Riding the Wave
Review of Dries Van Noten Spring 2026 Fashion Show
By Angela Baidoo
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
Surf’s Up, Wave of Emotion, Dialogue of Opposites
The invitation for today’s show – the second womenswear outing, but third overall, for creative director Julian Klausner – was an image of a crashing wave. Waves, especially those rolling towards the shore can symbolise transformation, and if that were the case in relation to spring 2026, then Klausner may have been indicating that he had come through the initial challenging crest (show one and two for mens and womens) and was now riding on a high, following his stand-out spring 2026 menswear show which received an extended standing ovation in June. The sound of waves also provided the soundtrack to todays show, as the designer revealed backstage “I wanted the waves to be playing as guests were coming in. We did [this collection] with the sounds of waves, and there’s something so kind of calming [about them].”
This season the designer would build on that high. In part, as a response to the outpouring of praise for what the industry perceived as a wholly positive collection, despite that not being the designers original intention. Klausner explained backstage how this became the starting point for his women’s collection “It was really inspiring for me to feel that a collection can provoke that kind of emotion, so it was really one of the starting points this season. How can we make something that feels hopeful, joyful, optimistic?”
Klausner took the idea of a wave to build up a collection which started with small gestures and crescendoed into clashing colours awash with embellishment and texture. Those who ride waves were also a point of interest, as surfers and their wet suits were abstracted and reimagined as knitted unitards and slouchy robes. In the world of Dries these chunky striped looks could also double with denim for a casual take or pair with a tiered maxi skirt, such was the multiplicity on display. The ease of the Bermuda short was reframed via the ‘dialogue of opposites’ today’s show notes spoke to – developed in silver jacquard, black embroidery, and embellished chevron stripes. A style which has become popular in recent years will live on for another season.
Freedom, power, and the swinging 60s, mark those down as the key emerging themes of the season, with the latter a decade of defining design ideas. Op art in particular played a key role in the collection and the simplicity, yet graphic impact of two-tone colours and bold shapes were applied for both day and day-trip looks, in the references to structured mini dresses or the billowing kaftans reminiscent of Talitha Getty. “I was thinking of joy and optimism, and one of the things that came to mind was the 60s. It’s symbolic of this very optimistic era…with it’s very simple shapes, and a lot of focus on colour and print”
With both a fall and spring collection for women’s filed away, it feels as if Klausner can take a moment to internalise some of the ease to which he was speaking to in todays show. With such a distinctive blueprint for the Dries Van Noten brand firmly in place, the designer (having worked alongside the founder) was fully indoctrinated in the ways that print, colour, texture, and rich fabrics come together in conversation. This collection was further confirmation of an ‘easeful’ transition from student to master, as the clashing of overlapping ideas – ‘historical grandeur’ to vibrant nature and surf suits – looked like no effort had been expended in the layering of the looks, both simple and complex, in this, the Dries Van Noten wardrobe you’ll find everything you need to live life joyfully.
THE DIRECTION
THE QUOTE
I would say nature, it’s a part of the brand for me, Dries work was always so inspired by nature, all forms of nature. Of course, people think of the flowers, but not only that. I think Dries had a very simple way of taking inspiration from the things that surrounded him, and I’m influenced by that having worked with him. So water, yes, but, you know, it’s a simpler picture. It’s being at the sunset watching surfers in the wave.
Julian Klausner, Creative Director, Dries Van Noten
THE WRAP UP
Klausner’s Spring 2026 womenswear outing felt like a moment of arrival – a collection that took the energy of his much-lauded menswear debut and translated it into a wardrobe which reflected ease, optimism, and injected it with a distinctly Dries Van Noten dialogue. Waves became both metaphor for the transformative power of hope, beginning with lighter colours and romanticised shapes before crashing into a tide of clashing colour, surf-inspired silhouettes and 60s prints.
With this show, Klausner demonstrated not only his confident grasp of the house codes but also his ability to expand on them through his own lens, proving that his transition from womenswear designer to creative director is no longer in progress but firmly underway.
