Clothes, not models, main attraction in Ungaro's show<\/p>\n
By Dini S. Djalal<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Last week, a woman hurried past my car, wearing
\na body-hugging blazer over a tight skirt skimming her knee. She
\nteetered on her utilitarian high-heeled pumps down the muddy
\nsidewalk and promptly jumped onto a Metromini with the gait of a
\nseasoned urban commuter.<\/p>\n
Welcome to secretarial style, circa 1995. Whether in Milan,
\nNew York, Paris, or our very own metropolis Jakarta, the matronly
\nlook has become all the rage. On international catwalks, hardly a
\nsupermodel thigh was prey to photographers' flashes, as the knee-
\nlength skirt -- flared or fitting -- became omnipresent this
\nseason. The power suit, worn (or rather, shorn) to dizzying
\neffect by Demi Moore in Disclosure, has returned, although truly
\nmassive shoulder pads still await their unfortunate but due
\nrevival. The secretary on the Metromini must be shaking her head.
\n\"So now I'm trendy, without even trying?\".<\/p>\n
One thing must be said about secretarial style: it's
\nconvenient. No more pulling down too-short miniskirts or hobbling
\non cork platform shoes. It's even easy on the color-blind -- many
\npieces now arrive as matching ensembles. From strappy shoes to
\nskinny belts to prim headbands, the designer will color-
\ncoordinate your entire wardrobe for you.<\/p>\n
Even Emanuel Ungaro, the Parisian designer whose pattern and
\ncolor schemes rival a hallucinogen-enhanced Kenyan safari, offer
\noutfits in subdued monotone hues. The stereotypical exuberant
\nUngaro lioness -- in leopard-print mini, flower-printed blouse,
\nand colorful plaid jacket -- occasionally leapt down the runway,
\nbut for the most part, the lioness is looking more and more like
\na well-groomed office kitten.<\/p>\n
Couture Contours<\/p>\n
Every six months, Singapore's Glamourette Group presents an
\nUngaro Trunk Show for socialites with pockets several thousands
\nof dollars deep. This year's autumn collection show was held at
\nthe Shangri-La Hotel on April 4. You can order pieces from the
\ncollection at the show, and pick up the tailor-made clothes six
\nmonths later in Singapore or have them delivered to you.<\/p>\n
It was an exquisitely-crafted collection, despite the trends
\nit followed. \"What Ungaro has attempted is to raise pret-a-porter
\nquality to haute couture standards. These clothes were tailored
\nwith couture cutting\", explained Theresa Lim, the Ungaro line's
\nSingaporean manager. The deft pattern-cutting was evident. The
\npieces seemed practically sewn on the body, as the designer
\nfitted seams so close to the body's contours. Theoretically, such
\ntailoring can sculpt any flawed body into Grecian perfection.<\/p>\n
For example, the tweed three-piece suits, often worn with a
\nmatching Edwardian scarf, would seem bulky were it not for the
\nslight nip there, the subtle tuck here. The pieces were also
\npresented like staircases -- the short jacket worn over a hip-
\nhugging waistcoat and a knee-length skirt -- giving the illusion
\nof elongation.<\/p>\n
In an ode to Jackie O, there were also boxy tweed suits in
\nbaby pink or baby blue, as well as in traditional gray, with high
\nside slits up the sober skirts. The waistcoat took center stage
\nin this collection, often so petite yet still clinched by a
\nshoestring belt around a tiny waist. There's a price to looking
\nso nice, and there's no room for cheesecake in these hourglass
\nshapes. These three-piece suits also come in beautiful mint-
\ncolored brocaded silks.<\/p>\n
It was the evening wear, as always, which pleased the
\nclientele. Black flared dresses with diamante trimming were
\nsentences in understated elegance. Flashier statements were
\nprovided by the black sequined slip dress with matching bolero,
\nor the maroon sequined slinky suit with the plunging neckline.
\nThe sleeveless gown adorned with diamante bows was a bit too
\ncute, although it would no doubt suit the whims of Jakarta
\ndebutantes.<\/p>\n
Other dresses were a direct reference to the age of
\ndebutantes, particularly the 1950s ball-gowns with layers and
\nlayers of petticoats. Worn at the Paris shows by giggly barefoot
\nmodels, momentarily the world almost seemed as light as the
\ncrinolines. The fashion industry is often accused of living an
\nunreal carefree lifestyle shielded with fantasy, and there is
\noften truth in the accusation. Perhaps the trend towards
\nsecretarial style is the designers' admission that they can and
\ndo respond to the needs of the general public. The crinolined
\nball-gowns, meanwhile, injects the hard reality with frivolous
\nglamour. And there is no other way to describe a US$46,000 ball-
\ngown as being other than frivolous (frivolously pretty,
\nfrivolously well-crafted, frivolous all the same).<\/p>\n
Yet expensive frivolity is the mark of haute couture, and
\noffers no surprises. What seemed amiss was Ungaro's signature
\nsense of adventure, and his wildcat women in mismatched silks.
\nThe India-inspired outfits of brocaded Nehru jackets, palazzo
\npants, and chiffon dresses, displayed Ungaro's unique talent of
\npattern mixing, but still the result was subtle and sedate.
\nSubdued chic is not Ungaro style. Perhaps more indulgent colors
\nand motifs are reserved for springtime, as drab fall clothes
\nprepare customers mentally for dredging through snowstorms (or in
\nthis case, for walking from limousine to the lobby of the Ritz).<\/p>\n
At the Paris shows, the models donned white wigs because
\nUngaro wanted the audience to concentrate on the clothes rather
\nthan the supermodels. It was a wise move, of course, as a gray
\ntweed suit would all but disappear in the shadow of Cindy
\nCrawford. Usually at an Ungaro show, it is the models who
\ndisappear in the madness of colors and patterns.<\/p>\n
And an endnote to secretarial style: they are functional but
\nrather boring, and done best by those who have always championed
\nit, such as Calvin Klein and Prada. At its best, fashion can
\nelevate the dowdy thespian into a creature of refinement and
\nbeauty. Supermodels look like supermodels whether they're dressed
\nin secretarial clothes -- even the most exquisitely-tailored
\nsecretarial clothes -- or a sequined bikini. The rest of us,
\nunfortunately, will just look like secretaries.<\/p>",
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