Mood board: On the fashion week merry go round, there’s always a fair dose of pastiche. A designer’s nostalgic take on a decade, their interpretation of a location, or their take on a renowned woman’s wardrobe. The direction of Dries Van Noten’s S/S 2019 was refreshingly simple. In his show notes he claimed to offer ‘a personal view of today’ and did so with a collection of terrific pieces that we’d want to wear well into the future. There were a sublime balance of workwear and haute couture references here, like white pocket detail pants paired with a yellow sequinned blouse, white shirts with beaded and feathered details and trench coats gently pulled together with mountaineering cords. Outerwear carried under the arm or tied around the waist, plus pillowy clutch bags in plastic paillettes, brought an added nonchalance to the designs.
Best in show: Amongst the beautiful photo prints and inky blocks of colour on show, a black double-breasted trouser suit with a subtle frond of feathers at the shoulder, was spectacular. Elsewhere sarong-like skirts came with a gauzy beaded layer of tiny flowers, while a mackintosh was layered with a flapper-like cape of bright blue beads.
Finishing touches: Feathered heels, sandals with mountaineering rope ankle straps and sequinned clutch bags, all the Dries Van Noten women needs for today, and tomorrow too. §
