If prints were the first thing you noticed about Dries van Noten’s S/S 2012 collection, then you know where the designer’s coming from. ““I didn’t want to use any prints that were created for fabrics,” states Dries. So instead of working with the textiles at hand, the designer drew from his former collaboration with English photographer James Reeve, featuring photographs of city nightscapes, and transformed them into dazzling abstract prints featured in pieces throughout the entire collection. Also used were renderings of seventeenth-century botanical etchings, Victorian jungle scenes, and black and white seascapes, all artfully arranged on each individual piece.
With prints that aren’t exactly the familiar in fashion, Dries managed to make his choice of fabric more wearable using exaggerated couture silhouettes from the mid-century—embroidered boleros and Flamenco ruffles reminiscent of Italian and Spanish couturiers, as well as the simpler shift dresses, peplums, and opera coats. So while Dries starts with contrasting elements nowhere near the realm of a usual runway show, he comes out with a collection that is not only very wearable, but breathtaking and inspiring, as well.
Image via NY Mag
