Dries Van Noten’s knack for old mansions and their lavish gardens has inspired more than one of his collections, and this season followed a similar pattern. “An imagined view from Kelmscott Manor [the country home of writer William Morris] on arts and crafts today,” the notes to his show informed. That translated into romantic visuals based on photo prints of floral tapestry and tonal patchworks.
Everybody got a backstage pass to Dries Van Noten’s military-themed show, staged behind the scenes of the Opera Garnier, with its inclined floors and imposing collection of set screens looming from the ceiling as backdrop.
Belgian designers have been standoffish about the celebrity craze. Yet there was the ultimate Hollywood bombshell, Marilyn Monroe, flashbulb-era paparazzi in hot pursuit, splashed all over Dries Van Noten’s spring collection.