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.