Donna Karan's designs for women's comfort<\/p>\n
By Dini S. Djalal<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): If fashion trends take a year to seep into
\neveryday life, by January 1996 all the trendy young things in
\nJakarta will be wearing hourglass knee-lengths skirts.<\/p>\n
I'm not holding my breath.<\/p>\n
Recent issues of Vogue have been parading models barely out of
\ntheir teens sashaying in 18-inch-waist skirts and corseted
\njackets -- the very same models rarely seen out of their jeans
\nout of camera frame.<\/p>\n
Matrimonial style is indeed awkward for teen-dreams itching to
\nshow off some nubile flesh. Fashion magazines advise that the
\ntrick for looking just like your mother in these mannered clothes
\nis \"irony\". As in wearing a tailored suit with messy hair that
\n(and I quote Harper's Bazaar) connotates \"One martini too many.\"<\/p>\n
In Jakarta's conservative office environments, this look would
\nat best elicit a slap on the backside, and at worst a kick out
\nthe executive door.<\/p>\n
Other observers have commented that the rage in 1950s-style
\nmatching suits is part of the growing Republican movement in the
\nU.S. Hence the shorter sleeve (meant to be worn with long gloves
\nand preferably a chauffeur-driven car), dainty matching handbags
\n(to fit nothing more than a make-up compact, American Express
\ngold card and a phone listing of the city's best beauty-salons),
\nand stiletto heels (to be worn only on carpet or marble floors).
\nThe scenario is not completely unrealistic, particularly in the
\ncorridors of Fifth Avenue penthouses or Menteng mansions.<\/p>\n
Esthetically, it's a great look. It is also a look that
\nperversely looks greatest on those who will not wear it -- the
\nyoung and the thin. At Donna Karan's 1995 Spring Collection
\nFashion Show on June 8, for example, the oldest model was 23-
\nyears-old, the youngest only 16. The models strutted confidently
\nin black knee-length tuxedo dresses and nude\/beige knee-length
\nsuits. And why not? Their lithe frames would suit any outfit, and
\neven the most conservative clergyman would forgive them for
\nwearing lace-trimmed slipdresses (which come in nude\/beige, gray
\nand black).<\/p>\n
In fact, the innerwear-as-outerwear trend is back this year,
\nwhich should make bustierre-devotee Madonna very happy. Karan's
\nslipdresses have sarong-style skirts, and more seams than a
\ntailored riding jacket. Other than lace, they come in pinstriped
\nblack lycra, gray plaid and black crepe trimmed with white satin.
\nWith so many darts on the waist, hips and bust, these practically
\nmelt on the body.<\/p>\n
Suits and jackets were also precisely cut. In order to
\naccentuate the hourglass figure, many jackets were practically
\nbustierres with sleeves, their cupped busts prominently
\ndisplayed. I wondered if these jackets came in B, C, or D cups
\n(most unlikely). Bias-cut satin skirts, some trimmed in lace,
\ngave a siren edge to the lady-like fashion.<\/p>\n
What the siren looked finest in, however, were the fire-engine
\nred ensembles, particularly a scorching hot fitted leather jacket
\nteamed with matching knee-length skirt and stiletto pumps (the
\nensemble also available in beige and black). Like a technicolor
\nEmma Peel (of 1960s TV show The Avengers) taking up some
\nsecretarial work, this was that so-called \"irony\" at its best.<\/p>\n
The evening wear -- all in black -- were also dynamite, but
\nmore subdued. Halter-top pantsuits provided glamour and comfort,
\nand an off-the-shoulder full-length gown exuded cool
\nsophistication. If these outfits were worn with that red-hot
\nleather jacket, this lady may just get some street-cred.<\/p>\n
While Donna Karan consistently designs with a woman's comfort
\nin mind, Karl Lagerfeld molds women into creatures of his
\nfanciful imagination. At the 1995 Spring Collection Show at the
\nGrand Hyatt on June 14, his latest ready-to-wear collection was
\nunveiled. Lagerfeld makes beautiful clothes, but with his pony
\ntail and permanently-perched sunglasses, he is fashion incarnate.
\nWho else but the trend-disciple would wear a vivid-pink lycra
\ntank-top over an equally-bright pink lycra t-shirt?<\/p>\n
For the Chanel collection this year, Lagerfeld again joined
\nthe pack and designed shapely understated Jackie-O style matching
\nsuits. For his own collection, however, he opted to continue his
\nlove affair with the 1980s, and presented geometrically-
\ncomplicated tailored, shoulder pads, corsets and skirts of all
\nlengths and shapes. What is available in Jakarta is, thankfully,
\na far more conservative range of his designs.<\/p>\n
As the fashion shows target housewives and female executives,
\nthere were many handsome suits on offer, as well as flowing
\nflowery dresses. These sheer dresses -- available in a range of
\npretty patterns -- are different from your typical Marks-and-
\nSpencer gardening gear. Go gardening in these see-through
\nensembles and all your male neighbors will help you pot the
\nplants.<\/p>\n
Karl Lagerfeld designs great jackets, but his German
\nupbringing remains evident in the massive long blazers engulfing
\npetite Indonesian frames. Teamed with palazzo pants, and the
\nwearer is lost in a sea of fabrics.<\/p>\n
Palazzo pants look great paired with a tiny top. Lagerfeld's
\nbest outfit was curvy navy overalls worn over a crisp white
\nblouse and matching necktie. The blouse had short puffy sleeves,
\nand the look was reminiscent of the first women factory workers
\nduring World War II. A similar outfit was a checked black-and-
\nwhite jumpsuit, throwing a glamourous light on the mechanic's
\nuniform. Retro looks great when it is streetwise, and remembers
\nthat the fashion industry's model is the active and dynamic woman
\n-- not the perfectly-pedicured lady.<\/p>",
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