“We wanted a more brutal way of doing things,” confessed Dries Van Noten after his spring-summer 2017 show in Paris. “We just started to chop up garments and throw flower prints on. Everything contrasting!” Indeed, “contrast” is a fitting term for Dries’ multi-faceted outing of opulent gowns embroidered with layers of jewels and draped in silks. Intricately embellished high-necked blouses with Victorian sleeves were kept in eye-killing shades of yellow and blue, while fish-net elements peeked out from underneath her soft cashmere knits and glamorous evening-gowns. The woman portraited by Van Noten this season has nothing against street-wise: just look at the range of satin bomber jackets. Unlike Marchesa Casati, last seaon‘s muse, it’s not about one specific woman for spring. The designer shares only one tip – whoever she’s, she dresses according to her mood, from the most noir and dramatic looks, to most mesmerising colour combinations. The rest is left for you to intepret.