"Israel Fashion Art 1948-2008"' Gown Made of 15,000 Coins in Today's Newspaper

Hi, It is hard to believe but this asymmetric silvery gown, fit for the red carpet, was created from 15,000 coins of agora collected by its designer' Shay Shalom's family over several decades. Shalom designed it for an international fashion show "50 Years of Fashion" held in the Roman amphitheater of Cesarea out of coins and I made sure to include its photo in my historic album-book "שיכרון עיצובים - אמנות האופנה בישראל  1948-2008"
"Israel Fashion Art - 1948-2008".

I found it ideal for the chapter about the use of coins, since it enables one to realize how far and how contemporary Israeli designers went since the times that coins decorated garments, such as the Yemenite hood and the Bedouin face chains of coins served as a means of survival for women who had to carry all their property on their own body.

I'm uploading this image' by Koko, today since it is featured today in Maariv's lifestyle magazine Signon in an article by Itai Yaacov about designer Shay Shalom. The magazine requested that I lend them this photo with which they wanted to illustrate Itai's article.

The model is Shirley Buganim, one of Israel's most successful models who works a lot overseas. The funny thing is that I was the first to discover her when she was still a high school student without even realizing it. It was after her school's fashion show that I chose several designs to be photographed and then went to choose a couple of the school's girls who should wear them for the spontaneous photo shoot right there on the schools' grounds. Shirley was the pretty girl I picked and the next day her photograph starred on "Yedioth Ahronoth" front pages.

To be honest, I had forgotten all about it, until a year or two later when the school's manager invited me to another fashion show there and said: "Remember!? It was by us that you had discovered the great model Shirley Buganim and published her very first fashion photograph in the newspaper!!!

"Israel Fashion Art 1948-2008" In Inbal Fradis' Website

Hi, Today I discovered the above picture from the "Israel Fashion Art 1948-2008" ,
 "שיכרון עיצובים - אמנות האופנה בישראל" album-book in its designer's Inbal Fradis' website. Inbal shows it as it is seen in the book, next to a couple of images of the book's cover. It is a textile design she had created during her years at the Shenkar college, in 2006, as a suggestion for a T shirt print.

I chose to include it in the book's chapter called "Talking Clothes" not only because its text expresses the spontaneous thoughts of a bicycle rider about the fun of bicycle-riding but also because of its composition, its color-combination and the humorist placement of the bicycle wheels....
What a fun print for a T shirt. If I were a fashion manufacturer, I would have bought it from Inbal, and would have printed it on T shirts, confident that it would have become a hit not only among bicycle riders but definitely at least among them...

Simona of "Fashion Israel" Blog: "Israel Fashion Art": "Really Great Take On Israeli Fashion"

Hi, One can't top the most exciting and heart-warming description/title: "A Masterpiece" which "Israel Fashion Art - 1948-2008" album-book
"שיכרון עיצובים - אמנות האופנה בישראל"
received a few days ago from the Chief Curator of Ramat-Gan's Museum of Israeli Art, Meir Ahronson (See previous post). But this doesn't lessen my enjoyment from other appreciative responses the book gets.

Yesterday, I discovered one such article published by Simona "an American in Israel" in her blog "Fashion Israel" (see link above). In her post devoted to the country's 62nd Independence Day, Simona writes: "For a really great take on Israeli Fashion  from the beginning of the creation of the state, check out Nurit Bat-Yaar's album book Israel Fashion Art 1948-2008....Even if you can't read Hebrew, its definitely an impressive look at the shaping of a new and beautiful country through fashion...it does have an English introduction... In any case a picture is worth a thousand words in fashion!
Rightfully so, Yuli Ziv of the site My It Things, proudly calls it Israel fashion bible!......you must read Yuli's interview with the "First Lady of Israeli fashion" published this past March. It gives you all true insight into the world of Israeli fashion then and now."

In the Ben Lam photo above (featured in Yuli Ziv's article) is a Lea Gottlieb design from 1976 for "Gottex" from the book's chapter on bathing suits: "Israel Miss World of Beachwear Fashion."

Thanks so much, Simona.

Museum Curators About "Israel Fashion Art 1948-2008": A Masterpiece

Hi, Today I would like to share with you a couple of very exciting responses the "Israel Fashion Art 1948-2008" album-book received from some leading museum curators. At the time, I was thinking of curating a fashion exhibition in one of Tel-Aviv's or its vicinity's art or design museums as a continuation to the book "שיכרון עיצובים - אמנות האופנה בישראל"
Throughout the years, I've saved some of the unique fashion pieces I've bought from creative designers and I know where to find spectacular additional ones in order to complete the picture. Hence I have been in touch with a couple of important museum curators about this idea, although not yet with all of whom I was thinking about.
From the two I have been in touch in the past couple of years, I recently received these highly appreciated responses. Meir Aharonson, Chief Curator and manager of Museum Ramat-Gan of Israeli Art wrote to me he saw this "fabulous book of yours"  ("הספר המופלא שלך
adding it is a "masterpiece"
("פאר היצירה,
and a "pure pleasure" indicating that "it fills an important place in history."

Kineret Palti, Curator of Eretz Israel Museum in Ramat-Aviv wrote how "very very happy this wonderful book" made her, adding that it is "a stunning book as well as profound and encompassing."

Thanks so much Meir Aharonson. Thanks very much Kineret Palti. I appreciate it very very much!!!

Today, Aug. 16,2010 - Another Eretz Israel Musem curator, Cecillia Maer commented on the book:
ססיליה מאיר Cecillia Meir Jaimovich, Coins exhibition curator, Muzeum Eretz Israel Aug.16, 2010
Shalom Nurit, I'v tried several times to contact you in order to congratulate you on your book...It is simply Stunning..... Warm greetings from me. Kudos!!!!
Cecillia.
Thank you Cecillia to enabling the use of some of your charming historic coins photos from your exhibit's cataloge.
‫

"Israel Fashion Art 1948-2008" TV Ch 2 Interview March 1, 2010

Hi, Today I would like to share with you the first TV interview about the "ISRAEL FASHION ART 1948-2008"album-book.

"שיכרון עיצובים - אמנות האופנה בישראל"

It was screened on TV Channel 2's morning show hosted by TV star Moshe Datz on March 1, 2010,

shortly after the book came out. Datz was very enthusiastic introducing the book as an amazing encyclopedia. Although the interview began with a discussion about Maskit, the first uniquely Israeli fashion house, the first pictures displayed in the program were of my early modeling days, in an orange grove in preparation for a popular orange-picking postcard, modeling Elanit Knits outfit, and a calendar for a color manufacturing company.

Subsequently, some of the book's photos were displayed including a Fini Leitersdorf for Maskit gown inspired by a Yohanan Simon painting, a Vitzo-Haifa creation, a Leah Gottlieb for Gottex beachwear set, a Rozi Ben-Yosef kefeya inspired design, and a Yaron Minkowski Eurovision dress made out of Bucharian embroidered tablecloth, which Orna Datz performed in. Yoav Meir was sitting beside me in the studio during the interview. He was a Project Runway participant who now has his own TV program "Urban Fashion."

"Israel Fashion Art 1948-2008" on TV Ch 2 July 9 2010

Hi, today I'm happy to share with you "Israel Fashion Art 1948-2008" album-book's appearance on Israel's TV's Channel. 2, the country's leading channel, in Shimon Parnas show "A Dream of the Mediterranean" (in Hebrew it rhymes with Window to the Mediterranean). This is the 4th TV interview about the album-book that I was invited to and it includes quite a number of photos from the book. Among them are the star-singer Ofra Haza's Yemenite coin hood, Shai Shalom's asymetrical coin gown which was created from 15,000 old Israeli coins collected by his family and Silvia Vered's coin tunic which was inspired by the Europe's monetary change to the Euro

The years of the country's inception are represented by the Kova Tembel hat, the British- Mandate style military hat and the Palmach Kova Gerev hat. Other photos from the book shown were of designs by Maskit (modeled by yours truly in her youth), Gottex (modeled by the fabulous Naomi Campbell), Irit (modeled by the stunning Bar Refaeli), Kedem Sasson, Yaron Minkowsky, Shenkar most talented students, Princess Diana with Lea Gottlieb from whom she ordered a very wide selection of her Gottex beach-wear wardrobe, Lanvin's Alber Elbaz (who was kind enough to write an inspiring introduction to the book) with Sarah Jessica Parker in one of his lovely gowns, and several other pictures

The thumbnail picture of the video is a Yaniv Edri photo of Shay Shalom design from the book's chapter about the hood called: "From our Biblical Mother Rachel - To Hip-Hop" .

Hope you will enjoy this video. If you have any questions about it or its photos - please don't

hesitate to ask me about it....

Israel Fashion Art 1948-2008 in Yedioth Ahronoth's Shenkar's 40th Article

Hi, On the occasion of Shenkar's 40th anniversary, Michal Levi, "Yedioth Ahronoth"'s fashion writer devoted a major article to the fashion college's most successful graduates. Since many of them are featured in

"שיכרון עיצובים - אמנות האופנה בישראל 1948-2008"

She was kind enough to consult with me as to the ones which should be included in the best graduates list choosing their designs' photos from the book's very wide selection.

"The one who followed Shenkar's thousands of students throughout the years is Nurit Bat-Yaar, "Yedioth Ahronoth"'s former mythic journalist who marked the most talented students who in time became famed international designers.", writes Michal Levi, "many of them are featured in her book "Israel Fashion Art" which documents Israel's fashion throughout the ages. Together we created the list of graduates who made it to the top". Among the ones known internationally listed in the article is Lanvin's Alber Elbaz. "In her book Nurit Bat-Yaar describes how she noticed his talent manifested in the fashion illustrations Elbaz showed her 30 years ago when he was still a soldier". Regarding Koby Halperin (who is also featured in the book) Michal writes: "In 1998, Nurit Bat-Yaar marked Kobi Halperin's final collection as one of the most noteworthy of his class. Starting 1999, he has been heading the design department of Eli Tahari."

Among my other discoveries who left their mark were Zuri Gueta, Victor Bellaish, Yaron Minkowski, and Yossi Katsav who are all featured in the book as well as in the article. Pictures of Shenkar's graduates' designs who made it from the book to the article are (from top) London's Avshalom Gur, recycled design (taken by Ean Gilet), Clodette Zorea's design (photo: Rami Zarneger) who got her an offer from Gaultier, and Yaron Minkowski's creation (photo: Eldad Maestro) made from flea-market Bucharian embroidered table cloth which made it to Eurovision.