Fall marks four years since Kobi Halperin launched his line, and as such, the designer was feeling nostalgic about beginnings, in terms of both the brand and his personal life. An avid traveler, Halperin often mines the cultures of far-flung locales to influence an aesthetic heavy on prints and detailed embroidery. He didn’t disappoint in those areas, offering a breadth of warm, inviting patterns culled from carpet textiles in his homeland of Israel.
Upon first glance, there was noticeable variety in terms of color, texture and patterns. It was a lot, and all quite polished and elegant given the mashup of prints. There was a seamless blend of skirts with washed out rug patterns and the ornate novelty blouses for which he’s known, and with graphic ikat separates complementing crushed velvet tops with vintage-leaning baroque embroidery. It wasn’t all so literal — white lace was created with carpet motifs Halperin brought back from flea markets in Tel Aviv, and feathers punctuating elevated knitwear mirrored decorative tassels that framed rugs. He was drawn to carpets for their connotations of comfort and feeling at home.
He made a point to highlight a casual element the Kobi way through silky blouses with puff shoulders, crushed velvet Ts with beaded fringe along the sleeves and languid, pajama-like suiting. There were options for any occasion. Case in point: a group of refined evening separates with the slightest bit of sparkle along the neckline and pockets. Halperin reflected on the collection best, noting: “There’s demand, and that’s the biggest compliment.”
Kobi Halperin RTW Fall 2019
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