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Fashion as an art form
By Greer Fay Cashman
The famed Horace Richter gallery in Old Jaffa was literally packed to overflowing. Some of the crowd spilled out into the doorway and stood craning their necks to catch a glimpse of what was going on inside. They had not come to view the paintings on the walls. They were there to see an altogether different art form: the fall/winter 2005/2006 collection of one of Israel’s most original and outstanding fashion designers, Kedem Sasson.
His name is actually Sasson Kedem — and that’s how the Hebrew media refers to him. But in terms of an international brand name and logo it was more advantageous for the former graphic artist to reverse it.
But whether it’s Sasson Kedem or Kedem Sasson, there’s no denying the talent. Each and every one of his collections is filled with a sense of drama. The cut and fall of the fabric is truly a work of art.
His first ventures into the field were on behalf of his wife. Not exactly the skinny type, she had difficulty in finding clothes on the rack. At that time, it was rare to come across large-size garments that were exciting to look at and flattering to the wearer. Generally, anything larger than size 42 was cut like a tent, making the wearer look even larger than she actually was. Sasson’s designs were so eye-catching, that even women of smaller proportions rushed to buy them.
His concepts were different. He didn’t follow trends — he set them. And he’s still doing it. The only similarity between his fall/winter collection and that of other designers is in the color palette — stormy earth, forest and sky hues that are in themselves so suggestive of the winter weather. These dark, murky colors were occasionally offset by winter whites or ultra-brights, used primarily for generous shawl wraps or for striped hooded cloaks that contrasted with the more somber tones.
His other concession to what is currently in vogue was in layering, though what he did in this respect was somewhat different than the norm.
Passers-by, including best-selling novelist Naomi Ragen, were drawn to the gallery entrance by the sight of the throng outside. They stopped to catch a glimpse of the models before moving on. Had it not been so hot and uncomfortable in the doorway, they surely would have stayed longer.
Among those gathered inside were some of the leading names in Israel’s fashion industry: Raziella Gershon, Dorit Sadeh, Yuval Caspin, Ilana Goor as well as icons from the world of entertainment such as Gila Almagor, Riki Gal, Lea Shabat and Shoshana Damari and, of course, fashion writers and the designer’s loyal clients.
At the end of the show, which was punctuated by several rounds of applause, they rose as one to given Kedem Sasson a standing and sustained ovation.
Graciousness is not a trait for which Israelis are renowned. Visibly overcome by emotion, the designer clad in blue jeans and a white tunic, came forward to acknowledge the accolades.
"Toda L’firgun‘ he said as the applause subsided. Firgun is one of those Hebrew words that defy exact translation. The closest interpretation of what he said was ’Thank you for not begrudging me" but in point of fact firgun derives from a Yiddish word fargenigen that means enjoyment. The Yiddish word was in turn derived from German. Thus lefargen is to take pleasure in someone else’s achievement. And that’s precisely what happened with this audience whose members spontaneously came forward after the show to congratulate the designer and to rapturously over his creations.
These days, Sasson Kedem also produces clothes for smaller sized women alongside those with fuller figures.
Some of his creations are semi fitted to follow the curve of the body, but generally speaking he sticks to his favorite formula of a loose but flattering fit with the garment falling into shape from the shoulder. Several items were worn over stove-pipe stirrup pants, adding to the dramatic impact. Another contributing factor was the generosity of the cloth. Such largesse, seen in both dresses and pants, added a certain grace and flexibility to the design.
Flexibility was one of the significant elements of the collection that featured a lot of drape and tie that could be adjusted to suit the physique and taste of the wearer.
Particularly fascinating were the graphic games that Sasson played with symmetry and stripes, displaying yet again the flair and brilliance of the true artist.
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Iran News
