Coins - From 1968 Fashion week to TLV's 2012 FW & "Israel Fashion Art" Book.

Dorit Bar Or, "Dodo". Photo: Avi Valdman
TLV Fashion Week for s/s 2012

Tel Aviv Fashion Week organised and produced by fashion shows' director and TV producer Motty Reif and by Ophir Lev of the Israeli Textile and Fashion Association brough an air of glam to the country's cultural capital last week. Guest of honor Roberto Cavalli showed his s/s 2012 fabulous collection and fashion reporters from the international arena arrived to cover 16 fashion shows of local Israeli designers. One of the new designers who inaugurated her catwalk experience during the TLV FW was Dorit Bar-Or of "Dodo". Bar-Or was also one of the few designers whose collection was inspired by Israel's cultural heritage. Her main motive being golden coins - she concluded her show with a short performance by a profesional belly dancer.

All this brought to mind my album-book "Israel Fashion Art"  "שיכרון עיצובים - אמנות האופנה בישראל"
and its chapter: "Coins - from Mobile bank to the Sexiest Sight on the Beachfront". In this chapter I trace the source of the use of the coins element in clothing from the times coins were integrated in Yemenite womens' hoods and in Beduine women's veils to whom they served as a means of survival till modern times in which they are used as a purely decorative element.

The use of coins in modern day Israel had a special significance. If I may quote my own words in my book: 'coins that turned up in archeological digs...exposed the biblical past and helped create a unifyng national identity for citizens of Israel who were gathered from exile, and also confirmed our ancient claim to the land of our fathers." Through the designs of Fini Leitersdorf of "Maskit" and her followers coins became one of the most exciting components of the new original Israeli style both as a unique, exotic ornament and as a medium that bridged the past and the present.

A 1968 Fini Leitersdorf creation for "Maskit". Photo (exclusive to "Israel Fashion Art" album-book by Nurit Bat-Yaar): Peter Hertsog

Above, you can see the use of coins in a "Maskit" creation shown in 1968 Fashion Week. In some of my previous posts I've uploaded other coins images from "Israel Fashion Art" book such as the Yemenite coins hood worn by singer Ofra Haza (Nov. 9, 2010 post) and the 1997 red-carpet style coins gown of Shay Shalon (July 28, 2010 post). Dorit Bar-Or whose design image is at the top of this post manifests yet another exciting interpretation of the subject. In her design the element which corresponds with Israel's cultural heritage is combined with the current geometric trend which gives it a whole new perspective.

Dorit Bar-Or's finale, describes above, also corresponded with some the book's coins-chapter opening lines: "...there's nothing more intoxicating...than the site of gold coins twirling, glinting, delicately chiming, when they're wrapped around the silky curves of an exotic dancer."

Roberto Cavali, TLV Fashion Week & "Israel Fashion Art" Album-Book

The photo exclusive to "Israel Fashion Art" album-book by Nurit Bat-Yaar shows 1973' Tamara Yovel Jones designs
for Roberto Cavali modeled by Tamara herself and former beauty queen Hava Levi

TLV's Fashion Week produced by Motty Reif in co-operation with Israel's Textile Association planned for later this month - will feature a special guest appearance of Italian designer Roberto Cavali. Cavali who would present his 2012 collection would give the event an exciting international touch. Few of the distinguished viewers of the TLV FW, among them fashion editors who are expected to arrive from abroad are aware of the long romance Cavali has with Israeli creativity.
But, in "Israel Fashion Art" "שיכרון עיצובים - אמנות האופנה בישראל" I devoted a whole chapter to the success stories of Israeli designers around the world one of which was that of Tamara Yovel Jones.
Tamara was actually the first Israeli fashion designer who was adopted by an overseas fashion house and this fashion house was Roberto Cavali's. "I always felt that I could work anywhere and by joining
Cavali I proved it", Tamara told me adding that "after starting to design for him in 1972 this fashion house more than doubled the demand for its outfits."
In the 1990's, she recommended to Cavali several of her Shenkar graduates. Among them were Victor (Vivi) Belaish, Alon Siman Tov, and Rotem Ram. The collections these three Israelis designed for Cavali were so unique and creative that during their time there the Cavali fashion house was referred to as the new Gaultier.

"Israel Fashion Art", Tel-Aviv Museum of Art, & Prof. Motty Omer.

"Israel Fashion Art" by Nurit Bat-Yaar book's jacket
Photo on left by Miri Davidovits. Author's portrait by Ron Kedmi.

Hi, the other day I was invited to the official openning of the Tel-Aviv Museum of Art's new extraordinary building in which eight diferent art exhibits opened simultaneously. It was quite a unique
experience architechtulary, artistically and socially. The museum's 6 new floors were overflowing
with art lovers of all ages and there were quite a number of fashionistas dressed in individualistic
looks expressing exciting personal styles.

Yet, in the midst of  all the excitement I couldn't help feeling sad that the person behind this initiative,
Prof. Motty Omer, General Manager and Chief curator of Tel-Aviv Museum Of Art wasn't there
to enjoy this great achievement of his. It was he who chose American architect Preston Scott to create this geometric structure regarded as part of the sercond wave of unique wow architecture after Farnk Gery's Bilbau's Guggenheim.

Unfortunately, Prof. Omer, passed away several months before the new structure was completed.
This was a very sad experience for me personally as well. About 3-4 months before Prof. Omer left for a better world - I met him at the opening of an art exhibit in one of the galleries of the old building. It was after my book "Israel Fashion Art"  "שיכרון עיצובים - אמנות האופנה בישראל" (Resling) came out and was sold in the Museum's lovely book and artifacts store.

Prof. Omer must have read the book and I can only assume that he was highly impressed by it, particularly by the chapters devoted to the love story between fashion and art and the dialogue between fashion and sculpture . Because, when he saw me at that opening at the gallery mentioned above - he told me: "It's about time we do something together". Since I very much wanted to curate a fashion exhibit as as continuation to the book, I replied: "בשמחה רבה" meaning "with great joy".

To emphasie his true intention Prof. Omer repeated his suggestion: "הגיע הזמן שנעשה משהו ביחד" and I,
in response, repeated my reply: "gladly, with great  joy". But, life apparently had other plans, as shortly afterword Prof. Omer had to be hospitalised, eventually leaving the mondane art world in order to perhaps meet in heaven art's greatest masters. May his soul rest in peace.

The new Tel-Aviv Museum structure inaugurated Nov.1,2011