Musa's feminine style fail to shine

Musa's feminine style fail to shine

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Ruffles, lace, brocade, beads, paillettes. Looks like every
designer today is going for a feminine style and moving toward
the past.

It has been done to death but that is today's trend, which
will likely continue until the end of the year.

Here, while the economy remains tough and competition is
tight, it seems there is nothing that designers can do except
follow.

Designer Musa Widyatmodjo is no exception to this.

He recently unfurled his latest ready-to-wear collection,
titled Rustic Romance.

The title says it all: A lineup of ladylike wear that emanates
romantic vibes.

"Well, it's (the feminine style) a global trend. It's just how
we apply it. One can see from that whether a designer has a
strong character or not," Musa said after the show.

"As for me, I've always been known for my feminine design with
Indonesian elements."

The collection -- presented in the lounge of Hotel Mulia
Senayan -- consisted of evening party dresses, which Musa chose
in a bid to be realistic.

"There is too much competition, both local and foreign, for
casual wear. And their sales have declined in past years. So I
chose something that wasn't already abundant in the market, which
were ready-to-wear party dresses," said Musa, who also claims to
be the first designer to have popularized organdy kebaya several
years back.

The collection consists of long dresses, sack dresses, tunics,
pants, A-line or full skirts -- all of them are tight,
complimenting women's curves.

Some of the clothes were inspired by Victorian style, in which
Musa presented a modification of kebaya silhouette and Victorian
dress.

One of the examples was a kebaya with a glass-hour line,
combined with puffy transparent short sleeves or tight sleeves
with frills.

Everything comes in beige, creme, light brown or a little bit
of gold.

"Well, that is my trademark. I rarely use bright colors in my
design. I know purple is trendy right now, but I just apply it
for detail," Musa said.

As for the fabric, he chose lace, brocade, shantung, taffeta,
satin silk and chiffon.

In line with the feminine spirit, the details are very
womanly: beads, paillettes, embroidery -- creating floral and
leaf motifs. The paillette are also formed like lace and placed
around the waist, forming diamond-shaped motifs.

Ribbons can also be seen, sewn around the waist, neckline or
on the sleeves.

Some blouses came with colorful thin feathers on the shoulders
or transparent fabric combined with pleated silk.

As for the rustic theme, Musa said it is implied in the
"unfinished" result, where he deliberately cuts the fabric and
leaves it frayed.

All in all, however, Musa's collection was rather monotonous,
unlike what he calls "having strong character". If it was meant
to be simple, unfortunately, it came out as a little bit dull.

Guess it required something more than just absorbing today's
fashion style and adapting it to our personality and style.