Lingerie makes sexy splash in town<\/p>\n
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Voluptuous models were recently seen parading in lingerie and
\nswimsuits during a fashion show heralding the opening of a new
\nwomen's lingerie boutique and another's presentation of its
\nlatest collection.<\/p>\n
The two boutiques are Le Boudoir and niconico intimo, both in
\nKemang, South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Following the launch of niconico last February, Le Boudoir, an
\nexclusive boutique that specializes in silk batik lingerie,
\nopened its doors to the public.<\/p>\n
\"We love batik and we wanted to make something special. I have
\nalways loved lingerie and I collect it. So, I thought, why not
\nproduce batik lingerie,\" said Le Boudoir director Ida Maille.<\/p>\n
Ida established the business early this year along with her
\nFrench husband Patrick, an architect who designs all the
\nlingerie.<\/p>\n
As the couple wanted to make exclusive products, they came up
\nwith the idea of handmade batik silk, where all the fabric and
\nmaterial came from local sources.<\/p>\n
\"The problem at first was finding tailors because most local
\nunderwear is made in factories where the employees only work on
\none part of the garment. For instance, one employee only sews on
\nthe buttons, while others work on the seams. But if we asked them
\nto sew a bra, for example, they couldn't do it. We also had
\ndifficulty in finding patternmakers,\" Ida said.<\/p>\n
After finally finding the people she needed, she cooperated
\nwith a colleague in Central Java, who owns a batik factory, to
\nmake the fabric, before sending it to Jakarta to be sewn.<\/p>\n
While lingerie with batik motifs is a new thing, even for
\nIndonesians, the fashions turned out to be cute and sexy when put
\non display by Le Boudoir.<\/p>\n
Panties, thongs, G-strings, bras, bustiers, corsets and also
\npajamas, slip dresses and chemises are all featured in silk
\nbatik.<\/p>\n
The classic batik patterns of truntum and kawung are used and
\ncome mostly in pastels. But there are pieces that come in dark
\nbrown, black, shocking pink and bright purple as well.<\/p>\n
Targeted for women aged 20 and over, prices start from Rp
\n150,000 (US$16.30) for a pair of panties and Rp 350,000 for a
\nbra. Pajamas, meanwhile start from Rp 1.75 million while a corset
\ncosts Rp 3.5 million.<\/p>\n
\"All products are handcrafted batik and made out of silk.
\nSince we want to make it (the line) exclusive, the number of each
\nitem is very limited. It's a customized corset so we only make it
\non order,\" Ida said.<\/p>\n
The corset is a truly Victorian style, and uses real iron for
\nits support, which Ida promised \"would help reduce your
\nwaistline\".<\/p>\n
\"You can even wear the corset outside,\" she added.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, earlier this month, niconico also presented its
\ncollection of lingerie and swimwear in a closed fashion show for
\na limited audience.<\/p>\n
The lingerie shown were pieces from the boutique's premium
\nline of fashion for adults, which has more elegant styles
\nincluding lace and frills, and a teenager's line, which featured
\nmore funky stuff.<\/p>\n
The premium line featured various laced lingerie, floral
\nchiffon robes, white satin robes and slip dresses with
\nembroidery.<\/p>\n
The teenager's line, which is called missimi, comes in army
\ncamouflage, stripes and florals, all of which sport mostly bright
\ncolors.<\/p>\n
\"The newest stuff presented here is the swimwear. The theme is
\nthe wet look. We used shiny fabric which comes from Italy's
\nSwarovski,\" said niconico's owner and designer Nico Genze.<\/p>\n
The swimsuits are quite varied in style, print and color. One
\nswimsuit had a halter, while others featured a zipper in front
\nand came in florals, stripes or a leaf print.<\/p>\n
There are bikinis as well -- tie-dyed bikinis, striped bikinis
\nand bikinis with cartoon characters.<\/p>\n
With its lingerie and swimsuit collection, both Ida and Genze
\nexpect a higher awareness from Indonesian women, as they said
\nwomen here had yet to become fully aware of the importance of
\nlingerie.<\/p>\n
\"We want to educate people to increase their awareness. At
\nleast, lingerie can make women feel good about themselves,\" Ida
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Genze, meanwhile, wants to change the swimsuit's image as
\nbeing merely \"sexual and vulgar\".<\/p>\n
\"That's why I am holding a fashion show here in a small cafe,
\nin front of adult women while they're having afternoon tea,
\ninstead of holding it at a club at night,\" he said.<\/p>\n
There has been more fashion shows and more attention toward
\nlingerie and swimsuits, he added, but its image is still typecast
\nas sexual.<\/p>\n
\"Our next project is to create a regular swimsuit calendar.
\nNot those typical vulgar calendars aimed at men. It can even be
\nfor mothers,\" Genze said.<\/p>",
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