“We wanted to make it a study of elegance. To make it very masculine. So we asked what is masculinity now? And how we can make elegance also young, and interesting to the young?… I think streetwear is one thing, and it’s fantastic, but I also think people want more ways to dress to express who they are, and to enjoy,” said Dries Van Noten of his powerful spring-summer 2024 menswear offering. The herringbone wool in a gorgeous belted raglan shoulder coat contained zig-zags of camel and black, the two shades that set the tone for the opening phase of this collection. A stately orchestral start segued slowly then less so towards sweet repetitive beats by Soulwax. Gabardine pants fronted with trench coat skirts were foils against deep-V knits with matching wrapped skirts: modern twinsets. Slubby shantung silks, net linen knits, coated linen outerwear, knit velvets and muted optically enveloping prints provided textures both visual and tactile. The palette became dyed, sun-drenched, or even sun-burnt. To mix a bronze shirt and coat with gold sequin shorts (!), or play aubergine shorts against a mustard bomber was simultaneously unlikely and self-evidently effective. Some tops in mousseline were sheer, some sandals were strapped with fur, some hems on shorts and combat pants were frayed and raw, and the knit velvet sweater featured a grid of plucked perforations across the chest: layers of patina, wear, and form. This was a collection crying out to be moved into.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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