Pandemic-Flaunting Intimacy at Dries Van Noten FW22
Master Belgian designer Dries Van Noten cares not for trends. His Fall/Winter 2022 collection, warmy lensed in a lavish abode not that recalls Van Noten's own historic home.
Van Noten's models, clad in his polyurethane trench coats, drop-shoulder blazers, perfectly-cropped bomber jackets, and wide elastic-waisted pants, slink through hallways and drape across each other, savoring the mix of textures and hues (and each other).
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic doesn't exist in Van Noten's FW22 wonderland, where social distancing rules are obliterated by beautiful people in beautiful clothes.
Even standing on their own, models still offer at least a whiff of intimacy through their outfits.
Opaque ribbed gloves and unbuttoned jackets reveal bare flesh beneath, ultra-fuzzy hats and pastel tones soften the edges of traditionally masculine tailoring and baggy denim jeans.
Tie-dyed sets, glittery scarves, colorful leggings, metallic purple shorts: these folks are dressed for a night on the town but prefer the closeness of their palatial estate.
Lyrics from legendary British band Suicide's "Dream Baby Dream" are projected on the walls, wistful in their plainness.
Is Van Noten encouraging his androgynous models to embrace hope or is he simply reminding us that this lush imagery is a mere dream?
Of course, his clothing is very real, as is Van Noten's desire to draw inspiration from long-gone heroes like Bowie, Basquiat, Kurt Cobain, and T-Rex's Marc Bolan.
In a press release, Van Noten describes FW22 as "a tribute to a life that we lost, a dreamy atmosphere with no boundaries. It is all about having fun again, touching, kissing people, exploring the forbidden, living carefree."
The stuff of dreams.
Shop Dries Van Noten Spring/Summer 2022
