Hakan Akkaya Recreates Marie Antoinette
By: Hope Wilkos, Writer
A vividly imaginative designer showered with a great deal of admiration at past New York Fashion Weeks, Turkish-born Hakan Akkaya brought a magnificent performance to the runway with his showing of his most recent Fall 2018/Winter 2019 Collection. Over 600 guests took to their seats to see the fashions unveiled, including high-profile celebrities from the art and society world, some of Hakan’s biggest fans.
Marie Antoinette was the object of Akkaya’s passionate creativity, his newest collection divided into two chapters, “Street” and “Glamour”. The show took place in Istanbul on October 23, 2018, at the Haskoy Yarn Factory. Most notably, this show was packed with incredible designs, over 700 different pieces in many versatile combinations.
Chapter 1 “Street” opened with the color black overtaking the catwalk, a culture symbolized by unique desperation and despair while individuality was characterized strongly on the runway. Famous actress Serenay Aktas won plenty of recognition in her portrayal of a homeless street walker. Leather, tulle, knee-high biker boots and black turtlenecks rocked the runway fashionably. Accessories ranged from chain link belts to dark-tinted sunglasses with tall furry hats hopefully warming the ears on those cold and desparate evenings. The concept wouldn’t be complete without the black plastic garbage bags dragged down the runway by models turned homeless waifs. A street queen, complete with crooked crown and decked out in diamonds, posed for photographers with an ominous stare, appealing to their foreboding senses.
With a backdrop of furniture, red no less, the second chapter of the presentation brought glamour to a palace-type setting in fiery red hues. A model resembling Marie Antoinette started the procession and each piece was more intriguing than the last.
So much magnificence remembered by outlandish ruffles, slinky satin gowns and telltale tuxedos, along with theatrical corsets. A fire and brimstone headdress left the audience in awe of an era gone by.
The final curtain call brought “Street” and “Glamour” together on one stage and the presentation ended with its brilliant designer, Hakan Akkaya, taking to the podium to give his acceptance speech. Once the curtain came down and the lights came up, guests flocked out in anticipation of attending the After Party where there would be plenty of congratulations and praise for this renowned designer making his internationally acclaimed mark on Turkey with this successful collection made for the coming season, one that both men and women can relish in.
Photo Credit: Every Kalinbacak/Getty Images for Hakan Akkaya, Ferhat Zupcevic/Getty Images for Hakan Akkaya.
