Dries Van Noten A/W12 Paris Fashion Week

Antwerp-born designer, Dries Van Noten, showed a collection with an evidently chinoiserie influence, with bright oriental patterns, intricate gold embroidery on lapels and shoulders, and elastic obi belts securing jackets. This was matched by the opulent interior of the showspace, set in the 19th Century Hotel de Ville, renowned for it's decadent French Renaissance facade and ceremonial rooms lavishly decorated in the 1880s style. Born from a family of tailors, Van Noten's grandfather reworked second hand clothes in World War II, turning them inside out and introducing them to ready-to-wear collections. This long appreciation of tailoring and masterful approach to mixing can be seen in today's collections, with sharp blazers paired with flowing silk dresses.  

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