Dries Van Noten Says to Stay Gold This Autumn/Winter

Knee-high boots, bagginess, blazers, floral patterns, and everything gold. Belgian fashion designer Baron Dries Van Noten, one of the most successful members of the Antwerp Six, hit Paris with a flashy, fresh, and elegant show to flaunt their women’s Autumn/Winter 2023 collection. Though the pieces are unique and different, they are wearable and eye-catching. With a five-runway venue, keeping the lights off of the crowd and on the models, it can be said that Dries Van Noten most definitely did not disappoint. The show was full of innovative combinations to shed some new light on what can be done in wearable fashion.

The show began with Lander Gyselinck kicking off his live performance. Sitting behind a drum kit and a soundboard, he starts off with slow ambient noises as the first models begin their trek down the five runways. Straight from the jump, the boots were stealing the show away. The style and fit at the beginning set the tone for the rest of the show. Big knee-high boots down low and flowy dresses under baggy, comfortable-looking blazers. While I will say that besides the boots, Dries Van Noten’s women’s Autumn/Winter 2023 collection started off a bit slow color-wise, I can also say that it did not stay that way for long. When the music and drumming started to pick up, so did the clothes.

After just one or two minutes of pinstripe blazers and muted colors, out comes the gold, and I did not see an end in sight. It seemed like Dries Van Noten had gold on every single piece for the rest of the show, and not in a bad way. Each piece of clothing incorporated an ostentatious display of shiny gold that I know caught the eyes of every single member of that audience. Even some of the boots were full gold.

As the show continued to obtain my unwavering attention, out came the blues, browns, sheer, and floral patterns, only intriguing me further. Things just continued to get more and more complicated, and I mean that in the best way possible. Gems patterned over sheer tops stole the show from the shiny gold that preceded it. It was not the direction I expected the show to go, but again, I was far from disappointed.

Here’s where I’ll say things got a little weird. The drumming became louder and faster. The ambient noises also got louder and, well, more ambient. The pieces kind of settled on a floral-patterns-over-tan-colored-fabric-grandma’s furniture-esque vibe that succeeded in throwing me off a little bit. Not quite the thing for me. But just when I thought Dries Van Noten might lose me, out came more showy and extravagant gold to finish the show with a bang

Despite there being a bit of a rough patch in there for me which was a purely personal opinion, Dries Van Noten’s Women’s Autumn/Winter 2023 collection was far from letting me down. With impressively shiny gold accenting highly wearable pieces, Dries Van Noten showcased a collection that the world can genuinely look forward to wearing all while putting on a more than impressive show with a live performance and five runways.

Strike Out,

Ryan Manney

Boca Raton

Ryan Manney is a Content Writer for Strike Magazine Boca. His hobbies amount to surfing, skating, writing, reading, and everything music. When he isn’t surfing, he loves watching and/or playing live music. He also likes to wear cool clothes. You can reach him on Instagram @ryanmanney or email r.manney3@gmail.com