Dries Van Noten’s spring collection was an homage to camouflage in all its infinite incarnations. The Belgian soothsayer has an innate ability to judge the mood of contemporary menswear and in doing so produces clothing that is progressive but intrinsically accessible.
Van Noten always works intuitively and his philosophy to produce popular and luxurious clothes that are immediately wearable is core to his story. Fascinated by both the design process and the final product, Van Noten focuses his work on his strong artistic sensibility with a smart eye for detail. His clothes are unassuming and even subtle, his garments easy, sometimes eccentric but always rich in quality and inspiration.
Van Noten took camouflage and set it against bright whites and mixing it with quilted fencing jackets and lots of bright hues. Fabrics ranged from stiff canvas to voile, silk, nylon and even lace. Camo prints resembled flowers and further expressed Van Noten ability to subvert texture, colour and pattern.
Van Noten took camouflage away from its war and army contexts and in doing so further defined the designer’s colossal contribution to progressive menswear. Van Noten’s solid mastery in tailoring, along with his invigorating ability to employ rich and often diverse references, make Van Noten’s style distinct – it is both classical and modern.
Van Noten consistently achieves collections that balance the fine line between the commercial and the creative and the new collection was another clear success story for the designer - merging both luxurious style with a contemporary edge.