Design students turn to foil, lightbulbs
Design students turn to foil, lightbulbs
JAKARTA (JP): Ask any fashion school student to create a dress
from their own imagination. Abracadabra! You will be surprised by
their wild ideas. Meet Dia Demona, a second year student from
Esmod Jakarta, who interpreted her design for the millennium as a
two-piece midriff mini dress with dozens of imitation clocks made
of laser disks and compact disks in various sizes.
Her creation was chosen on Monday as the winner of a show held
at CJ's bar at Hotel Mulia in celebration of St. Catherine's Day.
St. Catherine, the savior of female dressmakers, is the school's
mascot.
Dia's friends were no less creative. One of them used knotted
cables, tying up her model in a very deconstructive style, while
another used a Martian theme in some funky designs. Eighty
outfits presented at the show proved the complicated work of the
contestants.
With what has been tagged the millennium colors (metallic or
silver), the students created handmade breakthroughs on their
own. They made the outfits -- they are hardly called dresses --
complete with accessories such as headgear including a hat,
stocking cap, kerchief, cloche, turban, motorcycle helmet and
Martian helmet. There were also innovative bags, necklaces,
earrings and footwear.
Aluminum foil was everywhere. In one creation, it was in the
shape of Madonna's super long bra, and in another, it was
wrinkled in a large sports outfit like a glittering volcano
island on a map of a black vinyl ball gown. Plastic or vinyl was
another favorite choice. Most students selected the material for
creations which ranged from a raincoat in various colors to a
simple transparent one. The latter was used as a perfect cover
for the stomach area where a student who would appear to be a fan
of Steven King's placed an imitation bloody intestine and heart
as her main detail.
Other unusual material that heated the event was the light
bulb usage in the "Electro Freak" theme -- one of five themes
chosen as spirits of the show -- which was combined with a lot of
futuristic details. A dozen creations used Benjamin Franklin's
eureka in lighting the world, including a glittering kite-shaped
skirt. The students mixed the batteries and mini lightbulbs in
every area of their collections. Most of the creations reminded
this viewer of an unidentified flying object's passengers,
complete with a flip-flop light in their wings, antennas and
constantly moving arrows like on a speedometer. (Agni Amorita)