Over 16,532,506 people are on fubar.
What are you waiting for?
Merav Solo spends her working life at the seam — the delicate one between pieces of a wedding gown, and the even more delicate one between pieces of the patchwork quilt that is Israel society.
“It doesn’t matter if a bride is Arab, secular Israeli, charedi or Druze — they want the same thing when they visit me,” the Haifa-based couture Israeli bridal gown designer said. While a Druze bride might request no transparent lace and sleeves that reach the wrists, a secular Israeli bride might want a plunging neckline or backless number. In spite of the complicated cultural mores, differences Solo must negotiate sensitively but stylishly, she said, “Every woman wants to feel beautiful and sexy on her wedding day.”
Solo was speaking at a reception recently following an event during New York International Bridal Week, an annual gathering of more than 250 bridal gown designers from around the world. She had just watched as models paraded her seductive gowns down a runway at Pier 94 on the Hudson River. As designers, buyers and models in sleek white gowns mingled and sipped flutes of Champagne, Solo, dressed in a short black dress, was beaming. In a career spanning more than 20 years, this was the first time her creations were being shown in New York.
Inside the Pier 94 hangar, with sweeping views of the Hudson, eight emerging Israeli designers sent their lines down the runway to a medley of upbeat Middle Eastern tunes, including a remix of “Hava Nagila.” Organized in part by the Israeli Foreign and Tourism ministries, the show highlighted Israeli designers’ influence in the world of bridal fashion.
Samantha Kane, a brand management executive at Brides, the bridal fashion magazine of Condé Nast, said that editors are showing an increasing interest in Israeli designers, particularly Inbal Dror, a leading designer from Tel Aviv who completed her fashion studies in Israel. While it is difficult to quantify the influence of Israeli fashion designers, Kane said, their collective name recognition has gone up drastically.
To be sure, Israeli designers are no strangers to international acclaim. In the wake of Lea Gottlieb, who made a splash with her swimsuit designs going back to the 1960s, a handful of well-known Israelis already are established in the fashion world; they include Alber Elbaz from the Parisian house of Lanvin and Yigal Azrouel, who has a boutique in the meatpacking district.
Yoav Rish, another Israeli designer who sent wedding gowns down the runway, grew up in a charedi family in the city of Petah Tikvah, east of Tel Aviv. From a young age, he loved experimenting with different types of fabric. His parents, though surprised by their son’s unconventional passion, were very supportive.
Today, Rish lives in Tel Aviv with his male partner and their two daughters.
“I learned to sew on my grandmother’s sewing machine,” said Rish, minutes before the show was about to begin. He wore black skinny jeans and short hair shaved on one side. When asked about further training in fashion, Rish clarified that he is completely self-taught. His designs, which include two-piece wedding dresses with skirt and top, are known for being comfortable and relatively affordable. (His gowns typically range from $7,000-8,000.)
“Hope you enjoy!” he said, before rushing off to perfect the models’ looks backstage.
Dress: wedding dresses
The Oct. 11 show, which exclusively featured Israeli designers, was also a first. According to noted Israeli bridal designer Pnina Tournay, known for her risqué designs, the show marked a “historic moment” for Israeli designers.
Since Tournay burst onto the scene in the early 2000s, Israelis have developed a special niche in bridal fashion, said Israel’s economic minister to North America, Nili Shalev. Tournay, whose curve-hugging collection is housed at Kleinfeld, one of New York’s most well-known bridal salons, is known for introducing sexy, revealing dresses to the mainstream, and for her role as lead designer on the reality TV hit, “Say Yes to the Dress,” which airs on the American network TLC.
“Israeli designers are willing to be adventurous, even in the most conventional settings,” said Shalev.
Merav Solo spends her working life at the seam — the delicate one between pieces of a wedding gown, and the even more delicate one between pieces of the patchwork quilt that is Israel society.
“It doesn’t matter if a bride is Arab, secular Israeli, charedi or Druze — they want the same thing when they visit me,” the Haifa-based couture Israeli bridal gown designer said. While a Druze bride might request no transparent lace and sleeves that reach the wrists, a secular Israeli bride might want a plunging neckline or backless number. In spite of the complicated cultural mores, differences Solo must negotiate sensitively but stylishly, she said, “Every woman wants to feel beautiful and sexy on her wedding day.”
Solo was speaking at a reception recently following an event during New York International Bridal Week, an annual gathering of more than 250 bridal gown designers from around the world. She had just watched as models paraded her seductive gowns down a runway at Pier 94 on the Hudson River. As designers, buyers and models in sleek white gowns mingled and sipped flutes of Champagne, Solo, dressed in a short black dress, was beaming. In a career spanning more than 20 years, this was the first time her creations were being shown in New York.
Inside the Pier 94 hangar, with sweeping views of the Hudson, eight emerging Israeli designers sent their lines down the runway to a medley of upbeat Middle Eastern tunes, including a remix of “Hava Nagila.” Organized in part by the Israeli Foreign and Tourism ministries, the show highlighted Israeli designers’ influence in the world of bridal fashion.
Samantha Kane, a brand management executive at Brides, the bridal fashion magazine of Condé Nast, said that editors are showing an increasing interest in Israeli designers, particularly Inbal Dror, a leading designer from Tel Aviv who completed her fashion studies in Israel. While it is difficult to quantify the influence of Israeli fashion designers, Kane said, their collective name recognition has gone up drastically.
To be sure, Israeli designers are no strangers to international acclaim. In the wake of Lea Gottlieb, who made a splash with her swimsuit designs going back to the 1960s, a handful of well-known Israelis already are established in the fashion world; they include Alber Elbaz from the Parisian house of Lanvin and Yigal Azrouel, who has a boutique in the meatpacking district.
Yoav Rish, another Israeli designer who sent wedding gowns down the runway, grew up in a charedi family in the city of Petah Tikvah, east of Tel Aviv. From a young age, he loved experimenting with different types of fabric. His parents, though surprised by their son’s unconventional passion, were very supportive.
Today, Rish lives in Tel Aviv with his male partner and their two daughters.
“I learned to sew on my grandmother’s sewing machine,” said Rish, minutes before the show was about to begin. He wore black skinny jeans and short hair shaved on one side. When asked about further training in fashion, Rish clarified that he is completely self-taught. His designs, which include two-piece wedding dresses with skirt and top, are known for being comfortable and relatively affordable. (His gowns typically range from $7,000-8,000.)
“Hope you enjoy!” he said, before rushing off to perfect the models’ looks backstage.
The Oct. 11 show, which exclusively featured Israeli designers, was also a first. According to noted Israeli bridal designer Pnina Tournay, known for her risqué designs, the show marked a “historic moment” for Israeli designers.
Since Tournay burst onto the scene in the early 2000s, Israelis have developed a special niche in bridal fashion, said Israel’s economic minister to North America, Nili Shalev. Tournay, whose curve-hugging collection is housed at Kleinfeld, one of New York’s most well-known bridal salons, is known for introducing sexy, revealing dresses to the mainstream, and for her role as lead designer on the reality TV hit, “Say Yes to the Dress,” which airs on the American network TLC.
“Israeli designers are willing to be adventurous," said Shalev. "Even in the most conventional settings."
Also Read: sheinbridal purple bridesmaid dresses
