Ready-to-wear: Making it back on the runway

Muara Bagdja, Contributor, Jakarta

Leading designers Stephanus Hamy and Widhi Budimulia have confirmed that rumors of the death of ready-to-wear on these shores are greatly exaggerated.

The two presented designs featuring their typical ready-to- wear concepts -- well-suited to various occasions, light, easily matchable with other garments and attractive to different types of consumers -- in Jakarta last week.

Their 2002 collections, each introducing about 60 sets of men's and women's wear, stayed in style by following the tastes of world fashion. Bright colors and white were chosen, packaged with elements of the romantic style that is the current dominant trend.

The show effectively put an end to the pessimistic view of some about the Indonesian ready-to-wear industry, which was propounded by the recent popularity of one-off fashion shows featuring ballroom gowns.

Such creations are usually limited to the catwalk, and the public's need for affordable, stylish clothes was being ignored.

Many designers, including those who originally made their name in the ready-to-wear business, followed the trend by concentrating on a few exclusive dresses made to order for affluent clients.

All of those developments were a pity, because ready-to-wear was once the backbone of the Indonesian fashion scene, bringing the creations of many top designers to a wide public.

Stephanus and Widhi say they want a return to the old days.

"We would like to restore the public conception that visiting a designer is a matter of daily necessity, rather than only done in preparation for a party," said Stephanus.

Hopefully, this will mean an end to the ubiquitous and increasingly boring sight of sequin-packed, embroidered evening gowns dragging their trains along the runway.

Stephanus chose the two-piece matching design style for his second-line collection, "Hamy Touch".

His show started with designs highlighted by combinations of lace and chiffon in tones of beige, cream, turmeric yellow and pastel purple. Then came blouses and chiffon skirts in burgundy and green. Continuing last year's display concept, the "East", Stephanus retained the Japanese obi-styled broad belts.

All-brown designs included chiffon blouses with skirts and broad-striped pants, fringed in lace or transparent material.

The standout of Stephanus' show were his lace patchwork skirts. "I was reminded of the baggy look of the 1980s, and then I developed it into the patchwork style, which is simpler," he said.

With the use of lace, the patchwork skirts become deluxe products. Coupled with chiffon-pleated blouses with bell-shaped sleeves or blouson chiffon-pleated tops, his collection was youthful and playful. His thin blouson blouses with miniskirts or laced hot pants were particularly outstanding.

After keeping to long dresses and housewife-type loose blouses for almost a decade, Stephanus this time flaunted his fresher, more cheerful and adaptable second-line outfits. They attracted many consumers, who were won over by their simplicity.

"I have made my collection more easily understood. It's not just beautiful on stage, with nobody willing to buy it," he said.

The truth of his statement was confirmed by the 40-something wife of an ex-minister who, upon admiring a yellow laced skirt with chiffon inner lining, said: "It's a very nice skirt. By replacing the upper part, I can use it for an informal evening event."

Stephanus' collection was the first hint of optimism that Indonesian ready-to-wear designs were ready for a comeback, and it was reinforced by Widhi's creations.

The designer introduced his new collection with a new label, www.widhi, in a deluxe ready-to-wear style.

Unlike Stephanus, who based his inspiration on colorful cheerfulness, Widhi presented a theme, "Purity", for his collection, which was dominated by white-colored designs, from gypsy blouses to beautiful cocktail gowns.

The designs and choice of color reflect the designer's protest against various forms of violence in the country today. The white color reminds the people of the need to remember their good and noble values.

"I lodge my protests by holding fashion shows instead of launching a demonstration in front of the Hotel Indonesia," Widhi said after the show.

Visitors felt the purity of Widhi's collection in his white blouses with feminine and romantic designs. As with the prevalent trend today, Widhi presented the romantic style in the form of blouses with bell-shaped or pleated sleeves.

His blouses, made by combining different textures like polyester lace and broderie Anglaise, looked beautiful and dynamic. A frilly combination on the collar or the lower end of the sleeves made the blouses appear like a hybrid of Victorian and gypsy.

Combined with jeans or skirts, the white blouses looked modern and modish, and Widhi obviously intended to make the designs of his beautiful blouses stand out for customers.

Many people have come to assume that a designer outfit means a party dress, and the blouse has been largely ignored. "Actually, there are stylish shirts for daily dress," said Widhi.

The gowns were long, reaching below the knees, like gowns in the Empire style, and combined drapery chiffon on the upper part and jacquard materials with relief texture on the lower part.

Despite the predominance of white, the gowns did not look like wedding gowns because of their simplicity. Several of the gowns were in the halter style made famous in a still of Marilyn Monroe from the movie The Seven Year Itch.

"I wish to provide an illustration to consumers that emphasizes that they don't always have to wear a black cocktail dress or evening dress. With simple designs, white gowns look different from wedding gowns," Widhi said.

These two fine collections have given new optimism for ready- to-wear garments, which have in recent times been overlooked and forgotten. The two designers have shown that ready-to-wear can be attractive, providing the garments are produced based on clear concepts and with guaranteed quality.

"Compared with their products in the past, the sewing has improved," one woman audience member commented.

It was also refreshing that their shows were all about the fashion statements they wished to make. There were no meandering speeches before the models took to the runway.

It's a good sign when fashion designers buck the trend and return to their roots. With designers like Widhi and Stephanus providing ready-to-wear and holding true to their respective characteristics, consumers once again will be able to enjoy a wide selection of garments.