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The Jewish Chronicle

Time for a Greek philosophy

It started with the Greek-born designer Sophia Kokosalaki

March 4, 2010 14:35
Taupe dress, £175, James Lakeland

ByJan Shure, Jan Shure

3 min read

It started, appropriately enough, with the Greek-born designer Sophia Kokosalaki. Then a slew of stellar designers, including Alber Elbaz at Lanvin, Jill Sander, Dries van Noten, Christopher Bailey at Burberry Prorsum and Donna Karan, were captivated by the way draped fabric flowed around the body, flattering curves, lengthening the torso and endowing androgynous bodies with the curves nature had neglected to give them. And so draping began to pop up on catwalks in New York, Paris, Milan and London.

If you want the perfect garment to make the transition from winter to spring, almost any draped garment is the way to go. Partly, this is because the fabrics that drape best — silk jerseys and their cotton and polyester cousins — have enough weight to look appropriate even when we are still scraping ice off the car in the morning. You can wear a draped dress — even a sleeveless one — right now with a boyfriend blazer, opaques and ankle boots. And draping will still look great when the temperature rises; just ditch the tights and add a pair of shoe-boots, or any of the summer variants, gladiators or peep-toe or cutaway boots.

Draping is truly versatile. Wear a draped dress for a working day with statement jewellery and a glossy tote, and then for an evening out switch to sky-high sandals and a clutch. For holiday or a weekend away, draping packs like a dream, but it can be worn for sightseeing with canvas plimsolls and then glammed up with ritzy accessories for evenings.

As well as dresses, there are gorgeous draped tops around which look very on-trend with a straight skirt or skinny trousers and, of course, draped harem trousers, which are a harder look to pull. You need to be strict: team the harems with a narrow, streamlined vest or shirt and a tailored blazer.