Photo: Isri Halpern. Design: Menusi-Benoish. Styling: Nurit Bat-Yaar

Photo: Isri Halpern. Design: Menusi-Benoish. Styling: Nurit Bat-Yaar
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Monday, April 30, 2012

Ilanit's Eurovision Dress & Israel Fashion Art Album-Book

Hi, At least three gowns which were worn by Israel's representatives to the European song competition Eurovision are mentioned in "Israel Fashion Art"  "שיכרון עיצובים - אמנות האופנה בישראל". One is Orna Datz dress which was designed by Yaron Minkowski from emboidered Bucharian table cloths purchased in Jaffa's flea market. Another is Gali Attari's dress on pants designed by Dorin Frankfurt. And yet another is the caftan Rozi Ben-Joseph designed for Ilanit's 1973 Eurovision appearance.

Ilanit's 1973 participation in the international song contest was Israel's first time in it and it won her the honorable  4th place. But this is not the reason I'm bringing it up now. This week Ilanit is going to star in the television program "Dancing with Stars" and according to her appearance in a sexy black lace gown in the show's promo it looks like she is going to be a big hit.

This brought to mind her Eurovision biblical caftan about which I wrote in my book since there's an interesting story behind it. The fabric it was made of was originally a fabric used to make simple kitchen towels. But since it was made from a weaving and knitting combination technique it had a slightly 3D texture which aroused the designer's interest who upgraded it with colorful stripes inspired by Beduin fabric. She then decorated it with a crochet knitting.

The dress aroused a lot of interest in Europe and Rozi Ben-Joseph got a lot of orders for it. In order to cope with them she hired the help of elderly ladies in an old age home who recreated the crochet knitting decorations. After all the orders were completed and the caftans were shipped the golden-age ladies were disappointed that they aren't needed any longer. In order to make them happy and provide them with income  Rozi decided to decorate additional gowns with crochet pieces.