The king of print and pattern mixed vintage rigour with idiosyncratic spin in Paris. 

Never Too Much

The famously decorous Dries Van Noten served up more of his intricate and lavishly embellished designs in Paris this season, and at times it was almost too much: almost but not quite. This is Dries we’re talking about after all. There was practically no look not adorned in some way with pattern or print with plenty of shiny jacquards and a vivid palate of colours all his own – golds, purples, shadowy blues.

Tailored Bohemia

There was a lovely tailored element present in trench coats and long, full cut, double breasted blazers with swooping peak lapels that acted as a foil to the Boho romanticism of all those prints. But then again, they were printed as well, so their self-consciously vintage shapes didn’t disrupt or diffuse the visual feast too much (even the sombre navy pieces were always jolted into gaiety by some vivid ruffle or lush embellishment). The gorgeously tailored stuff added a wonderful touch of masculine eccentricity to proceedings; eccentricity, indeed, was something the designer spoke on – though he noted that it can also mean an “old lady with 25 cats”.

Eclectic Eccentric

There wasn’t really any danger of that here though, things were much too fresh for that. Highlights included a great take on old-fashioned dress gloves in the form of tattoo-esque, swirly lace arm-sleeves that peeped out from beneath blouses and shirts. Then there were gorgeous bombers, bright pink bras worn on the outside, diagonally cut, artfully ruffled detailing on skirts and dresses and numerous other touches that made this another artfully executed season for the king of pattern.

Words: Benji Walters