Dries van Noten F/W 12.13 Paris

[lepetitcouturier]

The colors and prints are fabulous, truly beautiful. I love most of the pieces, but yes, some were hit and miss. But other than that it was phenomenal.

 

[Riseup]

Best collection so far.

 

[Not Plain Jane]

I love the patchwork pieces best, the outerwear (aside from the chubby furs, which seem out of place to me) and almost all of the prints (the very literal ones with faces aren't my favourite - but the abstract prints, those like frames/windows, are gorgeous!). Elegant collection overall. I really want those patchwork trousers in deep blues. So great!

 

[Tentacl Ventricl]

Wow, I absolutely love hearing the footsteps. It feels so intimate. Beautiful soundtrack, too.

Sounds to me like you've a foot fetish there Ives927 ?

 

[Ives927]

Ugh. I actually do, but let's keep this fashion related ahahaha.
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[simons]

i. love. this. the prints, the color palette, the hair, the fur.. aah! every time i see his women's collection, i always think why can't he bring some of that to his men's.. a lot of it can translate into menswear as well, not everything of course.

 

[bedtimestorynyc]

back to my "crap" comment which has caused a lot of stir here (lol).
i don't necessarily think that it's crap as in it's bad ... it's not bad. a lot of the stuff is ... nice... some of the stuff is very nice. i do enjoy some colors, esp. purple and aqua. and the pelican/cranes/swans prints...reminiscent of miumiu birds.. tsk tsk, but still nice.
it's just... not very interesting.
he's a good designer, and i understand it that he earned his clientele over years.
it's just he fails to 'wow' me.. to blow me away... i mean i'd rather say 'i hate the collection' than 'it's nice'. which is so bizarre for a belgian designer, which i consider the best designers, as far as the "wow" factor is concerned.

 

[Zazie]

Ok, so he treats what's venerable and symbolic in Asian sartorial culture as prints that he splashes boldly on his pieces with irreverence and abandon, I still don't get what's so cerebral about the gesture. After all, Versace splashes crosses all over mini-skirts...to loud yawning. Yes, it looks beautiful, he has a great eye, the prints, colors and sizes all well composed. However, unlike last season when he made some bold new shapes (eg. the fuller volumes) and tried fusing modern photography, this season is an attractive, REALLY gorgeous, but safe collection.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

Ok, so he treats what's venerable and symbolic in Asian sartorial culture as prints that he splashes boldly on his pieces with irreverence and abandon, I still don't get what's so cerebral about the gesture. After all, Versace splashes crosses all over mini-skirts...to loud yawning. Yes, it looks beautiful, he has a great eye, the prints, colors and sizes all well composed. However, unlike last season when he made some bold new shapes (eg. the fuller volumes) and tried fusing modern photography, this season is an attractive, REALLY gorgeous, but safe collection.

I agree. There are some lovely clothes, but if you pulled some of it apart you might not be able to distinguish it from what, I dunno, Jason Wu showed earlier in New York. It's a good solid collection but a bit of a bore compared what Van Noten usually shows.

 

[kiddokiddo]

Impeccable...a cliche inspiration delivered in a clever, intellectual realization, resulting a perfect harmony of shapes, textures, prints. His embroidered pieces are particularly divine.
A stand out of all the fashion weeks already.

 

[yesitsdagny]

Dries's collections have always been the highlights of the fashion weeks for me, and so is this season as well No one else does the prints the way he does and his creations always look so luxurious yet simple and wearable. It's definitely one of the top 3 collections of this seasons.

 

[Uemarasan]

I didn't know all of that so Thank You very much Uemarasan. Just the sort of exposition I was hoping for. You've piqued my interest. I follow a little of the difference of history of art/ graphic design structures from Kress and Van Leuwen's Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design I think I recall it's title being.

Below is the report of whom I take to be the premier fashion writing talent of the moment - Show Studio's Alex Fury. Though I find your thoughts more enlightening so thanks. Not quite sure why the battle but anyway.

Sorry, it was late where I was and I thought you were being dismissive of my previous posts. No battle to be waged. Just tiredness and lack of sleep speaking. Thanks for pointing to the Alex Fury report. It certainly adds to my appreciation of the collection.

For me, Dries is a designer who has always tried to reconfigure the grammar of print. Personally, I don't it's a simple case of east meets west. There seems to be a deeper understanding of the meaning of print in two different contexts, and this is an attempt to reconcile that. The purpose of a sleeve in East Asian clothing versus the purpose of a sleeve in Western forms, for example. And interesting comment from you and birdofparadise comparing this with Prada. I don't know much about the meaning of print and form in Indian dressing, if it's something tied to caste or not, but it is an avenue worth exploring. Repurposing. I think that word sums this collection up perfectly.

I wish I could see the back of more of these garments since kimono print are always designed with the back in mind. From what I can see, Dries brought the print forward and upward. A Western trope?

 

[Tentacl Ventricl]

Ugh. I actually do, but let's keep this fashion related ahahaha.
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always

The shoe as the ultimate fetish object? (Or could that be the bag?)

Although ? is the shoe really about the foot. For the flat and the functional, yes, but rack up that heel...

 

[Tentacl Ventricl]

Sorry, it was late where I was and I thought you were being dismissive of my previous posts. No battle to be waged. Just tiredness and lack of sleep speaking. Thanks for pointing to the Alex Fury report. It certainly adds to my appreciation of the collection.

For me, Dries is a designer who has always tried to reconfigure the grammar of print. Personally, I don't it's a simple case of east meets west. There seems to be a deeper understanding of the meaning of print in two different contexts, and this is an attempt to reconcile that. The purpose of a sleeve in East Asian clothing versus the purpose of a sleeve in Western forms, for example. And interesting comment from you and birdofparadise comparing this with Prada. I don't know much about the meaning of print and form in Indian dressing, if it's something tied to caste or not, but it is an avenue worth exploring. Repurposing. I think that word sums this collection up perfectly.

I wish I could see the back of more of these garments since kimono print are always designed with the back in mind. From what I can see, Dries brought the print forward and upward. A Western trope?

One of the keys to Prada aw12/13 I thought was the presence of the coatback belt - the double button and triangle point as in a greatcoat or trenchcoat belt as seen from behind but now - brought to the front. And at a waistline which was broadly, as I think NPJ observed, pushed up fairly high, almost empire line at times. The rear aspect of the coat's belt performed the function of tricking the eye into registering 'coat' when in fact some of the looks in question had forms more akin to dresses. So something there perhaps about bringing tailoring details forward. and upward.

 

[fashionified]

amazing collection. he never fails. the printsss. he's one of those few designer who could make traditional prints and style modern and fashionable w/o losing the 'ethnic' touch.

 

[HeatherAnne]

every time i see his women's collection, i always think why can't he bring some of that to his men's.. a lot of it can translate into menswear as well, not everything of course.

Ha, I always think the same when I see his men's collections! I agree, there are pieces that could easily crossover both ways.

 

[Lee MG Tisci]

 

[Crying Diamonds]

Impeccable...a cliche inspiration delivered in a clever, intellectual realization, resulting a perfect harmony of shapes, textures, prints. His embroidered pieces are particularly divine.
A stand out of all the fashion weeks already.

I needn't write anymore, you've summed it up.
If I were a wealthy woman I'd be calling up to pre-order that crane-embroidered jacket; it's covetable.

Edit: The meditative feel of the show with the James Blake(?) soundtrack is also wonderful.

 

[*k.a.t.e*]

I love practically all the coats/jackets in this collection, and the scarf prints!

 

[Lolajazz]

Beautiful collection. Definatly.