Fashion event fails to live up to the hype

By Agni Amorita

JAKARTA (JP): "Watch out for your back!" is the latest fashion statement from designer Itang Yunasz. Exposed backs are his current preoccupation, evidenced in his latest collections staged in a week-long fashion bazaar at the Borobudur Hotel, Central Jakarta, which ended Saturday.

Itang has created somewhat complicated designs this time with his diagonal cuts which expose bare body parts -- especially the back -- in his mainly lavender and green dresses. He offers various styles, from mini to maxi, from dresses to trousers, priced from Rp 150,000 (US$21.5) to Rp 1,500,000.

The 1999 Fashion and Art Party, which was supported by the Jakarta Tourist Agency, was the third organized by the Ram Sarwigo Event Organizer -- owned by famous fashion designer Ramli.

Ramli said the event aimed to encourage his fellow fashion designers to create new designs and to display them to the public. Ramli himself presented his famous embroidery collection in the fashion shows.

"This event is expected to show Indonesian designers' most competitive products in order to boost Jakarta as a fashion- oriented city, like other glorious cities, such as Milan, New York, and even Paris," said Parlindungan Hutabarat of the city tourism agency.

However, turning Jakarta into one of Asia's fashion destinations needs more than a slogan. The Jakarta Tourism Agency included a cultural Miss and Mister Jakarta final contest in this event; a strategy that contributed nothing to the big fashion picture. The 1999 Fashion and Art Event, even though it was supposed to be a big event, was prepared in haste. As a result, its dream to turn Jakarta into a fashion city ended almost as soon as the event ended. The international world of fashion hardly flocked to its doors. Details for another important event -- Jakarta Fashion Week -- which is supposed to take place annually, are yet to be announced.

An overriding post-event impression was that Jakarta's fashion claims were not serious. It was said that the 1999 Fashion and Art Party was held in conjunction with the commemoration of the city's 472nd anniversary and the country's 54th Independence Day. Involving 34 fashion houses, six bridal designers, seven furniture and interior designers and eight painters, the event appeared to be little more than a fashion bazaar.

As a fashion bazaar, the event ran well. Local customers and foreign hotel guests showed their high appreciation. The various daily fashion shows were the magnet attracting customers. The outfits were offered at a very reasonable price. Famous designer Adjie Notonagoro's spaghetti strap gown, which looked very expensive, was available at only Rp 250,000. The fashion bazaar featured various kind of clothes from ready-to-wear, to bridal wear and even to Muslim wear. But the kebaya look (women's blouse the front of which is pinned together, usually worn with a sarong) was still the favorite choice of local designers.

Ghea S. Panggabean echoed a Japanese style in her painted kimono silk blouses. While the famous antique batik designer, Obin, this time presented a bridal gown made from 100 percent cotton. The younger generation, like Oscar Lawalata and Irsan, who flew to Jakarta from Bali, appealed with their teen collections. Irsan explored a country style in his futuristic cube-shaped ornaments and denim collections.

Tuty Cholid retained her modern but handmade textile kebaya designs, to be mixed with a T-shirt or a knitted dress. "I want to create a casual look with the kebaya," she said about her collection, selling for Rp 1 million a pair. Tuty avoided gray and other muted colors, saying they mirrored too closely the crisis atmosphere, preferring fresh pink and baby blue for her elegant suits.

Corrie Kastubi continued with her line of futuristic creations by choosing glittering materials. Her sexy theme is translated in a minimalist design with wrinkled smocks, puffed sleeves in beige and white. Corrie added cheap local materials for her dress' details, such as transparent thread and fake feathers, in order to maintain her average garment pricing range of Rp 250,000.

Susie Hedijanto also continued with her well-known wayang designs on pure silk batik. This time she presented her old kebaya collection with a long skirt, offered at between Rp 75,000 and Rp 2 million each. Susi is currently busy preparing her second line collection called Suhe.

Another designer who is still working on his new creations is Adjie Notonegoro. A showing of his latest garments will be held at a gala dinner on Aug. 19. Adjie has been experimenting with diagonal cutting for his newest collections. The antiestablishment movement seems to be the third millennium fashion statement of many fashion designers, including those from Indonesia.