By Louise Daniel
Julian Klausner is an expert in translating the feeling of optimism through the language of clothing. Think: surfers catching waves, sunsets by the beach, and the endless feeling of summer. Dries Van Noten, a cult designer among fashion aficionados, has always nodded to the essence of freedom in his collections. Klausner, a fitting successor for a brand that embodies the spirit of elevated maximalism, knows the Dries aesthetic by heart. Following his Fall 2025 menswear debut—an ode to The Wild Boys by William S. Burroughs—this marks Klausner’s fourth official collection with the house.
A good creative director must master the 'two C's' when presenting a strong collection: creativity and continuity. Magic happens in that sweet spot between brand heritage and innovation. Yet Klausner also designs with the Dries community in mind, ensuring that his collections are filled with as much depth as they are with wearability.
For Spring/Summer 2026, the collection titled “Wavelength” borrowed ease and optimism from the sun and the surfers—but, of course, refined through the elegant, regal codes of the Dries Van Noten wardrobe. Even the soundtrack—curated closely by Klausner with artists Philip Glass, the Kronos Quartet, and Michael Riesman—captured the rhythm of the waves, its tones of surfer rock echoed through the halls of the Palais de Tokyo. Summer is never over.
The DVN Spirit: Sunlight in Motion
A Dries Van Noten collection is always a visual kaleidoscope of color, print, and jewel-like detail. As if Klausner were recounting his own sun-soaked escape, the opening ensembles emerged in soft neutrals—light grays and butter beiges accented by flashes of red—before the runway ignited into full vibrancy. Klausner did not shy away from bold 1960s-inspired prints: vertical stripes, foliage, floral motifs, and geometric shapes lent the collection new dimensions, layering scale and form into complex visual compositions.
It is a daring move—to embrace playful, almost kitschy exuberance—at a time when much of fashion is leaning toward conservatism and restraint. Yet this is precisely where Klausner excels: balancing the regal with the nostalgic, the opulent with the effortless. It gives a collection that lived-in element yet luxurious, perfectly attuned to the Wavelength of the Dries community.
Tailoring, Texture, and the Hand of Klausner
The silhouettes and materiality felt so modern and upscaled, never losing the complex essence of style that Dries Van Noten himself championed since the beginning of the brand’s existence. Klausner’s tailoring stood out for its simplicity—dancing in unison with the choice of print and material.
This principle was evident in the darted shirt-tops with softly rounded shoulders that appeared throughout the runway. A lemon-yellow top embellished with baroque floral motifs was paired with a sheer pop-art silk-chiffon skirt (Look 25). A subtler version appeared as a light-gray top styled with a burnt-beige ankle-length skirt (Look 6). Another variation, a black structured top adorned with ornate 1950s buttons, was paired with dark green jorts decorated with the same recurring floral appliqué (Look 26).
Dries Van Noten Spring/Summer 2026: Looks 6, 25, 26 (Images courtesy of Dries Van Noten)
Dries Van Noten Spring/Summer 2026: Looks 5, 9, 34 (Images courtesy of Dries Van Noten)
A New Wavelength
Dries Van Noten is, without question, in good hands. Klausner continues to prove that a collection can draw from both maximalism and minimalism to reach a state of artful equilibrium. His work challenges our perceptions of what clothing can become—how the act of layering or stripping away can spark new emotion, new novelty. These clothes will look as brilliant on the streets as they do on the runway. Yet achieving that balance is no easy feat. Through the hands and vision of a trained veteran, we are witnessing a different wavelength of fashion—one that we have never seen before.
Dries Van Noten Spring/Summer 2026 Finale (Images courtesy of Dries Van Noten)
