Dries Van Noten FW15: Gap Meets Marie Antoinette

A look from Dries Van Noten’s FW 15 collection. Photo: Imaxtree

I try to avoid overused fashion superlatives like “amazing” and “everything” and “beyond.” Having issued that caveat I have to say that the collection of Dries Van Noten clothing that just marched down his runway in Paris on Wednesday morning was everything and beyond amazing. I just can’t contain my excitement.

How does he do knock it out of the park over and over again? Don’t believe me? Believe Kanye—the hallowed halls of the ornate Hotel de Ville were filled with his applause.

A look from Dries Van Noten’s FW 15 collection. Photo: Imaxtree

Each season, it’s crystal clear just how important fabrication is to the designer. For FW 15, his collection of brocade pieces rival anything you’d see at Versailles. Van Noten mixed and matched colors, textures, and prints with aplomb; he showed cashmere trench coats with fur collars and navy knits adorned with a sea of paillettes. And underneath all that decadence there was a lot of khaki. Like a lot. So much so that Gap’s famous Khaki-a-Go-Go video from the ’90s came to mind.

That mix of royal sparkle and efficient cotton was mirrored the eclectic soundtrack: acoustic versions of songs from Hole, Missy Elliott, and Destiny’s Child. The only thing louder than the music was the applause. 

Related: Two Ways to Style the Dries Van Noten Hawaiian Shirt