LaSalle graduation shows off proficiency -- and some skin
LaSalle graduation shows off proficiency -- and some skin
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The audience broke into spontaneous applause when 25 models
began assembling onstage for the finale of the Neo Premiere
Graduation Show on April 1 at Balai Sarbini, Central Jakarta. The
ovation was not only in appreciation of the coquettish pieces
displayed that night, but also of the uniqueness of the show.
All designs shown were the creations of 11 Fashion Design
graduates of LaSalle College International Jakarta. The thematic
Neo Premiere show was organized as part of LaSalle's 2004-2005
graduation ceremony, and combined a fashion show with video clips
from several movies as a prelude.
The audience was filled with LaSalle's business partners and
of course, friends and family of the graduating students.
Unlike a conventional fashion show, Neo Premiere was opened by
Canadian Ambassador to Indonesia Randolph Mank, LaSalle College
Director General Mario Poulin and PT Indotex LaSalle President
Director Hariyadi B. Sukamdani, whose speeches were all presented
in a movie-like video feed.
"Neo Premiere is more than a show. It is a celebration that
will exhibit remarkable works of graduates formatted for an
annual event that commemorates cinema as an art form," said
Poulin.
The designs presented seven themes: Violence, Pleasure, The
Myth, Identity, Imaginary, The Thrill and Fear.
The Fear designs, for example, were presented after a
"prologue" on the video screen -- appropriately, a scene from
Bram Stocker's Dracula, in which the "undead" Lucy appears in a
white gown. Similarly, the Fear designs are showed variations of
the white gown.
The Violence theme -- which was intended as an industrial
project -- showed designs based on the traditional costume of
fencing athletes, complete with epees.
The young designers also experimented with color, offering
orange, yellow, and red combinations in Pleasure. Several designs
also exposed the belly-button, which certainly made them more
tantalizing and thus, pleasurable. Several male audience members
whistled and cheered when the models appeared with only a few
scraps of fabric covering their bodies -- and which showed off
their thighs and tummies.
The Myth designs featured a current trend on the catwalks of
Europe -- peacock feathers that lent an air of exoticism.
In addition to the fashion show, the graduation show also
presented the creations of graduating students from Computer
Graphic/Multimedia, Fashion Business and Interior Design -- as
promotional material and props for the show.
The Multimedia students created the promotional paraphernalia,
the Fashion Business students organized the show and the Interior
Design students designed the stage.
Annette Agnita Boedijono, an Interior Design diploma student
who was this year's Best Graduate, said she hoped to continue her
education overseas.
Students in the Interior Design diploma program study at
LaSalle for two years, at the end of which they must exhibit
their final project, including site plans, graphic blueprints and
a scale model.
Annette's final project was a renovation plan for the Djakarta
Theater on Jl. Wahid Hasyim, Central Jakarta, in which she
proposed that this old building be turned into a modern,
comfortable entertainment center.
"I will try to get some work experience while I try to find
the right school to continue my studies," she said.
Classmate Lifia Tamara, who exhibited a renovation of the
Museum of Coffee in South Sumatra, agreed, saying she would find
a job that would enrich her interior design experience and
vocabulary before launching into a professional career.
If this was the graduation show, it seems the fashion,
interior and multimedia sectors of Jakarta -- and Indonesia --
will be getting some fresh blood soon.