DSquared2: Lumberjack Menswear Collection

Armani sent flowers to Dean and Dan Caten tonight. That felt right. It's been a huge month for the twins: turning 50 on December 19; orchestrating the reunion of 150 immediate family members for Christmas in Toronto; and now a big production to celebrate 20 years of their label Dsquared².

 But that's always been the story of their lives, everything getting bigger: audiences, sales, and, inevitably, the numbers of people waiting for them to fall on their faces. Which won't happen because, as Dan said before tonight's show, "We're born fighters. If it's easy, it's not worth the fight."

The show was, as he said, "Almost a greatest hits." Referencing one of their more famous customers, Dean chimed in with "The Immaculate Collection." (Identical twins have no trouble chiming in because they are tied together for life.) Malgosia Bela opened proceedings in a tiny leather jacket and dirty denims, followed by a bared male torso in a fur trapper hat and jeans slung so low they were bouncing off his hip bones.

The masculine objectification was vintage Dsquared². So was what followed. "A good-looking parka and some great-looking jeans" was Dan's definition of his label's quintessential look, and here it was, in a huge white parka trimmed in an extravagant drift of wolf, with worn, second-skin denims in support.

You could call the look "Canadianism," because the Catens are fiercely patriotic. (Their star on Canada's Walk of Fame—on King Street in Toronto—sits right next to

Céline Dion's.)

But the Canadiana could only carry the show for so long. It inevitably surrendered to the longueurs of the anniversary presentation: one too many plaid shirts knotted round a model's waist, an overload of jeans. So the last looks—sharply tailored tuxes, gussied up with embroidery—arrived as a vital reminder of the other side of the Catens' work.

And the evening suits they wore when they walked out at the end were even better. They accompanied Mary J. Blige, who sang U2's "One," which offered itself as an appropriate anthem for the symbiotic existence of identical twins.

And the promise of the evening? "The last 20 years we built the foundation…" said Dan. "The next 20 years, we go kick some ass," added Dean. Can't wait.

One can always count on Dsquared2 to capture the essence of a jet-setting, glamorous life; one that has its own signature edge.
Next season (Fall-Winter) will see: Canadian, biker, rocker, edgy evening-wear and statement outerwear. Dsquared2 foundations, denim and leather are integral pieces alongside T-shirts printed with American motifs. Fabrics, technical and textural finesse a richer and studied evolution of key Dsquared2 looks.

Voluminous parkas and gilets in detailed fabrications include coyote-lined white canvas, shaved Mongolian lamb, fox-lined oil treated canvas, papery glossy black leather. Ultra embellished Perfecto jackets are decorated with studs and medallions, in edgy rubber, and acid pink wool flannel.

Lumberjack inspired red-and-black check is found on a jacket, shirt and vest. Mud-splatters as coatings appear on jean legs, boots and denim vest, recalling Dsquared2’s customized stage outfit for Madonna.

The Hockney, a pant shape debuted on the spring summer runway with a looser fit through the crotch and a tapered leg moves coolly in canvas, leather and treated denim.

Romantic flourishes on graphic black and white evening-wear are found in folk style embroideries on jacket lapels, and on cotton vests and pant fronts. Tuxedos, a Dsquared2 staple, are in the brand’s unexpected colors and fabrics: velvet, camouflage, and lamé.

Eye-catching accessories define Dsquared2’s self-assured guy: oversized fur cossack and trapper hats, caps with lustrous gold thread air force style embroideries. Fringe bags inspired by the motorcycles seats. Boots, long and lean, with stamped embroideries, biker buckles or left clean, are narrowed at the ankle to fit under tapered pant legs.