Dries van Noten is leaving - buy these 10 key pieces before he goes
The Belgian master of soft edged maximalism with a tailored sensibility is absenting fashion. Invest in a slice of style history BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE
Back when I attended men’s fashion weeks in Paris, the Dries van Noten show was a seasonal highlight. The show took place at around 9pm on Thursday; and the wide leg silk trousers, perfectly tailored jackets and playfully patterned shirts and knits which walked the Belgian designer’s runway provided a breath of fresh air in the occasionally stultifying French capital.
My fellow fashion editors felt the same. Such was their devotion to the designer’s clothes, that the fussy lot were willing to schlep across town for the show - commonly mounted in an out-of-the-way location - at an hour at which they could otherwise have been quaffing Champagne.
Van Noten announced earlier this week that he will step down from his company, which was bought in 2018 by Spanish conglomerate Puig, later this year. It’s a sad moment for fashion, not least because the integrity which the designer applied to his craft is rare in today’s industry.
So, before van Noten does a runner, do yourself a favour a buy a piece of fashion history - from my selection of the designer’s best recent (and not so recent) pieces.
1 | The Forever Ballet Flats
If Margiela owns the Tabi and Gucci has its Horsebits, Dries van Noten is all about the ballet flat. These thin soled leather takes are bang on the money for the Spring Summer ‘24 season, for which barely-there-soles are the thing.
2 | The Classic Pyjama Trousers
Everyone should own at least one pair of syrupy silk Dries van Noten trousers. These beauties, with their wide-leg cut and blue-dominated palette will go as well with a blazer and your new ballet flats at the office, as they will with sandals and a T-shirt on your hols.
3 | The Adaptable Bomber
I remember being desperate to buy this bomber when I spotted it in Dries van Noten’s Paris boutique around the summer of 2019. Both soft and edgy all at once, it’s the perfect expression of the Belgian designer’s idiosyncratic aesthetic (and will look ace worn with denim, Dries or otherwise).
4 | The Cosy little Cardi
Pattern is a Dries van Noten speciality, as is fabric - case in point, the animalistic texture of this smart little cardigan jacket which is currently on sale on Mytheresa. Wear with a wide-lapel navy blue blazer, with the collar of the cardi flapped over the top, fifties style.
5 | The Key Check Jacket
If you buy tailoring from Dries van Noten, you’re buying tailoring with personality. It’s why so many fashion editors (Ben Cobb and Luke Day being a couple) are such consistent fans of the designer’s suits and blazers.
The wide, peak lapel and soft check of this blazer has a fifties golf caddy vibe about it, but the elongated torso and lithe cut elevates it out of the sand bunker.
6 | The Only Trainers I Want Ever
These brand new trainers from Dries exemplify the nostalgic, sepia-toned aesthetic which runs through the designer’s seasonal collections. The thin sole and low profile make them perfect to wear with tailoring. They’re already sold out on the designer’s website, but you can bet they’ll be back soon. Favourite them!
7 | The Personality Denim Jacket
This tie-dyed denim jacket is a playful Dries-ified take on a classic trans-seasonal staple. Buy now, wear till June.
8 | The Essentially Dries Shirt
Just as Dries is known for his silky trousers, he’s beloved for his equally soft-handled camp collar shirts in bold patterned fabrics. The tertiary hue of this specimen - run through with a trace of blue - will look great worn to a beach wedding with tailored trousers and leather sandals.
9 | The Tie-Waist King of Blazers
This roomy double breasted blazer leans into the oversized tailoring mood of the moment, but is made all the Belgian designer’s own with the addition of a neat belted waist. Is it a coat? Is it a blazer? In Dries van Noten land, it’s both!
10 | The Tapestry Coat
I spotted this beautiful digital print tapestry coat on Dries van Noten’s AW/23 runway a year or so ago and I knew it had to be mine. Apologies for the terrible pic (runway shot below). This one is available on Depop, and is a size too small for me, so consider it yours, you lucky thing!
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