“It’s about self-exploration and healing, as well as thinking of a more esoteric way to create a body of work,” mused Dimitra Petsa after the screening of her latest collection’s accompanying film, The Moon Tastes of Wine. “Where does artistic impulse come from? Why is there not one clear route to achieving success in creativity?”
The film itself—which was written and directed by Petsa, and lensed by Petros Ioannidis—took inspiration from the Dionysian Mysteries, an ancient Greek and Roman ritual involving intoxicants and trance-inducing methods to liberate individuals to get to their most carefree and natural state. Shot in Athens, near Petsa’s hometown of Rafina, the film starts off with its protagonist, played by Belgian actor Aurora Marion, struggling with writer’s block. Eventually the scenes spiral into a frenzy, in which each character ends up releasing their inhibitions and dancing away their anguish, while wearing an array of body-conscious Di Petsa creations.
The clothes were a celebration of all the stages of growth, from child to parent, while introducing new techniques to Petsa’s signatures. There was a sky blue beaded minidress that took two months to construct: The details were of couture-level meticulousness. A delicately draped caftan attached to a gold chain around the neck felt particularly strong. Children’s-wear was included too. It came in the form of matching mother-daughter swimwear sets covered in a new print, inspired by ancient Greek terra-cotta pottery washed up by the sea (the print was also used on slinky slip dresses).
The wet-look, Greek goddess–inspired Illusion dress—one of Petsa’s best-selling items since launching her label in 2021—was elevated in new iterations, including a white strapless version that revealed a baby bump and a striking pink floor-length gown embellished with healing rose quartz crystals and glass beads.
Petsa, who made an appearance in the film, remarked, “I find it frustrating when the female body is either sexualized or medicalized—there is no narrative in between. Empowering women is of the utmost importance to me.”
