What Dries Means to Me

And what his departure means for fashion

I landed in Paris shortly after 11 a.m. local time after a typical red-eye from New York. Fashion week was in full swing and while I had plenty of work to do, I was not about to abandon tradition. I dropped my bags with hotel reception, hopped in an Uber, and made my way to 9 Quais Malaquais - Dries Van Noten’s intimate and ornate boutique. 

You see, for a lot of fashion folks, Dries Van Noten reflects a steadfastly specific point of view. It’s fashion with a capital F that’s on the one hand free from trends and yet indicative of the current moment. His universe, from collections to environments, are the embodiment of the fashion ideal.

Because a singular designer remaining independent (ish… he sold the majority stake Puig in 2018), producing fashion shows that focus on the clothes rather than the season’s it-bag, gives us hope. Hope that the reason we got into this business - creativity, passion, an unrelenting vision of beauty - is still possible. But today the designer announced he’d be stepping down from the company he founded 38 years ago.

For me, Dries is about the clothes and the person wearing them. It’s the ability to look cool and the acknowledgement of excellence in textiles and tailoring. Sure, it’s a bit of an IYKYK pride thing, but Dries’ garments give you a boost both aesthetically and intellectually. 

In the boutique I found neat racks carrying shades of black and navy (my heaven) alongside vibrant shades of yellow, green, and some seriously ambitious sequin numbers. There was barely anyone in there, aside from one famous street style photographer looking for a version of a psychedelic print in silk instead of the cotton version on display. Part of the Dries dream is being in the epicenter of fashion but feeling like the only one in the room. 

Within ten minutes I was trying on pieces behind the heavy, lush red velvet fitting room curtain. I picked a teal zip-front shirt and a black knit polo. It wasn’t until I had it on that I realized how revealing the polo was. Its open knit structure showed some serious skin. Not too much to be shocking, but certainly more than my wardrobe requirements would normally permit.

Looking in the mirror, I was intrigued. I pictured a confident Max, one who is free from a self-materialized negative gaze. He’s the kind of person you want to sit next to at dinner, keeping the table entertained with endless witticisms. He’s on vacation, untethered by the traumas of the outside world. 

At Dries, you get to be who you want to be and then take that feeling home. Pretty powerful for a bunch of clothes in a fancy room.

After the Paris shows came the inevitable dissections over dinner and on social media. There were so many shows, some brilliant (Chemena!) and some disappointing. Ironically, the one show that made me think the most featured a legion of models seemingly draped in skin tight sheer stockings.

In a big budget venue, with endless resources available, someone’s ideal was sexualized anonymity. There are references to house codes (fine) and accessories destined to fly off shelves (necessary). But this was not the depiction of women with individual senses of self, with humanity, and it was not unique to one runway.

Those shows seemed so boring to me. As if today, even the actual audience is no longer considered. Who cares about the people in the room when your show can be fodder for TikTokers whose viewers mindlessly lap up videos of rich women taking expensive handbags out of cardboard boxes?

It’s not to say that Dries Van Noten isn’t first and foremost a business. I’m sure every designer working today envies his ability to maintain integrity and autonomy while keeping the lights on and factories moving. 

His absence from fashion is reflective of so many things we all complain about. In a time when the big houses are just getting bigger, it’s okay to lament the departure of a creative mind like Dries Van Noten and to question where the hell we’re headed and why.

Thanks for reading. Upon some generous encouragement from Laura Neilson, I’m kicking off this little newsletter. I have no idea how frequently I’ll post or what I have to say. But who cares?