Alexandria, a mythical city, believed to have been founded by Alexander the Great as a link between Egypt and Greece, is the lyrical setting for this Zeus+Dione fall/winter 2019 collection that takes its clues from the literary work of an elusive creative, Cavafy.
…Your Greek is always beautiful and musical.
But now we want all of your craftsmanship.
Into a foreign tongue our pain and love are passing.
Pour your Egyptian feeling into a foreign tongue.
Raphael, your verses should be written
so that they have, you know, something of our lives within them,
so that the rhythm and every phrasing makes it clear
that an Alexandrian is writing of an Alexandrian…
A deep-rooted appreciation of history as a reflexion of timeless values, existential nostalgia and uninhibited as well as thoroughly satisfying sense of eroticism. These are the prominent themes embedded in C. P. Cavafy’s verse. As one of the most distinguished Greek poets of the 20th century, Cavafy was instrumental in the revival and recognition of the country’s poetry tradition, drawing inspiration from Hellenistic era and mythology.
He crafted sentences filled with intimate evocations of real or literary figures and places that have played roles in Greek culture. Yet, despite his love of the country’s history and culture, it was Alexandria in Egypt, where Cavafy was born and lived most of his life, that features most extensively in work.
Much like Cavafy’s poetry, and indeed Alexandria, the collection is a meeting point of rich Greek and Egyptian tradition that has been intertwined for centuries. Woven deep in the philosophy of Zeus+Dione, Greek heritage materializes in elements such as the white, black and deep cherry linen fabrics embroidered motifs inspired by costumes from Attiki and Tanagra as well as in the signature textured spathoto silk that comes this season in bi-color brown and khaki as well as in intense berry.
Egyptian influences translate into subtle touches such as the flower motifs printed on silk, reminiscent of ancient imagery. Pyjama-styles, shawl collars, fine velvets in honey and petrol blue as well as lush corduroy suggest dreamy exoticism, which was the prevailing aesthetic movement during the turn of the last century and also a major influence in Cavafy’s work. The color world is a perfect combination of Greek and Egyptian influences with golden green, petrol blue, rich khaki, intense berry and gold dominating the palette along with the Zeus+Dione trademark combination of ivory and black.
