Dries Van Noten
The Dries Van Noten Spring 2012 menswear offering felt to us to be an exceptionally executed culmination of the more relaxed, silky aesthetic that has appeared over the past couple of seasons. These types of silhouettes are very much central to our own personal style, as is the mixing of navy and black tones that can also be seen across the collection. The colour palette also features a substantial use of burgundy, a colour that is more often associated with Autumnal months but here serves to add a more refined finish to the summer range.
Also of particular interest to us here at LN-CC is the layering of shorts over longer trousers, which is a major theme in the collection this season. This style has been seen at LN-CC for the past season or two now, but through the filter of SASQUATCHfabrix, one of the raw new Japanese brands that we continue to champion. Dries Van Noten offers a completely different take on the look for the runway, presenting a much more luxurious, mainline feel. Whereas SASQUATCHfabrix presented the look in a range of cotton sweatpant materials, Dries Van Noten utilises a beautiful mixture of course linen and silk. The legwear is then layered beneath sharply cut, tailored shirting and jackets, rather than the more street-oriented pieces favoured by our Japanese brands.
The collection as a whole was one of extreme versatility, and could have been bought in any number of ways, with many different stories to tell. Ultimately however, the selection that we settled on fits perfectly into the relaxed aesthetic for summer 2012 that can be seen across our buys.
Men's SS12 Style Shots
The laid back silhouettes of this season's Dries Van Noten leg wear really lend themselves to the layered aesthetic we are feeling right now, something that is represented across a number of our mainline buys in general, including Damir Doma. The sharply tailored jackets from both Dries Van Noten and Ann Demeulemeester offer a refined contrast to the more relaxed leg wear.
Accessories for SS12
The Dries Van Noten Spring 2012 range of menswear accessories are presented in the same strong colour palette that defined his mainline clothing collection. Rich burgundy and deep navy colours, more often associated with the Autumnal months, give a refined edge to this season's leather belts, skinny ties and silk scarves. The silk scarves have become something of a staple across Van Noten’s collections, and here they feature thickly tasseled fringes with boldly luxurious bands of gold placed amidst the previously mentioned colours. Striped patterning is also utilised on the skinny ties, asymmetrically cutting across the precisely cut strips of silk to lend a distinctly modernist feel.
The artisanal craftsmanship inherent to so much of Dries Van Noten's output is present here in a selection of leather wallets and cardholders, as well as on the belts. Each one features beautifully hand-painted patterning across the surface of the leather, and the classic, understated design only serves to highlight the hand work behind each finished product.
View the feature
Dries Van Noten SS12 Legwear
Along with the fine knitwear, the main draw of our first Dries Van Noten delivery this season is the leg wear. Both the shorts and the longer pants exemplify Dries’ laid back take on luxury, with silky fabrications rendered in a rich palette of burgundy and navy.
The relaxed silhouettes are very much in keeping with the way we like to style our mainline selections. The layered combinations seen here are reminiscent of the pieces some of our more street-oriented brands, such as SASQUATCHfabrix, have been putting out, but of course with a much more refined, tailored approach behind them.
The Dries Van Noten Spring 2012 collection was one of incredible versatility that we could have bought in a number of different ways. This becomes increasingly evident as more pieces from our seasonal collections continue to arrive. Whilst the pieces shot here are all exclusively Dries Van Noten, we have also delighted in swapping in relaxed legwear from brands such as Damir Doma. The Croatian designer adds a new, slightly edgier dimension to the more refined offerings from Van Noten, and the results of this can be seen in our first SS 12 style shots.
View the FeatureAccessories Feature
A number of pieces from the Dries Van Noten Spring 2012 collection were selected for our recent accessories feature, which highlights our pick of this season's offerings so far.
Amongst the diverse range are Dries Van Noten silk scarves, bags, ties and cardholders. Each piece from Van Noten is presented in the same refined palette of navy and burgundy that can be seen across his clothing this season, offering an interestingly autumnal feel to an otherwise exceptionally relaxed, summer collection.
Win £15,000 Store Spend