Dreams Van Noten

Have you ever come across a work of art that speaks to you so directly it's as though the artist stole a thought of yours? Or--if you were capable of welding steel--what's sitting in front of you would be exactly the thing you made?

I sustained the feeling reading all of Charles Simic's notebook The Monster Loves His Labyrinth, in snippets the first time I heard Nico's "These Days," and, most recently, viewing Dries Van Noten's Fall 2013 collection.

Last season, my love for his work was aspirational. His creations were articulations of dreams I had yet to have. Yes of course florals and plaid work together! Why not wear a kimono with a tea-length skirt? White sunglasses and mussed hair: I'm there.

This seasons I--by no means uninspired by the man's past work--found myself ingesting DVN's collection while wearing a coordinating outfit.

Slacks under cocktail dresses? I've been doing that all season! (I hate black tights, by the way.)

Tons of textured volume? I just so happen to have purchased a vintage Parisian brown lambswool skirt two weeks ago!

Baggy sweaters and long skirts? Pfff.

Drop-waists, head-to-toe prints, oxfords, and socks with sandals? So on it.

 

 

This collection, besides being one easy to mock, is interesting. It's fresh and cosmopolitan. I'm inspired to throw a pair of patterned pants beneath a 1940s black drop-waist dress I've had since Wilmington, when I purchased it on credit at a vintage store where I worked. Small tangent: You never know what you will discover while vintage shopping, and so often your explorations lead you to beautiful craftsmanship, these crepe silk creations, you never knew existed. What better way to clad oneself than in mystery and surprise. 

Model images courtesy of Elle.com

All collages the work of Francesca Soroka

 

Dior: Dali, Disney, or To Die For

Raf Simon's second ready-to-wear collection for Dior ran the gamut from the supremely elegant to the surreal. The high notes: his tuxedo dresses and coats, and the angular, voluminous ensembles in combinations like pink and white or black and red. The wobbly lows: a crochet dress that felt out of place, a few chiffon dresses that looked more Disney-does-Dali than traditional Dior, and an over sized grey pantsuit. It should be said all of the looks managed to showcase Simon's elegant, laser-cut-like tailoring, which, in the end, made the point that even his most underwhelming looks --those with touches of houndstooth or potholder textiles--are so expertly made, they fail to fail completely.

Images courtesy of Elle.com

All collages the work of Francesca Soroka

Chasing of The Cool

There's a reason I clamor to Lanvin. Alber Elbaz is a genius with silk--he turns it into diaphanous clouds, twisting it with the effortlessness of the wind. His women are polished and eternally French, regardless of their heritage.

Seems since we saw him last, Elbaz has spent less time in an arrondissement populated by well-behaved, well-heeled women, and more time in the company of the young, wild, and free. His collection for Fall 2013 had grit, it had humor (often black), and cool. It even had oxfords--the dopey, oblong sort we're more used to seeing at the end of the show on Mr. Elbaz's feet. But this round, it was the models who donned them, while the designer took the runway for his bow in (le gasp!) neon trainers.



 

Black & white background image: Julie Steiner,
Mark Rothko's "White Center" (1950)
Lanvin model images: W magazine
All collages the work of Francesca Soroka