Panache Offblast

I feel so awful for not keeping my promise on updating the other day! I’ve been so exhausted this weekend with Georgetown’s Fashion’s Night Out (update on that soon!) and working at the salon! Both are new to me AND the owners – so you can imagine how crazy it all was! But I return to you from my former post with a final update (like I promised a while back!) on Istanbul Fashion Week. As I’ve stated before, Istanbul is an ideal place to showcase the blossoming fascination with style and fashion in the beautiful country of Turkey. Sponsors of Istanbul Fashion Week this past August included Elle Magazine, Fashion TV, Red Bull and Vodafone. The outcome as I’ve seen it was truly magnificent, and I can assure that the following seasons and years to come will be even greater.

It may only be three seasons old, but Istanbul Fashion Week definitely left visitors craving more Turkish delights. Turkey already has a reputation as the world’s fourth largest clothing exporter with apparel shipments being worth US$12.9. It also magnifies as one of the fastest growing economies in the world, having a young and dynamic population, which makes it an incredibly appealing spot for fashion firms desiring to break into new markets. The performance at IFW included a gathering of the best of the country’s fashion in the city’s Itu Taskisla Campus. One of the many amazing things I know about Istanbul from going there a number of times is their extensive use of beautiful textiles. This came as no surprise then that the highlights of the week included quality finishes, intricately constructed fabrics, and incredibly experimented textures.  Also, many of the ready-to-wear collections featured designs and prints that were greatly inspired by the Turkish culture as a whole, another factor I truly love. Aside from the typical runways seen at fashion shows, a few Turkish designers had their own unique approach with a presentation and exhibit-like showcase instead – it really made their creations stand out even more as pieces of art.