Ethnic-centered for sophistication

Muara Bagdja, Contributor, Jakarta

Ethnic-style attire will challenge the array of elegant gowns as the vogue for Indonesian women's wear next year according to the Fashion Trend 2002 show organized by the Indonesian Fashion Designers' Association (IPMI) last week.

Indonesian and Asian ethnic elements, particularly in textile selection and apparel styling, were combined with the most recent interpretations and a sense of fashion to produce sophisticated and modern designs.

The IPMI show wound up the fashion trend week, which had been preceded since August by several members' solo shows featuring such famous names as Sebastian Gunawan, Didi Budihardjo, Era M. Soekamto, Oscar Lawalata, Stephanus Hamy and Widhi Budimulia.

The trend show was interesting and long awaited because Didi, one of the country's renowned designers who is known for his elegant style, displayed his first collection for the House of Prayudi.

Unlike in the world's fashion centers, in Indonesia only a few designers cooperate with fashion houses in addition to creating for their own brand names.

The late Prayudi is renowned for having enhanced Indonesian textiles to become modern clothes that most people today like to wear. Among his works are stylish garments made of traditional woven fabrics for men and women, popular in the 1980s, and batik gowns, also known as the trademark fashion for visits to the palace in previous years.

"Instead of changing Prayudi's style, I just want to offer fresher and lighter patterns to avoid monotony," Didi said. His novelty and freshness appeared in the textiles used and styling employed.

Themed "Asian Exotica", he treated batiks in flower and butterfly motifs by applying the pointillist technique of dotting to create a gentle oriental impression, and prepared woven material using the stitch tie-dyeing method to produce milder versions of Prayudi's clearcut and imposing design features.

His textiles were presented in a style inspired by various traditional clothes in Asia. "The Asian idea was derived from Prayudi's own logo, the swastika, which is oriental. I amplified it further toward the Asian culture," said Didi.

A kimono-look batik blouse and a knee-length fine skirt, for instance, had an obi (Japanese broad belt) to match. Another batik blouse was a loose-fitting model decorated with beads, while a batik skirt in diagonal patterns carried jumbo flowers and pink cotton pieces as adornments, giving a poetic Chinese painting image.

Particularly appealing was a sakura-motif batik blouse combined with a skirt with high side slits to reveal a traditional styled patchwork slip. This beaded, light blue design gave a strong romantic impression and was believed to belong to an emerging global trend.

Didi closed his collection by shifting from soft tones to black evening wear that included Chinese cheongsam and Indian tunic designs, made of beaded thin material laid over batiks. This series looked elegant, classy and strong.

Denny Wirawan also introduced his strong ethnic taste in modern striped designs through the print motifs of Timor's woven cloth patterns on silk and organza.

"I'm trying to expose Indonesia's ethnic features. The basic idea of my collection is the themed stripes now in vogue. I've found geometric motifs in Timorese woven material that suit my designs perfectly," said Denny.

These traditional patterns were found in his most outstanding items. An asymmetrical blouse, a drop-shoulder blouse with bat sleeves and a long skirt with an uneven border were among those displayed. His designs were bold and sexy, with bright red dominating transparent and undulating fabrics.

"I don't want to create genuinely ethnic styles but instead more modern ones for the women of today. This is my most special and idealistic collection for trend shows."

With this collection, print designs derived from Indonesian textiles may again be demanded by consumers, as was the case in the 1980s before being abandoned when women buyers turned to plain material decorated with embroidery and sequins. Denny's last exhibit was a ballgown with a Timorese woven scarf to represent an East and West intercourse.

Print motifs were also the basis of Susie Hediyanto's works, with Java as her source of inspiration. Court dancers, shadow puppets, gunungan (mountains) and Borobudur temple reliefs were put on silk with an attractive combination of reddish brown and dark green. Dominated by long cuts, her beautiful motifs were unfortunately overwhelmed by flashy frills and fringes.

Meanwhile, Yongky Budi Sutisna's first appearance with the association was interesting because he displayed the other side of ethnic presentation. His broad gowns, designed in the New Look Dior style of the 1950s, were made of bud-motif batiks lined with embroidered transparent material.

Nevertheless, his collection was inconsistent as he introduced a tunic combination that failed to integrate with the whole concept, let alone the beret that spoiled the elegant image he was trying to portray.

Oscar Lawalata closed the event with his ready-to-wear collection labeled "Oscar Oscar". Based on the idea of corsets, his series of strap variations ranged from short models combined with ballet skirts of the 1950s to bodysuit corsets.

This show suggested the presence of two opposing poles in Indonesia's fashion trends. Some of the designers are considerably inclined toward Europe's elegant style, whereas others have strived to follow the world fashion by including ethnic elements as value added.

Both tendencies are equally legitimate and interesting, as the difference will invigorate the fashion business and enrich the dressing styles of local consumers.

The message is that, as long as the sense of fashion is there, with good interpretation and proper techniques, a designer can process Eastern ethnic resources into today's classy attire without being trapped in outdated, dull and stereotyped models.