Dsquared2: PreFall 2020

Strolling the grounds of British boarding schools in a mash-up of college prep; flashy 80s hues and prints taking cue from the origins of sportswear in English stadiums and the outdoor-gone-fashion attitude of iconic Dsquared2 pieces. Flowing through high and low looks Dsquared2 established as their own; the Pre-Fall 2020 collection is a celebration of the brand’s style vocab and spirit.

Central to the lineup are the riffs on sportswear, expanded and exploded in new ways: spliced with tailoring, collegiate with patches and insignias, mixed with new denim washes and with a retro urban spin in monochrome tones.

Outerwear is built as the protagonist of looks, loaded with details, a symphony of Dsquared2 signatures. Trench coats and blazers have classic fronts to reveal a printed nylon windbreaker built into the reverse, and floor sweeping coats in plaid fabrics are in blanket style shapes.

New denim appreciation is key to the House of Dsquared2. Ultra-modern washes are papery to touch, or super soft and cut in new silhouettes in jean jackets, pants, jumpsuits, dresses and shorts, some covered with patches, other denim pieces are washed to show outlines of where patches were attached in diverse tones. ‘Diamond wash’ denim is coated in mini crystals, in black denim jackets and pants for men and inky blue denim skirts and jeans for women.

Breaking down the formal finish of British preppy style, Dsquared2’s College Heritage looks are an unexpected mix of Autumnal layers with retro inspired sportswear. Traditional checks, argyles and stripes like those in school uniforms are mixed with wide pants, soft, bright knits, cropped sweatshirts, miniskirts and vests with oversized patch pockets. Men’s striped rugby shirts are padded, and shirts feature unique prints including ‘God save the queens’ over a dragon, a ‘DC’ monogram and a Dsquared2 label which also appears on patch pockets of chinos and sweatshirts. Thick peacoats come in macro checks.

The collection’s D2 Supporters Club looks take inspiration from English sports culture, warm tones of orange and red elevated in nylon tracksuits and long windbreakers, emblazoned with retro styled logos. Checks and thick vertical stripes are printed on men’s shirts. Denim jeans, jackets and shorts have nylon inserts to create puffy side profiles. Color blocking in beige, red and navy take shape in coats, wide pants, shorts and jackets. A bounty of outerwear protects fans from the cold watching the match, including Fuzzy Teddy jackets, a women’s red leather quilted biker and puffer jackets in hyper volumes and lengths.

Athletic pieces are given an elegant monochrome finish in the Urban Athletic lineup. Men’s and women’s black sporty silhouettes in the funnel neck jacket and matching track pant, a mini skirt, trousers, jacket and coat have a grosgrain ribbon trim printed with white rubber Dsquared2 and maple leaf logo running down the pant legs and sleeves. Influenced by city billboard advertisements, a black-and-white allover print featuring the Dsquared2 logo are cut into wardrobe essentials: a tank, pants, sweatshirts. Leather jackets in fitted blazer shapes or relaxed clean biker styles are mixed with boxy tailored coats.

From Dsquared2’s ICON collection, pieces that revel in the brand’s heritage, jeans with mud splattered legs, long parkas with abundant faux fur collars, Canadian red and black check shirts and coats.

Shoes meld refined details with an urban footprint. The Tank sole, imprinted with brand symbols—maple leafs and lug lines—is fitted to men’s and women’s leather shoes and sneakers. Tank Rain women’s heeled rain boots are in a gummy textured leather in primary tones. Tank Urban men’s boots have a mountaineer look with laces and nylon padded tongues. Mixing a sneaker and an urban shoe, the Bobby has a sporty leather upper with fringes on a thick lug sole—worn with tailoring and casual looks. A Canadian hiking boot features a leather tab embossed with the DC logo over the laces, hooks and check lining details. Lustrous leather and a stacked heel define the Jack women’s boot. College, a line of women’s moccasins and lace-ups with chunky heels in brushed leather are worn with long socks.

Evening shoes include New Punk, a classic men’s lace-up also in patent, with a logo embedded in the heel and velvet moccasins with a maple leaf embroidered in bullion wire. Feng, women’s ankle strap sandals featuring a gold stiletto textured heel. Men’s duffle bags, backpacks and totes are crafted from puffer style fabrics and nylon with grosgrain logo tape. The Key bag is redesigned in versatile cross body shapes, with maxi logos. Versatile tote, backpack, camera and belt bag styles in black leather are defined by the same black and white logo tape logo as a maxi puller in black webbing. A functional shopper bag in smooth calf leather with everyday appeal, the Penny, has metal ring hardware and logo plate, as well as a detachable shoulder strap. Clutches are crafted in for the day in hounds tooth fabric or leathers wrapped with a Dsquared2 logo tape to coordinate with ready-to-wear and in clean, elegant lines for the evening with metal heart embellishments.

Vintage checks and stripes underscore the college theme in the collection’s unisex soft hat the design merging a baseball cap with a beret, and long scarves, which are also detailed with the DC monogram.

New tailoring encompasses sartorial sophistication in business suiting for men and women. A new man’s fit, the Boston DB features a double-breasted jacket with fitted shoulders and cut, the wider pants slightly cropped at the ankle in traditional gray and pinstriped fine wools. Women’s suiting has Dsquared2 dualism: feminine glam in fitted jackets with tailored miniskirts or pleated shorts; and oversized slouch in double-breasted jackets over wide pants and a cropped sleeve camel wool coat with soft dropped shoulders.

Eveningwear is made for ‘your name is on the list’ arrivals. Sartorial lines take on sensual forms in women’s plunging neckline jumpsuits with matching jackets, while double-breasted jackets in crêpe de chine, are paired with a wide-legged trouser. Men’s classic black tux jackets are worn with jeans treated with ‘Diamond wash’ revealing tonal mini crystals. Other jackets are in leopard jacquard lurex or heavyweight blue denim, which open to reveal shimmering crystal-coated evening shirts.