We started the magazine ACHTUNG in large part thanks to the gigantic influence of Helmut Lang. His emotional designs dominated the 90’s and early millennium and irresistible to us was the global influence he had by applying his Austrian lineage, the very clear Vienna references to tailors like Knize or artists like Kurt Kocherscheidt. Of course, it helped that he was our first advertising client. But everything that has happened to the brand ever since he stepped down has been a confused mish mash of his watered-down ideas. It never worked. He is now an artist with exhibitions all over the world with the name Helmut Lang and we always thought that a house where the owner is still very much alive has a difficult stance. Or only a slim chance to continue. Let’s also mention the very Hamburg brand Jil Sander while we are at it. Lang and Sander are two north stars of the ACHTUNG editorial world. So, what Julian Klausner pulled off at his second Dries Van Noten show was nothing short of exceptional. He had the crowd roaring at his finale because he delivered the necessary oxygen for this industry in a bit of a crisis mode: A fashion moment, an uplifting collection which brought together the Van Noten codes of color and embellishment with a whole new sartorial attitude and precision that soared. The dazzling mix of capital F fashion items like opera coats, extremely tailored boatneck tops or a cummerbund festival paired with flat ping pong nylon sneakers and kitchen towel print coats was all homage to the founder as well as a loudspeaker announcement of Klausner as a major new talent in town.

The attitude?

Klausner’s extremely young but fresh line up of models spoke of his attention to casting and helped him pull off a risky tailoring bet with aplomb.

The coats?

Van Noten has always been a coat provider. But Klausner’s mid-calf opera coats in zesty colors worn over shorts made them a stand alone feature which was a bold statement.

The precision?

Klausner seems to know his way around a pattern bust as even his T-shirts were tailored to fit snugly around the waist, natural on the shoulder and often with alluring boat necks. Sometimes he added a tightening closure around the waist to accentuate the silhouette.

The colors?

Klausner seems to have a penchant for red on the color card and all the mixes one can achieve like orange. Turquoise stripes in silk added a fresh burst as well.

The styling?

Adding silk sarongs on a few outfits seemed like the unnecessary nod to India this brand is known for.

 …and many different prints.