Julian Kaye, Richard Gere s character in American Gigolo, was the man of the hour for Dsquared² designers Dean and Dan Caten. Audience members found Julian s eviction notice from the Beverly Hills Residence Apartments, plus his business card, on their chairs. Time for him to hustle—with Dsquared² ready to supply the wardrobe. It was a typically great setup from the twins, and they were faithful to their theme. The only problem? Julian s wardrobe was an expensive study in anonymity—in his line of work, it was a bad idea to stand out. So a pink shirt with immaculate boot-cut blue jeans was just about it. Likewise the check shirt and navy blazer, or the pale blue jacket with the apricot tee and white shorts (that would be Julian s rig for a call-out to a bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel).
In the past, Dsquared² s themes have given them full license to compose harebrained hymns to porn-star excess. And nobody did it better. This season, it felt as though the American Gigolo scenario was intended to give them a platform on which to display their grown-up aptitude for tastefully "classic" menswear. And if that s the case, then they could count the show a success. They know how to cut a silk mohair tux. But when even Brazilian super-mannequin Evandro Soldati, in a cream suit with lilac shirt unbuttoned down to there, looked tame, you could feel in your gut that, by the standards the Catens have set themselves, they d missed the mark.
