These Lips Might Sink Ships...: Dries Van Noten

I remember the first time I took notice of Dries Van Noten's work in the pages of Vogue. The shoot showcased the most energetic looks of the Spring 2008 season, many of which were decorated with shocking prints. The Dries spread spanned two pages (double the amount of the other designers featured) and the clashing prints he had integrated into the collection had left me somewhere between jarred and absolutely entranced. After receiving issues later that season, it seemed evident to me that the designer was held in high esteem by what many call the fashion bible. While this is no reason to appreciate something, it certainly left me curious about the designer.

Ever since seeing that collection, Dries has created fashion that consistently challenges my eye. Some seasons I immediately take to his collections with interest, while others like Spring 2011, I have left out of my coverage. The exclusions always seem to be regrettable and by the time the appropriate season comes around, the clothes are absolutely beautiful to me. Dries never creates clothing to be trendy, but somehow manages to capture the moment while existing on the outside of trend. This season was no exception.

Van Noten revealed to style.com that the collection began with comparing the images of David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust and the famed dance great Vaslav Nijinsky. It was the melding of Ziggy and the Ballet Russes that led to the collage aesthetic that was seen throughout the collection. Not only was the mixing of colors and print—a Dries signature—notable, but even proportion and cut took on a patchwork appearance, with variation among sleeve types and their volumes, among other details. There was a general idea of asymmetry in a majority of the key pieces. While traces of Ziggy Stardust's flamboyance and the extravagance of the Ballet Russes' costumes were present, the blending of references—which no doubt had more than two influences—gave way to experimentation and reinvention as the prevailing ideas. It is through these ideas that Dries Van Noten continues to aid the progression of fashion. If that leads to the production of "challenging" collections, I'm more than willing to accept such a challenge.

Caterina Ravaglia