Don’t Call Me Sugar! Declares Israel’s First Paris Couture Designer
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Last week at Paris Couture Fashion week, among established names like Chanel and Giambattista Valli, nestled between Elie Saab and Jean Paul Gaultier, was Israeli designer Galia Lahav.
Lahav and her design partner Sharon Sever are the first Israeli designers to nab the prestigious position of guest member of the official couture-granting agency, the Chambre de Syndicale de la Haute Couture.
Image by Galia Lahav
The collection, the design duo’s third run on the couture calendar, had a title fit for the post-Weinstein era: “Don’t Call Me Sugar.” And the collection was everything you’d expect a sass-talking, sex-on-a-stick woman would wear for a night on the town: revealing cutouts and super short hems; gowns in slinky, sinuous fabrics; sequins plastered onto nearly every dress.
Image by Galia Lahav
But as the models sashayed down the darkened runway in the grand hall of the Beaux-Arts de Paris (an 18th century building that’s a part of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts — France’s prestigious fine arts university), it became clear that the designers’ are still trying to find their footing. The collection was strongest when it embraced it’s unapologetically “glam” aesthetic. Like with the billowy lame gown, spliced by sequin panels and cut to reveal the left leg: as the model walked, the skirt, in shades of purple ranging from mauve to aubergine, shimmered under the runway lights, evoking appreciative gasps from the audience as they all, in near unison, took out their phones to capture the moment for their Instagram followers.
Image by Galia Lahav
And then there were the occasional technical missteps — a bunched seam here, a panty line there — which made the collection feel unpolished. Which may have been the point. After all, the design duo gave it an aggressive title, “Don’t Call Me Sugar.” Which is why it was the lackluster presentation was so disappointing — the models remained stoic and impassive as they strutted down the dimly lit runway, their perfunctory walk dulling the sparkle and swagger of their clothes. And after a beautiful breakout collection, with a defined, even extravagant, Victorian sensibility, this collection fell far short of fleshing out who Galia Lahav is as a couture designer.
Image by Galia Lahav
But the problem had mostly to do with the overall aesthetic presented. The designers held back and, aside from a few standout moments, they didn’t take the idea to its full-bodied, swaggering conclusion. It felt safe, even borderline boring — closer to the homogeneity of the early 2000’s red carpet glam, rather than the woman who stands alone, demanding that men shouldn’t dare call her sugar.
Michelle Honig is the style writer at the Forward. Contact her at [email protected]. Find her on Instagram and Twitter.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
