From Ottoman Caftans to Istanbul Fashion Week

Last week the Turkish Cultural Foundation announced an online gallery of caftans from the Style & Status exhibit praised in the Washington Post and the New York Times.

So I had a look.

 


Later I read this Zelfist post by Zehra Elif Taş questioning the designers chosen to show their collections this week at Istanbul Fashion Week. I asked her who she would like to see in the show, and this is what she responded.

Thinking from a Behind the Bazaar perspective, I was curious what connected the first event to the second; how are today's Turkish fashion designers influenced by what the Ottoman Empire left behind?

How's this?

 





Or what about the designer Arzu Kaprol whose philosophy is:

"to express her enthusiasm within a context where many details reflect the mystery of the city and the Ottoman culture."

Maybe it's a good question for Zehra - Which of today's Turkish designers are most inspired by their past? Which collections best exhibit influences from Turkey's rich cultural heritage?


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{Caftan images from Style and Status}
{Cintamani print dress image from Idil Tarzi}
{Quote from Arzu Kaprol}

7 comments:

  1. Recently ran across your sites and projects. Finding it inspiring thanks...

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  2. Thank you - that's a very nice thing to say!

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  3. Cemil Ipekci, who is one of my favorite Turkish designers, interpretes the Ottoman by using precious fabrics like Suzani or Ikat. And Dilek Hanif presented her breathtaking collection called "Ottoman Fairytale" last year in Paris. (By the way, I love your blog. Istanbul is my hometown. Added to to my blogroll.)
    Warm regards,
    Esra :)

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  4. I'm so glad you mentioned Cemil Ipekci who is very good at incorporating Anatolian motifs into his designs. I love Dilek Hanif as well - I think she's one of my favorites. Sevgilerimizle!

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  5. I love Cemil Ipekci, the first to use the star and crescent amazingly well in fashion (though didn't he have quite some trouble over it?) His website is fun, with dervishes and Mevlana quotes but not enough design photos...noticed he's doing a fashion school in Mardin and a silk project of sorts in Diyarbakir. I HAVE to learn what that's all about!

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  6. love Cemil Ipekci, the first to use the star and crescent amazingly well in fashion (though didn't he have quite some trouble over it?) His website is fun, with dervishes and Mevlana quotes but not enough design photos...noticed he's doing a fashion school in Mardin and a silk project of sorts in Diyarbakir. I HAVE to learn what that's all about!

    (And sorry if this posts twice, Figen!)

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  7. A couple of years ago I worked on the Bridge from Woman to Woman project with KAGIDER and sold some Cemil Ipekci designed tablecloths/runners that women in Mardin had painted. Here are some photos: http://citarasblog.blogspot.com/2007/11/first-trunk-show-of-season.html.

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