At the end of the Dries Van Noten show, models lined up against a gold backdrop as the audience got a chance to see the collection up close, and a glimmering light fell upon what looked like a garden in full bloom. Floral prints took over most of the pieces, from silk robes to shorts and light raincoats. “I wanted to go back to when men wore flowers”, succinctly explained the designer.
“I wanted to go back to when men wore flowers”
Yet the collection didn’t have an all-baroque feeling: Oscar Wilde and Jean Cocteau were of course referenced, but so was modern-day dandy Jimi Hendrix along with So Cal surfers. Van Noten, who is currently putting together a historic retrospective of his work set to open at Les Arts Décoratifs in February next year, admitted to having poked about the museum’s archives in search of inspiration. The results of his curiosity couldn’t have been more delightful, or more eclectic for that matter: eighteen-century rococo textiles met exotic chintzes, William Morris-esque motifs and Hawaiian scans. Printed all over otherwise simple, impeccably cut pieces, all those peonies, dahlias and Tahitian gardenias made for a remarkably fresh, sophisticated yet subtle collection.
Text by Marta Represa
Marta Represa is a freelance writer specialising in fashion, art, photography and culture.
