A three-day Greek fashion marathon
Over 30,000 visitors flocked to Zappeion Hall in March to witness Greek fashion come alive for the third time. What started out as a dream a year ago has now developed into a flesh-and-blood project which could lead to much greater things. Organized by the Hellenic Fashion Designers Association (HFD) under the auspices of the City of Athens and the Ministry of Development, the Diners Athens Collections InStyle took place from March 16-19. There are those who are happy with things the way they are – the fact that the fashion week is actually taking place in the first place. There are those who would welcome, not to mention expect, certain (and major) improvements and there are those who are always ready to dismiss it as non-consequential in the larger scheme of fashion things. On the whole, designers kept away from endless dress parades to present a more comprehensive ready-to-wear wardrobe of separates, suits and, of course, eveningwear. Though the feeling was less couture and more pret-a-porter (a welcoming twist for Loukia, a fresh take at Makis Tselios and new perspectives from Kostantinos and Simeoni, for instance), the question now is what makes a designer stand out in ready-to-wear when faced with giant global apparel brands. Once again, the event pointed to a need to define boundaries. Should everybody be thrown together or should certain divisions perhaps be allowed? What if the more established fashion houses, focusing on more conventional sur-mesure and couture (an area which also needs some kind clarifying) showed separately from the very young? And there’s more: Does every single collection deserve time on the catwalk? Some designers might have benefited from a different kind of presentation, such as an installation, for example. The introduction of a showroom invited professionals for a closer inspection of the collections. In its first day of operation, the showroom saw only a handful of designers presenting their goods, while the pace picked up the following day. Foreign buyers expressed interest in some collections, with possible business deals in a couple of cases. The showroom remains a good idea but needs improvement if it wishes to go beyond acting as a «window» and create real business. Though the name of Sophia Kokosalaki has now become far more familiar to people in this country, the work of the London-based designer remains largely unknown to her fellow Greeks. As a special guest of the association for the third edition of the Athens Collections, Kokosalaki turned up to pick up an award on opening night, while 12 of her garments went on display at Zappeion. Though deprived of any explanatory information, the clothes exuded the designer’s signature style and became a mini-oasis for fashion reflection. Another welcoming injection was a group show of Greek photographers casting their lens on the black dress. There were elements of the subversive, beauty, humor and style, but no explanation about the provenance of the clothes. In collaboration with the Paris-based fashion press bureau Beatrice Manson, the association welcomed a select delegation of foreign buyers and press who came to Athens for the event – a few had already assisted at previous outings and happily noted some considerable progress. Once again the event unfolded thanks to the generous and consistent support of the private sector, led by Citibank’s Diners Club card, which acted as principal sponsor. It is no secret that the association has entered into discussions with the state via the Ministry of Development, for instance, but the public sector’s role in this growing fashion adventure remains to be seen. The collections A year following the first edition, the Diners Athens Collections InStyle still has the same questions lurking: Are the shows meant to please local clientele or generate trends that could have a local and international resonance? Here’s what the designers had to say about Fall-Winter 2006-2007. The season’s undisputed star collections came from Deux Hommes and Yiorgos Eleftheriades. Continuing their fashion quest, Deux Hommes worked extensively on textures, mixing elements from the 1980s with futurism and geometry with selective transparencies in a well-edited, well-fitted and particularly well-styled show. Everything was strong on the Yiorgos Eleftheriades runway – for both girls and boys – with a «Sharp Shape» collection focusing on, precisely, that. She might have the most-coveted wedding gown in town back in the atelier, but Loukia’s runway show was street-savvy and clever, translating a number of couturish ideas into daywear. Erifylli Nikolopoulou’s luxurious «Interludes» brought together different silhouettes, all bringing to the surface the designer’s penchant for beautiful handwork, such as intricate nervure. Leaving behind monochrome collections, Orsalia Parthenis went for bold color and wrapped jersey repeatedly around the body. Taking the family fashion house forward, Parthenis’s collection was about confidence and fresh volumes. Contrary to what was expected, two young fashion houses decided to play it safe, with ladylike, user-friendly, wearable collections which ultimately focused on generating business and developing clientele, as opposed to pushing their creativity to more influential boundaries. Angelos Bratis’s «fraternity» of all those going against bad taste resulted in a properly executed, pretty – and chic – collection for all ages, developed in a successful tandem with accessories designer Vassilis Zoulias and his Old Athens label. Meanwhile, Mi-Ro played with their favorite frills and polka-dots with a lot of garments requiring a better fit. Knitwear specialist Vasso Consola played with asymmetry and produced intriguing textures, not to mention knitted corsets and baby-dolls, though the show’s very slow pace diminished its power. A quicker pace would have equally benefited Thessaloniki’s Konstantinos show. The designer, who was in a black mood, showed ready-to-wear separates playing on shapes and volumes. True to his vision and what appears to be a successfully developing business, Christoforos Kotentos went for contrasts, some futurism and enough body wrapping, yet the designer did seem to go softer on his silhouette. HFD President Daphne Valente was in «Hide & Seek» mode, with a playful collection injecting mini-patchworks (made of flowers or checks, among others) on to a body of black. Cyprus-born Yiannos Xenis went for vibrant colors, checks and zebra patterns, while Lena Katsanidou showed a feminine, dramatic silhouette which included a corset dress and fitted kimonos. A desire for folklore was evident in the work of Fanny Voutsela, while Victoria Kyriakides went Jackie O and 1960s geometry with happy colors. Michalis Aslanis showed menswear and womenswear, as did fellow fashion veteran Makis Tselios, who went for fitted and balloon shapes all in rich fabrics for his faithful female clientele (Tselios too collaborated with Zoulias). Thessaloniki-based Simeoni was in an epic mood which translated into military styles and Byzantine influences. Hoods and pirate games on a slim, sexy silhouette featuring leather and lace combos was presented at Kathy Heyndels, while another crowd-pleaser, Liana Camba, went for transparencies, lots of sexy black, in a ready-to-go collection which seemed to be addressed to the young at heart and style. Girls want to have fun was the message at both Elina Lembessi and Celia D. For Lembessi, the story was a mix and match of winter and summer with above-the-knee hemlines and lots of appliques, while Celia D’s fashion reflected its creator’s youthfulness. A focused and well-tailored collection came for the veteran house of Christos Mailis, featuring silk shirts with pin-striped trousers. Up-and-coming Chara Lebessi moved away from her signature column dresses into a more relaxed direction of – still – sexy cocktail and evening numbers with pleats, metallic touches and lace, working on unexpected cuts. Two accessories shows presented back to back proved to be one of the fashion week’s highlights. Maria Mastori presented her «Frost» jewelry collection – with the creative help of promising designer Filep Motwary, who, by the way, deserves an HFD membership card – and showed a gorgeous collection of big and small which combined gold, silver, waxed papier de soie and wood. Following Mastori, Dimitris Dassios made good use of his dramatic flair for a fluid, voluptuous and nature-inspired collection of opulent jewelry pieces. There were no PETA protesters looking for an opportunity to have their say before, during or after the Thes & Thes leather and fur collection by Italy-based Thes Tziveli (showing for the first time in the Athens Collections, Tziveli has built a solid career in Italy). There was plenty of castor, mink, astrakhan and chinchilla on the catwalk, yet the show seemed a little bit too classic, though elaborate craftsmanship was evident throughout. Flamboyant Vassilios Kostetsos brought the Athens Collections three-day fashion marathon to an end with super model Eugenia acting as a guest star in a collection ranging from leggings and long trenchcoats to body-hugging eveningwear. Photo credits: Intersys AE (Canon) / Studio Rassias-Stef. Zacharakis. [email protected].
