“I was struck by how elegant the silhouette of a wetsuit is,” Julian Klausner remarked in the show notes for his SS26 collection with Dries Van Noten. It’s not often that designers turn to the humble wetsuit for inspiration. Yet perhaps we’ve all overlooked something, judging by the refined elegance of the collection unveiled yesterday.

The wetsuit wasn’t literally translated, but its essence did appear in the rounded raglan shoulders on a number of looks, and in the sleek narrow Bermudas. The colours throughout the collection had a beach towel palette to them too, blazing yellows, vivid pinks and oceanic blues.

Elsewhere, we saw some of that costume box playfulness that Klausner introduced in his first collection for Dries – big regal necklaces, suggestions of panniers, and heavy embellishments. The eveningwear portion of the collection saw jackets and tops that were stiff with sequin-encrusting, dresses with huge floral patterns all over, and a number of colourful sheer shawls that were worn with only a pair of panties beneath. Incredible out-of-office vibes.