Dsquared2 just showed their FW26 collection and in the unlikely case you missed it: the founding twins were hoisted across the runway at the end of their show like princes on a shirtless-model-powered carriage. Subtlety has never been their thing, nor has humility.
With the Winter Olympics just weeks away, Dean and Dan are clearly in a snow-sport state of mind. This season, they tap into their Canadian, snow-fested upbringing and crank the temperature up with Dsquared2’s favourite ingredient: six-packs.
Opening the show, down a glacial staircase, comes Heated Rivalry protagonist Hudson Williams and after that, we’re going full exaggerated, voluminous puffer jacket, as per Dsquared2’s usual swagger. The massive puffers are bedazzled and not meant to keep you warm but to be worn from the wrists like a feather boa that lost its way to Aspen. They’re paired with shorts so you can clock the fluffy striped socks perched proudly atop ski boot–heels.
The brand’s sexy twin archetype appears bundled into wildly out-of-proportion padded hats and classic mittens, worn toddler-style with strings looped around the neck. Hanging off of a male torso, these mittens morph into something closer to a Chippendales prop than cold-weather gear, exactly how Dean and Dan like it.
One standout knit features a bold “#1” medal motif, knitted straight into the sweater. Ski passes are the new bagcharms (practical and smug), and according to Dsquared2, we’re done clutching shoulderbags. Backpacks are back and real men wear denim shorts over maillots. Rules are rules.
For women, the alpine drama continues: oversized trapper hats are paired with latex leggings so shiny we’re worried about air traffic. There are hulking fur coats and oversized fur collars, women stomping out in deconstructed denim that dangles from the legs, strategically revealing skin.
Bottom line: Dsquared2 takes a gold (knitted) medal for making us want to ski again, and silver for their famously restrained approach to life.
