In his 2010 Resort collection, Erdem Moralioglu blends two of the world’s most delicate and fanciful phenomena: the Parisian Ballerina and the Japanese Kimono. The resulting garments have an irresistible East-meets-West feel completely appropriate to summer, the season of the year defined by exotic places, faces, and adventures. Moralioglue designs for a woman who, whether she’s a seasoned globetrotter or first-time traveler, demands both style and sophistication and comfort and practicality from her wardrobe. He does this by taking classic summer forms—such as the shirt-dress, the baby doll dress, the 1950s sun dress, and the 1960s miniskirt-blouse combo—and rendering them not in basic, all-American, colored cotton, but in flowing silk with elegant Japanese-style prints. Round necklines, high waist and hemlines, flats, and the model’s messy bun remind us of the ballet, and counterbalance the Eastern-inspired fabric. Moraligolue’s designs are dainty and refined, but their soft, roomy, and breathable qualities leave one convinced you could wear them both to a garden party and on a leisurely bike ride. In other words, they’ve got all the style, versatility, and flexibility we women demand of our summer clothing.

Two floor-length, evening dresses round off the otherwise day-focused collection, highlighting best the artfulness of Moraligolue’s pieces. Loose, tunic tops paired with columnar skirts, as well as floral embellishment included strategically on the top and bottom of the dresses, create an illusion of towering height and extreme length, conjuring up images of artist Gustav Klimt’s whimsical female figures.

-Lily Allen

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