Celebrating New Year with new style, record
Ivy Susanti, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Six models walked out of the business-class cabin -- which had temporarily been transformed into a dressing room -- on a Merpati Nusantara airlines flight from Jakarta to Denpasar.
Maintaining their grace was quite some task, unlike stewardesses who are well-seasoned in aisle etiquette, moments of turbulence caused the models to grasp at the nearest passenger's seat.
It was but one day before New Year's Eve, and aboard the 158- seat Boeing airplane there was an anticipatory buzz, as passengers were already displaying their eagerness to party.
Enthusiastically they peered down the aisle, which at 60- centimeters wide, was soon to become a somewhat narrow catwalk. Photographers and TV cameramen angled themselves to get the best possible shot, sweaty palmed, they stopped short of actually mobbing the models. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the fashion show in the sky!
As the plane hovered at 33,000 feet above sea-level, the models paraded Indonesian designers Poppy Dharsono's and Kanaya Tabitha's latest pieces.
Upon touching down at Ngurah Rai international airport, Poppy, Kanaya, Merpati and sponsor Bank Artha Graha were awarded a certificate by the Indonesian Records Museum (MURI) for pulling off the rare event.
It was probably not the first time that such an event had been staged, but it was the first of its kind that MURI had officially recorded.
Kanaya opened the show themed Sunset Angel with four evening gowns. They were mostly off-the-shoulder and embroidered or adorned with sequins. Shades of pink intermingled with black, like the saturated color of the sunset hour as light turns to dark.
Poppy utilized the lurik cloth of Pedan village in Klaten, Central Java in her elegant designs. The six mostly three-piece outfits she offered up to the fashion-hungry eyes of the passengers were practical, and what's more, wearable. Tops were embellished with floral motifs and matched with colorful lurik pants or skirts.
Lurik is a woven, striped cloth, and can be cut into designs that are worn by both males and females.
Poppy is committed to the promotion of lurik cloth and can recall using it as far back as 1977, when she showed her designs at a fashion show in Germany.
"I think there is nothing wrong with promoting lurik. By doing so, we designers can help cloth-makers raise their living standards, particularly during tough times. Moreover, lurik cloth is certainly suitable for cosmopolitan fashion wear," she said.
On a similar occasion, two of Merpati's stewardesses, Fisca and Evi, spontaneously modeled the airline's new uniform at the request of the airline. The uniform, comprising of a beige top matched with either a beige or maroon skirt and accompanying hat, was designed by noted Indonesian fashion designer Oscar Lawalatta.
According to Merpati's president director, Hotasi Nababan, the new uniform represents Merpati's corporate image and its commitment to service.
The uniform also embodies the qualities of the stewardesses, who, Hotasi says, are mature, smart, warm, helpful and energetic.
The fashion show was repeated at the Hard Rock Bali's New Year's Eve bash in Kuta the following night. But while the venue was not as exotic, for anyone with a fear of flying, it suited them right down to the ground.