CNN - arts & style - Van Noten gives women new silhouette and walk

PARIS (CNN) - A new silhouette is the distinctive feature of Dries Van Noten's spring/summer 2000 collection. The Belgian designer says he bases his silhouette on that of a ballerina. He puts models into full skirts and voluminous tops. He says their flowing lines give his clothes a more feminine feel and changes the way women walk.

"When you go to the south of France, Spain, the Italian islands and even farther," Van Noten says, "you have a kind of femininity which is different from the normal one -- one with a lot of passion. To give a kind of femininity, we make all full skirts -- but not very long -- just mid-length to give big volume. The way people walk in such a big skirt is completely different."

Van Noten pairs the skirts with "egg-shaped" blouses. "Then you have only the waist which remains narrow," he says. "For me it's a new silhouette, and it's really very fun to make it."

The prints include polka dots, florals and paisleys. They're done on linen to give a kind of rustic image, he says. The colors are mainly black, white and neutrals -- ecru or beige. Van Noten says he adds bright splashes of color in orange, purple, green and yellow.

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Shoes are either flat or have a medium high heel. He works them in skin tones, so as not to take away from the beauty of the silhouette.

"When you have such a full skirt," Van Noten says, " I think it's really important to put all the attention on that -- and not put really crazy shoes together with it -- because otherwise you're getting too much. Everything is about balance on silhouettes."

CNN Style Correspondent Elsa Klensch contributed to this report.

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