Women's
Erdem In Bloom
Erdem Moralioglu
Erdem Moralioglu was recently mistaken by a young woman for a stalker. He was leaning out of a taxi cab window, taking photos of her with his phone. But t wasn’t the woman he was stalking, but her skirt: It was the first time he’d ever seen a person on the street wearing something he had made.
“I just couldn’t believe it when I saw her,” he says, his excitement still palpable. “I just had to take a photo. But I think I did scare her a little.”
Moralioglu—or Erdem, as his label is called—has since had plenty more photo-worthy moments. His ladylike and elegant style is favored by wives of political leaders, including Michelle Obama. But he is just as excited about that unknown woman wearing his skirt as he is about his designs being worn by the First Lady.
“That, to me, is the biggest compliment—seeing someone you don’t know wearing your clothes,” he says.
And it’s a thrill he is certain to experience with increasing frequency. Ever since Moralioglu came to public prominence after winning the first British Fashion Council/Vogue Fashion Fund award last year, his clothes have found favor among women who believe dressing like a grown-up doesn’t have to mean dressing in head-to-toe beige. He is best known for the intricacy of his delicate prints and craftsmanlike detailing.
“I’ve always loved things that have a human hand—lace, embroidery, old techniques,” he says. His dresses and skirts often seem simple but are cut to flatter women of all ages. After all, as Moralioglu says, “It’s not only young girls who will be buying your clothes. In fact, more often it’s not.”
The designer was born and raised in Canada, the son of a Turkish father and an English mother. He credits his multinational background for what he describes as the “romantic” style of his clothes: “My mom would watch Masterpiece Theatre and Merchant Ivory films when we were growing up, which definitely contributed to my romantic view of things. We would also go back to Turkey on vacations and see the Topkapi Palace, which is such a beautiful place. And growing up in Montreal, we would get French news, which reported on the fashion collections like they were major stories. I used to watch fashion TV all the time.”
Moralioglu moved to London a decade ago to study at the Royal College of Art, graduating with a master’s degree in 2003. After a one-year internship with Diane von Furstenberg in New York, he returned to London. “It’s my home now,” he says.
Erdem’s London
Bistrotheque
This East London bar/restaurant/cabaret located in an old factory building offers a French bistro menu, including fish and chips with pea purée and Parmesan polenta with wild mushrooms. Brunch is served on weekends. 23–27 Wadeson St., London E2 9DR; 011-44-20-8-983-7900; www.bistrotheque.com.
Bob Bob Ricard
English classics with a Russian touch, from chicken Kiev with sweet corn and potato mash to caviar and the signature cocktail, a rhubarb gin and tonic. 1 Upper James St., London W1F 9DF; 011-44-20-3-145-1000; www.bobbobricard.com.
Tate Modern
From April 14 to Sept. 11, view more than 150 works by surrealist Joan Miró—the first major retrospective on the artist in nearly 50 years. Bankside, London SE1 9TG; 011-44-20-7-887-8888; www.tate.org.uk.
This interview was originally published in Entrée, the magazine for InCircle members, in the Summer 2011 issue.
Photographs by Kevin Davies.
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