How to Dress the Dries Van Noten SS27 Mood with a Printed Silk Kaftan
Carrie Bradshaw wore it first.
And now, apparently, the brooch is back.
When I saw Dries Van Noten's SS27 collection, I immediately thought of that Carrie Bradshaw moment in Sex and the City — the floral Dries dress, the jewellery, the slightly eccentric styling. It felt nostalgic, but completely fresh.
Then I found something rather exciting: an original Dries Van Noten bird brooch from SS 2001.
Suddenly the whole collection made even more sense to me.
This is exactly what I love about fashion. Something can feel completely new, yet carry a memory from twenty-five years ago.
So I started wondering: how do you dress that mood today?
For me, the answer is a printed silk kaftan, a little SENSE Method magic, and a willingness to mix things that don't obviously belong together.
There are some fashion shows that make you want to buy something immediately.
And then there are the ones that make you want to go home and rummage through your wardrobe.
That was my reaction to the Dries Van Noten SS27 collection.
I absolutely loved it.
The clashing prints, the flowers, the brooches, the costume jewellery, the slightly eccentric vintage feeling — everything looked as though it had been collected rather than bought as a complete look.
It felt nostalgic, but not costume-y. Retro, but completely modern.
Vintage thrift finds, but make it fashion.
And honestly, I am so glad the brooch is back.
There is something wonderfully old-fashioned about a brooch, but also incredibly modern about the way Dries is using them. Pin one onto a jacket, a dress, a scarf — or, as I would, onto a printed silk kaftan — and suddenly the whole thing feels personal.
It got me thinking about the Holland Street SENSE Method™, which is all about starting with emotion rather than asking what is “in fashion”.
For this collection, my SENSE combination/ mash-up would be:
PLAYFUL + DARING + a little SOULFUL.
Playful because I want to clash the prints. and add pops of brights and neons (where appropiate)
Daring because I want to wear the enormous flower, multi colour accents in once range wear ridiculous earrings and the brooch that probably doesn't technically go with anything.
And Soulful because I want some of the vintage and retro nostalgia seen as a nice contrast.
Carrie Bradshaw got there first
Of course, I couldn't think about Dries, brooches and vintage glamour without thinking about Carrie Bradshaw.
There is that brilliant Sex and the City moment in Season 4, Episode 5, Ghost Town, where Carrie wears a classic botanical white, red and green floral Dries Van Noten dress with her green Bulgari bag, layers of Lizzie Scheck horseshoe necklaces — and a frog pin and flower pin.
I have always loved that outfit.
And now, watching the SS27 collection, I suddenly thought: Carrie was onto something.
The idea of taking a beautiful printed piece and then decorating it with jewellery, pins and things that you've collected along the way feels completely right again.
In fact, I became slightly obsessed with finding the original Dries brooch.
And I actually found it.
The original Dries Van Noten bird brooch from the SS01 show.
There is something very satisfying about finding an actual piece of fashion history rather than simply buying something that has been made to look vintage.
It has a story.
And that's what I love about this whole mood.
Print, print and more print
The SS27 collection has really reminded me why I love print so much.
When you work with textiles, you realise that print can completely change the personality of a garment.
A simple silhouette can become romantic, eccentric, glamorous, funny or dramatic depending on what happens on the surface.
That's why I see such a direct connection with Holland Street, any why our design choices are so linked to what you want to buy and what you tend to wear.
To anaylise the SS27 show these are the proportion of colours found in the collection.
Our Park Life and Flight prints have that same potential to become the starting point for a look.
Simply.. wear a printed silk kaftan or kimono and then start adding things.
A vintage brooch.
A belt.
A huge pair of earrings.
A necklace you've had forever.
Something you found in a charity shop.
Something that belonged to your mum.
Something that doesn't quite match.
Especially something that doesn't quite match.
at home: A patterned silk cushion next to an old chair. A vintage lamp with a modern sofa. A collection of objects that shouldn't necessarily work together but somehow do.
But ultimately...
Make it personal.
So, yes — I'm very happy the brooch is back
Perhaps the real trend for SS27 isn't simply the return of the brooch or the clash of prints. Perhaps it's the freedom to make fashion feel like you again.
I'm starting with a printed silk kaftan, my SS2001 Dries bird brooch and three SENSE words: Playful. Daring. Soulful.
Explore Holland Street's Playful, Daring & Soulful collections →