Springing up Israel’s fashion elite pile

Onto the deck of Wingate’s Olympic swimming pool for a glimpse of Castro’s coming Spring collection.

By ORI J. LENKINSKI
Castro Show 2014 (photo credit: Courtesy)
Castro Show 2014
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Last Monday morning, a virtual motorcade of GetTaxis fled Tel Aviv and headed toward Netanya.
Inside these cars sat Israel’s chicest and most fabulous. Dressed to the nines, these individuals were transported outside the boundaries of the city to the Wingate Institute, where they were handed minicream puffs, kir royals and place cards for the Castro Spring 2014 fashion show.
“You probably questioned the choice of location for the show,” said Etty Rotter, co-CEO of Castro, to the throngs of guests packed neatly onto the deck of Wingate’s Olympic swimming pool. “The choice to hold the show and to shoot the catalogue here in the Wingate Institute, the international center for physical education and sport, corresponds harmoniously not only with the inspiration for our new season but also with the culture and principles that Castro was based upon. The aspiration for Israeli greatness, striving for the best, teamwork always done with a sporty and optimistic vibe.”
Rotter went on to explain that this season, the design team of Castro went out of their way to provide solutions for all moments in life, from casual to dressed up, morning to night, youth to maturity. The show was divided into three lines, Red, Black and Blue.
The Red line, which opened the show, is full to the brim with loud floral patterns, often in two-piece sets. There were plenty of geometrical shapes, frilled skirts and oversized jerseys for girls, and loose-fitting tees and chinos for boys. The sporty touch was given by knee-high socks worn with strappy stilettos, and large numbers printed over the array of prints. One particularly nice addition was the men’s footwear: platform jelly sandals that evoked 1980s summers on the beach.
Next came the Blue line, boasting denims namely the Jeanius cut seen rocking on Gal Gadot in the Twerk It ad. Let’s just say that if the Blue line is an indication, there are going to be a lot of bare legs, bare bellies and bare shoulders come spring.
The women’s half of Blue was intensely scanty, almost shockingly so. Short shorts have been replaced by really, really short shorts, and bare-midriff shirts seem to have lost a few centimeters since last year.
The men’s side of Blue was much classier, bringing a waft of sea air into the balmy swimming-pool environs. Again, Castro has gone for embellished denim in a variety of prints, mainly florals. A nice play between white and blue was seen in both the women’s and men’s lines, most noticeably in a classic-cut denim jacket for men.
Finally, the Black line arrived to soften out the hard edges of Red and Blue. The women’s line was particularly romantic, with frilled white blouses and voluminous skirts. In Black, the designers applied geometric shapes to flowing, pastel fabrics. There were several shirt-and-pant duos in teal, salmon and off-white. The men’s line brought unusual colors to the table in suits, button-down shirts and slacks. A show-stopping look was a floral suit in olive green with a ruby shirt underneath.
The entire show was streamed live on the company’s website and can be viewed there now (www.castro.com).