Looking back to look forward, the engine revving on the Boeing jet for the first Dsquared2 women’s runway show Star 24/7 in 2003 is the spark of the co-ed Fall Winter 2023 collection. Two decades on, Dsquared2’s roots find new form in a line-up of teenage troupes. There’s the geek, the jock, the goth, the emo, the femme—stereotypes that are broken up and put back together again with contemporary conviction, the freedom to be who you want to be. Denim, elaborately quilted with contrasting proportions of ultra-wide or tiny. Double pants, denim over chinos; outerwear with flourish and the Dsquared2 DNA of mashups, prep mixed with cowboy, puffers or chunky knits with lingerie lace tanks and shorts.
Exploring teenage characters gives leeway for full Dsquared2 energy. Western fare of fringed jackets and denim with stars on the knees is mixed with crop jersey tanks printed with ‘Darlin’ and ‘Emo’ and worn with heeled embroidered Western boots. Shearling chaps are worn over jeans or appliquéd on embroidered shirts. Preppy insignias are embroidered onto V-neck sweaters, on the chest of a men’s coat, or on the lapel of bomber jackets for women. Puffers for men and women are cut from frayed denim, or sporty nylon. A glossy duchesse satin men’s or women’s parka has lace details. Lace on underwear and camisoles peep through men’s and women’s looks. Characters from the iconic arcade game Pac-Man are printed onto T-shirts—part of a new collaboration with the brand.
A Canadian countryside complete with deer and fir trees is quilted onto a jeans and jacket. Denim aprons are layered on top of men’s boxer shorts or women’s hot pants. Frayed denim jeans and skirts have low slung waists.
Cropped ribbed undershirts and pants are mixed into men’s wide shorts, while cropped check jackets are paired with women’s shorts. Two different moto style leather jackets are cut up and melded into a new design, worn with matching leather pants.
Accessories riff on Dsquared2 design signatures. A belt with a metal branded buckle first launched 25 years ago is looped through denim, shorts and chinos for women and men, and the same buckle in Western or gothic lettering features on the top of the design of the handheld Belt Bag, designed for both men and women. A thermo plastic heart shaped bag is in pop colors of candy pink and yellow, as well as black for men. Boots come Western, desert or biker style and are worn with white socks topped with red stripes.