Stepping out of the shadow of a designer who has made his name into an international fashion brand and who still works in the company for store design and beauty, regularly shows up at the headquarter in Antwerp to check in and attends the runway shows in Paris to support and critically observe is no small feat for a successor. Julian Klausner made a giant leap forward at the house with a brilliant men’s show last June at which the founder was absent unfortunately took a little step back yesterday with his print and color heavy show inspired by nature and the sea. If the men’s was clearly within the parameters of the Van Noten brand it excelled in showing the designer’s age and proximity to youth culture and kids, yesterday’s women’s show at the Palais de Tokyo felt like it skewed much older with its generally very loose fitting and floor length printed dresses. Klausner said he was inspired by surfing and the active part of a beach day, but it looked a bit more like attire for the apero hour around the pool where the body is protected with a caftan from the evening chill. Anchoring most of the looks on flat martial arts sneakers paired with thick striped beach outfits exposing skin was the best instinct Klausner showed. Also, that the show was about unabashed summer feelings in a season heavy on protective clothing for next summer.
Dries Van Noten S/S 2026
Loose fitting floor length dresses
Thickly striped beach outfits
What was great?
Putting together a show with so many brilliant colors from the world of fruits like lime, watermelon, clementine, or kiwi brought a strong feeling of joy and optimism which was much needed.
Fruity colors at Dries Van Noten…
…infusing a little optimism and fun…
…into a – so far – rather bleak summer season.
The general feeling?
There was a strong sense of Scandinavian prints in the air, which is a culture known for saunas and not beaches. How Klausner sees a palm tree or Hawaiian waves would have been nice as well.
Scandinavian prints
The universe?
Even Van Noten allowed himself to give more freedom to the men’s collections often delving into subcultures from rave to punk with acid washed jeans while the women’s stayed in the Indian embroidery and print universe. To have Klausner break this mold would be great.
Click the gif to read our Dries Van Noten S/S 2026 Men’s report
