Young designer promotes ready-to-wear collection

By Stevie Emilia

LOMBOK, West Nusa Tenggara (JP): Expressionless models wearing chic, clear-cut, all-white, simple ready-to-wear outfits took to the stage with slow strides under the shade of palm trees.

Most of the outfits, made of French linen, light cotton and cotton-polyester, were sleeveless -- perfect for tropical weather -- while skirt lengths varied but were mostly knee length for day suits or ankle length for evening wear.

Male models were clad in loose white trousers or short pants and white shirts, and some even bare-chested, and carried net bags as accessories.

In all, it was refreshing to see that the first ready-to-wear collection by Bali-based young fashion designer Irsan offered more day suits, easy to wear and to combine with other outfits without much hassle.

The 27-year-old designer, a former student of Susan Budihardjo fashion school, said he had long dreamed of presenting his different creations.

"For me, it was really a quite difficult and sensitive decision to enter the ready-to-wear field. It took me some years to set up Irsan 1711 as the second line because my real interest was in unique couture production," Irsan told The Jakarta Post.

The designer, who prefers to be called a tailor, previously worked as an assistant stylist at Didi Budihardjo's Anonymous fashion studio and then as assistant designer for Adjie Notonegoro's House of Adjie fashion studio in Jakarta.

He then decided to set up his own fashion studio, the House of Irsan, in Kuta, Bali, in 1993, where he catered to made-to-order fashion, mostly evening gowns.

But the ongoing crisis also effected Irsan's decision to introduce his second-line collection.

"We have no problems with our first-line clients. They're still plenty. But to get more clients, there's no harm in creating more affordable clothing," said the young designer, who tried to mix his early passion, painting, with fashion.

Irsan, who prepared the show in a month, introduced his second-line collection at the Sheraton Senggigi Hotel, Lombok, where he also opened his first ready-to-wear boutique under the label of Irsan 1711.

"My ready-to-wear items, however, show the real Irsan, who loves simplicity. Not Irsan who is still inspired by Dior or other well-known designers," said the designer, who loves to dress in simple outfits.

Apart from his white collection, Irsan also presented his gray ready-to-wear outfits, made mostly of polyester-wool and cotton- polyester and which are easy to match with other apparel.

But it was his crme creations that showed off the designer's skill in cutting, with each design, made of satin crepe de Chine and chiffon crepe, classy and stylish.

The highlight of Irsan's ready-to-wear clothing was his black attire made of polyester-silk, offering simple but exquisite fashion, responding to the daily needs of modern women, who need clothes that they can wear both at the office and later on a night out.

The most appealing creation was a floor-length black gown with narrow straps which hugged the model's hips and created a silhouette from a distance.

As if to justify the designer's commitment to simplicity, the models did not wear too many accessories with his ready-to-wear creations.

The models simply wore flat leather sandals or carried net bags in their hands or on their shoulders. Most attractive of all were the long elegant stoles, made of silk organza and hand embroidered in a fashionable batik pattern, worn with some of the apparel. All the accessories were designed by Irsan.

"People will like my ready-to-wear outfits because they are simple," reasoned Irsan, who used to travel to fashion cities abroad and read fashion books to sharpen his skills.

He said the creation process of his second-line collection did not differ much from that of his first line.

"The difference is that my second-line creations have sizes, from small to extra large, so it is for the public in general. But my first-line creations are made based on my own creativity, or based on my clients' requests and needs, so they should be perfect and certainly take more time to make," said Irsan, who declined to reveal the prices of his creations.

A Canadian tourist among the audience praised Irsan's ready-to-wear pieces' simplicity.

"The selection of colors is gorgeous, especially for tropical islands like here. But I think those outfits are only made for Asian people, small in size, and not for people of my size," she laughed.

Couture creations

The hallmark of the fashion show was Irsan's evening dresses, his first line, presented in the last sequence of his La Contradiction fashion show.

Unlike the procession of his ready-to-wear collections, where the models were expressionless in their plain makeup and sprinkling of accessories, his first line was lively with the models blending their expressions and movements according to the attire they were wearing and rhythmical beats of the music.

This time the models were also adorned with elegant silver necklaces, lace gloves, feminine bags and their hair and faces were attractively done.

"I open my ready-to-wear collection with an absolute minimal, but I end it with a baroque outcry," Irsan said. "My first line is baroque dresses which can be classical and display strong personal character."

His unique evening dresses unmistakenly showed the designer's special touches, his devotion to classical fashion and fantasy.

A model, clad in a sleeveless and strapless black and yellow top with a tiger motif and an ankle-length black skirt that hugged her hips, opened the lineup of Irsan's couture creations.

The following outfits really displayed the designer's source of inspiration: classical opera, masked parties and Halloween costumes.

One of the models appeared on stage wearing a strapless, floor-length white wedding gown while carrying a corsage in one hand. However, her makeup, with thick black eye shadow and black mascara that seemed to almost drip down to her cheek, reminded one of Frankenstein's bride.

"I do love classic. Classical music, opera and also fashion. And my taste is reflected in my designs," Irsan said.

But Irsan's fancy for traditional dress was obvious when a model elegantly took to the stage attired in a long, white lace kebaya and sarong.

A businesswoman, Dita, who was among the audience, expressed admiration for Irsan's first-line designs. "The first-line creations show the designer's unique skills and his willingness to turn wild fantasy into reality...," she said.