Dice Kayek’s Ece Ege has a thing for ladybugs: “In Istanbul, where I’m from, we believe that if it happens that a ladybug rests on you, it’s a good omen; it will bring luck and prosperity to your family,” she said. The bug’s graceful, rounded shape and the little black dots on its carapace served as a starting point for Ege’s Resort collection, which made use of black-and-white polka dots as a positive-negative graphic motif.
Ege definitely doesn’t go in for kawaii; prettiness seems to get on her nerves. She favors firm, architectural shapes; flou isn’t a word that enters her vocabulary. Yet contrary to her sculpturally assertive approach, Resort was infused with a feminine flair, which smoothed the edges of what she called her “Japanese naughty dolls.” Black-and-white polka dot–printed, pouf-sleeved, empire-waist dresses with flounced balloon skirts looked fit for a princess, retaining their neatly designed shapes via full-bodied materials like silk gazar, mikado, and triple organza. Despite the consistency of the fabrications, they felt surprisingly light. A starched white cotton voile mille-feuille dress with a crinoline underpinning that nodded to Victorian wedding dresses was embroidered with layers of fine ribbons of Valenciennes lace. It looked as finely chiseled as it did fluffy, “like a Pavlova,” Ege said.
A masculine approach was at play in a few easygoing, summery tunic-and-trouser combinations. But mostly Ege likes the powerful posture a structured dress can give a woman, and she doesn’t mind a bit of corsetry; her lack of decoration is quite peremptory. Case in point: a boxy thick-cotton shirt, cut with surgeon-like exactitude and paired with matching straight-leg pants.
