Using her own unique vision, Karen Oberson has been successfully following her father's very large footsteps for the past 10 years.
By MEREDITH PRICE LEVITTfashion 88(photo credit: )
The choice might seem obvious. But Gideon Oberson's daughter Karen didn't always dream of following in her father's large footsteps. In fact, quite the opposite was true for many years.
"In the beginning, I thought that fashion was not my profession. I studied economics and management at Tel Aviv University," she says as I reach for a freshly-made cappuccino despite the morning's relentless heat in the throbbing city. The fine, white porcelain mug, with its accompanying saucer and small silver spoon, take the edge off the humid chaos outside and welcome me into the cool, refreshing space of her office.
In an outer room, shiny evening dresses designed by Oberson senior sparkle and glint. The second floor of the Tel Aviv Oberson store, which Karen shares with her father, is reserved for important clients who want personal attention and one-of-a-kind designs.
The wide space of her dark wooden desk is completely clear except for a sleek gray laptop in one corner. There are no loud prints on the furniture or brightly-colored rugs. In fact, her office speaks volumes about her clothing designs, which put great emphasis on high-quality, single-color materials imported largely from Europe and simple, feminine cuts.
Admittedly, Oberson doesn't like bells and whistles. When it comes to clothing, she has a simple philosophy: A woman should wear what makes her feel good. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Dressed in a soft gray chiffon top that ties at the neck and flows loosely down to the top of her hips with a pair of charcoal-colored jeans, Oberson exudes a casual chic that embodies her beliefs.
Years ago, when she was still a student who thought of working in advertising, she started helping out in the Oberson boutique over the summers and in the afternoons. She also accompanied her parents on trips to Italy, France and what was then Yugoslavia to buy fabric.
Slowly, as she got more and more immersed in the business side of the fashion industry, her curiosity about the design was piqued. Instead of accompanying her parents, she started to buy the fabrics on her own. After a few years, she decided to take a few courses at the Shenkar College of Engineering and Design. Of course, growing up watching her father work was also a large part of the learning process.
"I had a very good teacher," she says with the slightest hint of an Italian accent gracing her flawless English.
When I ask how it feels to come after such success and whether or not she wants to branch out completely on her own, she shrugs and says, "We are very much together even though our styles are very different and my father's clothing tends to be more expensive."
Rather than creating ensembles and using more formal materials, Karen is attracted to knits and fabric that is more elastic. "My collection is more about separates, and there is less of a divide between day and evening wear."
Her buyers are usually between 20 and 50, and her collections appeal to women who like classic elegance. "I use sober shades, and every season you will find single colors, like black, gray, white and off-white," she says. "I can't stand bright colors. I feel much better in grays and blacks and a touch of white."
The same is true for patterns, which she uses sparingly and only if they are subtle and without too much excess.
Since the inception of the first Karen Oberson line 10 years ago, she creates two collections a year that are inspired by trends in the international and cosmopolitan world of fashion rather than what one could call an Israeli style, if such a thing exists.
"What is Israeli?" she balks in answer to the question. "Israeli means people and food from all over the world. Yes, we're in the desert, but we have a huge mixture of cultures and food and traditions to draw upon."
Not surprisingly, her fall/winter collection for 2008 includes plenty of elegantly-cut dresses, fitted sweaters, A-line jackets and knitted cardigans that come largely in charcoal, black, pearl and teal.
One of the more interesting pieces is a lovely double-lined, knee-length dress and wrap. The small white dots on the material give it a vintage flair, and the wrap would dress up a turtleneck and jeans for an evening out. It is a piece that would make many women feel good. Nothing more. Nothing less.
www.karenoberson.com
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