İzmir in the mood for love

From creamy dantelles of the wedding gowns in the International Wedding Fair to alternative Saint Valentine celebrations, İzmir is in the mood for love as Valentine's Day approaches. 

Here are four reasons why it is worth celebrating love in the city founded by the Amazons:

1. Capital of weddings and divorce: İzmir's International Wedding Fair, held between Jan. 9 and 11, brought the whole gamut of wedding wear to the city, where 70 percent of all wedding gowns in Turkey are manufactured. The million dollar industry extends from Ottoman kaftan style wedding gowns to daring décoltées, as well as eco-friendly fabrics. İzmir also tops the country on the rate of divorce. The good news is that İzmir girls, whose beauty and confidence can be matched by Boleyn girls, wear wedding gowns a second time, too.

2. If music be the food of love, play on, said Shakespeare. The French Institute of İzmir is celebrating Saint Valentine's Day with a concert by opera singer Altuğ Dilmaç on Feb. 16. Dilmaç, whose international music career includes playing all romantic lead roles from Shakespeare's Petruccio in "Kiss Me Kate" to Professor Higging in "My Fair Lady/Pygmalion," will sing romantic songs from Turkey, France, Italy and the United States. Cornered before a rehearsal and asked to name the quintessential love song for Feb. 14, Dilmaç chose Cole Porter's "I've got you under my skin" - the song he sang for his own wedding 13 years ago.

3. Love in the time of KHK: Many İzmirians are determined to be present at Olfen Philarmonic's St Valentine's concert at Adnan Saygun Concert Hall on Feb. 16. The interest is partly due to the support for İbrahim Yazıcı, who was among the 330 academics expelled by the government decree earlier this month. Yazıcı's...