On January 17th, Dries Van Noten held his Fall 2019 Menswear collection in Paris. The collection titled, ‘Nostalgia del futuro’ (Nostalgia of the future), was a presentation of modern tailoring for the ‘next’ generation. The Soundtrack to the show was a mix of music and voices. Snippets of songs were mixed with conversations, and interviews from David Bowie, Kurt Cobain, John Lennon, David Hockney, Francis Bacon, Iris Apfel, Christopher Isherwood, Yves Saint Laurent, and Jimi Hendrix guitar riffs. The show felt like an art manifesto as Noten introduced new ways to view men’s tailoring: nipped waists, squared shoulders and pleated trousers.
Set in an industrial space, the show opened with a blue spotlight that faded to white as the first model took to the runway. The opening look set the tone for the show, clean, sharp, and relaxed tailoring. The show continued with popular Fall 2019 color trends such as navy, grey, and charcoal. The collection featured blazers, pleated pants, monochromatic tie-dye, V-neck sweaters, turn ups, dungarees, puffer jackets, and raincoats in hues of brown and cream.
There was a focus on accessories with extra long belts, patent shoes, bags made from matching coat fabrics and colors. The most exciting looks were the purple psychedelic suit and experimental tie-dye–an injection of color that lifted the show. The final look was a double breasted black tuxedo jacket, worn with wide legged black pants, white shirt and matching white tie. The cut of the suit was youthful and elegant. David Bowie’s ‘Wild is the Wind’ played for the models finale walk, and as Noten stepped out onto the runway to be met with cheers and applause.
