Studio-Phoenix Blogspot: Melani Dimitrovska: Haute Couture in Skopje

Photos courtesy of the artists.

Melani Dimitrovska: Haute Couture in Skopje. By K.K.W

In previous eras high fashion descended from styles worn at royal courts and trickled down to the lower levels of society. Throughout the early 20th century practically all high fashion originated in Paris and to a lesser extent London. Fashion magazines from other countries sent their editors to Paris fashion shows. Major social changes(especially having to do with women), war, technological advancement, and cultural exchange are part of what brought fashion to this point today.

Melani Dimitrovska

Match all this with rouges and radicals who defied the norm and came up with new methods for creating fashion, and you have Haute couture. Melani Dimitrovska of Macedonia is one of those radicals helping to bring new laurels home to the Balkans, and her city, Skopje. Her fantastic designs were featured in fashion weekend Skopje, October 2011 and Bitola Fashion week, April 2011. When you look at them you see the core of her designs are color, texture, pattern, form, and contemporary/classical elements. The designs move between haute couture and modern costumes that would be perfect for epic plays or the set of a great movie.

A strong recurring element in her designs are lines, most if not all her 2011 designs have this feature. Given what I have learned about contemporary young Macedonians, lines account for a large part of there lives, those they cross, and those they at times feel they cannot, at least not yet. "The leading idea in these designs was creating a texture, both visual and tactile. The material used in the making of the dresses was folded many times and the folds were sewn together in order to achieve the desired effect-the lines". The "future warrior" line(inspired by women in untypical professions and social positions such as women-warriors, women drivers etc.)dresses are made of leather, plain fabric, some non-stretch material, also reflective materials and some with uneven surfaces.

The effect is powerful, going perfectly with the materials, cut, and fit, reinforcing the sexy, stylish retro-futuristic look of her creations. Some of Melani's designs have the look of classical Roman/Greek mens wear(Tunic & Exomis)spliced with an ultra modern, "days of the future past" look, and a clever method of construction. Amazingly enough her creations are not based on the work of any current designers, she simply wanted to create a line thats is very contemporary. Melani Dimitrovska's creations are a stunning example of emerging Haute Couture from young designers in Skopje. They exude elements of her astonishing culture, strength, style, intelligence, charm, and beauty. If you would like to know more, go to:http://facebook.com/melani.dimitrovska, or to learn more about fashion in Macedonia:www.fashionmk.com/content.php?id=1279. The models for Melani's dresses were provided by Podium model agency, hair and make up by Studio Joy. "Art is the reason, art is the way"