Petals Aplenty at Dries Van Noten
“It doesn’t matter / What you create / If you have no fun.” The opening lines of the soundtrack ‘Party Girl’ by Michelle Guverich couldn’t have better described the girl on the runway tonight. And, perhaps, Dries Van Noten himself, who seems to be in particularly high spirits these days. Who could blame him, with the remarkable collections he keeps putting out?
Strutting in emerald, wines, and splashes of acid, our party girls were dancefloor-ready, and not the ones that shy away from center stage. The colors clashed more than usual, though under the watchful eye of a master colorist like Van Noten, they never jarred. This was glam-rock-club at its best, the female counterpart to the male peacocks from the menswear collection in January.
Patterns were overblown and patchworked, floral forms flitting around the garments in silks, devorés and latex, while kinky boots were patent or patterned, stacked and stomping. Collars ruffled around the neck like petals or leaves, sometimes in contrast and other times bejeweled, reflecting the light through the contours of the perfectly made-up face like a stage spotlight. The hair was extraordinary, with single highly colored flamingo feathers pulled through partings to give the impression of a punk dye job.
The tailoring was in varying fits; formed and formal, patterned and dramatic, strict and louche, and our favorite, carefree and mannish. That party girl that pulls off her man’s tailored jacket better than he does, grabbing it out of his hand leaving the club in the cloakroom queue, with shoulder pads slouching off her frame and letting it hang loose — effortless.
