Harry Darsono: Some standouts but mostly same old, same old designs

Harry Darsono: Some standouts but mostly same old, same old designs

Syahmedi Dean, Contributor, Jakarta

What do members of Jakarta's upper crust expect when a designer
celebrates 30 years in fashion? At the very least, he is called
upon to present creations that are a cut above those of other
designers with less experience in the profession.

Invitees to the fashion show Serve with Honor and Style -- 30
Years of Harry Darsono's Couture were expecting something new as
they gathered at The Dharmawangsa Hotel in South Jakarta. No
fewer than 30 of Harry's new designs were about to be shown, a
tribute to his vast experience in fashion design.

At the opening of the show, Harry talked at length about his
years in fashion and his experience traveling the world in his
profession. The evening's emcee also described the honored
guest's achievements, including, apparently, designing for the
late Diana, Princess of Wales, and Queen Rania of Jordan,
something never previously reported here.

Unfortunately, no images of the women -- two favorites of the
international media -- wearing his designs were flashed on the
video screens.

Among the standout designs in the show was an elegant black
velvet tube wrapped dress, tight from the bosom to the knees and
then flaired to the ankles. Several feathers were inserted in the
bosom part of the dress, which was accented on the hip with a
brooch. The presence of the jewelry gave it an elegant look and
its light color provided impressive contrast.

There was also a very beautiful mini black dress that wrapped
the body in solid drape texture. The upper part of the gown was
provided with a detail made of a piece of fabric that was
perfectly draped round the shoulders. It was even more stunning
with the addition of a black hat made of feathers and satin.

Ironically, these two outstanding, enchanting designs did not
reflect Harry's signature style of hand-painted and hand-crafted
details.

Unfortunately, most of the other designs featured on the
evening did not live up to a spirit of anything new -- they
merely represented Harry's creations of yesteryear. The hand-
painted motif on organza inspired nothing; it looked like a
muddle of Surrealism, Cubism, Impressionism, Pop Art, Baroque and
Chinese ceramics.

Most of the designs were matched with gloves, an outdated
accessory that does not speak "couture du jour".

Color combinations were similarly confusing, and did not show
a set of color priorities. The image of a fish on a white
ballgown looked like a piece of rag, with the coloring technique
for the organza tending to produce murky colors.

"It's best to color organza, that is, so the colors will fully
stand out, only when you first put the fabric in a mixture of
starch," said batik designer and textile expert Iwan Tirta, who
also attended the show.

"Indeed, the risk is that the organza fabric will become fluid
and soft, while the effect of rigidity that Harry wants is
missing."

But there was one other design that deserved full praise, a
long white dress with an empire line that was the last
presentation of the evening. The part covering the breast was
made of drape, and fabric was pleated lengthwise down beyond the
ankles for the body. A white on white fully hand-crafted "bolero"
jacket with a stunning texture was worn to cover the shoulders.

The right sleeve of the dress was longer than the left; Harry
balanced the latter with material used for the dress,
dramatically sweeping along the floor. The dress took one's
imagination to the past, but it is really today.

It reflected a very clever thought in designing: the
silhouette and the headgear of 1920s, the Grecian look of the
1930s, combined with an essentially modern cutting style and
composition.

It would have worked well if Harry had developed his creative
idea from the last design, and made it the chief concept of his
entire collection.

"Mmm ... I like the details, very accurate," said Krisdayanti,
who wore Harry's designs while performing two songs at the event.
Tellingly, she needed some time to think what impressed her most
about the designs.

With three decades of experience in fashion design, Harry, a
graduate of Ecole de Beaux Arts Paris, is the only designer in
Indonesia (and perhaps the ASEAN region) who is daring enough to
claim that he is an haute couture designer.

But with such credentials -- and also such a claim -- it's
only to be expected that the fashion community will be watching
for some more spectacular creations from Harry in the future. At
least he would then be on creative par with Biyan, with a mere 20
years of fashion designing experience, or Sebastian Gunawan, who
has been in fashion designing for a mere 12 years, but who have
both showed their creative genius -- and the ability to move
forward.