Underground at 180 Studios, Di Petsa looked above to the gods and the sexual legacy of Greek mythology for AW25, made extra sensual by a star-studded cast.
WONDERFULLY vague and whimsical, the collection’s title Reflections of Desire subverted archetypes of female desire on the runway, with clever forays into the romantic, the ethereal, the rugged, and the ruthless.
Despite the female representation in Greek myths, antiquity and mythological storytelling (as well as female sexuality today) is often controlled, penned and drawn up by the male gaze. Eponymous designer Dimitra Petsa sought to flip this, evoking the mystical desire and sexuality of the gods from a female eye with cascading drapery and references to her signature and viral ‘Wetlook Dress’, worn by the likes of supermodels Gigi and Bella Hadid.
Naming Demeter, the Greek goddess of fertility, and Persephone, the queen of the underworld and goddess of spring and nature (and daughter of Demeter) as her favourite Greek gods, it’s clear to see Petsa’s toying between divine femininity and potency with white lace, ruched silks, and angel wings, and a darker underground world with vegan leathers, dark fur applique, and piercingly sharp nails.
The multi-faceted nature and versatile qualities of female sexual desire are mimicked in the unusual uses of materials across the collection. Cascading beaded jewellery took on dress forms, while belted shirts acted as dresses. Di Petsa’s AW25 also displayed a clever play with lace, as it punctuated many opaque materials to tease the body that wore the clothes, while also seen layered under translucent tulle dresses to add an opaqueness – especially in the gothic-toned bridal look.
Through peek-a-boo cuts, lace, and wet-like fabrics, the collection focused on the chest and crotch, rooting its voice in dialogues around desire. Toe rings, nails with lace details, and single-stem flower accessories helped draw attention to the clothes’ performers as much as to the clothes themselves.
“At the heart of the collection is the body as text, desire made material” so that “the catwalk transforms into a living poem”, the show notes explain. To tease this corporeal intertextuality, looks were accessorised with ornate textbooks, while literature was printed on plain-woven textiles and roughly cut and sewn into micro mini skirts.
The collection was debuted by a star-studded cast, who strutted down the runway to a soundtrack by artist BODUR with snippets of Dimitra’s own poetry ringing through. The lineup featured singer-songwriter Ayra Starr in a seductive two-piece white-laced look actress; model Mia Khalifa in a deep-plunge black dress artist; podcast host Bimini in a white wet-look dress; singer Tsunaina in a fiery red and black look; and rock band The Last Dinner Party.
Via the recognisable line-up, Di Petsa recalled how via divine sexuality, we can touch the – often layered – idea of our own desires and sexual hunger.
by Ella Mansell