Iconic designer Dries Van Noten presents his swan song show in Paris, retiring from fashion

PARIS — The curtain fell and the disco ball rose to celebrate 38 years and 150 collections of Dries Van Noten, who held his final show Saturday at Paris Fashion Week. The Belgian fashion maestro, member of the influential Antwerp Six, known for his innovative and unexpected elegance, announced his retirement in March this year.

Meanwhile, golden feathers cascaded down the hidden faces of models at Loewe for a show evoking myths and sartorial fantasy. This paved the way for a more restrained collection this season from Northern Irish designer Jonathan Anderson, but which continued to mix fantasy and high fashion.

Here are some highlights from the Saturday Spring 2025 menswear shows:

His departure marks the end of an era. To the sound of Donna Summers I Feel Love, Dries Van Noten took his last encore in a warehouse in the north of Paris in front of an 8 meter high disco ball, at the controls of a dazzling silver podium which had just served as a stage. its swan song, its 150th show.

Van Noten is one of the famous Antwerp Six designers, including Ann Demeulemeester, all of whom trained at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp in the early 1980s and had a significant impact on global fashion . His career, spanning five decades since his first menswear line in 1986, has been marked by a fusion of familiar and unfamiliar elements, creating a sense of surprise and poetry in his collections. He is revered in the fashion industry for his unique aesthetic.

It's no wonder that big names in fashion, including Diane von Frstenberg, Thom Browne and Pierpaolo Piccioli, attended the event to celebrate his career.

The Saturday evening collection shone. It was a varied exhibition playing freely on the theme of packaging or exhibition. Known for his innovative use of fabrics and textures, Van Noten featured many disco highlights and highlights.

It was all about the fabrics. He used semi-transparent, glass-like crinkled polyamide and one-sided sheets that move, like a liquid, between silver and gold. This inventive manipulation of fabric resulted in a spring show that balanced fun and somber styles while the scrolls of the fragile silver foil show floated in the air, almost weightless.

Van Noten also incorporated a traditional Japanese marbling technique called suminagashi, dating back 1,000 years. This method involves floating ink on water and then transferring it to a material, creating unique organic patterns. Here, the foliage and floral prints evoked fireworks bursting against the night sky.

Throughout his career, Van Noten has been celebrated for his historical and subcultural references. This final show was no exception, seamlessly integrating disco influences with its unique take on modern, fluid masculinity. A sheer, almost shabby pink trench coat captured the slight silhouette of the bare-armed male models in a subtle peek-a-boo look.

Van Notens' mastery of unexpected color combinations was also on display, including saturated blends like a combination of pink, green and deep burgundy. His ability to juxtapose formal and casual outfits, such as pairing elongated double-breasted suits with playful, shimmering pieces, highlighted his signature style.

As the 66-year-old bows out, the fashion world looks back on the legacy of a designer who continually pushed boundaries, redefined elegance and brought a distinctive Belgian touch to the world stage.

There were many moments of poetry, as usual. A stiff sleeveless beaded vest and another armor-like one, almost sculptural in its presence, shimmered like iridescent fish. Anderson's talent for what he calls creating a collaged reality was on display again this spring, merging artistic content with high-end fashion.

Generous draping and ruching on pants and scarves showcased refined fashion design with elegantly swirling curves, all designed with a light, minimalist touch. This was Anderson at his best, creating exaggerated sculptural silhouettes that are now a hallmark of his tenure at Loewe. The deceptive lightness and fluidity of cottons, wools and leathers mark his continued exploration of materiality.

The tailored suit and trousers, mainstays of an office job, were touchstones, contrasting sharply with the moments of fantasy.

Even here, the styles were treated with Anderson's characteristic offbeat eye and in loose, generous proportions.

The elongated belts were double vision, while the patent Oxfords would have been Wall Street ready, were it not for the surreal, fairy-tale toe that might have been worn by Rumpelstiltskin. Was Anderson trying to evoke the daydream of a bored city worker? This fusion of the mundane and the fantastical is a trademark of Anderson. Spring was another example of his ability to use clothing as a way to explore broader cultural themes and appeal to audiences including actor Jeff Goldblum and director Pedro Almodovar.

Asian crossover styles and sumptuous turban-like headwear mixed with the buttons and epaulettes of military clothing created a distinctly avant-garde atmosphere for the latest collection from avant-garde designer Kiko Kostadinov. The nuanced incorporation of pastels, often slightly contrasting in the outfits, gives the collection a harmony that is both vibrant and subtle, reflecting Kostadinov's talent for blending unlikely elements.

The unusual pastel shades made this collection sing. Kostadinov often uses vibrant tones to create eye-catching ensembles.

Other styles featured high, round collars that seemed to evoke Star Trek, adding a futuristic touch. Kostadinov has a penchant for incorporating elements of science fiction and fantasy into his designs, as seen in past collections inspired by cinematic and bookish themes.

Indeed, one of the looks was a striking industrial-style jacket and pants featuring surreal motifs of alien life forms or underwater creatures. These playful yet strange details continued, resembling microscopic bacteria adorning a 70s-style pastel striped shirt and pants.

Loose, slouchy silhouettes, utilitarian details and layered looks set the tone from the start of White Mountaineering's latest menswear show. Designed by Yosuke Aizawa, a Tokyo-based designer who loves outdoor adventures and draws inspiration from the hinterlands of Nagano Prefecture, this brand embodies the fusion of urban and outdoor clothing, balancing technical function with the parade.

The collection began, fittingly, in white. Monochrome reflections gave way to stripes, checks and camouflage, with geometric knit patterns and even a total '90s tie-dye look to match.

Beige factory jumpsuits gave this collection a youthful, funky vibe, while silky scarves and neat collars added a touch of chic.

Aizawa, who divides his time between Tokyo and the wilds of Nagano, channels his passion for the outdoors into his shows. Her designs reflect her lifestyle, offering clothing that fits both the city and the countryside.