Monumental shifts are taking place in Di Petsa’s wet and sandy universe. To start with, this summer designer Dimitra Petsa fell spectacularly in and out of love. The sense of “magical realism,” as she described it, that came with the experience led to the collection’s theme: The archaeology of self. And after four years, Petsa has now flown the New Gen nest, staging her first independent show at a new multipurpose building in Kings Cross called Vision Hall.
Sand, rocks and papier mache relics made up the set, built as an ancient temple to an amalgamated god: the brand’s emblem is a cross that resembles Poseidon’s trident. It’s a symbol Greeks understand all too well. In the third grade of Greek elementary school, children are introduced to two new subjects: religion and history. Many grow up mixing it all up. “When I was little I used to pray to Poseidon,” said Petsa with a laugh.
The concept of archaeology was a variation on Petsa’s signature theme, that peculiar mix of history and tradition that is modern Greek culture. “So much of Greek history has been shaped by the Western world. By French and British historians and archeologists who excavated the land and told our history back to us,” she said. “I tried to draw a parallel between that and falling in love, because I think through love we’re always looking to poeticize our lives. Many of the clothes in this collection are inspired by things I wore at different moments this summer,” she added, pointing out a mini sarong dress finished with a Vitruvian wave print.
In terms of execution, however, this collection was quite commercial—a well-timed departure for Petsa, who tends to show statement wet look dresses and bases her business on bridal. “I felt I had a lot of clothes from my brand that I was wearing on nights out and at events, and not so much that I would wear on an everyday basis,” she said. “A lot of our clients were requesting more wearable pieces too; they started custom ordering tops and trousers. So I felt it was time—the demand was there.”
There were T-shirts with slogans like “Fragments of Aphrodite,” “Angel of Athens,” and “Imitation Poseidon”—apparently the guy she dated used to call himself that. Sarongs and mini dresses had seashell prints. There were also bags, a category she is just introducing: evening bags with long wire handles that looked easy to carry on one’s shoulder and straw beach bags with silver votives—another Di Petsa motif. But wearable and commercial in this case didn’t mean boring. This season Petsa’s staple masturbation pants were transformed into Lara Croft inspired khakis embroidered with quartz crystals. They were shown alongside funny octopus-like mini dresses made of recycled polyester and organza, and baseball caps that seemed to have been bitten by time and dug up at some beach.
“It’s definitely stressful not to have the New Gen support, but it forces you to grow up,” concluded Petsa. “But I wanted to strike the right balance and offer more commercial pieces that were still deeply rooted in the way I design, which is very personal and concept driven.” She achieved that. If you were falling in love on a Greek island in the middle of summer, this is what you’d wear.
