Undone

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Throngs of champagne, wine, a varied array of canapes, meze, baklava and sea spray will cease tomorrow and I'll need to show something other than an engorged gut.  It has to be said that Istanbul's complex DNA in ALL respects has made the fashion scene here harder to crack, analyse and dissect than other cities.  For a start, Istanbul Fashion Week in its organised entirity is only in its THIRD season and that beyond the schedule, you get the feeling there's FAR more to be discovered in the local fashion design scene.  One that's sadly not going to get explored by incompetent me.  I've got one more day… and my fingers are still crossed though.

Still, if from the shows, I take nothing away but the name Zeynep Tosun, then I'm leaving Istanbul as someone who's been fashion-sated.  Whilst being sea-sprayed on a Bosphorus cruise today, several other international editors/journos were also raving about her which should give Tosun an international boost.  I can't gather too much information on the designer herself but seeing as her collection was shown as part of a group show, I think she's a fairly young designer.  Actually I can only really dig information on her via Facebook page. I'll take it though.

Afterall, all I really need to know is that what I saw had a spark to it.  A reader who spoke of cultural appropriation in fashion and that it really needed to haveseveral degrees of abstraction to it and this has seemingly stuck with me the past few weeks through my travels.  What of course I forgot to say/mention on that cultural appropriation in fashion post is that when you're inspired by your own culture/ethnicity/surroundings/heritage, onlookers definitely feel that extra sense of attachment/connection between designer and collection, that personal tie making the clothes seem more poignant.  Tosun has therefore ticked both these boxes.  I can't EXACTLY articulate her influences because only she can be specific about what she did, but loosely, I'm able to draw parallels between the colours and familiar motifs that are rife in Istanbul to elements of the collection, thanks to the amount of sightseeing I've done these past few days.

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DSC_3214 (Textiles hanging outside the Blue Mosque, paint pigments in some hardware stall-selling street, one of the rooms in the harem in Topkapi Palace)

On top of the obvious colours, the floral embroidery, the choice of fabrics though is Tosun's own sensibility towards the notion of 'undone'.  The shirt dress that is unbuttoned down the front.  The sheer qualities of a negligee.  The exposure of certain areas.  This is physically interpreted through different variations on the shirt dresses, shirt-front robes and button down skirts that are cut-into strategically with slits and plenty of peekaboo areas.  Sexy and mumsy roll into Tosun's collection in similar ways that definitely is rooted into Miuccia Prada's design ideology.  High waisted knickers, sharply cut bustiers, sheer fabrics, emphasis on wee ankles and wrists as well as the exposed shoulder all tug and pull with the almost mormon-esque ribbons in the hair, the clunky tassels on a heavy cape, floral embroidery and patterns and the mid-calf lengths.  Makes me almost want to have a go at slitting away at some of my high-necked vintage tea dresses to see what conceal/reveal results I can get…

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The path from her last A/W 10-11 collection to the one just shown above isn't inconceivable with the cut-out soft tailoring already beginning to take hold.  Again, I may be wrong about Istanbul's make-up influencing elements of the collection above, and if so, then I applaud the connection even more.  Istanbul's celebration of its current cultural city status may or may not have have impacted on Tosun and her work but the important thing was the subtlety in the resulting collection.

Her A/W 10-11 collection:

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35 comments

  4. I love the gaudy jacket at the end. And I am impressed with the use of slits in full length dresses. Can’t wait to hear you speak at IFB conference.

  5. love all the light drapey pieces. your blog is great! stop by some time…www.girlonsycamore.com

  7. Wow, the cuttaway sections do really transform the pieces and make them so interesting. You should totally do a DIY effort with some old vintage tea-dresses or slips. I’d love to see the results!
    Christina x

  8. It all looks so beautiful! I love it. It’s so much more refreshing than Paris/London/NY fashion week!

  13. wow, these bright yellow and sky blue dresses are fab, there is definitely a certain cultural feel going on, including detail and embroidery, which i thought was absolutely amazing, loved the silhouettes of these pieces too. looks like you had a lot of fun there. thanks for sharing
    vasilieva
    http://elenavasilieva.blogspot.com/
    xx

  14. Wow, all of these dresses are amazing!! my favorite is definitely the bright blue dress!! I also love the black cut out dress!! everything is just beautiful. I wish I could own it all!!
    fashionanatomie.blogspot.com

  17. ok, going to Istanbul is cool enough. but going for Istanbul Fashion Week is absolutely blooming insane. you lucky little lady. hope you have a great last day 🙂

  19. love the last pic the most!!
    check out my fashion blog at thetalesofselfindulgence.blogspot.com
    just updated the new post today!!
    or follow me on twitter at TTOFindulgence

  20. I love the snake-print suit with the tasselled shoulders -something I’d usually think was trashy but it looks CLASSY.

  23. I don’t care much for Tosun’s A/W 10-11 collection – well done but too generic.
    HOWEVER the runway stuff…. is precisely what I hope to see come out of Istanbul. Those colors and textures, even the cuts (flowy, open front etc) are very palace-like – a fantastic interpretation. Looking forward to see her future collections.

  24. Hi,
    Is there an email where I can inquire about next year’s IFW? I went on their site and of course, it wasn’t in English and no email….. Thanks and I hope to hear from you soon.

  25. Heather, there is an English option on the site but which country are you from…. BPCM handle the PR for all European, American press…

  26. Aaahh!those pictures are amazing!!i love the yellow pieces since it’s my fave color lately. this post really inspiring 🙂

  27. ı can make pattern for dıs modells because amazing all of models are living
    studyodesign eyup bakırcı

  28. Whilst being sea-sprayed on a Bosphorus cruise today, several other international editors/journos were also raving about her which should give Tosun an international boost.

  30. I can’t gather too much information on the designer herself but seeing as her collection was shown as part of a group show, I think she’s a fairly young designer.

  31. I can’t gather too much information on the designer herself but seeing as her collection was shown as part of a group show, I think she’s a fairly young designer.

  32. I’m leaving Istanbul as someone who’s been fashion-sated. Whilst being sea-sprayed on a Bosphorus cruise today, several other international editors/journos were also raving about her which should give Tosun an international boost.

  35. I can’t gather too much information on the designer herself but seeing as her collection was shown as part of a group show, I think she’s a fairly young designer.

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