Dorina Dobor was over 30 when she entered the world of fashion as a mother of four, and she is convinced that maturity and experience have benefited both her and her designs: she focuses on classic elegance, complemented by comfort.
If you could pick a dream dress, which world-famous designer would you wear? Chanel. And definitely not a modern piece, but rather a 50-year-old model. Are you inspired by nostalgia or a retro feeling? No! I believe in elegance – which is timeless. The products of the big fashion labels are most of the time extravagant and unwearable. They are for the moment, for the shop window. What the fashion industry applauds in the spotlight is hard to interpret as streetwear. Extravagance and elegance are mutually exclusive? They very rarely go together. The presence, the overall image, is greatly influenced by the fluidity, the series of gestures. And it’s a struggle to look stylish when the quality of the material is not the best. And fabrics and decorative items that cause discomfort is more common than you might think in the big fashion houses
Why do customers tolerate it? Because we live in an age of wanting to stand out from the crowd. There’s no doubt that the creations of the big fashion labels provide a sense of distinction, but it’s not always positive. Can elegance make you stand out? Yes, in the right circles. Who do you design for? Women who like classic elegance and who have trouble when they find what are essentially rags in the shops. You pronounce the word rags with emphasis. Personal experience, disappointment? Let’s face it, it’s very difficult to buy a quality dress, whether it’s for formal or everyday wear. That’s one of the reasons why I started designing. Did you have a previous idol? My Grandma. She was a very beautiful, elegant woman. She had her hair made up even when she took out the garbage. I became a fashion designer because I don’t want to compromise with sloppiness, with ready-to-wear clothing, and yes, I am against deliberately wrinkled, torn clothes, even if this is the trend among young people and increasingly among middle-aged and elderly people. I do not wish and will not give in to oversize sweaters and ripped jeans. I want to bring back a world when people were willing to be stylish, and their clothes reflected that attitude. Because a well-made piece goes beyond itself: it gives you confidence, makes you feel good, and your environment reacts differently to you.
What does your wardrobe look like? Every now and then I come across a surprisingly cool department store creation that I really wouldn’t have wanted to leave behind, so I have a few pieces, but most of my clothes are my own designs, i.e. Dorina Dobor and Dorinka. Don’t you ever feel like I don’t have a dress to wear? No. Of course, sometimes when I’m in a hurry and only have a minute to get dressed, I don’t have time to think, but even then I know exactly where to reach in my wardrobe for a stunning skirt suit or a chic dress with a little jacket. You entered the fashion industry as a mother of four. Why did you wait so long? I wanted to wait until all four children were in kindergarten and school – to have the time and energy for creativity, passion, in short, for the design work.
And as a mother of four children, do you approach a fabric and think about a dress differently than a designer who has just finished her studies, or are everyone bound by the same rules and trends? It is good that I had time to get more mature. When I met my husband at the age of 21, I was convinced that I was the perfect woman and that my taste was unquestionable. My husband always told me to wait until I was 30. And he was right: I have a different attitude to people, I like different wines, I think differently about style now. The latter is so true that I would even change my first collection, which was published in autumn 2021. One thing has not changed: I stick to what I believe in. I have consciously not attended fashion design courses because I find that different schools want to reorder their students’ minds, to impose the trends of today, and that’s how the black tape dresses are born. Thank you, but that’s not for me.
You say you don’t want to attend designer courses. So who are your controllers who give you their opinion? If I need a woman’s eye, it’s my Mum. Who inherited the stylishness from my Grandmother, and who only buys quality pieces that remain recognizable after one wash. And my highly respected female colleague who is doing the modeling, whose professional arguments I do accept. And if I need a man’s perspective, it’s my husband’s. Give me an example of your aversion to trends? I strive for equal emphasis on elegance and comfort, whereas the industry, as we’ve discussed, often sacrifices the latter for the sake of impact. I’m not going to name the brand, but there was a stunning pair of suit pants, I put them on but then I thought I was going to go crazy, it was such a prickly feeling – especially when I was sitting in them. So I was forced to stand throughout an event that lasted several hours. This should never happen! It’s a myth that you have to choose between looking good and comfort. No need! Comfort and convenience can be achieved with a little care: for example, you need to think carefully about where the stitching run, what material is used for the garment and what to line it with. Most of my creations are lined with satin, with a fine silkiness that is really pleasant to the skin. I would never force anyone to choose between standing or sitting and suffering.
You mentioned that today you are also rethinking your collection, which is less than two years old, and that has a real meaning, as you are building your new brand, Dorina Dobor. How is it different from the Dorinka brand we know? More feminine, more serious, more elegant, more exclusive – and, of course, more lovable. When you start designing a dress, do you think of a specific person, a target group, or … .. rather two categories. When I dream of a new piece, I divide the design into two parts. I have a very elegant version in my head, which can be worn at high society events, in the parliament, or at diplomatic events. And there is another one that is also elegant – let’s call it the street version – but is not appropriate for exclusive events, for example because of the shorter skirt, the different neckline. The first version is ideal for the 45+ age group, the second for the 30-45 age group.
You are an up-and-coming designer, so isn’t the target age group set too high? The women I really like to design for are typically businesswomen. And let’s be honest: only a few of them are really young women. Young people are a target group that many businesses focus on: what competitive advantage could I expect there? I believe that a mature person already knows exactly who they are and how to express it, including how they dress. But while their self-image is constant, trends change very quickly and may be alien to their personality. Many fashion brands in general may be competing for the attention of consumers, but there is a shortage of classy creations that are elegant and feminine in their simplicity. If you buy a Dorina Dobor dress, you won’t have to rearrange your wardrobe every few years, and no special occasion will come as a surprise.