THIS was a truly “Dries Van Noten” collection full of prints, textures and art references such as Picasso’s Femmes à leur toilette painting from 1938 employing the technique of collaging using an eclectic mix of colours and patterns. The same approach was seen on a number of Van Noten’s SS18 looks, such as a pair of salmon-hued trousers where silk scarfs with floral and cubistic patterns (another Picasso reference?) cascaded down from one side worn with a surrealist lips-printed lavender top with another scarf wrapped around it.
Mixing colourful patterns is indeed the designer’s speciality. In this collection, pairing opulent materials like jacquards, sequins and plush velvets with prints of florals full in bloom, sand waves or starfish referenced Tony Duquette, American artist who designed sets for film and theatre.
Van Noten also took inspiration from the 1920s and Pablo Picasso’s neoclassical era of his return to order informed by the end of the war, as did many other artists during this time. Hence, simple slip dresses in nude with strappy sandals in velvet and metallics, silk kimonos and sheer tulle with sparkly embellishments made into tops and top layers of skirts walked the runway as the ‘20s were about celebration and prosperity.
It was a fun, yet elegant offering, reflective of the chosen era and personalities of reference.
by Sara Hesikova
Images courtesy of Dries Van Noten