A dress made from the fabric of a kaffiyeh and a beer-bottle cap used as the base for a wristwatch. These are two of the ideas presented by students of the Jewelry and Fashion department at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design and currently displayed in an exhibition at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center, until April 4. The exhibition, "Landmarks," curated by Udi Rosenwein, seeks to present the thought processes and creativity of the third and fourth year students in this department, headed by Einat Leader.

"We wanted to show how the courses the students have taken overlap, affecting not only the final product, but also the way the students think," explains Zivia, head of the section specializing in clothing. "In the 'Landscape and Reality' course, for example, the students were asked to identify a trend on the street or in local culture, to create articles of clothing based on it and to submit a proposal to the world-class designer or fashion house of their choice. The idea was not to relate to things as they are, but rather to extract something else out of them."

The results are quite interesting. The dress Maria Alper designed for Chanel, for example, is made of a black-and-white kaffiyeh, in a print that hints at woven Chanel fabrics. Alper unraveled parts of the fabric, and the unraveled parts were gathered and assumed a different form.

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The coat Inbal Haytman designed for Yohji Yamamoto is inspired by the medical tests that have become part of life in the modern world. The coat is based on a laboratory smock, which Haytman used to create a sort of coat. The coat's front closure is designed with asymmetrical pleats all the way up to the collar, to which a hood is attached.

"Lab coats are something anonymous, anti-fashion and genderless. I thought it was possible to turn them into a fashion trend, an item people would wear when they go out," says Haytman. "I presented this [idea] to Yamamoto since he deals with similar themes: large clothes, work clothes for men and/or women, pleats and the same type of coloring."

Nir Chuja's work focuses on hip-hop clothing and was offered to Vivienne Westwood. Chuja created a sleeveless yellow and white mesh top, of the kind identified with hip-hop musicians, and a pair of plaid culottes.

Students specializing in object design were asked to create a "pack and travel" product. David Bortz drew his inspiration from the campfire picnics of his youth, and created an electric immersion-heater type device with a prong and an insulated handle for holding while cooking hot dogs. An invention with a sense of humor.

The watch design class participants were asked to look at consumer culture, modern lifestyle and expiration dates. Aya Berman made watches from materials she found in various places, such as cola and beer bottle caps, electric cables and strips of the plastic banding used to close cartons. "There is an interesting dimension of generational culture here," says Zivia. "The students used materials we would classify as garbage."

Modernism at Shenkar

At the entrance to the small "There's No Button without a Buttonhole" exhibition, on display until March 21 in the Lorber Gallery at the Shenkar School of Engineering and Design in Ramat Gan, there are two dresses designed by Gideon Oberson, one from the 1970s and the other from the 1960s. These dresses, like the clothes and accessories made by designers from Israel and abroad (Pierre Cardin, Fini Leitersdorf and Carolina Herrera), on display at the exhibition, embody elements of modernism. The exhibition is part of the International Conference on Critical Studies in Modernist Culture held at the school last week.

"Modernism is simplicity, truth of substance and the development of one thing from another," says Moni Mednik, who lectures at Shenkar and curated the exhibition. "In the models on display this is evident in their clean lines, simple designs and the lack of decorative ornamentation, as well as in the use of materials and colors that are practical and serve the garment's purpose."

These characteristics are obvious in the dresses at the entrance, which exhibit a clear architectural language of line, form and color. There is also a trio of silk chiffon dresses from the 1970s that express a faithfulness to the materials: the fabrics are soft, fluid and sheer, and the designers used the fabric's own language in the designs. The group of colorful coats by European, American and Israeli designers, such as Leitersdorf, have very clean lines, including concealed closures that preserve their clean, geometric look.

"Modernism began in the late 19th century," explains Mednik. "At first there was a call to return to arts and crafts, but in the 20th century designers began experimenting with new materials that were the fruits of modernization and industrialization. This is evident, for example, in the textile collections that feature nylon threads, and in the plastic shoes and accessories from the 1960s."

The series of gray dresses in the exhibition also symbolizes the combination of materials. Oscar de la Renta, for example, created an evening gown with a woolen bodice and taffeta skirt. "He employed the wool's warming qualities - but not at the expense of the design," says Mednik.