I’m not very good at conjuring up looks of straight forward prettiness. Hence why there will always be a lingering question mark hovering above what I wear. Nothing I put together will ever be universally declared as ‘pretty’ and I have accepted that with glee.
Therefore, when a label strikes me as being ‘pretty’, it does mean that it’s not going to be everybody’s cup of prettiness Perhaps our images of the word have moved on though from all things pink and girly and it isn’t a light or superfluous word. That’s certainly the type of pretty I would use to describe Ivana K’s SS08 collection ‘Dr Dygo’. I was meant to be seeing this stuff in person a few months ago but missed out and I could not help but use her collection shamelessly to illustrate my kind of prettiness.
Ivana Koceva hails from Macedonia and studied at the Instituo Marangoni in Milan, working for Clements Ribeiro and Vivienne Westwood after that. Two years ago, she launched her own label and the collections seem to grow from strength to strength. The collection is named as such because Ivana was inspired by the eternal search for immortality and enhancement of the modern body. She explored the flow of fabrics against the feminine form whilst keeping the palette quite minimal. Fabrics like washed silks and nets are used to create a sort of structured diaphanous-ness (didn’t mean that to be that much of a mouthful!).
See how I could not have kept these dresses all to my greedy self… ?
I like this post because it supports the notion that fashion is art.
I looove those dresses!
oh gosh…these are beautiful…
it makes me want to sew and stuff. oh dear…
They are beautiful…where are they stocked?
You make an interesting point, Susie, about “pretty.” I am with you on that anti-pretty platform, wanting something to have a quirky twist in color or shape, something a little eccentric and not traditional.
This is a marvelous collection for showcasing just that! Thanks for bringing it to our attention. These dresses–and the darker ones especially–have an earthy organic quality to them that looks slightly unruly. Just lovely!
I think it’s time we reclaimed pretty, the way we need to reclaim “nice” and “interesting.” When I call someone nice it’s a geniuine compliment, and only truly interesting things should be called interesting. Words aren’t placeholders. So pretty should make a comeback as a good thing, not a bunch of pink ribbons and bows (not that those, too, could not be good things).
The dresses ARE pretty! The models on the other hand…
Biba: If you email Ivana K, you should get a stockist list relevant to you.
Suzanna: I too, like the unruly quality about them…. not too precious kind of pretty.
Thom Wong: You’re right…what is wrong with ‘nice’ and ‘interesting’….. these are known to be mundane words…. I think we need to change that!
Agreed that these are so, so pretty. Sigh.
Ivana K is availalbe at Potassium Store, London, and also Babylone, Osaka and Tokyo.
Anyone that wants a little more information or has any questions, please just drop me a line on
picklepr@mac.com and I’ll be super pleased to spill!