“We are in a period of fashion overdose right now. There’s too much pressure,” designer Dries Van Noten told the New York Times in an interview marking his 100th show milestone. That may be the case, but as always, his collection—this time featuring models who had walked in previous Dries shows, including many over the age of 40—was an easy delight.
Alek Wek, Carolyn Murphy, Tasha Tilberg, Liya Kebede, Guinevere van Seenus, Esther de Jong, Nadja Auermann, and Kristina de Coninck were among the veteran models featured in the show; the collection also included an array of favorite prints from past collections, which were handed out in a book to attendees:
Van Noten, 58, who doesn’t run advertisements and has kept his business independent from the massive conglomerates that run other luxury brands, is also starring in an upcoming documentary titled Dries that debuts at the Copenhagen Film Festival on March 18:
In the Times interview, the Belgian designer said of casting women outside of the expected age range: “It’s very interesting for me as a designer, because now I am doing fittings on many grown-up women, not just 16-year-olds.” Sounds like… maybe… something designers should think about doing more often! Just spitballing! Although he’s got the age diversity thing down, some other aspects of this show’s casting decisions could use, uh, work—for example, exciting Liya Kebede and Alek Wek appearances notwithstanding, here’s a large clump of entirely white people:
Seems like it would be a great moment in history for designers to hiring more people of color, and it’s disappointing that that wasn’t recognized here. That misstep aside, the collection itself was undeniably wonderful, a gentle mash-up of bold jewel tones, silky patterns, muted metallics, quilted coats, and slouchy, laid-back tailoring.
