A showing of Australian fashion

A showing of Australian fashion

By Veronica Soediro

JAKARTA (JP): It was a perfect setting. Beautiful paintings by Donald Friend, an Australian artist spellbound by Balinese culture, were displayed around the residence of the Australian ambassador on Jl. Teuku Umar in Central Jakarta. The relaxed, friendly ambiance united with beautiful people in beautiful clothes made time fly by too swiftly. The Australian Fashion Extravaganza successfully won the audiences' favor.

The fashion show on Wednesday was as a follow-up to the major cultural and trade promotion late last year called Australia Today Indonesia 94. The event promoted Australian fashion and paintings and was followed by a chamber music concert at the Australian embassy on Friday.

Entitled A Showing of Australian Fashion, the show was embellished by designs from Carla Zampatti, Maggie Shepherd and Teena Varigos, all of who are internationally recognized Australian designers. The ambassador's wife hosted the event. The most well known designer amongst the three, Carla Zampatti, was absent.

Classy, sexy, cool

Carla Zampatti's Summer Story is a career woman's haven. It ends the "what am I gonna wear" routine. The collection isn't terribly original, but Zampatti has a unique touch in effortlessly making women look classy, sexy and cool. Many designers create elegant interchangeable pieces like hers, but only a few do it well. Zampatti's mix and match outfits, as described by her representative, can be worn to the office or boardroom and then be made quickly suitable for an after-five function with a scarf and some discreet jewelry.

Zampatti also produced a range of stunning evening wear while maintaining simplicity and elegance. She designed the evening wear to fit any body size -- thoughtfully including those of us who do not look like coat hangers. Natural fibers like silk, cotton, wool and linen created a smart and elegant look. The price range of A$500 and upwards is affordable for the target market of middle and upper class businesswomen.

Nonetheless, for those who are wild at heart, this collection is dull. The clothes are alluring, but they wouldn't turn heads. Some show enough flesh, but not enough for the exhibitionists, and the natural colors are a torment for modernists. Wear Zampatti's clothes and you play it safe. But then again, Carla Zampatti clearly states that her designs are a reflection of herself and she certainly isn't Ms. Let's-Shock-People Madonna. Anybody can wear Zampatti.

As one of the most influential designer in Australia, the Italian born designer has been awarded the Medal of Australia, one of the country's top distinctions, for her contributions to the fashion and business worlds.

The designer who has been to Bali twice is the most daring of the three. Maggie Shepherd uses vibrant and strong colors in what she describes as "my infamous patchwork design". She combines the colors of red, gold and blue with other bright colors in making big loose jackets and other loose clothes without sacrificing glamor. With highly original designs, Shepherd promises to make her creations different. Her patchwork designs, mostly in silk, are off-limits for matching outfit lovers.

Her clothes are not only for the young, the combination of seaweed green and gold with floral patterns would look stunning on women of all ages. Not many clothes have the same impact on different generations.

Asked about the competition in Australia, she answered, "Good, there is a lot of it; it provides more variety." She also pointed out that Zampatti's, Varigos' and her designs are of very different.

The Canberra-based designer was awarded the Order of Australia in 1991. It is now the highest award for public life in Australia replacing the Commonwealth awards bestowed by the British monarchy.

Teena's racewear

Clearly infatuated with hats, Teena Varigos designs flattering hats that can make a simple black dress look three times more extravagant. Strictly for special occasions like weddings and the Melbourne Cup.

Varigos admits to a Chanelly influence and prefers to design structured, fitted clothing which reveals body shape. Combined with her hats, only a confident woman would be bold enough to go out in public in the dreaded little black dress topped with the race-day hat. Nevertheless, Varigos insists that one does not have to be a size ten to look good in her low-cut above the knee clothes. A larger size person would still look good in her clothes and be courageous enough to walk out the door (Yes, the jackets do cover a lot of sins).

Varigos believes that Australian designers are just as good as Europeans. "You'll get the same line and quality clothes for a bargain." She explains that her most expensive outfit cost A$1,000 whilst similar European clothing would cost at least US$2,000.

Varigos used to export her designs to an Indonesian boutique in Jakarta six years ago. However, after the owner fell ill and closed down the shop, she stopped exporting to Indonesia. "What I'd like is ideally that we have an agent here (Jakarta) that we could send our line to," she said.

She is also a winner. Varigos won the Designer of the Year Viewers Choice Award in the 1995 Fashion Industries of Australia Awards for her Ebony and Ivory Racewear Story. She also won the Ladies Classic Racewear Category in the 1995 Melbourne Cup Carnival Oaks Day Fashion Competition.

Special praise must be given to the volunteer models. The models lead private lives in Jakarta at the moment, either as wives of businessmen or as employees at several embassies. One of the models is a diplomat herself. It was refreshing to see ordinary people in normal clothes. Nervous smiles were far better than the cute professional smiles seen too often on the catwalk. We were spared from overdone hip swaying and the "I'm so cool" attitude.

The three designers targeted their collection at career women, with emphasis on practicality by dressing-up or down to suit their lifestyles with accessories. They admitted using imported fabrics apart from the Australian wool. All the designers also expressed a desire to expand their market into Asia, especially into Indonesia's fast growing economy. As Teena Verigos explained, it is more convenient to trade with Australian companies as they provide a much closer destination -- only four hours to Perth -- providing a more practical way for Asian importers to index their orders. However, there is still a long way to go for Australian fashion in Indonesia.