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For those of us for whom thrift stores are our happy place, you know just the kind of thrill you get when you're surrounded by heaps of weird sweaters, polyester blends, twisted home goods, and crumbling tapestries. To those who don't understand, it's a world of old junk. To us enlightened few, it's a world of opportunity, for whom — with some digging — you can truly strike gold.
For the Dries Van Noten Spring 2014 collection (he obviously seems a part of the thrift store club), this gold came in the form of lamé pleating, foil ruffles, cracked leather panels, and glitzy jewelry that looked directly inspired by thrift store opulence, like the kind of dull brass flowers, scratched gold plated and peeling gilded mirrors you're more likely to find at Value Village than Versailles. Beyond that, a thrift store mindset of mixing eras and genres, formal with informal, and finding creative ways to wear special pieces, ran through the collection. Woven traveler's bags sold on the streets in Tibet and Guatemala echoed in accessories as well as tops. Antique wedding dresses worn with leather sandals made for a done-down spring look we've all DIY'd, while costume jewelry was paired with formalwear skirt sets and vintage-style tanks in a creative mixing-up that only those who've spent a long, long time combing through racks can properly enjoy.
Of course, unlike real thrift shops, there isn't a dud in the bunch. Each one of Dries' creations is like that once-in-a-lifetime find that you'll talk about with anyone who'll listen. Click through to see the magic.
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