MILAN, Sep 29, 2006/ FW/ --- The invitation was very intriguing. It looked like a credit card, complete with the logo ‘Dean & Dan Express.’ The face of the twin designers smiled at you, almost like the American Express centurion.

There were more clues at the press notes. It said, ‘Your summer shopping spree had been paid for,’ on a list of clothes and apparel, which turned out to be the run of show. And then the curtain opened, and the real fun begun.

Dean & Dan Caten have always made the catwalk a stage. Not poetic nor a soap, the runway is a tableau of a short story told via the clothes. The music is an integral part, hence, when ‘Watching Girls Go By’ was heard softly on the background, it became apparent that the setting was a resort where the rich and famous go!

It might be Nice or Monte Carlo, it might even be the Isle of Capri. Or for all we know, it might be the Hamptons. Wherever the seaside resort is, it is the place where rich and super rich congregate.

Male models sat around the open-air café, some of them with dates, some going stag. And, that’s when the ‘girls’ started ‘passing by’ on their way to the boardwalk.

The clothes are sportive with a touch of formality. Trousers are cut wide and held by suspenders, paired with a man’s shirt. Though sailing was never mentioned, the light pea coats and naval jackets were dead giveaways.

Big hair, mini skirts and hot pants, it became apparent that the inspiration was the 1960s. Jackets have soft shoulders and short cropped. Thin belts held A-line mini skirts and so were the loose-fitting shorts cuffed at the hem. Colors are bright, and stripes and solids dominate the palette.

Slim fitting Capri length pants were interspersed with jeans. It’s summer after all. Eveningwear was almost non-existent except for a few cocktail dresses and a floor-length frock at the end.

But, who needs eveningwear when you are in your own yacht or a guest in one?

DSquared²

DSquared²

DSquared²

DSquared²