An ode to the Goddess Venus, Di Petsa’s Fall Winter 2024 collection was aptly titled “The Body as Prayer”, paying homage to the divinity of beauty and sex through the act of dressing. Prayer is integral to the collection, likened to the ritual of getting dressed and undressed, “to adorn one’s body, is an act of self-love, of healing and rebirth” read the show notes.

Not every runway show has its designer recite poems over the sounds of Flora Yin’s Guzheng music but taking part in her brand’s ethereal live experiences is Dimitra Petsa’s bread and butter. The Greek designer presented us with a ceremony that embodied female archetypes like the Virgin Mary and the Madonna, or purity and sexual deviance.   

The show opened with the iconic Venus dress, long sleeve and white, this iteration clung to the body in signature Wetlook style. Followed were several milky toned outfits made from silk, ribbon and sheer fabrics, creating a sense of weightlessness. Clear quartz crystals hung from another Wetlook Dress donned by a pregnant woman, the ethereal white against the exposed round belly was angelic and dreamlike.

Colours become more daring as the show continues, shifting from nude to deep cherry and electric blue. The naked body is central to the show, emphasised by handmade crochet decorated with pom-pom flowers. Skin is revealed by sheer panelling or asymmetrical openings at the leg and waist. Two models walked hand in hand in nude dresses, they embraced and began to intertwine with the mesh material that reveals all curves and contours of the body. Symbolic of and childbirth and two bodies coming together.

Draped leather and denim fabrics in deep blue were impressively manipulated into making dresses and off the shoulder crop tops look water drenched. Fluidity was encouraged by crochet headwear full of beads, pearls and seashells, reminiscent of droplets of water. The final look included a floor length crochet headpiece that trailed behind the dark blue dress which it accompanied. Di Petsa continues to elevate their established silhouettes, providing us with an otherworldly showcase that felt dreamy and transcendent, staying true to the brands aesthetic.