Ece Ege has been proposing variations on her silk gazar blouse with puffed sleeves for so many years that certain clients have now accumulated sizable collections. “It’s the Dice Kayek fan club,” she quipped. For a designer, repetition can be essential to crystalizing brand codes; but at a certain point, even a winning idea can start to feel rote.
Nonetheless, she reissued the blouse this season in colorful oversize houndstooth—deep green or purple with gray—and it landed on the right side of eccentric. Ege confessed that color isn’t her cup of tea, but that retailers constantly ask her for options beyond black and navy. Not one for half-gestures, she proposed coats and dresses in hot hues of red, magenta, and mustard, and they summoned up the palette preferred by Alber Elbaz, though Ege said any likeness was coincidental. (It’s been said here before that a passing resemblance to Lanvin works to Dice Kayek’s advantage.)
News came in the form of bonded leather—and not just a requisite biker jacket, but a grouping of modernist doll dresses. Highly graphic in alternating black and white, they sleekly demonstrated Ege’s skill for sculpting. What’s more, they one-upped her usual art party attire, as did the pieces fringed with glass beads. The cocoon-shaped cape happened to be so heavy that Ege seemed challenged to hold up the hanger. Curious how it would feel, I tried it on. In fact, the weight distributed evenly from the shoulders, and attitude seemed to emanate from every strand. For hard-core members of the Dice Kayek fan club, it would qualify as a collector piece. For initiates, the spongy, bonded suiting and a chic yet versatile windbreaker boasting the latest statement sleeve would be welcome starting points.
