Erdem Pre-Fall 2023
Erdem Moralioglu shifted his focus from artists and creatives and instead looked at a specific period in history. He drew inspiration from the second half of the 19th century, and the year 1860 in particular, digging deep into Victoriana and pondering the impact of a growing industrialization on society and fashion.
“I wanted to dive deep into a specific year, put a forensic lens on it and look at fabrics, dyes, proportions and how garments were made,” said the designer.
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He worked with clear eyes and a light touch, adding jet beads and dark ruffles to a slim skirt suit; placing a single broderie anglaise detail on the sleeve of a trench, or a delicate sprig of flowers on the arm of a houndstooth jacket.
There were nods to the past here, but no nostalgia.
His broderie anglaise dresses with their wide skirts and bib collars winked to petticoats and prim undergarments — but that was all. The designer toughened them up with knee-high black boots or mannish shoes and belts.
His unusual color palette was inspired by the Victorians’ toxic brews and garment dyes. He worked arsenic green into knitwear and a long V-neck dress with a floaty cape and used calamine pink for a sequined gown.
There was even a nod to Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s 19th-century short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” about a woman trapped mentally, and physically, in a deserted nursery. It came in the form of a floor-sweeping, tiered yellow dress with — what else? — a flower and vine wallpaper print.
Launch Gallery: Erdem Pre-Fall 2023
