Dries Van Noten presented a collection curated by an exhibitionist attitude in the Hotel de Guise. Garments were styled on models like mannequins, displayed throughout the Maison to showcase the debut of the Dries Van Noten Beauty. 

Wunderkammer – German for “room of wonder” – originated as a showcase of valuable treasuries before morphing into an ideal “formula” that ranged from the natural to the exotic. For Van Noten, the curation of his beauty brand and clothing – layering animal print and lush leathers – was situated in two states: the exotic and the artificial. In this case, artificial meaning created or modified by humans, a work of art.

The influence of architect and artists Carlo Mollino perforates the collection. The late artist’s fusion of erotic polaroids of semi-nude (or just straight up nude) women who languidly were infused with the interior of Mollino’s household is reclaimed by Van Noten’s inclusion of knee-high leather boots. There’s a tease of a tantalizing, exaggerated proportion of cinched waists, strong shoulders, and high slits. Femininity is enabled by collaborative clashes of suggestive reds and pinks with the harsh tailoring of leather handbags. 

Jewelry stands out most in Van Noten’s suggestion of the artificial and exotic, heavy, and claustrophobic ornate chokers add another layer of texture to the tortoise, snake, and leopard that is seen throughout. A diamanté collar and leash tagged by a conch pendant leave a sense that purity still wants to be pulled out. 

Fall 2022 is an ode to an antique showcase, allowing you into his world on a more personal level, showing there is a stretch of possibilities of how to experience fashion off the runway.