Made In Turkey: Suede, Beading Texturises Istanbul Design

Özgür Masur Established in 2008, the Turkish designer presented a regal collection big-on embellished silk and embroidered trinkets for FW15. Entitled ‘Whisper’ (alluding to each woman’s story softly told to the wind) fabrics were feathered and satiny, carrying beads or encrusted. Cut above the knee mini-frocks and rah-rah skirts sat over thigh-high boots in suede, before silk gowns swept the floor in a palace way – geometric cut-outs on the bodice adding angles to the halter-neck forms. And then there were Anime-inspired, front-tie bows. It was a molten pool of Sixties and Eighties silhouettes with Seventies and Twenties fabric play.Meltem Ozbek   2012 design newcomer, Meltem Ozbek is known for her elegant leather dresses, jackets, and minimalist bags. In signature style, Ozbek threw a leather-clad collection of wicked black down the runway in Istanbul. With slicked hair, rock ’n’ roll was the theme: ribbed-sleeved biker jacket dresses opening the show, before, softening with pastel silver mohair sweater and fluid gowns with reflective bead contour lines. Fish scale-look leather swam on pants in armadillo green, as well as a V-neck mini dress with front split. Interestingly, suede thigh-boots, like at the Masur show, were used. Selim Baklaci Swiss-born Selim Baklaci shot to fame when he won ‘Project Runway Turkey’ in 2007. Opting for a mannequin show space this year to show his sports luxe aesthetic,Baklaci ran a mostly black palette for his athletic men’s and women’s wear collection, with details of bottle green blood red, yellow and wine. Asymmetric A-line skirts met with sheer-look knits deconstructed with the backs missing; hoods in neoprene fibers sat over sheer-panel, boxer shorts; while silk ruffles and stretch-fiber bows feminized the unisex mac coats in wool. Özlem Kaya   Mimar Sinan University graduate and disciple of Hakaan Yildirim, Özlem Kaya opened her namesake label in 2004. A pioneer of the feminine gown, Kaya’s AW15 collection offered finely tailored dresses and blouses that drew on streetwear ideals. Not one for conventional materials, there were patent olive green leather trenches, velvet safari suits, bugle beading and sheer tulle rose-motif skits, and a heavily embroidered bomber jacket – emphasizing Fall’s obsession with opulent fabrics and Seventies silhouettes. Cashmere In Love Cashmere In Love, founded in 2007 by Esra Bezek, is just like it sounds – a visual love child between Italy’s Loro Piana and France’s APC. From ’74Studio, Bezek offered minimalism on sport different hues of red, blue, and gray. There were structured man-look pants and diagonal-cut skirts on the bias (sliced at 45 degrees to the fabric’s warp and weft in thread), making up the pure kit collections. Silk blend wools added subtle sheen to tops – perfect for the achieved woman.