Dries Van Noten Spring 2011: Strong-Shouldered and Dip-Dyed

Dries van Noten Spring 2011 Cheat Sheet:

• deceptively narrow, squared-off wedges
• ombre
• menswear
• THE white shirt dress
• shimmer
• sparkle
• Oriental prints
• wide shoulders
• wide legs

PARIS–Has Dries Van Noten ever produced a bad collection? Not that I can remember, and I’ve been studying the printsmaster since the mid-’90s. But this one was particularly palatable, mostly because he kept the prints to a minimal–I’m getting sick of digital textiles, aren’t you?–and produced a collection that, while anything but trendy, was incredibly on-point and wearable.

I’m a sucker for a good shoulder pad, so Van Noten’s oversized, bulky-shouldered blazers in shimmering pastels spoke to me–as did the suede pumps in lavender, grey, and terra cota. His pants were incredibly wide, relaxed, and a bit wrinkled. (I’m assuming that was done one purpose.) As for his signature prints, there was an ombre–if you can call that a print–and some Oriental inspired florals, but nothing too jarring or in-your-face. They swept across the bodice of the garments, but without making a brash statement.

As the models took their final walk, Florence and the Machine wailed in the background. A grand way to kick off Paris Fashion Week.