During every fashion month, we keep our hopes high that designers will show beauty looks that we can manage to copy in real life. Don’t get us wrong! We love over-the-top runway beauty! If something is too extra we can always try to tone it down and wear it in real life. SS 2019 PFW offered a little bit of everything. Here are the beauty trends that got us obsessed.
“We always say that fashion is a reflection of our times. Well, maybe that’s enough of that! Let’s do something optimistic, enjoy things—and really go for it!” says Dries Van Noten.
And maybe the Belgian fashion designer is right. We live in challenging times. After so many terroristic attacks Paris has lost a lot of its optimism. But should we dress with pessimism? Now more than ever is important to find joy in small things. And Dries Van Noten is here to help. The designer offered a positive Spring 2018 collection. So positive that you won’t even feel bad about spending your money on it.
Dries Van Noten brought diversity on the runway. Not just in his model cast that featured some of his more mature muses. But in shapes and silhouettes also. While most designers opted for clothes untied with a specific season, Dries Van Noten presented strictly spring and summer pieces. Some of the designs looked like they were made of scarves. Others had details in scarf prints. The latest Dries Van Noten’s collection echoed spring.
The designer wasn’t trying to make clothes that would be appealing to the millennial customer base. Dries Van Noten made clothes that would make people happy. The designer is one of the few that isn’t trying to capture a trend. That’s why his collections are always different from what other designers are showing during fashion weeks.
Athleisure is in the center of the fashion world nowadays, but you won’t find a single piece in this style in Dries Van Noten Spring 2018 collection. The collection is full of timeless feminine designs. There is nothing gender-bending even in the female power suits. The loose silhouettes are spiced up with vibrant prints that radiate femininity.
The Dries Van Noten Spring 2018 collection is full of attention-grabbing and chic pieces. Anyway, the designs aren’t following the latest trends. The fabrics and the shapes were similar to those in the Twenties, Forties, Sixties, and Eighties. Dries Van Noten gathered decades of fashion into one collection. There was only one trend that Dries Van Noten couldn’t help himself but involve it into the Spring 2018 collection. There were several see-through pieces a result to the sheer craziness that’s going on right now.
Dries Van Noten 2018 Spring collection felt refreshing. We live in a time when designers make clothes to approach the millennials. So is good to have at least one designer that makes pieces without numbers in mind. Paris Fashion Week was lucky to have Dries Van Noten by its side this year.
Photo Credit: Kim Weston Arnold / Indigital.tv
Dries Van Noten, also known as one of the fashion industry’s most private designers, has just unveiled his most recent Dries Van Noten fall/winter 2017-18 ready-to-wear collection at Paris Fashion Week, making the anticipation for one of his biggest milestones grow as well.
News that the introvert designer was about to take part in a documentary about his life broke the Internet a few months ago, leaving us eager to watch the results (and finally get to know beloved Dries Van Noten better). Yesterday, less than 24 hours before this latest Dries Van Noten fall 2017 runway show, the first official trailer of the documentary was released, and we couldn’t be more excited. Trying to have more information about him or his inspirations has always been, in fact, extremely difficult, as not only doesn’t the designer do pre-collections, but also never posts anything about himself on Instagram, and also never advertises his collections.
Produced by Reiner Holzemer, the documentary will officially debut at the Copenhagen International Film Festival on March 18th, and follows the Antwerp Six designer preparing his Dries Van Noten spring 2017 runway show. “The word fashion I don’t like, because fashion is something that’s over in six months,” we hear Van Noten say in the trailer. “I’d like to find a word that’s more timeless.”
Documentaries aside, this Dries Van Noten fall/winter 2017-18 runway show also marked another huge accomplishment for the Belgian designer, celebrating his 100th Fashion Week show. The collection, as a result, sort of recalls such important milestones, as each one of the different 63 proposals exudes the kind of tailored refinement and care for the proportions Van Noten has got us used to.
The collection, which mainly consisted of urban separates, took four leading colors, namely orange, green, blue and yellow, and transposed them to various patterns, constantly toying with geometry, abstract motifs and volumes, too. To accentuate the latter with a more multidimensional appeal, Dries Van Noten also played a lot with the ephemeral metallic and sheer accents, with the former looking unexpectedly lightweight, and the latter echoing his Dries Van Noten spring/summer 2013 collection, which was the one that started the recent whole grunge revival in the industry.
As for the different figures, this latest collection of his centered around oversized, roomy silhouettes, with both the coats and the cropped trousers, which were also the collection’s key items, veering toward ample and relaxed lines.
As a way to further enhance the collection’s overall relaxed silhouettes, Dries Van Noten interrupted the line-up with standard minimalist and clean-cut lines as well, the most terrific examples of which are the suit jackets. He also made sure a few conventionally winter-approved garments, such as the furry coats, were included in his collection as well, which ultimately gave the entire lineup its most ready-to-wear touch.
Photos courtesy of Vogue
Dries Van Noten and fashion-related documentary fans, rejoice! A documentary film about Dries Van Noten is not only finally in the making, but is also to be released soon! Entitled “Dries”, the documentary film is produced by distribution company Dogwoof Pictures, and has been written and directed by Reiner Holzemer. Although not confirmed yet, the Dries Van Noten documentary film is expected to debut in 2017.
“Dries” is thus focusing on the Belgian designer’s pivotal moments and milestones achieved within his astounding 25 years in the industry, from when he graduated from Antwerp’s Royal Academy in the late Eighties, up until now.
Introspective and mainly known for his intellectual aesthetics, the Antwerp Six designer is also famous for being discreet and introvert, which made it hard for Holzemer at first to let Dries Van Noten open up about his life and be more talkative. At least, the director had a full year to make things happen and record enough material for the documentary film to come to life.
“It took me a very long time to convince Dries to share his passions, his creative and intimate world in front of a camera. I followed him for a whole year, and I think I came as close to him and his world as it is possible. I hope the result is a very personal insight into his life and career,” Reiner Holzemer told WWD.
To get a broader perspective of Dries Van Noten’s works, inspirations and life, Holzemer asked designers, models and personalities, such as Iris Apfel, Pamela Golbin and Suzy Menkes to join the recordings and get interviewed.
From what we can see from the few sneak peek pictures from the set, what we have to expect is a lot of minimalist environments, Dries Van Noten’s eclectic and signature prints and, of course, a lot of footage from the designer’s past runway shows. Being the third generation in a family of tailor, we also hope we will get to see some of Van Noten’s family’s past designs and creations, and that he could even reveal some of his sartorially talented family’s fashion secrets. Hopefully, footage from the Antwerp Six collective will be part of the documentary film, too.
Aside from Dries Van Noten, who has just launched his book “The Book of Dries Van Noten” as well, dear departed Alexander McQueen and Gianni Versace are coming to the big screen this year too, which means we are officially heading to one of this decade’s most fashionable year!
Photo courtesy of Vogue
Is there anything more ethereal than a flower? Belgian designer Dries Van Noten decided it was about time to prove that nothing is more ethereally sensorial than a flower, and explained his position at Paris Fashion Week, for which he designed the Dries Van Noten spring/summer 2017 collection packed with strong fashion and ultra-polished lines.
Given the fact that our world’s flora is mesmerizingly variegated, and that each flower exudes specific vibes and scents, for his Dries Van Noten spring 2017 ready-to-wear collection the Antwerp-born designer focused on flowers that specifically looked “exotic and erotic”, treating us to a line-up that sensually transferred us to an exotic parallel world.
The small glass cases filled with colorful flowers (which were artist Azuma Makoto’s iced flower works), along with the location’s soft lights, surely helped Van Noten enhance and amplify his “exotic erotic” motif, as the models who strutted down the catwalk were surrounded by an almost hypnotic mysterious atmosphere.
Often dubbed the magician of mix-and-matching, this time around Dries Van Noted revisited this signature pattern with a subtle monochrome sense, with high and low total black patterns looking almost imperceptible from one another. The great majority of the Dries Van Noten spring/summer 2017 outfits were, in fact, made of beaded, oversized shirts, mannish-inspired suits, and even boho-chic dresses that almost looked Nineties-inspired due to the total-black patterns utilized.
Interestingly, the rest of the collection, although not black, was equally dark-toned. Most of Van Noten’s floral embroideries and patterns featured pastels colors, such as light blue, green and orange, the vitality of which, however, disappeared in the middle of the collection’s black hole.
As a result, even the most street style-ready pieces looked absolutely refined and elegant, with a cutting edge we yet had to see on the first days of this exciting Paris Fashion Week.
Monochrome dark greens, small touches of velvet materials in light blue, and, of course, bright white garments interrupted the overall collection’s seriousness with balancing pops of vitality, without diminishing their sensual allure.
Oriental-inspired relaxed lines, along with strong hints of Japanese contemporary and conceptual fashion, softened most of the pieces with an haute couture allure that also showed Van Note’s gentle side of tailoring, while ‘simple’ waistcoats, patent coats with oriental floral embellishments, denim maxi skirts and bombers and striped dresses treated us to something that could easily transition from day to night.
Probably not suitable for everyone, this latest Dries Van Noten spring/summer 2017 collection proves sensuality can be shown even through the most conceptual, revisited staple, and this is no small feat for sure.
Photos courtesy of Vogue
There is something quite spectacular about a Dries Van Noten collection and it has everything to do with the designer’s use of colors and designs to bring forth something both thematic and undeniably artistic. From the hairstyles to the makeup, the outfits worn and the accessories layered on, the Dries Van Noten fall/winter 2016-2017 ready-to-wear collection that was shown off on the Paris Fashion Week runway was pretty awesome to behold. From its star spangled golden skirts to the black and greening oozing prints to the spaghetti strapped dress, we found a line-up that really does quite a bit for us.
What we had not noticed as a trend until the fall season and what we truly love now is the constant use of golden creations. From lovely pencil skirts to ankle boots, high-neck sleeveless tops and suit jacket lapels, intriguing decorative accents and clutch handbags, we kept on seeing gold all over. We have seen it in other collections, we shall be seeing it for a while yet and we can freely admit to falling in love with the use of the metallic hue again and again as it is rather impeccably utilized.
While the golden aspects are quite large on the trends list, we also find ourselves enjoying the gorgeous looks of the leopard prints, appearing as coat linings for Dries Van Noten, as well as on pants, on capes, full-length suits, tops, skirts and more. Both the men and women modelling the outfits are seen in the darling look, along with the stripes that are so big for 2016. We see stripes on pants, ties, pajama sets, skirts and blazers in this print, while the colors that really draw our attention other than the golden effects are the shades of purple that lean towards amethyst gem hues especially. We also see some mustard yellow, some scarlet pieces along with maroon, and quite a few shades of green, all complementing one another and giving us a men’s and women’s lineup of 65 different creations that have a rather unique attraction for the fashion lover.
While the clothing itself is awe-inspiring in its artistry, the makeup is probably the second largest focus, turning the models into some rather interesting zombies, with raccoon ringed eyes. We have a hard time describing it as anything really, for it is a combination of tear smudges, reverse cat eye drawings and inhuman inspirations, putting together models that really know how to make an entrance, the gazes freaking us out from time to time and detracting from the actual collection, something we certainly do not want to do.
Then again, the coats, suits, and separates combinations are so intriguing that we cannot help but keep shuffling all the pieces around and trying to envision them on our own bodies. It is crazy mixed with professionally chic, all of it complemented by some amazing prints the often androgynous looks certainly needed to spice things up.
Photos courtesy of Vogue
If some day you feel yourself investigating an old attic, staring at antique furniture, smelling the wood and the subtle scent of premium cognac and quite unexpectedly finding out a roomy dower chest chockablock with vintage garments, then rest assured that you have stumbled upon the Belgian fashion brand Dries Van Noten that is targeting eccentric and idiosyncratic women or actively chasing disoriented-in-fashion ladies to treat them with its way-out and erratic masterpieces. The designer of the brand, Dries Van Noten has in no way drifted away from his unique style while presenting his offbeat spring/summer 2016 collection at Paris Fashion Week today. The Belgian designer has definitely taken the garment dower chest to his atelier, worked the clothes out, added some sparkling details here and there, cut out some parts and retailored them in his own style, then used his own fabrics to design brand new matching pieces afterwards forwarding down the runway a mind-blowing assortment of stunning pieces.
“This season it was really about the flamboyant woman – she’s not just eccentric, because that can be old with 25 cats,” the designer said backstage explaining the fabulous Dries Van Noten spring/summer 2016 collection. “She wants to live; she wants to show herself, she wants to enjoy life. She knows how to mix things and she dares to.” The designer definitely knows how to match at-first-sight-incompatible things and he does it so confidently and positively that many women mechanically get infected by his affection starting to mix tulle with satin or blazer with a robe or maybe turtlenecks with bras.
As always the collection is impregnated with deep and muted colors that are naturally never monochrome but blended with each other at times bringing forth five or even six shades in one single ensemble. The spring 2016 lineup comes with new crazy color combinations like golden brown with Yale blue, yellow or purple with silver, sea green with purple and even red-violet with atomic tangerine in one look. A glance at the collection and we instantly catch some rich ornaments, feather-like patterns, fresh leaves and fragrant flowers gracefully decorating the opulent jacquards, satin, gossamer, chiffon and tweed checks that are collectively embellishing the runway with a range of ruffled and tiered skirts and blouses, lounging pajama-like outfits, languid culottes and pants, a series of broad-shouldered trenches, blazers, robes, bomber jackets and dresses. Tulle and sparkling sequins come to be the designer’s most powerful experimentation tools this season.
One time we see a beige tulle robe worn underneath a black trench embellished with purple glittering feather-like patterns, another time we come across a beige tulle dress with tiered skirt worn over a turtleneck, while the finale look merely flabbergasts us with its tulle exuberance: a beige tulle robe worn over a ball dress with massive fringed tulle skirt and the while ensemble comes styled with a knotted brown belt and a purple blazer covered with soft pink ornaments. Actually let us stop here otherwise we will literally get lost in Dries Van Noten’s sophisticated and intricate world.
Chunky sabots in different colors and with different patterns and the glittering round-shaped pendants are seemingly outlining the best trends for the upcoming spring. But what makes really crazy and eccentric springtime trends goes far beyond any shoes, necklaces or headbands. Those are ornamental tattoo-imitating stockings and opera length gloves that are going to take the fashion world by storm and compel many fashion-conscious girls to adopt eccentricity.
Photos courtesy of Vogue
68 pieces dedicated to “the true style icons of recent generations”… There were more pieces on this singular Dries Van Noten fall/winter 2015-2016 collection fashion show unveiled during Paris Fashion Week than we have seen among so many of the previous designers’ lines that have gotten onto the New York Fashion Week or Milan runways. It appears as if Dries Van Noten has brought fairy tale attire to the modern world and presented them with a rather independent playlist of models. There were tie-on splaying train skirts and cargo trousers, while the buzzwords of the night seemed to include “couture and casual” as well as “grounded glamour” alongside the ideal that anything goes and the evening aesthetics are much more to the Belgian designer’s liking.
The macs were turned into dresses perfect for an evening at the ball with Cinderella in a more modern but eclectic world, complete with cinched waists and billowing skirts, while some of the pieces had feathers and flowers fastened to the neck and brocade rich boots clad the perfectly dainty feet of the ladies who were kind enough to deliver such a lovely morsel of fashionable attire to us on a Wednesday afternoon. The idea here seems to be layering; this includes layering all forms of rich garments together to create an incredible effect, with palette drenched arms on tops and sand colored trench coats on top of lovely sequined gowns. Between the wide leg velvet trousers and the Scarlett O’Hara style skirts billowing with every step around the legs, we’re not sure what kind of land we have entered but we are certainly hoping to find our own happily ever after.
Flamboyance and nonchalance combine to create the perfectly passionate Van Noten woman who looks amazing both when dressed up and dressed down, beautiful no matter if she’s in a tighter skirt with a midi hem or larger leg lightweight fabric pair of pants. Most, if not all of the pieces available in this collection are of a larger make, oversized tops and fluttering skirts alike. The colors include rich scarlet reds and darker dried blood coloring, beige, camel and brown hues along with yellows and blues, white feathers and golden coats, navy backgrounds and black bases; we have burnt orange and some mahogany, Marsala makes an appearance along with copper prints; we even see a touch of purple towards the middle of the collection before it is the blue of the dusk sky with the stars overhead that have us falling in love with the looks once again. Pastel blues and pinks somehow also make the cut, but it is the purple floral prints that really turn our heads and have us double checking our eyes for they are perfectly lovely with their amethyst hues and the gentle sway of the skirts against the models’ legs.
This is a gorgeous collection and certainly a long one deserving of praise for each and every uniquely different outfit showcased on the runway, particularly the one in navy coloring with the see through button down shirt showing off the body fully underneath, a large pink flower located just atop the bust to bring the eyes to the breasts being shown off, tucked into large legged trousers and finished off with a tie-on train skirt with lovely floral patterning and designs that has us wondering what fantasies were playing though Dries Van Noten’s mind while putting this together.
Photos courtesy of Style.com
Belgian fashion designer Dries van Noten knows how to surprise his loyal audience, and all his fans know that too well. Van Noten is a huge fan of the eccentric: he has been known to combine the seemingly uncombinable, be they prints on outfits or just the textures of fabrics. The style of the brand is characterized by the use of prints, often ethnic, original colors and fabrics, and clothing articles composed of several layers. Dries Van Noten pieces are also rather wearable, as the designer does not like the idea of showing clothes that buyers will not be able to find in stores later. Exactly this way was the newest Dries Van Noten spring/summer 2015 collection just launched in the framework of Paris Fashion Week spring 2015!
The Dries Van Noten spring/summer 2015 collection, as expected, did not lack in colors and all kinds of textures and fabrics. The “catwalk” also was designed in an interesting way. Covering it in grass of different color shades, the designers created an illusion of a small trail in an indie forest and the special lightening techniques made everything even more effective. In a word, the designers managed to create quite a poetic atmosphere even before the models started walking down the artificial trail.
One of the first things we noticed about the new Dries Van Noten collection was that the designer had used lots of stripes and colors. With the first models strolling down the catwalk, the whole dreamy atmosphere of the show became even more real. Van Noten presented loose satin pants in colorful stripes combined with patterned button down shirts and topped with long coat-like jackets, long colorful shirts of sheer material topped with thick vests, long shimmery vests with buttons, loose dresses adorned with floral patterns and worn over wide leg trousers in ethnic prints, collared shirts with belts and so on. Van Noten had also used layering techniques to design spaghetti strap colorful maxi dresses, flowy skirts with matching tops with no shoulders and so on. Depicting colorful patterns on all-black backdrops proved to be a rather brilliant technique for designing short-sleeved loose oversized blouses, which the designer had paired with colorful chiffon skirts.
Bright yellow satin fabric of which we saw loose fitting pants and knee length dresses had some metallic feel about them and added a touch of shimmer to the whole collection. Van Noten had also used shimmery fringes to design skirts and what appeared to be long vests worn over satin long sleeve blouses and striped pants, blue and green dresses and tops and so on.
The Dries Van Noten spring/summer 2015 collection was one of those eccentric collections that will have people talking about them for a long time after the end of the show. It was a collection, which the fans of the eccentric and the crazy and the colorful will love to bits. Too many colors can be overwhelming, but not when a fashion connoisseur like Dries Van Noten is behind them. Combining the most various colors together in the right way is art, which Van Noten has mastered long time ago.
Photos courtesy of Stylebistro
