Simple lines setting style<\/p>\n
Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Bandung<\/p>\n
What do you get when you cross an engineer with a clothing
\ndesigner?<\/p>\n
A clothing line with a strong sense of geometrical precision
\n-- at least, that is the case with engineer-turned-designer
\nNuniek Mawardi and her line of Muslim clothes.<\/p>\n
Taking inspiration from architecture and the colors of
\nbuilding materials, the finalist in the 1977 Miss Indonesia
\nbeauty pageant creates designs that are distinctly geometrical.<\/p>\n
For example, mixing a simple straight tunic dress with a
\nmodified version of a blazer, Nuniek creates a chic yet
\nconservative two-piece Muslim dress appropriate for formal
\nparties.<\/p>\n
\"My designs are for active, dynamic women to wear on formal
\noccasions,\" Nuniek said recently.<\/p>\n
Two-piece dresses are her favorite and she lets her
\nimagination loose when designing the outer dresses, with
\nhorizontal or vertical lines predominating.<\/p>\n
\"I guess it's the influence of my background. I'm from civil
\nengineering and my husband's an electrical engineer,\" Nuniek
\nsaid, adding that designing clothes had been a hobby way back in
\njunior high school.<\/p>\n
Nuniek's choice of colors also reflects her civil engineering
\nbackground, as she prefers subdued colors to bright, flashy ones.<\/p>\n
\"I get inspiration from earthy colors, the red of bricks, of
\nrocks. Rocks are not necessarily gray, you know,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Nuniek also combines different kinds of materials in her
\ndesigns, often using leather with gabardine wool or raw silk to
\ncreate what she calls an \"androgynous\" or masculine-style dress.<\/p>\n
Early in her career, Nuniek chose to design clothes for the
\nworking woman, such as blazers and two-piece dresses.<\/p>\n
\"But Muslim clothing at the time was so plain, and I found
\nthat I could come up with creative ideas for creating something
\nnew from that basic design,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Muslim fashion has become a major industry in recent years,
\nwith many public figures and celebrities choosing to wear Muslim
\ndress that is both modish and modest.<\/p>\n
Nuniek acknowledged that she chose designing over a career in
\nengineering mainly because of a promise she made to her husband
\nthat she would not work outside the home.<\/p>\n
Her designs are now found as far afield as Malaysia. \"I asked
\na friend to take my designs to Malaysia, and I'm really glad to
\nfind that they liked them,\" Nuniek said, adding that besides
\nBandung, her designs could also be found at Pasaraya department
\nstore in Blok M, South Jakarta, and in Surabaya.<\/p>\n
In Bandung, her designs are found at her home and studio at
\nJl. Griya Utara, and will soon be showcased at a new boutique.<\/p>\n
The prices of her dresses range from Rp 500,000 (about US$47)
\nto as high as Rp 3 million.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/simple-lines-setting-style-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}