This may have been the first Dries Van Noten show without Dries Van Noten – the designer left his eponymous brand in June – but Van Noten die-hards would have have been relieved to see that it still had all the hallmarks of the Belgian designer.
This is unsurprising, perhaps, given the collection has been magicked up by Van Noten’s remaining team; the brand is Creative Director-less, for now.
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Artful prints, unexpected colour mixing, intricate embroidery and interesting layering all seemed to homage Van Noten in the most respectful way, without being predictable.
Dresses were slinky and a little sexy but, as is the Dries way, offbeat in some way; a snake-print sheath had a tinsel-edged neckline, while a traditionally sensual silk maxi dress felt unexpected when presented in vivid chartreuse.
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The Dries girl is a master at layering. This season, she threw on a trio of jacquards in mismatching shades of green – a teal and emerald short-sleeved knit atop a pea-coloured blouse, with sea moss-hued trousers. Shirt cuffs peeked out from beneath densely woven or printed jackets. Tangerine lace bralettes provided a pop-bright base layer around which to build day and night looks, from a midi skirt and blouson-sleeved bomber jacket combination to a layered slip dress.
The team sought to ‘assess, admire and reinterpret Dries Van Noten’s language with fluency and lightness’ and objectively, they succeeded. Hopefully this sets the tone for not too drastic a departure from the brand’s DNA when a new creative director is appointed.