The inspiration behind Dice Kayek’s pre-fall collection was a very popular Netflix series that designer Ece Ege wasn’t keen to mention during our appointment. No matter how much I insisted, she obstinately remained mum. As the French say, tant pis. Sometimes it’s refreshing to let the clothes do the talking—no references needed.
Ege riffed on the season’s ubiquitous masculine tailoring trend, yet she did it her way: sculptural and sharp, cut with an uncompromising, almost surgical precision. Ege likes to give women posture and presence. The über-chic three-piece suits she designed, loosely based on British formal tailoring in vogue at the beginning of the 20th century and made in dry Italian wool, had a confident aplomb. Even when blazers were more shapely, they looked strict and rational. Ege doesn’t usually favor feminine designs, powerful is the adjective she’s after. Carcoats were designed with the same exacting fastidiousness, often worn over the aforementioned three-piece pantsuits; equally severe trench coats had detachable capelines or short vests to be layered over.
The collection’s contrasting note was provided by an all-over animal print on pouf-shaped nylon coats, lean trousers, and blouses. In Ege’s rigorous hands it looked almost pristine—a quality not often associated with such an ostentatious pattern. But “women adore” animal print, as she pointed out, and when women adore, designers oblige.
