Simplicity and stripes are the watchwords in Michal Nir's fall/winter collection.
By MEREDITH PRICE LEVITTugly fashion 88 224(photo credit: Avi Valdman and Sasha Flit)
A row of solid-colored, soft cotton dresses in light gray, white and taupe hangs on the summer sale rack next to the newest pieces from Michal Nir's fall/winter collection. A few handbags decorate the storefront, and a table with two chairs is empty except for a cup of coffee and a notepad in the center of the sparsely decorated store. Along the right wall, two more racks of clothing hang neatly in straight, even lines. A stairway to the left leads upstairs to the studio where the clothing is sewn and altered.
"We really like this place because we sell the clothes downstairs and we sew them upstairs so people can have things altered on the spot," says the 26-year-old designer who shares this space with a partner. The two have been in this location for the last three years but didn't open as a store until two years ago. They chose one of the best neighborhoods for fashion designers in all of Israel: Gan Hahashmal on Rehov Levontin in Tel Aviv.
The trendy area attracts tourists looking to buy a piece or two from young designers that they won't see on anyone back at home, but Israelis are also attracted to the area in search of unusual, one-of-a-kind items.
In this year's fall/winter collection, Nir has not deviated from her love of simplicity and stripes. A solid beige cotton cardigan with one long piece of fabric on the side that can be draped over your neck and double as a scarf hangs next to a long-sleeved gray shirt with a scoop neck and thick blue stripes.
"I like solid colors and I don't use a lot of prints," she says, pulling out the cardigan to show me its versatility. "I don't use a lot of bright colors either."
Unlike the traditional gray, white and black that she so often uses in her designs, two jackets for this season are reversible and come in either blue and brown or green and brown. Large seams on the outside mirror the interior color. Intended to be seen, they lend the jackets a rugged yet chic appeal.
Although each collection is different, Nir says that these pieces largely focus on tighter-fitting, sexy pants and loose "oversized" tops. "I can't say that I have a specific philosophy that applies to all of my clothing, but I do like layers and I don't use synthetic materials. All of the fabric I use is natural."
A recent graduate of Shenkar College of Engineering and Design, Nir designed a collection for her final project that used a combination of felt, chiffon and pin-striped cottons. Inspired by men's clothing, the pin-striped clothes were accented with delicate, feminine layers of transparent chiffon.
"This collection has a balance between the heavy and light materials. It's a tailored look but each piece stands alone," says Nir. This material was used to make a dress with pockets in the front that can be worn over a pair of pants or alone. The white collar and cuffs and black felt tie and open jacket were the last touches in the blend of business with casual.
"When I first got into Shenkar and started designing clothes, I had big ideas about grandiose things, but the bottom line is that people don't wear those things," says Nir, who made evening dresses out of tricot and put them over a pair of fitted leather pants. "Even for the classes I had to take that weren't my interest, I tried to stick to my own style."
All of her collections have a unique look but remain highly wearable - a great combination for an up-and-coming designer. Even the pin-striped cotton shirt has buttons that attach a transparent, chiffon dress so that one could choose to put the layers together or wear them separately.
"Women want to wear things that are beautiful and that make them feel good, and I'm making clothes that are basic with a twist," she says.
Either the material itself is used in a different way or the cut is unusual, like the cardigan-scarf and the pin-striped dress. But the idea is to keep the lines classic enough that in a year you will still be able to wear her clothing. It doesn't fall into the category of being so trendy that it's only good for one season.
All of her pieces are machine washable and relatively affordable in the upscale market of designer clothes. Her shirts and cardigan sweaters range from around NIS 270 up to about NIS 400, and her pants are between NIS 540 and NIS 560 each.
"Every woman should have a good pair of pants in her closet that are wearable from season to season," she says, unfolding a pair of simple black pants with a triangular pocket on both sides that can be buttoned closed or folded open. "Tops are relatively easy to find, but good pants can be really difficult."
Nir says her designs tend to mix academics with practicality. "The most successful clothes have an interesting look but can be worn in daily life. I'm trying to design things that I like and that I would wear."
nirmichali@gmail.com
