Ronald V. Gaghana roaring on empty<\/p>\n
Syahmedi Dean, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Ronald V. Gaghana, 43, is one Indonesian fashion designer
\nwhose creations are always eagerly awaited.<\/p>\n
On April 28, he, again, represented his latest ideas with 60
\ndesigns featured in a fashion show held in the ballroom of the
\nMulia Hotel in Jakarta. The theme of the show was the \"Roaring
\nTwenties\", calling to mind a decade in which fashion underwent
\nrapid changes and which gave birth to the term \"modernist
\nfashion\", which was embraced by designers who wanted to move away
\nfrom Victorian and Edwardian-styles of dressing that curbed
\nmovement and constrained people.<\/p>\n
These modernist fashion designers included Coco Chanel, who
\nintroduced the term \"the modern woman\" and the \"little black
\ndress\", Lanvin with his dropped-waist dresses, Elsa Schiaparelli
\nwith her body-hugging swimsuits and Paul Poiret, who turned
\npajamas into an element of modern evening wear.<\/p>\n
The decade of the '20s is associated with straight lines,
\nbobbed hair, flat breasts, boyish bodies and minimalist and
\nmodern Art Deco (the film Chicago shows all these things very
\ngraphically). All these items constitute a very rich source of
\nideas waiting to be explored.<\/p>\n
In his attempt to reintroduce the glory of the 1920s, Ronald
\nleaned heavily on the dropped-waist silhouette, a silhouette in
\nthe form of a gown, the upper and lower parts of which are
\nconnected to the waist (usually given a ribbon knot, a waist belt
\nor other ornaments).<\/p>\n
One interesting creation was a beige satin gown with a green
\nribbon knot on the waist. Ronald gave the a necklace made of Art
\nDeco-style beads. Although it represents a style that prevailed
\nin the 1920s, this look maintains its modernity even today.
\nHowever, the dropped-waist line of the gown that the model wore
\nwent down to the upper thighs, therefore causing the gown to look
\ntoo loose and destroying the proportions of the model.<\/p>\n
From Ronald's point of view, the 1920s were known only for the
\ndropped-waist silhouette only. What about the everything else?
\nRonald went far and wide for his creative ideas. His best design
\nwas a chiffon full skirt plus a golden-colored long-sleeved
\njacket, very chic but, unfortunately, not in the least reflecting
\nthe Roaring Twenties. Instead, it represented the New Look style
\nof the 1950s.<\/p>\n
Many other gowns were ornamented with a lot of beads without
\ngiving an Art Deco impression. A skirt made of several pieces of
\ncloth has all too often featured in Ronald's shows, as it did
\nagain this time. (Enough, Ronald!) It seems that he ran out of
\nideas. The skirt gave the impression that it had too many
\nelements so it was not pretty too look at. In short, it was too
\nbusy.<\/p>\n
The best color of the series of chosen colors available in the
\nshow was the tosca blue. This color was outstanding and injected
\na maximum fashion spirit, as with a gown with an inflated part of
\nthe 1950s style (again not the style of the 1920s). Other colors
\nsuch as golden, red, beige and aqua blue were too often repeated
\nand, therefore, not quite challenging. One thing unforgivable
\nabout the choice of colors was Ronald's combination of black and
\ngolden colors, two colors that are today quite beautiful but
\nbecome boring when they are combined.<\/p>\n
As a matter of fact, Ronald's designs were very fine, neat and
\nof a high quality. However, his ability to fantasize and develop
\nideas is questionable. Several times the essence of his designs
\nbecame lost in the theme of his choice, with the result that one
\ngot the impression Ronald did not have enough references and took
\na wrong step. His chosen theme became empty and provided no
\nimpression at all.<\/p>\n
Unsurprisingly, the fashion public has begun to doubt Ronald's
\ncredibility despite his fame in Indonesia's world of fashion.<\/p>\n
Usually, Ronald's designs are inseparable from the image of
\nyouthfulness, dynamism and modernity. His designs are suitable
\nfor women with a youthful spirit, combined with an energized,
\nexpressive and edgy disposition. Unfortunately, these
\ncharacteristics of Ronald's designs were absent in his collection
\nshown in the Roaring Twenties show. This time his designs
\nreflected middle-aged women trying too hard to enjoy a second
\nyouth.<\/p>",
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