“Mr. van Noten made prints look especially desirable, combining computer-manipulated images of irises, marigolds and tropical plants in richly exotic, intentionally contrasting patterns. The effect was so gratifyingly dizzying that one had fleeting visions of chinoiserie wallpaper or the crisp blue and white of Delft ceramics clashing in a blend of ethnic and cultural references, of Goa beach wraps, Japanese kimonos and pajama bottoms sprayed with a bouquet of roses.”

“He is one of very few designers with a sense of style and aesthetics, deciding everything, including his house and his garden…. He has a feel for color that is so subtle. And he does everything without advertising. That's unique.”

“The graphic blend of stripes and checks, for flattering cotton dresses and jackets shown mainly with loose, crisp shorts, was new, but it was how Mr. Van Noten put everything together—the soft turbans, the silver-ball jewelry, the untucked white shirt over a gold beaded skirt—that made the chic procession so beguiling to watch.”

“Dries Van Noten mixes pattern, colour and ethnic references like no one else. To assemble a collection, he might travel from the foothills of the Himalayas to Morocco, and then east again to Outer Mongolia. His clothes are addictive - once you buy a pair of trousers, you want the hand-embroidered, wrap-around sari skirt to wear over them. Then, before you know it, you are the proud owner of a complete Dries wardrobe (and considerably poorer, too).”