For sale here is a button down shirt from Belgian designer Dries Van Noten. Van Noten is one of the original Antwerp Six, a group of designers who graduated from Belgium’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts and were the first group to really put Belgian labels on the map. Some of the other Six include the likes of Ann Demeulemeester and Walter Van Beirendonck, so you can assume DVN is in good company. Each of the Antwerp Six had very different aesthetic sensibilities, but all had a very strong emphasis on quality and construction.
That’s what we’ve got here and what Van Noten specializes in more generally. Like Demeulemeester, his designs are typically quite mature and rarely outlandish. Everything is precisely thought out and execution is always excellent. DVN pieces come at a premium. They’re never cheap, but they’re always well made and often quite classic.
Here we have Van Noten’s take on the classic button down shirt. This may appear simple on first glance, but the quality of fabric and execution is some of the highest out there. Fabric is 100% cotton in a solid green. Fabric is very light in weight and ideal for the warmer seasons.
This is very much a hand made product with quite a bit more soul and humanity than a mass produced piece. The Belgian labels are all very highly focused on their tailoring. Think of Raf Simons, Veronique Branquinho or Demeuelemeester, where each gives the utmost thought and effort to their tailoring. Like Raf in particular, this shirt has some very sharp tailoring, most visible in the rear seams. Rather than a more traditional rear seam, there is a center seam here, as well as two anatomically placed darts on either side. This helps to slim down the shirt, making for a sharp and more striking silhouette. Between the fabric, the subtle details and the tailoring, you can be sure that you have a very high quality piece here.
Size is labeled a 46 and fits a medium well. I measure the chest at 21” / 54cm, shoulders at 17.5” / 45cm, and length at 27.5” / 71cm. The shirt comes in lightly used, very good shape with no holes, tears or stains.
Shipping from Japan to anywhere will be $24.
