Julian Klausner Stages a Grand Opera for Dries Van Noten Fall/Winter 2025

Julian Klausner’s highly anticipated debut as creative director of Dries Van Noten was unveiled in grand fashion at the Palais Garnier in Paris, setting a poetic stage for the Fall/Winter 2025 collection, steeped in theatricality. While keeping a reverence for the house’s heritage, Klausner’s vision unfolded in an interplay of past and future, fitting for the house's current era of transformation.

Tailoring lies at the heart of the Fall/Winter 2025 collection but never in a conventional sense. Jackets and coats embraced dramatic proportions, with oversized collars and cuffs amplifying their impact. Klausner continued to explore the interplay between structure and fluidity, contrasting fabrics and silhouettes—such as a soft wool skirt cinched with a corset belt. 

“I present my first collection as creative director of Dries Van Noten with honor and excitement," Klausner said in show notes. "The collection was created with the venue in mind—the stories these walls might tell and the energy of another time that fills the air.” That sense of history and narrative was palpable from the avant-garde, exaggerated silhouettes to the intricate opera-inspired details and embellishments in each piece.

Embellishments like beaded mesh and gradient paillettes added a layered effect, reminiscent of stage costumes repurposed for everyday wear. Accessories echoed this blend of artifice and authenticity—earrings crafted from knotted shoelaces evoked cherished objects worn as talismans. Delicate shoelace whipstitching ran throughout, alongside classic opera-inspired elements like velvet and fine fringes.

Klausner played with contrast in the palette, pairing rich hues—bottle green, petrol, and violet—with classic greys, navy, and black. Polka dots appeared sparingly, while tie motifs—symbols of formality—were reinvented as draped dresses and bows. 

“The raw, tactile discovery remains at the core of how I see fashion today,” Klausner added. “This collection is a celebration of that instinct: of transformation, of personal ritual, of the quiet yet powerful dialogue between past and future, which is at the heart of Dries Van Noten.”