FRANCE: Dice Kayek kicks off Paris fashion week with futuristic collection

For her spring/summer 2007 collection, Dice Kayek kicked off Paris Fashion week with a series of dresses in the spirit of couture collections. Ece Ege, the designer behind the label, was born in Bursa, in northwestern Turkey. She spent her youth, beside her jeweller father, in the heart of the ancient metropolis, rich in history and architecture. For her first collection in 1991, she created 13 shirts in white poplin, conceived a bit for herself. The success lead to the launching of her prêt-à-porter line Dice Kayek in 1992. As the seasons passed, so did the silhouettes - eternally sophisticated, playing with contrast: voluminous skirts flirt with small blouses, tailored suits adjusted to waistline, small chest dresses with wide trousers. Inspired by everything from Japanese kimonos to North African djellabas, today Dice Kayek mixes tradition with modernity in her collection. "I've always liked Japan. I love it. Their culture, their tradition, their designs. So the kimono is always omnipresent in my collection - although it's a deviation. For example we have a yellow dress in satin duchesse which was inspired by the kimono," Ege said pointing to the piece backstage. Between minimalist construction and an abundance of detailing including embroidery, the entire collection had a futuristic accent. In sober tones of cream, black and metallics, the dresses in cubic forms offered pure and attractive silhouettes. "This is a futuristic collection which has no date like the 60s or the 70s. I believe we have to do something for the future because the future is important. Everything is in the form, the comfort and in the material - material which is very noble and comfortable because they are light and floaty and the forms are ample," Ege added. She keeps elements of old luxury found in careful details on the seams, collars and sleeves with unsuspected pleats and hand-made embroidery. Dice, her second line launched in 1994, presented an 'everyday' fashion, casual and colourful, in softer prices. Ege was chosen "Femme en Or" in 2003, an award given to the most successful women in France. Her new boutique in Paris, housed in a former antiques shop, carries a selection of her signature little black dresses which, like almost everything in her store, are made in Turkey.

ITN Source | October 6, 2006

Tags:. .although. .youth. .spent. .african. .example