Dries Van Noten’s liberating show

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Jun 22, 2017

A liberating show by Dries Van Noten in terms of proportion, silhouette and print staged in the former offices of famed leftist Paris daily Libération.

This was a show divided into two halves – an opening monochrome series of some twenty looks, albeit in a brave new palette of terra cotta, ochre, summer green and sand. Before it suddenly changed gears with the Belgium designer sending out fantastic paisleys, bold jacquards and fantasy dried flower combinations.

Van Noten is one of the only designers who manages to have editorial cool and commercial clout. How does he achieve that? The show proved why once again today. He takes care of his audience – the buyers, press and influencers. As they each walked up the ram to the top floor, they were given cold water, alcopops and then sandwiches and chips. Now which other designer does that? Exactly, only Dries.

In a season of volume, Van Noten grew his proportions too – with a new jacket and coat that enveloped the hirsute models in this show.
 
“Oversized but not too exaggerated. Enveloping,” he said marking a distance between his style and the current mania for huge proportions championed by Demna Gvasalia at Vetements and Balenciaga.

Above all, there was a sense of celebration about this show, where practically all the guests gathered to enjoy the famed 360-view terrace.
 
“There’s a good mood in Paris. I wanted to change colors and see how much I could push them for men. A color palette that even a navy addict like me found inspiring,” smiled Van Noten, as the sun slowly set at La Defense.