FOR his centenary show, Dries Van Noten celebrated the milestone with putting on one hell of a showcase. He called on his top model muses to present the AW17 collection, the women he’s worked with continuously from the very beginnings or from the start of their career. That included stars rarely seen on the catwalk these days – unless it’s a special occasion – such as Amber Valletta, Malgosia Bela, Kristina de Coninck, Liya Kebede, Caroline de Maigret, Carolyn Murphy or Guinevere Van Seenus, the list goes on.

As for the clothes, the Belgian designer – and one of the Antwerp Six collective – again went back to his roots and presented what he’s best known for – prints and menswear, here interpreted for women, of course. So graphic prints were overlaying palm-tree or floral prints in an array of bold colours on everything from silk dresses to coats and jackets.

This palette of fun prints was contrasted by the uniformity of menswear, of oversized suits, coats and boyfriend blue jeans paired with knit polo necks or white button-up shirts and brogues.

Celebrating such an anniversary really makes one look to where it all started, or when rather. For Noten it was 1986 when he presented his first menswear collection in London. And the symbolic importance of the 80s is undeniable even in this collection. It was the slouchiness of the “power” suits and their broad shoulders, as well as the metallic blazers and trousers worn with fur coats and wraps fit for a party that appeared towards the end, to really finish on a celebratory note.

All there is left to say is … Happy Anniversary Dries!

Images courtesy of Dries Van Noten

Published 03/03/2017 at theglassmagazine.com