Dries Van Noten.

Weds. 02/26/2014.










Dries Van Noten.

Dries Van Noten is both an Eccentric and a Maximalist. He treads in the same waters as did Elsa Schiaparelli and Christian Lacroix and as Does Consuela Castiglioni. More than anything for Fall 2014, one could see the sometimes not so obvious parallels between Van Noten and Castiglioni Far more visibly this Season. There was a Freewheeling abandon to Van Noten's work this season that Rang very much Marni's Clarion Bell of Similarity, Focused, as it was through Dries own Prism.

There was Much in the way of Eye-bending and Dizzying Stripes to be found Counterpointed by Acid Trip Florals in riotous Cornea Exploding colours! This opposition of Stripes and Florals in less Trained hands could have resulted in a Cacophony of Terrifying Scale and Scope, yet in Van Noten's Expert hands, it felt as if they were the Best of Friends! The optic quality of all this was quietly subdued with more than a Generous dose of Sobriety in Grays and Blacks and Navy. Even Tan and White got in on the mix in Grounding the varied colours ranging from Hot Fucshia to Copper to Mustard and Acid Yellow, From Pumpkin Orange to Mulberry, Pine, Copper, Azure... Almost any colour one could imagine, here it had Dominion!

There were, as always in a Dries Van Noten exposition, far too many Outstanding Looks and Pieces to pick from. Boiling it down to a few choice pieces is as agonizing, Fashion-wise, as the one Sophie had to make! A Gorgeously cut Mariniere  Blue jacket belted at the waist with a hidden button placket and Optic Print A-Line skirt on Leila Nda... A Midnight Blue Coat with a Carabiner like Lock Closure on it with a Huge Orange flower pin or the Perfect little short sleeve sheath on Maja Salamon at Exit No. 49 in Soft Black with Feathery Brushstroke Floral detail on the front in Silver... As mentioned earlier about the Marni correlation, this actually felt like a Great Van Noten Riff on Lanvin! Which of course, made it more Cuckoo!

Those Comparisons aside, this was Recognizably ALL Dries Van Noten. A Bold Synthesis of Modernity and Bohemianism that has become his Stock and Trade, The thing that keeps his Bohemian quality from being Droopy and Weepy is, Van Noten is No Romantic. He may be an Extrovert and and Eccentric, but he doesn't have that Soggy sense of Sentiment weighing down his clothes. These are Tough Clothes, even in their Expressiveness, they aren't meant For Earth Mother/Granola types. This is meant for the Urban Warrioress with the Sensibility of an Artiste but the Temperament of a Amazon! That is what makes Van Noten such a Seductive choice, You can Indulge yourself in the Rich Hippy of it all, but Still Stalk the Urban Catwalk Like a Boss Bitch!










That's All.










Bye4Now!