Knit to This
Dries Van Noten, Optimist
Dear Kay,
My hero Dries Van Noten really crushed it in his 101st fashion show. Unsurprisingly, I guess. His Spring/Summer 2018 came down the runway in Paris this week; that’s why you haven’t heard much from me. I’ve been wallowing in the magnificent splendor of it all.
He told Vogue, “We always say that fashion is a reflection of our times. . . . Well, maybe that’s enough of that! Let’s do something optimistic, enjoy things—and really go for it!”
I like reading reviews of his collections, because they always point out his modesty and willingness to let his work speak for itself. The Washington Post weighs in; even Financial Times can’t resist a feature.
This collection is a gift from Dries, a reminder that lightness and color and sparkle are still with us. I am crazy about all the brocade-covered boots, the scarves dangling everywhere, the tropical palette.
The amount of work distilled into this 13-minute fashion show is astonishing to consider. He does this four times a year—two collections for women, two for men.
Even if you aren’t thinking a fashion show is a thing to watch, jump ahead to minute 11 and see what happens when the final parade of models comes out. It’s his vision, in a dazzling river of color and texture and pattern.
The haunting, swelling rendition of “Be My Baby” will stick with you.
Love,
Ann
They sure do look mad, though…
Really young, and in some cases prepubescent. I wonder what they would look like on the not so average American woman’s body
Because they’re hungry!
WOW. The New York Times has a slideshow with photos, but this is way better. You see how the silks move and flutter and shine as the clothing is worn and moved in. (Swoon!)
Oh my. Thank you for showing us this. I wish I was 6″ taller and slim so I could wear some of those styles. Sparkly boots! I could wear them at Christmas!
Every thing I love. Japanese prints and influence. Bigger shoulders, gorgeous prints, slip dresses,,,, I could plotz!
I’m gobsmacked!
That was a wonderful treat .
I had no time to finish watching right now, but I will later rewinding and stopping and relishing. The prints, fabrics, tiny rows of sparkles attached or loose, the floating… I would wear many of these in a heartbeat, and I’m no youngster!
Thanks!
As marvellous as the design of the clothes are, whoever cut and sewed them, pure genius.
Thank you so for your attention to couture. Every time I see one of these parades of gorgeous I come away with love for new color combos and a handful of knitting ideas. Yum yum sugarplum.
Wow! Such a great collection! ♡
The asymmetrical layers of scarf like printed fabrics are fantastic! The subtle gleams and glimmers, the flutter and flow, the play of texture and color… Wow! I don’t care if I can wear them or not (uhm, not)… I can’t afford a true Degas either, but that doesn’t stop my love… Art is Art! And this is Art!
Yes! My feelings exactly! Every time I look again, I see new details.
Beautiful! I wish the models would smile, though (although I realize that would be problematic for the mouth sequins most are sporting!). And I love the rendition of Be My Baby – one of my favorite songs!
Mouth sequins = so odd, don’t you think? It was the only element I didn’t like.
Very odd, but I absolutely loved the horizontal sparkles on lips look. Must be the showgirl in me. 😉
I loved the pockets and the one shoulder dresses so much! In the case of the former, pockets are what every woman wants in her clothing, and the latter is a very flattering style for so many women (unlike strapless). Really interesting to see the marriage of some 70s-influenced patterns with 80s tailoring (in a good way). I would have loved to seen these styles on women of different sizes — I think these designs cry out for different body types and would look even more stunning!
beautiful fabrics, the prints, the colors. Just wow! and very wearable, not just by the models I think.
I haven’t sat with my thoughts about couture fashion long enough to articulate them very well. This collection is undeniably beautiful, and unquestionably art. And I suppose that art has always been made for the rich (of course there rare exceptions). I think my problem with fashion is that it has always felt very classist to me. As a middle income woman, why on earth should these clothes matter to me? And as clothing, they absolutely don’t. As art, and inspiration, and even optimism though, I can see the value to my life. Although the optimism part would be easier to feel if the models smiled. I was hoping, all the way through, that one of them would crack their veneer and show some f the fun embodied in the clothes they’re showing off.
I was reading about why models don’t smile (the vast majority of them don’t), and apparently it has to do with the difficulty of maintaining a genuine-looking smile for the entire runway. And also with the distraction from the clothes when a model expresses emotion.
As for the relevance of these clothes to us mortal humans, they’re really actually available to us–Dries is not a couturier. He sells in superfancy department stores, but they’re not totally handmade clothes. What I have found is that the internet has made it possible to bring Dries into my closet at prices no worse than what you see at the mall. If you’re curious, I wrote about my quest for secondhand Dries Van Noten over at Karen Templer’s blog, Fringe Association. https://fringeassociation.com/2016/10/10/21st-century-thrifting-on-the-hunt-for-dries-van-noten/
Oh my gosh. So glad to have watched this. The colors and drapery of it all!
Ok ok ok I finally “got it” with DvN. The brocades! The silk scarves peeking out from everywhere- uh! The fat handbags! The sparklies! Especially on their lips! What fun.
Note to self: mustard + lavender + true olive + salmon