New Modern Classic...Dries Van Noten/Spring Summer 2010

Dries Van Noten/Spring Summer 2010 | Women's Collection

LOVE LOVE!

As promised, I just had to devote a post to Dries Van Noten's breathtaking SS'10 collection. Having taken a slight detour from his trademark ethnic prints in his last two collections, Dries returned full-force with his renowned artful use of ethnic prints with Japanese kimono fabrics, Indian saris, Chinese embroideries, royal Java batiks (you can tell they’re royal by their large-scale patterns), and ikats from Uzbekistan...As a textiles lover I was in absolute heaven

Dries Van Noten shows he can mix prints and proportions like no other, incorporating “occidental elements and Parisian chic, and in the end to forget it all and make a nice outfit. That’s what it’s all about, no?” (his word one day before the show). In addition to his feast-for-the-eyes designs, the accessories were jaw-droppingly beautiful: incredible necklaces of rich-looking pearl chokers dangling geometric pendants set with large semiprecious stones and crystal, printed & sparkly clutches, gorgeous bracelets tied with large silk ribbons and the shoes: spectator pumps (in particular, I have my eye on the crochet pump version, and will definitely not say no to a nude patent pair).

Apologies for the picture overload, but I just had to include close-ups so you could all see the amazing accessories, embellishments, prints and textures...

(note to self: dig up any batik prints I can find in my parents' closets...actually, I have already been using my mom's Malaysia batik skirt for several years).

L O V E L O V E

all photos via style.com

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Dries Van Noten

One of the original Antwerp Six, the group of emerging Belgian designers who transformed the city into an epicenter of avant-garde fashion design in the eighties, Dries Van Noten marked his 20th anniversary in the business in 2005. That's no small feat, considering that his company is entirely self-financed, and that of the Antwerp Six, only two, he and Ann Demeulemeester, retain a prominent role in the industry.

While a brooding, intellectual quality has evolved as the hallmark of Belgian designers, Van Noten continually balances it with what Vogue refers to as his "poetic, ethnic-eclectic" aesthetic. His loyal following remains so thanks to his artful and dynamic prints, intricate embroidery, and the wearable nature of his designs. His signature looks include the floral tent dress, the iris-print blouse, and a chunky sweater layered over pants or a skirt in contrasting patterns.

A sense of restraint pervades his designs, and not surprisingly, Van Noten is known for his politesse. He grew up literally surrounded by fashion, as both his parents owned boutiques. As a boy, he often accompanied his father on buying trips to the collections in Milan, Düsseldorf, and Paris. After studying fashion design at the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Van Noten debuted his wares at a trade show in London. Barneys New York snapped up his first collection, and the designer opened his first tiny storefront in Antwerp later that year.

Today, Dries Van Noten boasts five boutiques and is sold in more than 500 stores worldwide. In 2008, the Council of Fashion Designers of America honored him with the International Award. He still lives and works in Antwerp.

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“ Power of that simplicity, but it felt spot-on. ”


-the portastylistic