Trend 2000 show combines diverse styles and influences

Trend 2000 show combines diverse styles and influences

Text and photos by Agni Amorita

JAKARTA (JP): The creations of Surabaya-based fashion designer
Kiatna Kwanda, presented here last week, might remind one of John
Locke's tabula rasa theory. Like Locke's theory of purity which
was compared to white paper, Kiata offered the same philosophy in
starting the third millennium with his entirely white stainless
collections.

The designer, who does not intend to sell the dresses in the
collection, as he did in his last two annual shows, adopted a
feminine approach by using wrinkles and coin shaped detail with
strong masculine horizontal and vertical lines as the spirit of
his white silk. To make the perfect wrinkle as the dominant
effect in his collection, Kiata put a coin in the silk, loosened
up the thread and then took away the coin, just like the tie dye
technique but without adding the color. And as a result, Kwanda
received rapturous applause from the audience.

The Indonesian Fashion Designers Council, better known by its
abbreviation IPMI, staged their 14th annual trend show for three
days, starting on Monday, Nov. 22, at the Bidakara convention
center, Jakarta. It took place just a few days after another
organization, the Indonesian Fashion Designers Association
(APPMI) held its annual Tendance Fashion show.

During the event, approximately five IPMI designers presented
their collections individually each day.

"We have to start this international format because in the
future there will be a need to place potential buyers -- mostly
international ones -- for each designer," explained Sjamsidar
Isa, IPMI's chairwoman, before the shows. She believed that
following this, Paris' pret a porter format is a need for the
Indonesian fashion industry development. "Actually we wanted to
start it last year but the monetary crisis ruined that plan," she
added.

With three month's preparation, the Trend 2000 fashion show
costing more than Rp 400 million, was designed to promote IPMI's
younger generations. In fact, only two senior designers took part
in the event: Ghea Panggabean and Carmanita Mambu. Ghea closed
the event consistent with her Asian ethnic approach. Borrowing
from Indian styles whose fragile fabrics are light and bright,
Ghea enlivened the night with a youthful spirit with the use of
denims.

Carmanita faithfully stayed with her kebaya dresses. Her
exploration for next year was white batik, as well as those of
light brown, soft pink and silver. Other designers presented
wedding gowns as their masterpieces, showed as the last outfit in
the catwalk. Carmanita proudly presented her only male design, a
black batik, presented by the famous music producer Jay
Subiyakto.

IPMI also explored other generations. Didi Budihardjo, Widhi
Budimulia, Cheppie and Sutanto Danuwijaya took the audience to
Europe with their sleeveless ballgowns while Stephanus Hamy, Tuty
Cholid and Rumah Mode Prayudi (Prayudi's boutique) explored silk
Bugi Makasar sarongs and batik. Hamy turned the old fashioned
Makasar sarong into a younger look with his bright coloring and
used dynamic cutting for his bolero-ed mini skirts and pants.

Widhi Budimulia went with pastel colors for his coated
trousers, sleeveless long dresses and knee-length skirts. Widhi
introduced a vertical fish in fin-shaped detail as exclusive
riffles to feminize his collection.

Bright colors were the order of the day for Cheppie. He used
black metallic sequins to cover a red silk bustier and to make it
devastating he added it to a backless long red silk dress. The
gypsy look was Sutanto's choice. Taking cross cultural themes,
Sutanto mixed glamourous colors such as red, green, orange and
blue in feminine fabrics such as tulle, taffeta and chiffon.
Sebastian Gunawan and Syahreza Muslim preferred Chinese-inspired
red and gold dresses. Crystal and sequins in Sebastian and
Syahreza's hands were placed harmoniously as the dress'
illumination. It glittered. Not all of Sebastian's creations had
trendy circle-shaped sequins as he still had his favorite,
expensive lace. The rich fur lining in Sebastian dresses and
trousers also indicated that they were not low-cost.

Going further was Ronald Very Gaghana whose collections were a
unity of Asian, European, American and African inspirations.
African paintings and American Indian bird feathers were well
mixed in increasingly favorite tanned-skin color dresses or knee
length pants. Ronald also offered tosca green and bright orange
as the year 2000's color trend. For the millennium touch, he
completed the collections with vinyl pants in honey color.

Unpredictable designs came from IPMI's youngest members. The
widely talked about Urban Crew -- a label owned by Era Soekamto
and Ichwan Toha -- appeared in Emergency Room's outfits. A
nurse's white uniform and a gown usually worn by a doctor in the
operating theater were modified into trendy, fashionable and even
naughty outfits.

Oscar Lawalata went wild with Makassar silk in his
look-like-a-kimono's kebaya and baju bodo collection. Still
consistent with his button-free style, Oscar used complicated
folds in his long and light pastel dresses.

In short, IPMI wanted to announce its readiness to provide
almost all the needs of the fashion industry, internationally of
course.