Simple shapes, but luxury fabrics: Biyan goes minimalist

Simple shapes, but luxury fabrics: Biyan goes minimalist

By Dini S. Djalal

JAKARTA (JP): It's 1996 -- do you know where your jewelry is?

Fashion's neophytes may grin while twiddling their gold
baubles, but style zealots hide their glittering trinkets in
Louis Vuitton trunks.

In the minimalist nineties, less is more -- so long as what
you have on already costs a bundle.

Fashion's paradigms are being remodeled. Some designers still
rummage through past fashion follies -- day-glo bell-bottoms and
all, but a new generation is moving forward by simplifying
silhouettes and abandoning accessories.

If clothes are becoming sparse, how does this new school
channel its creativity?

Palette experimentation.

Today's collections may look the same, but they feel
different. From rubber to rayon, tulle to tactel, polyamide to
pony skin, designers are mining a wealth of fabrics.

The range is expanding -- textile manufacturers are busy
creating new fabrics (even paper!) and reshaping old ones.
Polyester, for example, is losing its itch, while woolen jerseys
and velvets are getting lighter. Fashion's new motto may read:
Don't look, but touch.

But what's on show still looks pretty good. At the first solo
show in three years for Indonesia's acclaimed designer, Biyan
Wanaatmadja, last week at the Gran Melia Hotel, the spectacle of
150 ensembles was spellbinding. More than a thousand fashion
aficionados flocked to the show, which was part of the 24th
birthday celebrations for Femina women's magazine. Pia
Alisjahbana, director of the Femina Group, was full of praise: "I
loved it! It was perfect for the active women of today, which is
what Femina is all about."

Whether every active woman swears by simplicity is academic,
but Biyan does offer a tempting proposition. At the show, there
was no jewelry, few accessories and only simple shapes, but the
models literally glittered as they walked solemnly down the
catwalk in gold lame, beaded tulle, sequined lace, and white
satin.

Here was fabric mining at its best. Biyan's minimalism is not
new, but he perfected the marriage of simplicity and luxury in
this collection. The only thing missing was a more Indonesian
touch. Gone are the pastel florals and batiks of past
collections, although his signature embroidered tulle still slips
over satin sheaths.

What is new is lace -- also hot on European catwalks (black
lace at Gucci, white lace at Helmut Lang). Biyan goes gold,
sequined and layered. Models in Paris and Milan wore their sheer
lace with nothing underneath. Indicating sensitivity to a more
conservative consumer market, Biyan coats his lace -- trousers,
tunics, and sleeveless gowns -- over cream satin or tulle.

Not that this graduate of the London College of Fashion is a
prude. Pervasive in the show was that most dreaded fashion item:
the tube top, or bandeau. If the shell or shirt is sheer, which
it often is, the bandeau sits snugly to safeguard the model's
modesty. But this tiny swath of silk does nothing for a flabby
belly. Hipsters may be hip, but for those of us wary of the gym
Biyan could have offered figure-flattering camisoles.

Yet in general, Biyan's clothes do not cater for the chubby.
His silhouette is lean, lean and lean. Cigarette-slim trousers,
pencil skirts, second-skin shirts and strapless gowns do not
leave much room for a hot-fudge sundae. His outfits make women
look beautiful, but their bodies must be beautiful to begin with.

Thankfully, there was calm after the storm of body-huggers.
After the show opened with white satin bandeaus, there were car-
coats, hip-length suits and printed shirts falling almost to the
knee (doubling in utility as shirt-dresses). Biyan calls these
bold flower prints, in apple-green, chocolate and mismatched
colors with block patterns: "Bauhaus-style". The effect, however,
is hardly utilitarian; these were brash but fun clothes for gutsy
women.

And the rest? Biyan is not exempted from the grasp of European
trends. There were glimpses of safari-style pant suits in drab
brown, another sign of Prada's gripping influence on designers
worldwide. Another set of prints -- green-and-white or brown-and-
white checks -- were inspired, said Biyan, by "sarongs", but
Prada's tweeds of last season were in similar patterns. Biyan
individualizes these prints by shaping them into ankle-length
caftans, although the Moroccan-holiday look was first seen at the
Gucci show.

Style references, however, do not make Biyan's clothes any
less lovely. His cut is superb, his finish is fine. His
evening wear alone cements his reputation as a purveyor of
feminine fineries.

Floating in intricate sequined embroidery and lace, first in
browns and then in gold, the models were like pools of light. In
flesh-colored versions of the same sheen and sparkle, they looked
like wet nudes as the silhouettes followed the contours of their
bodies. Nothing was extraneous, save a matching scarf tied around
the neck or swung over bare shoulders.

The men, in gold pants, sheer shirts, and matching ties, were
like G.I.s dipped in ore, sporting a combination of both
masculinity and glamor. The men's collection was much smaller --
there were only three male models accompanying the 29 female
models -- but it was given equal, if not more intense, attention.
For example, only the men wore the great zig-zagged knitted
shirts at the show's opening.

Biyan's catalog, however, features only women. Biyan himself
refers to his style as "neat, smart, convertible, with a strong
feminine touch". Perhaps the female focus reflects market trends,
which underline women's shopping habits rather than men's.

Considerable marketing savvy has been Biyan's strength.
Realizing the need for an identity rather than fickle fads,
Biyan's style is continually evolving. "I don't veer far from my
norm," Biyan said at a press conference. "I want to show a
consistency of silhouettes," he said.

This consistency remains from year to year. Biyan says that
adaptable separates rather than wild fashion is what consumers
want. "The nineties is all about style in coordinates. It's about
giving consumers a choice," said Biyan.

He says the days are over when designers dictated a person's
outfit from head to toe. Career preoccupations urge consumers to
look for clothes that are practical and good value, but also that
express, not overpower, their individuality. "Consumers want
something which is unique, but not out-of-this-world," Biyan
said.

Biyan's practicality is evident in how he runs his business.
This native of Surabaya is one of a handful of Indonesian
designers who have opened boutiques alongside international
fashion houses. Biyan has a boutique in Pondok Indah mall and
another at Plaza Senayan. He also has shops in Citraland and
Kelapa Gading malls and counters for his lower-priced Studio 133
label at every major department store.

Biyan says that the demands of retailing took him away from
the catwalk for three years. "It was a calculated absence,
because I had to concentrate on developing my outlets," he said.

Warning that Indonesian designers must focus more on retailing
so that they won't find themselves empty-handed in the upcoming
free-trade era, Biyan expressed his embarrassment on the
unavailability of Indonesian designs. At the same time, he said:
"Everybody knows that Indonesians are often the biggest customers
overseas. Is there a place for Indonesian designers?".

Hoping that his show will make a difference in both raising
his reputation and that of his colleagues, Biyan concluded:
"Indonesian designers should be able to be a host in their own
country."