First Look: The Well-Coiffed Future of the Dries Van Noten Man
Dries Van Noten's future under new creative director Julian Klausner already looked steady, going off his well-received Fall/Winter 2025 womenswear show alone. Any lingering doubts were surely smashed by Klausner's smooth Spring/Summer 2026 menswear collection, his first for the house.
The ensuing offering was Dries but not, all the design language of what came before elevated by a fresh perspective. And no one loves freshness more than Van Noten himself.
All the Dries Van Noten classics were here in some form, from the hearty explosion of patterns to recognizable elements of tailoring chopped 'n screwed into the ultimate formal-casual wardrobe.
But Klausner isn't merely covering the hits as much as he's interpolating them, retooling Van Noten's signatures to taste. Klausner pushed the stylistic envelope further, tinkering with bike shorts and scarfs over (or as) shorts.
His vision of the Dries Van Noten man is a little edgier, a little more rock and roll, but still romantic enough to toss a pink flower-spotted work coat over his grey sweatpants. A dandy thrilled by sequined shorts, spiffy barettes, cropped floral jackets, and especially narrow silhouettes.
Backstage, where Highsnobiety zoomed in on some key pieces and looks, the continuation of Van Noten's quality-over-quantity approach was plain for all to see.
Yes, the world-conquering sneaker returned in brave new makeups that included gilded gold and a reflective high-top.
It was in good company, too, joined by a host of gorgeous neckties, leather flip-flops, knitted-panel jackets, and graceful suede weekenders so suave that it almost seems a shame to stuff them with clothes.
Well, at least if the clothes also Dries Van Noten, you could take comfort in knowing that they were equally nice.
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