(Paris) The prince of prints is no more, but Dries Van Noten lives on: the third day of Paris Fashion Week on Wednesday gave the fashion world a glimpse of what happens without Dries at the helm of his brand.
This first fashion show since its founder retired at 66 in June was reassuring. Dries, the “Flemish master”, is off to a good start, but his team, which operates in a “studio”, is continuing the epic.
All of Van Noten’s lush colours were present alongside his eccentric classic cuts, the collection unfolding like an African safari dream with subtle gradient snakeskin, crocodile and leopard prints.
A moment later, departure for Borneo with silk prints, all embellished with a series of astonishing trompe-l’oeil heeled shoes.
Upon his departure, Dries Van Noten, who has been compared to iconic manager Jürgen Klopp leaving Liverpool Football Club, handed over the keys to his studio team, saying: “I have prepared myself for this moment.”
The brand, little known to the general public, attracts a community of fans who collect these practical and timeless pieces, which we rarely see reappear on the second-hand market.
Neoprene cocoon
PHOTO JULIEN DE ROSA, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
At Acne Studios, we noticed jackets with wide shoulders that are worn over a bare torso.
At Courrèges, Belgian designer Nicolas di Felice presses the sexy vein with many palpitations, continuing to celebrate the sixties codes of the French house, while bringing his subversive touch, with mask-style black glasses, slender silhouettes, or even tops like tiny bits of fabric floating on the skin.
A futuristic shell-style neoprene sweatshirt becomes a black or navy blue cocoon.
The Rabanne show opened with a Gigi Hadid boat, while her big sister Bella had made her big comeback on the catwalk the day before by walking for Saint Laurent.
The summer show, all radiation, sequins and metals, was, as usual with the futuristic brand of the 1960s, a journey through materials and reflections.
The aesthetic developed by Julien Dossena, its creator, also played on transparency, with nude dresses, one of the trends of this season.
At Acne Studio, we revisited this bright “Brat” green that we thought had been shelved since the end of the “Brat Summer” launched by singer Charli XCX. But there was mostly skai and leather, jackets with wide shoulders that are worn over a bare torso.
The Swedish label’s creator, Jonny Johansson, always in tune with the times, served up deconstruction, with low waists under the buttocks and asymmetry at the top, and the inevitable thick crochet for evening dresses.