Greece’s Kokosalaki serves up elegant draping

PARIS — Greek designer Sophia Kokosalaki served up on Saturday a spring-summer 2010 ready-to-wear collection of artfully draped cocktail dresses that would have done her ancestors proud.

Abbreviated cocktail dresses in neutral tones were wound in whisper-light chiffon so graceful it evoked classical Greek sculptures.

“I did all my drapery in wet fabrics, just to keep it really light and effortless,” the imposing blond told The Associated Press in a post-show interview.

The abbreviated, asymmetrical dresses in black, ivory and purple-y gray fluttered invitingly as the models tromped down the catwalk. Still, the dresses were not so different from the short, draped bustier and sheath cocktail numbers that have already dominated many other Paris runways.

What set Kokosalaki apart were the little leather jackets and short jumpsuits embellished with traditional Greek motifs.

“My heritage is so rich, it’s a never-ending source of inspiration,” she said, adding with a laugh, “It’s a bit of a joke, but Greek people like to say that all the designs, all the motifs out there, their origin is Greek.”