Di Petsa chose the theme of love for SS24, specifically honing in on the Goddess of Love Venus – also known as Aphrodite according to the Romans – with an ethereal collection titled “Reflections of Venus.”
The show opened with performers dressed in white draped Di Petsa dresses who didn’t give us the typical runway walk, but instead a visual performance inspired by the “Birth of Venus” story. A cocooned Venus was awakened and huddled around by a choir of performers led by the designer herself, Dimitra Petsa. Hypnotic movements followed, dressing Venus in a golden wet look dress adorned with gemstones. With that, the first look came walking down the space and the runway show started.
A poem informed the whole collection: “My body in pieces fell apart / Ancient fragments on the floor / Floating in / Tears and sweat overflowing / Tied them together and prayed to Venus.” Some aspects of this poem were represented literally in the collection – the “tears” were placed on the skin in the form of pearl droplets on the models’ faces.
In true Di Petsa fashion, this collection was ridden with symbolism, one of the more obvious ones being a mirror held and twirled by a model wearing a ruched greenish-yellow bodysuit, quite literally embodying the reflections of Venus. Another model wearing a draped one-shoulder, long-trained dress held up a hand mirror, showing that Venus’ powers of love can be found fragmented in anyone, more specifically, within yourself.
Di Petsa’s mastery of draping that we’ve seen throughout past collections was propelled to the forefront this season, and used in even more intricate ways than we’re used to seeing. Two-piece, halterneck and sheer tube dresses all had draped effects that looked effortlessly natural, as if it came out of the sea in Botticelli’s painting “The Birth Of Venus.”
We also saw Di Petsa push design boundaries in other ways, notably through the use of lacing. The idea of being “tied together” came through several looks including a latex-like white mini dress and a shoulderless side-slit black dress, both featuring rope-like details, one tighter while another looser.
One look in particular represented what sometimes comes after finding love: signs of fertility. The designer sculpted a wine jug reminiscent of those Ancient Greek ones which was seen on the runway held by a model to represent a pregnant belly, something Di Petsa is no stranger to sending to the runway. Other models were spotted holding lilies which are known to represent rebirth, here, of Venus.
Sensual with its wet looks and sculpted swimwear and tender with its signs of broodiness, this collection hit all the aspects of love, tapping into each fragment that makes up Venus. Even the last look, a draped white dress with sheer fabric that exposed the hips and thighs finished off with Swarovski crystals, was a nod to the traditional runway show end piece and the end goal for many love birds: the wedding dress.
“Reflections of Venus” was a step up for Di Petsa, who let the story of Venus dictate her design abilities. The Greek designer found herself retelling a tale as old as time that felt as relevant as ever, inspiring some TLC in every way, in everyone.
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