Tel Aviv Fashion Week's Italian Revival
The stage was set for a full spectrum of style at Tel Aviv Fashion Week, interpreted by everyone from local students and alumni of the prestigious Shenkar College of Engineering and Design and Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design Jerusalem, to up-and-coming designers, to local fixtures of Israel's fashion scene.
The collections featured an eclectic blend of design concepts, fabrics, and color palettes, from the delicate lace and intricately beaded confections of evening and bridal gown designer Galit Levi; to "street couture" reminiscent of "Desperately Seeking Susan"-era Madonna by Sugar Daddy; to a bold interpretation of the flapper-meets-rocker aesthetic, coupled with graphic patterns with a decidedly surrealist influence by Yosef Peretz; to a black and gold spectacle of Middle-Eastern inspired garb by Dorit Bar Or, whose Pas Pour Toi show culminated with a perfectly timed belly dance performance set to Sarit Hadad's "Do You Love Me."
Shenkar alumnus Israel Ohayon, who took home the prize in the upcoming designer competition, sent models down the runway in leather, PVC, and nylon knitwear creations that experimented with shape and form. A former Lanvin intern, Ohayon currently works at Gideon Oberson.
Tel Aviv's sister city Milan brought a strong dose of high voltage glamour by special guest Roberto Cavalli, who once again presented his spring 2012 collection in which not a sequin, feather, or animal print was spared. The delicate pleating and beading, fusion of contrasting patterns, exquisite silhouettes, and immaculately tailored evening gowns brought an air of decadence to the fashion showcase.
"Israel is in my heart," said Cavalli. "I'm hoping that Tel Aviv fashion week will show the world the Israel that I love. It's a beautiful city full of life with people full of life who enjoy fashion and culture just like Europeans, Americans, the Japanese. I'm happy I could support this new venture by showing in Tel Aviv."
Revived after 30-plus years, Tel Aviv Fashion Week, held Nov. 21-23, raised its tent in the renovated Tachana, a historic Tel Aviv-Jaffa train station that now houses chic boutiques, gallery space, and outdoor eateries.
The closing evening event, held in support of the Israeli Gay Youth organization, brought an exuberant crowd of locals and luminaries eager to see the parade of Israeli-designed fashions modeled by local celebrities, among them Eurovision Song Contest winner Dana International. The gender-bending style theme had decidedly Lady Gaga overtones, which only reinforced the universal language spoken at this particular fashion week.
