Paris Fashion Week: 10 Best Looks From Dries Van Noten Fall 2016

All the best looks from PFW FW16

By Annabelle Fernandez - published 3 Mar 2016

Paris when it's perfect. In a collection that was as good as exceptionable can be, Dries Van Noten piled in all those things that make the buzzers in the left and right hemispheres of our brains blink: salable separates, desirable fabrics, editorial styling, aspirational style. And he's unpredictable, too, relinquishing his luxurious bohemians for the clubby, posh suitings of America's East Egg and London's dandies, circa the 1930.

But nothing about this was retro, certainly not in the way Van Noten took recognizable silhouettes and materials and spun them in his androgynous, hyper luxe mixer. Why do a pearl necklace when they can serve as a blown-up print on roomy trousers and tunics, accent a basic gray cashmere sweater or serve as netting to be layered at will?

The runway was crammed with faux furs and exotics, all layered in the designer's signature more-is-more style. And also true to form, the mannish tailoring and savvy color and scale combinations brought it all together. So the aforementioned pearl print in a bright blue-purple looked snappy against a leopard fur pencil on top of python boots, a leopard suit (whoa) paired back to its school boy tie and overcoat, and all of the animal motifs worked wonderfully with pajama-style striped and polka dot silks.

Glamour was firmly in control here, with all the fur, gold and velvet. And yet there wasn't even a whisper of ostentation. A sturdy tweed sewn into a gold brocade tunic, a men's shirt worn with a gold cropped suit, and a jaunty dark overcoat thrown over a shiny velvet skirt (it's fit ultra relaxed) all served to tip the scales towards elegance rather than over-the-top. If you were to see this woman walking down the street at 11am, you wouldn't think "who does she think she is?" you'd be green with envy.

And speaking of green, Van Noten's use of jewel tones—like the poisson green beading edging the shoulders and lapel of a crisp double breast blue pinstripe suit or the ruby red of a velvet bomber and overcoat—added to the luxury story. True luxury is about idiosyncrasy married with quality, something this collection was brimming with. So you wanna wear your animal pjs with an overcoat and t-shirt by day? By all means.

From: Harper's BAZAAR US