Nelwan Anwar's clothes revel in a golden opulence<\/p>\n
By Parvathi Nayar Narayan<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Nelwan Anwar is a fashion designer who believes
\nin the creation of exclusive designs for exclusive people. The
\ncollection of 120 outfits unveiled at a recent fashion show at
\nthe Hotel Shangri-La, Jakarta, revealed his trademark love of
\nornamentation. The fabrics were richly worked, some of them in
\nall-over gold thread. The reason he gets away with such opulence
\nis that the basic styles of his clothes are simple. He sticks to
\nclassic lines rather than current fashion.<\/p>\n
The first segment of the fashion show displayed elaborately
\nworked skirt suits. Essentially short, some skimmed knees or just
\ncovered them. The slim-cut skirts had slits at the sides or back,
\nthe jackets were left open to reveal a matching or contrasting
\ntunic. Typically with heavy gold work covering the shoulders and
\nupper arms of the jacket, and lighter work elsewhere, these
\nshimmery suits were definitely not daytime wear.<\/p>\n
Some suits veered towards the overly elaborate. This robbed
\nthe embroidery of its overall impact, seen to such good effect in
\nthe ensembles that followed. These were plain sheath dresses
\ncombined with embroidered jackets. The deep blue sheath in
\ncrinkly fabric matched with a gold-worked jacket, also in blue,
\nwith an interesting woven border in red, yellow, turquoise and
\nblack, for example, was very striking.<\/p>\n
Actually, the colors dominating the show were the cobalt
\nblues, emeralds and lime greens, the burnt reds and purples. In
\nmost of the fabrics the colors were shot through with a thread of
\nblack, typical of the geometrically patterned ikat weave.<\/p>\n
The menswear was far less interesting than the women's
\nclothing. It ranged from traditional shirts to ikat jackets. The
\nlatter's wearability seemed a bit dubious with the vivid ikat
\nweaves, sleeves of different colors and shiny buttons. Certainly,
\nthe most interesting offerings for the men were the mid-calf-
\nlength caftans. These African-inspired caftans had a square panel
\nof geometric embroidery in front, full sleeves and a general air
\nof smart comfort.<\/p>\n
The embroidery and fabric also came together well in layered
\nclothing for women. This included a minuscule array of pastels
\nwhere black was completely absent - bulky coats embroidered in
\npastels (pinks, greens, blues) over plain shift dresses in
\napricot, lemon and a rather startling pink.<\/p>\n
There were gorgeous blouses in lovely shades of lime and pink
\nwith full ruched sleeves worn over sheaths. Delicate gold
\nembroidery added a dressy touch to hemline, sleeves and neck.
\nThere were several variations on this theme. Sometimes, though,
\nwhen the worked jacket was teamed with a skirt that was also
\nheavily patterned and embroidered, and a sequined tunic, the
\neffect was just too ornate.<\/p>\n
The more understated ensembles allowed the focus to remain on
\nthe really dramatic overblouses. Some of them had embroidery in
\njust a single color, cobalt or red or purple, without gold; the
\nresult was a look both more contemporary and extremely wearable.<\/p>\n
Favorite embroidery motifs were fish, arabesques, curlicues,
\nropes and tassels in various permutations and combinations.
\nSometimes the embroidery was very heavy, a definite opaque motif
\nworked over the fabric. The 'supporting' embroidery in such cases
\nwas lighter and worked so as to harmonize and subtly emphasize
\ndetails of the ikat weave.<\/p>\n
Towards the latter half of the show there was a display of
\ndresses in plain white and plain black. Crinkly lengths of cloth
\nworn as stoles seemed de rigeur with these evening dresses.<\/p>\n
A white sheath dress with gold embroidery, for instance, had a
\nstole with elaborate and fanciful cut work done on the edges to
\nmatch.<\/p>\n
Overlong heavy fringes with the fabric in wide strips was one
\nof the definitive, if slightly overused, detailing on the black
\ndresses. Other black dresses sported layers of folded and wrapped
\nchiffon over the basic slinky sheath shape. Hemlines were very
\noften uneven, pointed in front and raised higher or slit at the
\nback. These sported silver embroidery in ethnic designs.<\/p>\n
There was also evening-wear inspired and based on the sarong
\nkebaya. The upper garments were reminiscent of a skirted coat
\nshape, usually heavily worked so that they stood out stiffly. And
\nagain their hemlines were rarely uniform, but straight at the
\nback and worked to a point in front.<\/p>\n
Before the bridal finale -- gauzy layered white with golden
\nembroidery -- was an array of pleated floor-length skirted
\noutfits. The drama of the clothes was enhanced with some rather
\noutrageous turbans as headgear. The models twirling in them
\nlooked like a row of whirling dervishes in an array of colors,
\npale gold, coffee, and blues. Particularly attractive was a deep
\naqua with a contrasting embroidered jacket in burnt red with
\ntouches of aqua and gold.<\/p>\n
Speaking to The Jakarta Post, Anwar outlined the creative
\nprocess by which his outfits, like those showcased on the
\ncatwalk, are created. The process begins, logically, with the
\nidea for a dress, taking into account its wearability and
\ncomfort. The design is then put down as a fashion illustration.
\nIt is on the basis of these illustrations that Anwar's regular
\ncustomers order from him.<\/p>\n
Next Anwar designs the ikat fabric that the dress will be made
\nfrom, specifying the colors, usually earth colors. For clothing
\ntextiles he uses only natural fibers, silk, cotton - and
\nsometimes even banana or pineapple fibers. This design is then
\nfarmed out to the small weaving centers the designer uses, either
\nin Sulawesi, Central Java or Bandung.<\/p>\n
Only ten metres of each design is woven, from which a maximum
\nof three dresses can be made. \"But the character and design of
\neach is different - no two dresses are the same,\" he says.The
\nmaterial is cut for the intricate embroidery, done by machine at
\nslow speed - this is his distinctive touch.<\/p>\n
A dress can take around one month from the first design to the
\nfinished product, being so labor-intensive. In terms of price,
\nthe clothes range from Rp 125,000 to Rp 1,200,000. Wedding
\ndresses can cost as much as Rp 5,000,000. They can be found only
\nin Anwar's studio in Jakarta, not from department stores.<\/p>\n
Nelwan Anwar graduated from the Jakarta Institute of Art,
\n1986, the year he won second prize at the Young Designer of
\nIndonesia awards. He has been working as a designer ever since.
\nBut his creativity can be traced back to his childhood among the
\nweaving community in Bugis, South Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
The weavers he grew up with were only interested in
\ntraditional processes. But Anwar wanted to be different - he
\nwanted to create new fabrics in limited quantities which would
\nincrease their exclusivity. The realization of this dream was
\nseen in the clothes on display at the recent show in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Anwar makes clothes that are unabashedly opulent and romantic.
\nHis clothes are not casual wear and probably not for everyone -
\nthe sheer wealth of color and gold would swamp many wearers. Of
\ncourse, there are possibilities for mixing and matching: the
\nentire coordinated outfit for that dress-up-and-be-noticed
\noccasion, or just the jacket to add glamour to a simpler outfit
\nfor a simpler occasion.<\/p>\n
Despite the unique nature of each outfit, some are not
\nparticularly distinctive; the weaves and the embroidery motifs
\nare variations on a few similar themes, as he himself admits.
\nStill, when the various elements of Anwar's work come together --
\nthe basic silhouette, the fabric design and color, and embroidery
\n-- the result is an ideal candidate for that \"special dress\" niche
\nin one's wardrobe.<\/p>",
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