Sex sells and that's what Dries Van Noten offered up in spades for his Spring/Summer 2020 collection that pitted unconventional garments together to create cohesive and sublimely sexy outfits - whether it was a double breasted jacket, tightly tailored around the middle to create an almost girdled look with flowy floral pants or a utilitarian coat tied around the waist, revealing a leather tank with, again flowy pants. There were also some very subversive aspects in the collection like the aforementioned leather tank, as well as the slinky and shiny slickers or short-shorts with a chain belt.

As previously mentioned in an earlier review - for Prada FW19, to be specific - we predicted that suiting was making a comeback but in a new way. Dries Van Noten's iteration came via leather, linings and inner layers in tie-dye, some with exaggerated shoulders or one that came what looked like a half-cape. There were some interesting things on the runway, like a stronger focus on bags, which could be due to Dries's new corporate overlord, Puig, pushing for new high-markup products such as bags. Nevertheless, the Belgian designer's take on leather accessories is welcome. What struck out also were the elevated iterations of overalls - in buttery soft leather - as well as the leather trousers, which looked sublime and nothing like the trashy leather pants of yester-decade.

Before dissecting Dries Van Noten's SS19 collection, a note must be made about the big news he revealed just a few days ago: Spanish investor Puig had bought majority ownership in the Belgian designer's label. For over 30 years, Van Noten was independent, showing just 4 collections per year, two for men, two women and up until that announcement was one of the few successful and long lasting independent fashion labels. Both Puig and Van Noten say that little will change as the designer will continue to have creative control. That remains to be seen but this could be the first step towards an eventual departure for Van Noten to pursue (what's the saying again?) "other opportunities".

Now back to the collection: there was a vibrancy to this collection, which lent itself to some stunning colors, some in a gradient of color from dark to light, while prints borrowed from Verner Panton gave the collection an arty vibe. In all, this collection seemed to a big exhale for Van Noten and was notably more relaxed and laid back, take the two models wearing only sandals and swim shorts, one even setting the mood for the collection in the first look. Maybe after years of holding his breath in, Van Noten, thanks in part to his new corporate owner, can take a big sigh of relief and it seemed to show.

The unofficial theme of Paris Fashion Week Day 2 seems to be stunning finales. Earlier today was the surprise and bittersweet finale walk of Kim Jones at Louis Vuitton and Dries Van Noten caps off the day with a stunning and seemingly never-ending parade of outerwear, most with abstract prints.  There were oversized raincoats, blousons, and bombers. It was a beautiful cascade of artful outerwear for the man who (a) has an endless budget, if he wants all of them and (b) wants to stand out from the hum-drum of black coats in winter. As for the none-outerwear portion of the collection, there were fringey cowboy shirts, elongated sleeves on silky shirts, delicate cut-out trousers and some great macrame knits and even a macrame trench - as if there wasn't enough outerwear options!

How does Dries Van Noten, noted Belgian designer known for his intricate patterns and thought provoking collections, take on the banality of office-wear? The designer's latest collection attempted to fill the blank void that men have to traverse when they go to work in corporate environments. With Silicon Valley normalizing hoodies, jeans and sneakers as acceptable office-wear, the rest of the corporate world is slowly coming around. Here, Van Noten offered up oversized shirts, short shorts with wide and boxy jackets and embroidered shirts. The final looks were, unsurprisingly, the strong pieces, hitting on Van Noten's strong points: a mix of patterns harmoniously co-existing to create supremely chic looks.

What an achievement tonight's Dries Van Noten collection and show is: it is the Belgian designer's 99th. There was plenty to oogle at, from the branded knits that showed the labels of manufacturers that create the fabrics that he so often uses with great aplomb to the padded puffer-slash-trenchcoats to the simple and chic oversized coats. There a lot of strong pieces, like the opening look's camel coat, but the strongest of the strong were the pattern-heavy ones, the types of pattern mixing that Van Noten excels in, like a busy patterned sweater or a floral painted coat or those sequin embellished ones.

Belgian designer Dries Van Noten is a master at patterns and he continued that to his latest collection which seemed to embody the idiom: reduce, renew, recycle. The patterns he used seemed to be thrown together from older materials, like a floral pattern on your grandmother's couch remade into a coat or your old denim patched together to create a pair of boxy shorts. Though rather than seeming droll and old, the collection looked comfortable and welcoming, as if the clothes gives the wearer the sense of coming home: warm, safe and comforted.

Belgian designer Dries Van Noten held his FW16 collection inside an opera house and the resulting collection was equally as dramatic and opulent as the setting. There were supple fabrics with fur trims, rich patterns and a cacophony of patches on military inspired coats. Van Noten's ability to combine patterns into wearable and desirable pieces is inspiring. The collection never felt too flamboyant or too masculine, it toed the line between both quite perfectly. The snake motif was seen throughout the collection was almost like a Biblical reference, tempting the audience to purchase these alluring pieces and to hell with your rent!

Marilyn Monroe and Salvador Dali played muses for Belgian designer Dries Van Noten's SS16 collection. The Old Hollywood superstar was emblazoned on nearly everything from suits to shorts to a knit with that signature smile and mole. Also seen throughout the collection was a lobster, in red or sequined on a suit, clearly references Dali's surrealistic creations. As for the rest of the collection, it hit all the marks for a DVN show: animal prints, luxury and a bit of dandyism. Tailoring was loose and fluid, like the robes that fluttered in the wind as wiry models paraded down the runway; meanwhile sportier looks including pink and black leopard print trench looked cool and subdued against a wide cut trouser and a Marilyn tee.

See the full collection here.

Belgian designer Dries Van Noten's FW15 offered up a collection that was romantic and showcased his ability to tailor and work with patterns, something everyone knows, but we suppose he wanted to reiterate that fact, in case someone forgot. East Asian influences abounded while quilted outerwear was resplendent in their elegance. Those coats were worn inside out, the quilted part the audience saw was the lining; if the lining of a coat is that beautiful, one need not ever see the coat right-side out to want it. As for the East Asian influences, they came from China with Mao-esque jackets and Japan, think Samurai influences and the zen garden show space. There was a lot going on in this collection from fur to quilted linings to a myriad of patterns but all of it cohesively came together to create a really strong collection that touched on the biggest trend this season thus far: menswear influenced from womenswear, tied together with a hint of romanticism.

See the full collection here.

Belgian designer Dries Van Noten looked to the dance world as inspiration for his SS15. The result was an easy and leisurely collection that had plenty of elegant prints and drape-y layers such as robes, scoop neck tees revealing boney chests, and pajama inspired pieces. Trousers were loose around the hip, to allow for movement, while the leg tapered and resembled leggings. Lushly constructed outerwear, such as an orange hued coat added some color to the darkly romantic collection.