Forget roughing it in the Canadian woods in oversized survival gear, muddy boots, and mosquito nets. This season isnât about blending into the pines, as it often is a DSquared2, whose founders Dean and Dan Caten hail from the wilds of Toronto. Rather, itâs about being prep school troublemakers defying the norm. âTheyâre proper, polished rebels.â say the designers. You canât call them rebels with a cause, unless, of course, style counts.
Draped in sharply tailored linen suits worn with crocheted polos channeling Gene Kellyâs Hollywood swagger, or slouched in distressed denim bombers straight out of James Deanâs playbook, the DSquared2 guys channel old-school vibes with a Gen-Z edge. Their girls are just as sexy and mischievous in rugged, workwear-inspired denim cut into ultra-minis that barely graze the thigh and jarring flashes of eye-popping lace. Bralettes and barely-there lingerie tops peek out from beneath sharply tailored blazers, and zippered denim onesies cling to the body like a second skin. For the Catens, this kind of mixing of masculine and feminine codes is a declaration of personal freedom. True defiance lies in the courage to be unapologetically authentic in oneâs self-presentation: âThe most rebellious act is to dress exactly how you want.â
On that note, they printed tees, hoodies, and swimwear with Polaroids from the 1970s and â80s by photographer Tom Bianchi whose snapshots depict Fire Islandâs gay community at its carefree, hedonistic heightâa tribute to a once-radical queer aesthetic, blending art, identity, and resistance into everyday fashion.