Scene setting: Dries Van Noten placed Azuma Makoto’s flowers in ice along his runway that melted as a nearly silent soundtrack of dripping water played. Fittingly, Madonna’s Frozen track came on – first instrumental, then a capella – creating a haunting yet serene atmosphere.
Best in show: Van Noten opened with natural broken white linen looks that shone bright against the lowly lit backdrop in which the ice-trapped flowers were reflective points of light. But colour seeped in through Van Noten’s signature floral prints, and the many iterations of turquoise, ochre, copper, khaki and nude.
Finishing touches: Black also played a starring role: intense and rich thanks to bead detailing and shiny leathers, or matte and subdued in sheer fabrics and muted by speckled prints. This show’s intensity lay in the virtuoso variations on Van Noten themes.
