This season was a special occasion for the Belgian master of cut, colour and print. It was his 100th show to be precise and that’s one heck of a cause for celebration!
Casting a collection of sophisticated faces – the season’s cue for diversity in casting continues. Some of his favourite faces think Amber Valetta, Kristen Owen, Liya Kebede, alongside Australia’s own Emma Balfour, Julia Nobis and Catherine McNeil all decked head-to-toe in resurrected prints and pieces, all personal favourites from bygone seasons.
Far from being retrospective, Van Noten’s choices felt more like celebrations of brilliance rather than nostalgia – a point he spoke to in a post show release stating, “without nostalgia and with little artifice. ”
The tailoring, strong and masculine but only as far as making women look and feel feminine, was all there to admire. The show, as usual, was a celebration of women in all of our unique guises.
In all FW17, felt authentic, elegant and completely Dries Van Noten. A sincere representation of why women all over the world have been worshipping at the sartorial alter of this man’s art for more than two decades (or his in total 100 shows).