Review of Dries Van Noten Spring 2024 Men’s Fashion Show
Eclectic Elegance
By Mark Wittmer
For Spring 2024, the prince of prints reminds us that he’s still also a master of tailoring: Dries Van Noten digs into the menswear spectrum, reconsidering classics with both irreverence and elegance while making beautiful use of color and material. And don’t worry, there are still plenty of prints.
Taking a playful but precise romp through a wide range of menswear classics – and some harder to categorize touches – DVN encourages the fellas to have more fun and get creative with their wardrobes.
Relaxed tailoring takes center stage, but isn’t limited to one viewpoint or approach: lapels are shrunk, enlarged, or shorn off; belted closures appear alongside the familiar single and double-breasted iterations; traditional jackets are executed in untraditional materials like nylon or given unconventional dip-dye treatments.
Speaking of nylon, sportier pieces executed in the retro-futurist fabric fit elegantly alongside their wool and cotton counterparts thanks to Van Noten’s keen understanding of the materials potential for drape and fluidity. Also on display are on-trend sequins, lending a new dimension of dazzle and shine to the collection’s textural play between organic and industrial.
While much of the show was concerned with subtly reconsidering classic menswear categories, Dries wasn’t afraid to break out of its binary constraints either via elongation and hybridization. Long tunic-y shirts flow like dresses, while there are a few appearances from an intriguing trench-coat/pants/skirt hybrid.
Finishing off the feeling of airy bright openness embodied in the fluid tailoring and sheer fabrics, almost every look is completed with sandals, which come in several varieties – including a furry flip flop.
While Dries Van Noten is serious about his mastery of cut, color, and layering, his latest collection shows that putting these pieces together doesn’t have to take itself so seriously, encouraging aficionados of modern masculine elegance to get in touch with their colorful and creative sides.