. Modern items were styled to fit in with this vintage vibe, so jeans were worn with a waistcoat, jacket and bow tie, Dean and Dan's version of the three-piece suit, while a silky dressing gown style jacket was also worn over a pair of casual denims. As always, accessories were rife, from the pocket squares to the piled on charity shop costume jewellery (the show notes dubbed it ‘grandma’s borrowed bijouterie’) and showy mohair fedoras, but strip it all back and this collection was a fine example of Dean and Dan's exceptional cutting skills. They'd tried some new things this season, including relaxing their ultra-slim suits. Their new ‘Napoletano’ jacket claimed to feel ‘like air on your shoulders’ thanks to its light, lining-less form. Additionally, to give the illusion of someone constantly dancing (as the DSquared2 client tends to), jackets had been hemmed with wire and scrunched up at the back – a novel, if impractical, technique.
Still, Dean and Dan would never be content to just let their tailoring do the talking, even if it is one of their greatest strengths. To counteract the high buttoned collars and vintage modesty, the duo sent their boys (a stunning troupe of all black models) down the runway for their final turn clad only in white underwear and t-shirts, as if half way through the morning drill at military camp. After striking a suitably suggestive pose for the waiting photographers, each model then went on to strip off his shirt and hurl it into the audience, an action which made even the most po-faced editors smile. We went from sensual jazz club to teen Spring break in just a minute. Still, after a week of severe suiting and endless luxury knits, a bit of toned bare flesh and a healthy dose of humour was just what we all needed. Ah, if DSquared2 did nightclubs, they’d probably be the best nightclubs in the world…
