MILAN, September 25, 2008
By Nicole Phelps
How to make your
Charlie's Angels show stand out from the countless others that have come before? Hire supers Esther Cañadas, Fernanda Tavares, and Nadege to play Jill, Kelly, and Sabrina. The trio strutted out in long brown jersey dresses accented with topaz stones to surprised applause: Who were these grown women with real-life bodies? Cañadas' sultry swagger, in particular, received plenty of appreciative stares. If the Townsend Agency motif tempted Dan and Dean Caten to add some silly patent holster-harnesses to otherwise slinky floor-length dresses, they mostly resisted the urge to go kitsch. Instead, they focused on the all-American sportswear that they excel at, this time in a seventies mode. Among the strongest pieces were dark denim flares worn with crisp, checked oxford shirts and little leather bombers with maybe a silk scarf tied around the model's neck; a long, lean three-piece suit in Bianca Jagger white; and a floaty strapless gown with deep ruffles at the bust and hem. Of course, it wouldn't be Dsquared² without some skin, so there were also cutout swimsuits with gold chain details, but it didn't feel like the peep show that it sometimes has in the past. An oversize poncho and an enormous strapless bubble dress in duchesse satin were anomalies in what was one of Dsquared²'s most wearable collections in seasons.
