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STORY: Belgian designer Dries Van Noten is well-known in the fashion industry for his inimitable talent to blend clashing colors and patterns. On Wednesday (September 26), Van Noten showed yet another collection full of contrasts on Day 2 of Paris Fashion Week. Speaking backstage to told Reuters his show was a mix of couture and grunge and masculine and feminine. Indeed, each of the 54 looks shown on the runway revolved around eccentric combinations. Think chiffon worn over a basic white tank, or sheer organza shirts paired with metallic menswear jackets. Van Noten, who the New York Times once described as "one of fashion's most cerebral designers," was part of the Antwerp Six, a group of influential avant-garde designers that graduated from the Antwerp's Royal Academy of Fine Arts in the eighties. He launched his women's ready-to-wear label in 1986. In 2008, Van Noten won the prestigious International Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA).