Fashion Parade 1997 passes by with barely a whimper

JAKARTA (JP): This week saw the city's second attempt at launching itself as Asia's fashion capital. Unfortunately, however, the two-day Jakarta Fashion Parade 1997 passed with hardly a whimper.

Whereas last year's four-day program was a celebration, attracting fashion journalists from as far away as South Africa and featuring Indonesian fashion giants and budding stars, this year's event failed to show the industry's favorites, notably designers Biyan and Poppy Darsono. Even Ghea Panggabean, originally listed on the program, pulled out at the last minute.

Why? Because the entire show was arranged at the last minute. After participating in Fashion Week all year but rarely being informed about developments by the Jakarta City Administration's Tourist Board, Poppy Darsono was told one month before the show that Fashion Week -- now called Fashion Parade, was indeed going to take place again. But after staging 19 shows this year, her resources were simply exhausted and prevented her from participating.

Designer Musa was also pressed for time and energy, having just returned from Europe and Japan arranging fashion shows, he also declined to be in the show.

Industry insiders say that as a result of the late organization, the shows fell short of expectations. They added that since participation was free, unlike before when all the designers were obligated to contribute to the budget, designers neither felt the team spirit nor the need to shine.

That the shows passed without hype was a shame, for some of the shows were excellent. Didi's Budiardjo's Priyayi Jawi (Javanese Aristocrat) collection, showing debutantes in sumptuous colonial mermaid gowns and eclectic kebayas complete with feather parasols, was particularly inspiring. But considering the event's organizer, Lisa Ayodhya, is his mother, Didi had more time to prepare than his colleagues.

Also impressive were Dimas Mahendra's layers of crushed pleats. No doubt his peers are accusing him of copying Miyake, but Miyake's pleats are not such generic, industry staples that they've become the Formica of Fashion. Besides, Dimas is imaginative enough to paint his creations in bright, vivid colors, so that the collection resembles a Kandisky collage -- seemingly random and unpolished but actually forming a brilliant, purposeful whole.

Susan Budihardjo also put on a good show, albeit not that different from her last collection. Pretty embroideries on beatnik jackets and pedal-pushers, however, are off-beat enough to last seasonal trends. Especially clever are her embroidered denims.

Eddy Betty went flapper, sending out girls flapping the bugle beads and tassels on their abbreviated dresses. Ardiano produced another fine collection of his trademark earthen-hued batiks, layered to evoke an organic, rustic feel.

But as usual, it's the dramatists who earn the most applause. Young designer Irsan showed 19th-century coquettes in ornate vivid fabrics -- the audience swooned, as did the models squeezed into the tightest of corsets. Widhi Budhimulia had a similarly fantastic imagination, albeit expressed in more somber hues like gray, granite and charcoal. The crowds liked the models' mile- high hairdos, but it was his unconventional mix of flannel with satin that showed daring and innovation.

Great clothes on the catwalks, but will they make it to the stores? Some designers are doubtful. Department stores, from where most designers earn their income, often refuse the more outlandish outfits in favor of staid, "normal" clothes. And anything "ethnic" is often banished to the handicraft section. Said Musa: "That's why you can't buy some of the clothes on the catwalk. The stores won't accept just anything." (Dini S. Djalal)