Definitely Dries

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that we each have a show forever associated with Freja in our own minds. It's the one that we can't think of without immediately recalling Freja as well. Whether it's because we feel she embodies the design aesthetic, she's always in the ad campaigns, or she represents their ideal, there's just that one show you expect Freja to walk in, and are hugely disappointed if she doesn't.

For me that show has to be Dries Van Noten. As much as I love seeing her ongoing runway relationships with Marni, Balenciaga, Chanel, Narciso, Chloe, etc...a Dries show just isn't complete if Freja isn't walking in it.

It's hard for me to describe why I have such a strong association between Dries and Freja in my mind. It's an implicit feeling I get from the clothes and the aura they create. I guess that to me, a woman who would wear Dries in real life would look like Freja. She would be tall, lanky and kind of awkward, yet totally self-possessed and assured. She would be a world traveler, taking bits of the places she's been too and leaving bits of her own self behind. Everywhere all at once, and yet extremely elusive. I know this association is kind of ironic since Freja's actual personal style is the complete polar opposite of the stereotypical Dries style. But it just works in my mind.

And I suspect that it works that way in Dries' mind as well. :) Since her debut, Freja has walked in every Dries show save one (oddly enough, that was my favorite Dries collection ever), and she's closed for him three different times.

Spring/Summer 2006 (Closed)


Fall/Winter 2006/2007


Spring/Summer 2007


Fall/Winter 2007/2008


Spring/Summer 2008 (Closed)


Fall/Winter 2008/2009


Spring/Summer 2009 (skipped)

Fall/Winter 2009/2010


Spring/Summer 2010 (Closed)


And check out the beautiful details from this season (click through for bigger images):

He is one of my favorite designers and I love how he crafts his clothes with true consideration for woman and her place within modern life. Even though I completely shrink away from prints and color in my own daily wardrobe, I still love and appreciate his beautiful collections. All the basics are there, just updated in ways you've never seen before.

This is a runway collaboration that I truly treasure and look forward to each and every season. It's one that I sincerely hope continues on for a good while because it's my version of fashion perfection. There are so few occasions when a model aligns perfectly with a brand (Sasha/Prada, Maria Carla/Givenchy), that I just wanted to take the time to revel in the moment. What is your fashion perfection for Freja? And don't all say Freja and Chanel at once. :)

Image Credits: style.com