Dressful

1. Reflecting on Projekt Radar at a distance of an exam-ridden week, I'll remember it as a time capsule, so mellow I felt as if it all played out spontaneously one weekend at the crossroads of spring and summer, congregating everyone who belonged in Maribor Art Gallery's stately white rooms and outdoor café partly hidden in the shadow of trees. Slovenian event managers often attempt to emulate resplendent gatherings held in fashion capitals without taking into account the particularities of Slovenian fashion industry (it's not as clearly divided into Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter as Milan or Paris, not all designers plan collections a year in advance, etc.). This event purposefully overlooked trends, presenting Slovenian and foreign fashion in a timeless and contemporary manner. It was precisely not trying too hard, not wanting to be bigger than what it was and squeezing every drop of juice out of the location and exhibited artifacts that ultimately made Projekt Radar on par with events that inspire imitation.

2. The above photo, in which I look unusually like myself, was taken by Ana of Fensišmensi at the opening of Projekt Radar. I wore Maison Martin Margiela mesh boots, Tadashi dress and Marjeta Grošelj bag. The boots salvaged me – or did I salvage them? – after a two-month fruitless search for a pair of leather or suede wedges that was aesthetically pleasing and had an ankle strap (the least demanding set of criteria I've had in my whole life … for anything). Their visual effect is humorous and clever, two highly valued qualities in my closet.

3. Due to early Sunday train departure I only attended two out of four fashion performances. They were a curious mix of runway show and static presentation that allowed for both seeing clothes in motion and paying attention to details as models walked through gallery rooms, standing still on white cubes in between. Regarding the collections, it seemed that the event's timeless approach lifted a burden from our collective shoulders in the sense that it did not impose the transitory newness characteristic of fashion weeks. Instead, novelty was achieved organically. A distinguished example of this was Zoran Garevski – I couldn't connect to his past two collections shown at Philips Fashion Week the way I first embraced his clothes in 2008 and 2009, resulting in a closet bursting with black below-the-knee dresses that I wear approximately 70% of the time in summer. The looks he presented in Maribor were a well-anticipated creative comeback, sublime bordering on dangerous; teal warrior dress baring entire legs, black mini-midi-long skirt, white gown reminiscent of Ancient Greek priestesses, black veil tunic.

Zoran Garevski / Ana Ljubinković

The focal point of Maja Mehle's collection were cream-white blazers and coats with oversized flowing lapels. Models wore pastel flower garlands and bleached Converse that collided with the polished bohemian elegance of the garments. We fawned over Ana Ljubinković's pearl-embroidered dresses and turquoise deer pumps, low-calorie fashion candy.

4. One of my Projekt Radar highlights was meeting Kristin of The Clothes Whisperer, who is every bit as eloquent and intelligent as she conveys through her writing as well as super approachable and sweet. When I read Kristin's second book "Culture to Catwalk" last September after following her blog for months, I was in awe with the body of knowledge she had amassed. I made a mental note to meet her in the future, but I had no idea it would happen so soon (in Maribor of all places). The event weekend, albeit hectic in schedule, was rejuvenating because I spent time with people who, like me, appreciate fashion as art. No pretensions, no holier-than-thou attitudes. On Sunday morning, sitting on the stairs in front of the gallery with my sunglasses-clad friends tired from last night's partying, I realized I haven't felt this relaxed in a long time.

JSP

Before coming to Maribor for Projekt Radar I was thinking that the conceptual exhibition, showcasing looks by 22 Slovenian designers (all in white), would definitely be more art than fashion. The uniformity of white and absence of trends allow you to focus on shapes and ideas; it has never been easier for me to discern clever, inspired design from cliché tactics.

Marjeta Grošelj // Nataša Hrupič

Marjeta Grošelj designed a series of handbags slash light sculptures. I immediately thought these handbags would be a very fashionable replacement for bedside lamps (you can turn the bulbs inside the bags on and off).

Though 22 designers inevitably translates to 22 unique poetics, Nataša Hrupič's dress stood out a little more than the rest -- several people told me this was the dress they had fixated on upon entering the gallery space. The clean lines remind me of Margiela's lab coats, yet this dress is much softer.

Ana Lazovski // Maria Moderna, Nataša Peršuh

The dress by Maria Moderna emanates retro properness and grace. Based on geometric deconstruction, it's an example of inspiration taking on a life of its own and producing unexpected connections. Nataša Peršuh put a veil in the front of the dress; I longed to see the dress on a walking model, breathing life into a seemingly unwearable garment.

This morning I had the honor to be among the first guests of the Sens(n)ation exhibition showcasing a historic overview of Maison Martin Margiela's first line (défilé) collection from 1989 to 2011 (23 looks), as well as garments and accessories by renowned Slovenian designers. The exhibition, a joint effort of multibrand designer store Wolfova 5 and Projekt27, is curated absolutely comme il faut; fashion-wise, this is the event that finally put Ljubljana on a global scale.

There's quite a Margiela cult in Slovenian fashion circles, making Sens(n)ation even more sens(n)ational. In a way – though if you asked people in the street who Margiela was, I don't think you'd get many sensible replies – this exhibition will cater to the widest of tastes. Fashion people will love it (or at least appreciate it as usually you'd have to go to another country to see an exhibition on this level), passers-by (i.e. the uninitiated into the Noble Art of Conceptual Fashion) will be provoked by what fashion can be – fashion that is not stripped to strict functionality, fashion beyond trends.

I should note that the historic overview is actually very general public-friendly. There are no covered faces and other more or less bizarre facets that often alienate people from the complex world of Margiela; it's more about playing with sizes, materials, inspirations and humor. When you see the exhibition, I suggest you pick up the little booklet with details about each look so you won't miss out on Margiela's clever tricks.

1. Polka dot print dress, S/S 2006
2. Setup
3. Shirt with front made out of leather gloves, S/S 2001
4. Theater costume-inspired jacket, S/S 1993
5. Sleeveless "tailor dummy" jacket, S/S 1997
6. Setup
7. Size 78 coat and jeans, F/W 2000
8. Pink shouldered jacket, "destroyed" jeans, S/S 2008
9. Velvet dress, mohair cardigan, F/W 1995
10. Double-breasted sleeveless jacket, S/S 2004

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Regarding the second part of the exhibition, I cannot help but wonder how (Slovenian) designers feel about their work being displayed in the same space as Margiela's; it's an enormous challenge, yet the selection is careful enough that the Slovenian designers' part feels like a logical continuation of the Margiela part. Each designer has contributed two looks, the dominant color being black. Three accessories collections have been designed especially for Sens(n)ation: bags-sculptures by Marjeta Grošelj, jewelry by Srečko Molk and glass hats by Ana Lazovski.

1. Dress by JSP Jelena and Svetlana Proković
2. Dresses by Sanija Reja
3. Bag by Marjeta Grošelj
4. Sweater and dress by Dajana Ljubičić

Most of the designers are part of the younger generation; I miss humor in their otherwise beautiful, well-constructed garments, the same humor Margiela has in his little finger. On the other hand, I understand that creative insouciance can only be achieved after you have fallen and risen again a thousand times. A quality of the masters.

The exhibition will be open from November 25 to December 4. Free admission.
Galerija Jakopič, Slovenska 9, Ljubljana.

I've written about how excited I am to wear coral red in summer; for me, coral red is mostly a seasonal fascination, though I think it complements sailor chic and white and dark blue stripes like no other color and should therefore be in at all times. The one idea that inevitably does come back to me every summer is wearing all white. Since I've been looking for people in such attire with a magnifying glass, I'll suppose all white takes a bit more guts than all black (though doing all black well - not because you want to hide or think it'll instantly make you look like you're Serious Business - is a science. Learn from the best: The Divinitus). Of course, the very practical reason behind us not wearing more white might just be that you get your white clothes dirty in one, two, three.

Here's my little prelude to summer. I'm going to resurrect this dress after it's been dormant in my closet for several years. Linen is funny, you iron your dress and then you realize it's most beautiful with wrinkles anyway. White suggests perfection and wrinkles break it. A contrast in a single garment.

Dress: Sisley
Bag: Marjeta Grošelj

At Mojca Makuc, Gregorčičeva, Ljubljana

The world of fashion thrives on change. The opposite can be said for my personal fashion world.

When I was about 15, I noted in my moleskine (it was when moleskines were just becoming cool, not that I harbor too much resentment when what I'm into becomes mainstream though) that I liked my clothes and accessories to be eccentric, cute and practical. I've since worn a fair share of pieces that can be described with entirely different adjectives. However, is it a coincidence that even after all this time "eccentric, cute and practical" is still an ongoing theme in most of my favorite pieces?

My fashion places of fascination remain the same for years as well. There are four: Mojca Makuc (clothes) and Marjeta Grošelj (bags) shops in Ljubljana, Kobali (hats) shop in Zagreb (all of which I'd like to write about some more in the future) and Giorgio Armani headquarters in Milan, Via Borgonuovo. (Like many other buildings in the center of Milan, the headquarters have such a mysterious feeling to them you cannot imagine people actually go inside every day and work there. It's too ordinary. The walls and doors inevitably make you think of secret courtyards, marble, gardens and fountains and suddenly you catch yourself wishing you were a part of that world too.)

Sometimes I think still enjoying wearing things I bought in my mid-teens and getting the same thrill about my favorite places is kind of sentimental, but really it's an anchor. It's how fashion doesn't get overwhelming for me though it's changing at the most frenetic pace.